Continuing last column’s look at some of the more creative Achievements in 360 gaming, we pick up where we left off, in 2008. Another big salute to the developers who concocted these clever, funny, or just plain ridiculous ways of earning Gamerscore!

Mirror’s Edge (2008) — “Test of Faith” (80G)

Much like our favorite cheat codes used to do, some of the best Achievements offer you a chance to play a videogame in a new, compelling way. Better yet, they reward you for the experience. “Test of Faith” (great name there) accomplishes both of those feats perfectly by daring you to beat Mirror’s Edge without shooting a single enemy for the entire game. You can still kick foes and disarm them, but this limitation hugely impacts how you play, and may even change the way you view your character, Faith. In a sense, “Test” is a shoutout to Geometry Wars’ classic “Pacifism” Achievement (for surviving the first 60 seconds of the game without firing), but it takes the non-lethal mentality to a whole new level of challenge…awarding you an awesome 80-point bounty if you succeed.

Darkest of Days (2009) — “Horse Puncher” (100G)

This Achievement won’t alter how you play the game (a decidedly ho-hum shooter), nor is it a conceptual masterstroke of ingenious game design. Not even close. We just love it for how straight-up goofy it is. Punch a horse in the face in real life, and you’re a heartless asshole who should be put in jail. Slug a steed in Darkest of Days, though, and it’s a points-showering LOL-fest that’ll make you appreciate game developers who hand you a mountain of pennies with one gold coin in the middle. Bonus: you can earn “Horse Puncher” in about as much time as it takes to watch this Blazing Saddles clip that was a probable source of inspiration.

Borderlands (2009) — “My Brother Is An Italian Plumber” (15G)

Leave it to Gearbox Studios, a fan-serving developer led by known Gamerscore-lover Randy Pitchford, to incorporate a funny Super Mario Bros. tribute into their modern-day shooter. To earn “My Brother Is An Italian Plumber,” you have to kill an enemy (a bandit, a skag…whatever) by jumping on their head, which will likely involve lots of hopping about after you’ve softened up your target with weapons. Truth be told, the name and the idea may be more enjoyable than actually nabbing the Achievement, but that’s okay: sometimes cleverness is its own reward.