Poor Wii U.

I'm saying you can get a hint from wherever on the internet, whether it be a detailed walkthrough, or some post on a forum. It doesn't have to come from the dev anymore. I would honestly get my interest piqued a lot more if I accidentally stumbled upon something, rather than seeing there's an achievement for it. I didn't go back to Chrono Trigger DS and go through the Lost Sanctum and Dimensional Vortex because there was an achievement for it. I didn't feel good about myself or have a "Aha!" moment when I beat Dalton in the Dimensional Vortex and he made a reference to Chrono Cross because there was an achievement for it. Likewise for the Time Devourer. I did it because I was curious and wanted to do everything I could do in that particular game. If there was an achievement system back then, people wouldn't go back to play Chrono Cross because there's an achievement for finding certain characters or getting certain techs.

You also can't deny that, like I said before, achievements were made not to expand game play, but to enlarge online egos. Otherwise, they wouldn't put it on your gamertag or whatever and instead just have the game itself record the achievement on an extras menu.

Besides hinting at secrets, there isn't any real value in achievements, especially when a lot of them involve doing something mundane

Well, to be clear, I haven't once stated that trophies add replay value because in most cases that simply isn't true, though games like Catherine do reward you with trophies for multiple endings. But typically they're about extended play and full exposure. I agree that a great game is one that you replay on occasion just because you love it.

The reason what you're saying makes you elitist is that you're suggesting that your reasons for going above and beyond in games are somehow more noble simply because you aren't being rewarded for doing it.

There's that elitism I was talking about. It doesn't matter that you feel you don't need trophies to search for things, some other people might, and there's nothing wrong with that. The fact you want to go hunt around for secrets or that you are okay with looking at gamefaqs to find out what else is out there doesn't somehow make your achievement more valuable than someone who does it for a trophy. Get off your high horse.

Fact is, regardless of motivation, be it "e-peen" (god this is such a stupid argument. How is people showing off their achievements any worse than you bragging about them?) or just wanting verification that they've full explored a game, there's no reason good reason to suggest they're somehow an unnecessary part of gaming. They don't hurt anyone, they increase appeal, and they promote longevity. They are the best thing that has happened to gaming in recent years. Whether you choose to collect them or not is your business but quit acting like you're somehow better for not needing that incentive. I do all of that same bullpomegranate you're gloating about for no reward but I still prefer the trophy system because it makes it more fun for me.