When you play sports games, the goal for your team is to win the championship in whatever you are playing. However, you also want the individuals on your team to make a name for themselves as well. The four achievements I am about to talk on today all signify important individual achievements.   

When the game is over and you know you’ve completed one of these milestones, you can gloat to your friend, your online opponent, or the AI. Your friend will be annoyed, your online opponent will mute you, and the AI won’t respond, but you will definitely feel better. Assuming you play on at least a normal difficulty with a regulation team, these are the toughest achievements to complete.

4. The Triple Double (NBA 2K8, College Hoops 2K8, March Madness 08, NBA Live 08)

You will see plenty of NBA box scores with players having 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists, but that’s common. The triple double, however, is special. It is why Ricky Davis tried to throw the ball off his own basket to get his first triple double.

This season in the NBA, only 16 players had a triple double but ten of them had only one. The only players who had more than three were Lebron James and Jason Kidd, both of whom did it with points, rebounds, and assists. Although they are all generally uncommon, even less common is the triple double with points, rebounds, and blocks or steals. In college hoops with the shorter games and the higher shot clock, a triple double is much more rare.

If you are playing with Zach Randolph in NBA 2K8, you might notice that you have 18 points and 14 rebounds. If you want to try to get the ten assists necessary for a triple double, you might notice an increase in errant passes, interceptions, and turnovers. Sooner or later you realize, only players who are exceptional in three or more facets of the game can get a triple double and the list of those types of players does not include Zach Randolph.

3. The Perfect QB Rating (Madden 08)

After throwing two touchdown passes with Eli Manning in the first quarter I began to think, “Wow, my passer rating must be off the charts!”

Of course it is, the passer rating in the NFL takes into the account the quarterback’s completion percentage, passing yardage, touchdowns, and interceptions. At the onset of the second quarter, Eli Manning's passer rating is at 158.3, which is the perfect rating.  The rating was achieved because I had only a few incomplete passes and two quick strikes for scores with Manning.

As the game wore on though, the current 2008 playoff version of Eli disappear onto to the bench and was replaced with the 2007 season's version of Eli. Jeremy Shockey dropped an easy pass which made virtual Eli uneasy. He  then forced another throw which ended up in the hands of defender Asante Samuel. The perfect rating is then in the same place as the 2008 Patriots parade plans, the trash.

Since 1973 when the statistic was created, only 34 men have ended a game with a 158.3 rating. The last quarterback to do it was Ben Roethlisberger, who did it twice in the 2007 season. Peyton Manning is first on the all-time list with four perfect games.

While virtual Eli still lives in big brother’s shadow in the QB rating department, the signal caller inside you can do the best thing to preserve a perfect game when you have one going, run the ball.

2. The Hat Trick (NHL 2K8, NHL 08, PES 2008, FIFA 08)

In sports, a hat trick is when one single player scores three or more goals. The term comes from cricket but is popularized in North America by the NHL and soccer.

As the NHL sees an increase in scoring, the chances of seeing a hat trick has increased as well. However, hat tricks are still a sight to see and if they were as common as they sound, not one NHL fan would be able to hold onto a hat for more than a few days.

Wayne Gretzky had 60 in his career while the current active leader is Teemu Selanne, with 20 hat tricks. You can try to get a hat trick in NHL 08, but make sure you are taking all your shots with the same player.

In soccer though, a hat trick is nearly impossible. In a game where both teams might not total three scores, scoring three by yourself is something to write home about. The accomplishment is watered down though when the top tier teams play a scrub squad and beat them handily. If you are playing FIFA or PES 2008, you might have to turn the difficulty all the way down to get the hat trick, but if you can make it happen it is definitely worth noting.

1. The Perfect Game (MLB 08, MLB 2K8)

It is the bottom of the 9th at Yankee Stadium in High Heat 2003 for the PS2. Shawn Estes has retired the first 25 batters he’s faced and the Mets are up 2-0. Estes faces John Vander Wal, a career .204 hitter against left-handed pitching. Vander Wal along with the rest of the lineup has not touched a base all night. The odds are clearly with Estes.

Then, on a 2-2 count, Vander Wal lines one into right-centerfield. The ball was hit so hard it Vander Wal can only reach first, but he is the first man to reach base. On the very next pitch, Alfonso Soriano grounds to second base, Roberto Alomar tosses it to Rey Ordonez, who throws it to Mo Vaughn at first base for the double play. 

The game is over, the Mets win, and Estes throws 9 innings of 1-hit ball. All that sounds great for sure, but it’s just another game in the big scheme of things. There have been only six perfect games in the last twenty years, and off the top of my head I can see Randy Johnson striking out that last Braves hitter and celebrating on the mound in Arizona.

To realize the magnitude of the achievement, you can just look at the title. In one swing, John Vander Wal took away my perfect moment in High Heat 2003. In a game where any little thing can go wrong, 27 up and 27 down is something to remember.

Have you ever gotten a perfect game or any of these other achievements? Has your opponent ever gotten one of these four achievements and you’ve never heard the end of it? Are there any accomplishments that are overrated or underrated in terms of difficulty? Be sure to let us know!