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That's a good way to think about it! Looking back, I don't think my last post really got to the point I was trying to make!
I just meant to say that some developers, in a bid to appeal to the majority of gamers, significantly alter the gameplay and features of a game, and in doing so alienate their original fanbase. I think it's a shame when games (and movies for that matter) change for the sake of the people who never really cared about them in the first place.
It wasn't my intention to point at JAW specifically- I know JAW respect the IP and I'm confident the new Oddworld games will be great! I meant to speak far more generally, only using Oddworld as an example of a game I would personally be disappointed if this happened to- not that I ever thought it would 
In hindsight, trophies and difficulty settings were pretty bad examples of changes considering the point I was trying to make, since, like you said, they do not detract from the game at all! |
Don't get me wrong, achievements can detract from the game. A good achievement is one that gets the player thinking in a different way and makes them do things they wouldn't normally do (that are also fun).
Anyone with a interest in game design or psychology knows that for a game to be fun it has to have rules. Achievements are like secondary rules; you don't have to abide by them, but you're rewarded with an achievement if you do.
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There needs to be one single achievement, unlocked by completing a very obscure set of requirements. You need to rescue a specific amount of Mudokons per level, find exactly half of all secret areas, and die less than three times. Then a previously boarded-up door in one of the secret areas opens, and you enter it to get a pointless cutscene.
“Achievement Unlocked: Waste of Time”
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You've essentially just described the sort of convoluted secret endings that Silent Hill has, which are fairly well received :P