Generally speaking, video game achievements exist to give players fun extra challenges and reward them along the way. Video game achievements are a great way to add "extra credit assignments" to the original campaign and can either add new layers of challenge to change up the normal gameplay or make players try out different weapons, armor, buffs, or strategies.
While unlocking these achievements is typically grounds for celebration, some of these achievements are more of a backhanded compliment towards the player more than anything else. Here are some of the most embarrassing achievements in video games that mock the player for earning them.
8 Yakuza 0- "...I Did It For The Trophy"
At the Gandhara Kamurocho in Yakuza 0, the player has the choice to watch a few "entertainment videos" in their free time. After paying the admission fee of 800 yen, the player can then choose any model's video they wish to view, from an unlockable roster of pretty ladies.
Although the player can watch every single video there is to offer, the "...I Did It For The Trophy" achievement is unlocked upon the first viewing. While some players may have genuinely watched a video just for the sake of earning the trophy, seeing the little notification go off for players that watched a video out of sheer "curiosity" must have been a bit of a slap in the face!
7 Dead Or Alive 4- "20 Straight Losses In DOA Online"
This Dead Or Alive 4 achievement is the perfect example of kicking someone when they're already down. The Dead Or Alive 4 "20 Straight Losses In DOA Online" is exactly what it sounds like and is achieved after losing to various online opponents without a single win in between.
Imagine the sheer embarrassment, anger, and/or disappointment that would ensue after a long day of online DOA gameplay, experiencing loss after loss, just to hear a little notification go off, celebrating the 20th consecutive failure in a row. It goes to say that this is one achievement most players would be much better off not earning; for the sake of their sanity.
6 Metal Gear Solid 2 (HD)- "Snake Beater"
In the HD Collection of Metal Gear Solid, a few fun achievements were added for each installment to give players some new interesting goals to work towards. However, one particular achievement isn't really skill- or endurance-based. The "Snake Beater" achievement can be earned on the Deck-A, Crew's Quarters.
In one of the lockers, there is a particular poster of a model in a bathing suit. The player can then switch to first-person view to get a closer look (out of pure curiosity of course) but will be rudely interrupted by a codec call. Otacon should be more understanding; Snake's long hours on the job must be difficult and after all, he is a man too.
5 Guitar Hero II- "Long Road Ahead"
There are a ton of amazing songs on the Guitar Hero II setlist, so it's only natural that there would be a few songs or two that aren't that easy to clear on the first try or so. To make things easier for players, especially beginners, there are quite a few different difficulty settings.
There are a total of four difficulty settings in Guitar Hero II: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert for all the Guitar Hero diehards. However, the "Long Road Ahead" achievement is earned once the player somehow manages to fail a song on the Easy difficulty; it's as easy as the game could possibly be, after all. At the very least, any beginners are gifted an achievement before they give the game another go!
4 Nier: Automata- "What Are You Doing?"
The "What Are You Doing?" achievement is there to mock any players that are a bit too into 2B and her character design. In Nier: Automata, there is an achievement that is passive-aggressively given to any players that consistently try to angle the camera in a way that upskirts poor 2B.
2B will even turn around to break the fourth wall and grimace at the player as the camera then changes and snaps to another (less compromising) angle. It may be a genuine mistake the first few times, but after ten times, it's clear that the player has a very particular motive. After trying to take a peek up 2B's skirt ten whole times, the "What Are You Doing?" achievement is unlocked, shaming players for trying to take advantage of poor 2B and the free camera.
3 Duke Nukem Forever- "I Need A Date"
In the Shrunk Machine level in Duke Nukem Forever, there is a small office area the player can explore if they chose to. In that small office-like area, there is a special calendar on the wall that the player can interact with. The calendar isn't just any regular calendar sporting beautiful scenery or cute dogs, instead, its pages are filled with sexy supermodels in little-to-no clothing.
After flipping through enough pages of the calendar, the "I Need A Date" achievement will unlock, mocking not only the player's "curiosity" but also their insistence on seeing every single page of the calendar without missing a single one.
2 Superman Returns- "Not That Super"
One of the best parts of completing a video game is the sense of accomplishment that comes with knowing that the player defeated every enemy that crossed their path, fair and square. However, for those that wish to blast through a game, perhaps favoring the story over the gameplay, cheat codes are sometimes an option.
In the Superman Returns video game, the player is given the option of entering a few cheat codes to unlock things like infinite health, infinite stamina, and all available combat moves.
However, the game didn't miss the opportunity to poke some fun at the player for being a bit lazy by rewarding them with the backhanded "Not That Super" achievement. After all, would the real Superman cut corners like this?
1 Lollipop Chainsaw- "I Swear! I Did It By Mistake!"
Just like poor 2B, Juliet is also subject to getting upskirted by any "curious" players. At any point in Lollipop Chainsaw, the player can sneakily maneuver the camera to the right angle to look up poor Juliet's skirt. However, Juliet seems very aware of what the player is doing and will cover herself up or pull her skirt down, blocking the player's view. Juliet will even look over her shoulder to acknowledge the player and what they're trying to do; good for her!
The camera doesn't actually move any further than the angle that she begins to cover up, so on top of being rewarded the shameful "I Swear I Did It By Mistake!" achievement, the player doesn't even get a glimpse of what they wanted to see in the first place.
Bonus: The Stanley Parable- "Go Outside"
This particular The Stanley Parable achievement doesn't exactly mock the player after earning the achievement, instead, the mere existence of the achievement itself is the way the game pokes fun at the player. It's a popular internet meme about gamers needing to go outside or "touch grass" for the sake of finally taking a break from staring at a screen for hours and hours, and this is exactly the kind of joke the "Go Outside" achievement is trying to make about its players.
This achievement can only be obtained after the player does not open the game for five consecutive years. However, for hardcore gamers that are a bit impatient and want their achievement right away, they can also simply set the clock on their computers ahead five years instead.