Cheater, Cheater. Compulsive Eater

I'm dead against cheating. Be it in a multiplayer or or a single player experience.
I do tend to use a guide if I'm stuck. Good game design can negate this as more often then not as it is because I don't know where to go or it's not clear what to do. Rarely I've used a guide just to get through a game if it has taken me quite a while, such as the original Mass Effect because I had both sequels ready to go.
I really regret using a guide to finish Braid because it somewhat tarnished the completion of the game. However this made me get through Portal without using any guides or YouTube clips at all.
aThere was once a game of Zombies which I was in that got to a mid thirties round using glitches but it was so unrewarding and boring I would jump out of a game if people wanted to use glitches. Which at one point was most of the players.
Some single player cheats take the fun out of a game. The Riddler challenges in Arkham City wouldn't be as rewarding if you could just cheat your way through. Even games from the 8 bit era which were worryingly hard felt hollow when cheating.
When it's time to use a guide or any kind of hack or cheat then that's down to the individual concerned. There is nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn't harm the actions of other players (for example in a multiplayer) game then that's fine. It is down to you and whether you can genuinely enjoy an experience if you are just running through just to get through.

Achievement Unlocked 10G

I'll come out and admit it. I am a total achievement whore. Maybe not in the same league as someone who has bought NHL 6k but it's been on my watch list on E bay more than once.
I'm don't generally 100% a game but if there is a nice juicy achievement on the table I'll try and go that extra mile. I'll even go back and revisit older games I've completed if I've read up on them and I can get a few more achievement points.
Gamers often bemoan the lack of value in current games but features that add value like achievements do can only be a good thing. At worst it's a bit of annoying thing to pop up on a play through of a game but that is a feature that can be turned off. At best well designed achievements can add a a massive amount onto  a games lifespan.
I really like the way that achievements and trophies can allow the developers of a game to be more creative. I would have never glided as far as I did using my cape in Arkham Asylum without achievements. I wouldn't have played through Lollipop Chainsaw twice to get the best ending or completed Marvel Vs Capcom 3 with every character. it not only stretches the player but the developer can show off little bit of greatness that maybe overlooked in a main story arc. I probably wouldn't have played Minecraft for as long as I did with being pulled along by the carrot of achievements.It even makes mundane things like "kill X amount of Y" quests to seem not so much of a grind when you get a nice shiny reward.
I genuinely miss achievements when I play on my 3DS and doing that extra bit of work in a game sometimes feels like a wasted effort.
Achievements have polarised me towards my 360, maybe it's because I have more gamer friends on Xbox live or because my PS3 decided to wipe it's hard drive. I'll generally buy the Xbox version over a PS3 just so it bumps up my achievement score. It is a simple point system which makes it easier to understand than trophies but I still have that proud moment when I got a platinum trophy for Fallout 3. The fact I bought some DLC and my completion went down to 50% didn't help but I still had that shiny platinum trophy.
They also bring back a nostalgic flavour of high scores that has drifted away in the last ten years or so. Maybe it's competitive beast trying to get out of me but I love comparing my achievements with my friends for bragging rights.
They are one of the most important innovations to happen this generation and nothing beats the Pavlovian response of pure joy when you hear that little "blip" and the text block pops up. I hope that the Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo see the importance of the achievements and the like and embrace them for the next generation of consoles.