Popular Post rjkclarke Posted April 23, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 23, 2021 (edited) First off I guess I should explain the title, it's sort of an amalgamation of two of my favourite songs, Carnival of Rust by Poets of the Fall and Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez. I might change it at some point if I think that it comes across a little bit too pretentious. But I didn't really fancy a generic name for the thread I guess, but there is actually some context to the Diamonds and Rust thing, some of the lyrics are: " We both know what memories can bring, they bring Diamonds and Rust" This is where the "memories" come in I suppose. One of the purposes of this checklist/ journal/ blog, whatever you want to call it is to catalogue some of my previous platinum trophies and 100%'s and give as in depth a review/write up as possible depending on how hazy my memory has become over the passage of ten years haha. I'm also going to use this thread for what they are more intended for which is to catalogue games you are playing or plan to play. I think mixing the two of these things up will help keep it interesting for myself, plus if anybody enjoys reading them that would be a great bonus too. I welcome any feedback, I'm pretty laid back so I'll try and respond when I can. Back to the to the song lyrics though, I guess if I really wanted to reach for some more context I could make the argument that Platinum and Bronze trophies are comparable to Diamonds and Rust, but that is a bit of a stretch haha As My backlog - seems to just be an ever growing Beast at this point - I feel like I should repurpose a bit of Tolkien, so here we go. This is just a little bit of fun, so don't get annoyed if any of you are copyright police, I'll make it more original if it's annoying ☺️ " My backlog grows ever on and on and on, Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can," An Overview of some of my goals and aims for the thread (It's a bit long so I'll put it in spoilers) Spoiler Up until this point I have only really posted in the Most Recent Platinum thread, but by that point I was already 299 platinum's in, but I personally really enjoy writing down my thoughts and feelings after achieving platinum's I find it incredibly cathartic, but it wouldn't seem right to post them in a thread mainly meant for your most recent ones, not ones from as far back as 2011. So I'm thinking whilst I'm updating stuff I'm currently playing I might just pepper in the odd "Classic Review" here and there. They'll be in a random order and I'll link each one to the first post. If people end up enjoying them, well that's awesome too! There are just so many games I've played that I've absolutely loved that I've never really got the chance to express my feelings on because I know, some of my friends just wouldn't be interested in the genre, even the ones that are trophy hunters. I don't want to keep sounding like a broken record, but this seems like the right place to at least put my own thoughts down as well as ones about future games I plan to play obviously. One of my favourite genre of video game are Point and Click Adventure games, so it's probably a good thing I'm not particularly concerned about average rarity (it usually drifts between 39 and 40% if anyone was interested) otherwise I might avoid them like the plague because they are always relatively easy. But I won't shy away from something people might consider difficult, I'm fairly easy going in that if I can't beat something I just won't, I'll happily admit defeat, or say I have and come back years later like with Pure Pool haha. I'm basically at the point where I'm playing for my own enjoyment which is quite a nice free flowing feeling actually. I accepted a long time ago that I could never have a 100% account, which is fine it isn't like it's anything I have control over, so no need to worry about it. I do have a few unobtainable trophies on my list ( *yells at cloud in the shape of WWE 13*), but I do have some small goals here and there, I did in the last few years get quite fixated on completing game series, so I expect that will continue in some form. I would like to try and get to 300 Ultra Rares and 1000 Very Rares maybe this year, maybe have under 500 unearned trophies that could be a doable challenge, but to be honest that more seems like just an arbitrary set of goals to have to aim towards to try and keep me a bit more focused and motivated to vary things up, but with any luck this thread should help to do that too. I think I've rambled quite enough now about what my aims are anyway, I expect at some point in the future I might edit the above down a bit, and make it a little less of a rambling stream of consciousness. I'll throw a list down below of some of the things that are in my backlog and I guess delete them as I complete them, or I suppose change my mind about playing them which I often do. Also I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to the people that nudged me in the right direction of creating this thread, I very much appreciate the feedback and advice I got before starting it, I won't mention their names unless they specifically wanted me to, just in case they wanted to remain anonymous but thank you for the suggestions! I Am Now Taking Requests To try and give myself a little bit more pin point focus, I thought I'd open the floor to review requests. I can't promise you'll like them though (the beauty of all of this is that we can't all have the same opinion on