Quote from Bill Trinen:
"We're not opposed to Achievements. When they create their games, [Nintendo's designers] don't tell you how to play their game in order to achieve some kind of mythical reward. Basically, the way the games are designed is they're designed for you to explore the game yourself and have this sense of discovery. To that end, I think that when you look specifically at games from EAD [the group long led by Mario and Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto] and a lot of other games that Nintendo has developed a well, there are things you can do in the game that will result in some sort of reward or unexpected surprise. In my mind, that really encourages the sense of exploration rather than the sense of 'If I do that, I'm going to get some sort of artificial point or score that's going to make me feel better that I got this.' And that, to me, is I think more compelling." - Nintendo's Bill Trinen
Well, most action-adventure and platforming and RPG games would work this way and Achievements would actually be an added hindrance. But when you're playing something aimless and less progress-oriented like Smash Bros or Wii Sports, achievements actually make sense by rewarding players for dedication to perfecting their gaming skillz. Heck, there ARE achievement systems placed in Smash Bros Brawl and Wii Sports Resort. It's just not the console-wide affair on PS3 and X360. Seriously when you get an Achievement for dying once in a game, you have to rethink on the actual point on these things.
