After five months of intense, finger blistering gameplay - and plenty of dedication - my gamerscore challenge has drawn to a close. My mission had been to clamber up the gamerscore ladder, rising from January's paltry total of around 12,000G to a far more respectable 20,000G by the end of May. Perfectly "achievable"... but tricky nonetheless.
From the very beginning I maintained that I wasn't going to sink to the desperate depths of playing the likes of Avatar for an easy 1,000G - but I must admit that I was tempted as I neared the end of the challenge. Trying to balance a family, a job and an addiction to gaming is a tough task and it became patently clear that I could only rely on a few hours snatched here and there as I sought those vital accolades.
Sadly, it wasn't to be. As you can see from my score, I came close but ultimately, failed.
Must admit that I'm disappointed but over the past few months have thoroughly enjoyed the brief journey and the huge number of games I've played along the way. Many varied titles have blessed my disc drive of late and the challenge has ensured that many of these games have been played right to the very end. Not only did I complete a huge number of them but I also traversed every nook and cranny of their virtual worlds in search of collectables that would reward me with additional points. And I enjoyed every minute!
Ultimately though, my downfall can just over a week ago with the much-anticipated release of Rockstar's epic, Red Dead Redemption, and Black Rock's Split/Second. On 21 May, my challenge floundered somewhat as every spare moment was not directed towards upping scores but riding my horse across the sprawling plains or driving at ridiculous speed through a race track littered with flaming debris and the remnants of my opponents.
Note to self, future challenges should conclude before the release of games that top my wishlist!
Starting score: 12,309
Final score: 18,439
- Favourite achievement: Red Dead Redemption (Dastardly - 5G - "Place a hogtied woman on the train tracks, and witness her death by train")
- Toughest achievement: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Mile High Club - 20G - "Sky dive to safety on Veteran difficulty")
- Feelgood achievement: Chime (Fairy Godmother - 50G - "You've done a great thing and made the world a better place. Here's a little gift!")
- Most embarrassing achievement: Eat Lead (It's Hazard Time - 15G - "Thanks for buying the game"/Take 5 - 5G - "Pause the game")