Topic: The Trophy Discussion Thread

@get2sammyb: I think in a number of games I am missing a few trophies that stop me from getting Platinums. For example, in TF2, the only trophies I am missing is the speed run on the training mission. I am missing the speed run trophies on the Uncharted games too and never see the point on sprinting through a game as quickly as possible but would be seriously annoyed if I spent 5hours of my time trying to get the trophy only to miss out by seconds and then have to waste another 5hrs to do it all again.

I only bother with trophies that fit in with me. I will try to get certain objectives done - like completely stealth a mission and retry several times if I fail instead of just progressing but I wouldn't play some aspect I didn't like just to get a trophy and/or platinum. They are more of a bonus than a necessity and are meaningless. Some people could have more platinums than another but they could have a higher trophy score by playing more games. I recently got my 1000th Trophy and yet only have 1 platinum and would rather play what I want than a game to get a trophy.

There seems to be a lot of games where I don't feel I have the time to get the platinum, whether it's Arkham Knight and it's endless Riddler trophies or having to do a combo with every move in the game, or games which have you completing them on multiple difficulties and play the tacked on multiplayer. For me recently becoming a father I rarely have enough time to finish a game once let alone 3 or 4 times or develop the skills to do the trickier skill based trophies.

Having said all this I do have 5 Platinums, the most recent of which was for the excellent Doom which took me many attempts to finiish the first level on Nightmare and it was driving me mad for a while, before that i have them for Fallout 4, Skyrim, Bordelands 2 and the magnificent Rocket League. I am chasing a few more at the moment when I have chance and I'm quite close on Ratchet and Clank and very close and Final Fantasy XV, the latter i have just defeated Adamantoise and have only survival/cooking skills to get to level 10 but that can wait until either the carnival event or hopefully the 60 fps patch.

As i said earlier I would love to get the trophies on games like Uncharted 4 and TLOU but I don't find it that fun replaying games over and over and by the time I've had a break then generally I've already moved on to other games.

@get2sammyb: " honestly my problem with Platinum Trophies in general is that they usually end up making you hate the game. There's always one or two Trophies that are just out of reach "

This also stops people from moving on and buying even more games, I must have spent 100 hours post game in one piece pirate warriors 3 trying to get the last trophy. It was complete the gallery (150 blah blah's) with random drops! Arggghhhh. I didn't buy Doom, overwatch, the witness and loads of others because I was grinding the same few levels time after time trying for weeks on end. I gave up with 3 or 4 collectibles still to go as Id had enough.

I have come to the conclusion that more games should opt to go the telltale route especially download only games, with telltale if you finish the game bar the very odd context sensitive trophy you will platinum the game - its done, over, complete. Usually as @kyleforrester87: points out, more often than not when the credits roll for the first time its most prolific gamers only run through, should you want to play different games.

Platinum 15, Life is Strange, that was an easy one

I think the quality of the trophy list matters quite a lot. Take a series like Uncharted, for example. Great games... abysmal trophies. They're not geared around having fun, but rather being time consuming. Then if you look at something like Fallout 4, the trophies are nearly all built around doing quests, enjoying the game, not worrying about headshotting fifty enemies using a weapon that can't shoot straight while dangling from a rope.

When it comes to going for a platinum, I generally look at the trophies and see if I can spy any that look like they're going to ruin the experience for me. Ones where you have to play the game again on various difficulty levels are instant turn offs. Online trophies too. But if it looks like it's going to be a fun one then I'll go for it.

I do enjoy going for platinums though, generally. Just picked up the one for Severed last night and that was fun.

@johncalmc: I agree - the Uncharted and TLOU are examples of great games where the trophies mean that I'll never both to Platinum them.

Things I won't bother with on Trophies:

1) Multiple play throughs that don't affect story or playing style significantly.
2) Timed run throughs
3) Reaching a MP level on a predominantly single player game.
4) Level grinding beyond the benefits it brings to the game.
5) Silly tasks that you can only complete with an online guide

So apart from the Telltale style games that reward full runthroughs, those I have platinumed tend be trophies that don't feature the above. For me, an example of a good Plat trophy was Wolfenstein: The New Order. Lots of trackable collectibles, rewards for different play styles and two runthroughs at different dfficulty - however player choices effectively split the characters and you get different scenes/characters depending on it. So while I played it twice, I never felt that it wasn't worthwhile.

So, I do look at trophies and work out whether I want to go on a trophy spree but if it will take a long time, ruin the game and prevent me playing new games, I just leave it where it is. I do occasionally come back for low hanging fruit after a few months but not often.

@Rudy_Manchego:
2) Timed run throughs - These 100% have to go. I game relatively sedately so these trophies get on my nerves, other than the gone home 1 minute completion trophy, that was boss!
5) Silly tasks that you can only complete with an online guide

• yup agreed again, it pulls you out of the experience.

I think what I want to see is;
50% story / career related on your first play through
10% collectible guff but trackable and with a level select and markers on the world map post completion. We all just use game faqs or a walkthrough at this point anyway.
20% based on statistical progression, but all based on a single modest playthrough.
20% context sensitive (ie kill 3 enemies at once with laser power / learn jecht shot / talk to barman and buy beer ) but unmissable as you can go back to it any time via level select or option to retry it in the menu after its rolled passed in the story.

What I'm saying is basically the amazing Final Fantasy 15 trophy list.

Trophies like finishing the game on super hard without changing difficulty are rubbish. I've never started a game on hard in my life - normal all the way for me. I'm pretty sure most of us start that way, then gravitate upwards. I'm fine with having tougher difficulty available just dont tie a trophy to it.

