Are online multiplayer achievements really necessary?

I’m a single player gal; always have been, probably always will be. I can count on one hand the number of online multiplayer experiences I have had that I have actually enjoyed. I’ve just never understood the appeal of online multiplayer games. When I do play online, I either get hit on by creeps, called fat, asked why I’m not in the kitchen…you get the idea. Now that you know my stance on online multiplayer in general, I can get to my actual point.

When I have free time (which isn’t very much anymore), I like to trophy/achievement hunt. I have about seven Platinum trophies and I plan on earning more. I am two trophies away from the Platinum in my favorite game, The Last of Us. Why haven’t I gotten those last two trophies? They require me to play online. And they aren’t simple trophies like ‘win your first match’ or ‘get your first kill in an online match.’ No–these two trophies require many hours of playtime.

I don’t buy games like The Last of Us to play online. I’m a fan of single-player narratives, and that’s why I buy games like Uncharted, The Last of Us, Journey, etc. I actually really enjoyed the multiplayer in Journey, though. I consider that first online multiplayer experience (that, at the time, I didn’t even know I was having) to be the greatest I’ve ever had. I tend to only play games online if their multiplayer mode is something remarkable.

Let’s face it: A lot of games only feature a multiplayer mode so they can sell season passes and milk the game for all it’s worth. Did The Last of Us really need a multiplayer mode? No, of course not. I understand a lot of people enjoy it, and that’s great, but don’t force me to spend hours in the multiplayer mode of a game that I bought for the campaign just to get a few trophies. I don’t mind if single-player games have multiplayer modes; I just generally tend to ignore them. It’s when they force me to play those multiplayer modes by including trophies that are required for the Platinum that I get really angry. I don’t have the Platinum to The Last of Us because of two multiplayer trophies. That’s ridiculous. I worked hard beating that game on Survivor and Survivor+, finding every little Firefly tag; I deserve the Platinum.

Note: When The Last of Us: Remastered releases next month, I’m going to play it all over again and go for the Platinum for real this time. Yes, I’m angry that I’m going to have to spend a LOT of time on the multiplayer, but I’ll get there when I get there. If you want to join me online, my PSN is twentyonegunsxo.

How do you feel about multiplayer achievements? Start a conversation in the comments below.