Also, non-stacked difficulty trophies need to go. Finishing a game on hard and not getting the trophies for medium and easy is obnoxious. I've already done it on the hardest mode. I don't need to prove I can do it on the easier ones. Get in the sea.

I hate the addition of too many story trophies actually. I love for trophies to be a challenge and I want to be able to compete with friends, trying to best their percentage. I don't care too much for platinum trophies and neither should anyone too much.

If a developper thinks of a great challenge, even though only 5% of the gamers have the skills to achieve this, than they should include it, for those who really want some more out of the game. Just forget about your OCD and accept that there are people that are way better than you at certain games. As a kid there were many games I could never even complete, but I loved the challenge.

Some challenges though are unfair. I hate trophies that you can only get with a great amount of luck and you just need to bang your head against the wall until you succeed. I also hate the missable 'collect al collectables' trophy, as they require you to 1) use a guide or 2) spoil any fun you had in playing the game. Another type of trophy I hate is the 'make this story related decision' trophy. In Dragon Age: Inquisition there were hidden trophies that required you to make a certain decision. I only found out I had missed this one after two full playthoughs.

However timed runs I can understand. I never do them, because I just like to take my time, but I understand many people have a lot of fun rushing through a game as fast as possible.

I enjoyed the Ratchet & Clank and Shadow of Mordor trophy lists a lot, they actually enhanced my experience a bit. Both games are not so very difficult, so the trophy list added a bit of challenge. And I think the Witcher 3 trophies are very good. It's a great mix of sidequests, grinding and skill based challenges, even though I will probably never platinum the game.

@johncalmc Hear hear! I especially like the successive ping's when you receive three trophies for finishing a game on hard.

While I'm here I might as well say that I got the platinum for Day of the Tentacle Remastered last night. I've had an unusually productive January when it comes to trophies. Got the platinums for Day of the Tentacle, Zero Time Dilemma, Steins; Gate, Severed, and Hitman Go. I guess this is what happens when I have to play the Vita because my girlfriend got Skyrim for Christmas.

@themcnoisy: I think that is a good balance of tasks for a game. Missable trophies with no ability to explore or return get my goat. I think I have already moaned about my Bioshock 2 experience.

@kidfried: I half agree about the challenge point of view but on single player games, the game should be challenging me, not top tier players since I am the consumer. I don't mind skill based challenges if the skill is something that practice can make perfect or you need to replay a lot to get the right strategy. If it is just that average gamers need to be pro level to get it then I don't think that is fair. Obviously, on predominantly MP based games then your skill may be tested against other players. I liked the Shadow of Mordor Trophy List, I ended up playing a good few hours after the campaign to get the scenarios right to get the trophies and it really was fun to do.

@johncalmc Also agree - no way am I going to do another playthrough on a lower difficulty setting if I have just acheived a harder level. In fact, getting all trophies on the higher setting is an incentive to try harder difficulty settings. If you have to grind each difficulty then I'll just play at my comfort level.

I too hate 'timed' speed run playthroughs. How can you enjoy the game if you are only interested in getting through it as fast as possible!

I really don't mind collectables hidden throughout a the game. I don't care if some are well off the beaten path and can be easily missed. For me though, I really enjoy collecting them and reminds me of the old 3D platformers like Banjo, Mario64 etc. Yes it may be a distraction from the 'Story' but in some cases, collectables can also be 'story' related - like diary/notes etc that offer a bit more backstory.

I don't like Trophies that are NOT achievable on the first playthrough IF there is NO alternative route through the story. So things like beating the game on a much higher difficulty that is only unlocked after completing the game, New game + trophies etc. I rarely play games on 'Normal' difficulty - I start on the Hardest generally but it really annoys me if Ultra/Nightmare/Brutal etc are not unlocked until you beat the game on Hard so could take a few playthroughs (if you start on Normal or Easy) to even unlock these modes.

Hidden trophies should only be 'story' related and unmissable. They should be hidden for spoiler reasons and not obscure that may not be obtained through playing.

At the end of the day though, I don't let trophies dictate how I play, what I play or determine when I consider a game finished. They are there for my benefit not to dictate to me. I will decide if a Trophy is worth going for or not and that also means that many may well never be considered because of what they entail.

Just got Platinum #37 with Hitman GO: Definitive Edition.

Got the plat for infamous second son. Great game, enjoyed both playthroughs. Nice little Easter egg once the plat pops. Delsin says "thanks for our time together, but there's nothing else to see here!" Quality.

@BAMozzy I feel the same. I just play the game for as long as I'm interested.

For anyone that has played the Titanfall 2 campaign. Many of the trophies were achievable just from playing the game. The level design was set up so you would naturally achieve them while playing. Best example is killing 3 enemies whilst sliding - part of a level where you have a smart pistol that kills anyone in view. I thought this was quite clever design.

@BoyFromMars82: Titanfall 2's trophies are, in general, not bad. The only ones I am now missing are the two associated with 'running the gauntlet' in ridiculously quick times. Get those and I have that game platinumed but I can't be bothered to keep running it over and over again until I beat the times.

Platinum #38 - Batman: The Telltale Series

@Kidfried: What level are you now bro? We were neck and neck last year.

On that note what level and how many total trophies does everyone have?

@themcnoisy I'm at level 13 with 1220 trophies.

928 Bronze, 226 Silver, 53 Gold, and 13 Platinum.

@themcnoisy - Level 27 with 6520 trophies.

5113 Bronze, 1080 Silver, 289 Gold, and 38 Platinum.