everything, right?) Even if I do always go about reviewing things objectively, there's bound to be plenty of times when you think I'm completely wrong, don't hesitate to tell me either, I'm a pretty relaxed person, so I won't take it badly (unless you tell me a blatant lie like Monkey Island is bad, then we might have to have a shirtless fight atop Millenium Tower in Kamurocho ?). You'll be referee right Copanele? I'll put as much effort into them as I would with any other review. I can get a bit carried away though, so they might be either very long, or they might take me a while - or both. They've all got to get done eventually hopefully, so if you want something specific all you have to do is let me know and I'll make it a priority to get to, if it makes narrative sense to do games before it first, I'll probably get to those before, but the game you want WILL get its day in the sun....... So what is the criteria? Essentially, I have to have gotten the platinum or the 100% in the game - that's my only rule, so anyone desperately hoping for a review of Hustle Kings or WWE13' are out of luck, unless a mad fit takes me and I decide to attempt Hustle Kings. The Platinum Vault, Part 1 I've updated this a lot, so it should be easier for people to navigate now (myself included,) if you want to look for a specific review, or find one you might like to request, you won't have to open every single spoiler tag to find a specific one (just the one the game is in). Anything with a blue link in the name will go straight to the post the review is in.... Part 2, #351 Onwards is found in the second post of the thread! Spoiler 1-10 Spoiler Platinum #1 WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 (PS3) Platinum #2 Fallout: New Vegas Platinum #3 The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest Platinum #4 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Platinum #5 NieR (PS3) Platinum #6 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Platinum #7 Final Fantasy XIII Platinum #8 Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 Platinum #9 Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3) Platinum #10 Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage (PS3) 11-20 Spoiler Platinum #11 Final Fantasy XIII-2 Platinum #12 Sly Cooper and the Thievius RacCoonus Platinum #13 Sly 2: Band of Thieves Platinum #14 Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves Platinum #15 Need for Speed: Shift Platinum #16 Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Platinum #17 WWE '12 Platinum #18 LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Platinum #19 Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Platinum #20 SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection 21-30 Spoiler Platinum #21 Just Cause 2 Platinum #22 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Platinum #23 Saints Row: The Third Platinum #24 Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock (PS3) Platinum #25 Dragon Age: Origins Platinum #26 WWE All Stars Platinum #27 Heavy Rain Platinum #28 Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Platinum #29 Shaun White Skateboarding Platinum #30 Sleeping Dogs 31-40 Spoiler Platinum #31 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 Platinum #32 Dante's Inferno Platinum #33 WSC Real 2011 (PS3) Platinum #34 The Saboteur Platinum #35 Infamous Platinum #36 Dragon Age II Platinum #37 Darksiders Platinum #38 Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3) +DLC Platinum #39 The Amazing Spider-Man Platinum #40 L.A. Noire 41-50 Spoiler Platinum #41 Venetica (PS3) Platinum #42 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Platinum # 43 Assassin's Creed Revelations Platinum #44 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Platinum #45 Kingdom Hearts Platinum #46 Infamous 2 Platinum #47 WWE 2K14 Platinum #48 LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Platinum #49 God of War Platinum #50 Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns 51-60 Spoiler Platinum #51 Final Fantasy X HD Platinum #52: Beyond: Two Souls Platinum #53 The Darkness II Platinum #54 God of War II Platinum #55 Dragon's Dogma Platinum #56 Assassin's Creed III Platinum #57 Watch Dogs Platinum #58 Strider Platinum #59 Saints Row IV Platinum #60 Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories 61-70 Spoiler Platinum #61 Assassin's Creed Liberation HD Platinum #62 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD Platinum #63 Soul Calibur II HD Online Platinum #64 God of War III Platinum #65 God of War: Chains of Olympus Platinum #66 LEGO The Lord of the Rings Platinum #67 Kingdom Hearts II Platinum #68 Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Platinum #69 God of War: Ghost of Sparta Platinum #70 Far Cry 3 71-80 Spoiler Platinum #71 LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Platinum #72 Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Platinum #73 Assassin's Creed Rogue Platinum #74 Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Platinum #75 Assassin's Creed Unity Platinum #76 Gran Turismo 6 Platinum #77 Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (PS3) Platinum #78 Hitman: Contracts (PS3) Platinum #79 Hitman: Blood Money Platinum #80 inFamous Second Son 81-90 Spoiler Platinum #81 inFamous First Light Platinum # 82 Okami HD Platinum #83 Ether One Platinum #84 Magus (PS3) Platinum #85 Life is Strange Platinum #86 Game of Thrones Platinum #87 Need for Speed: Rivals Platinum #88 Assassin's Creed Syndicate Platinum #89 Saints Row: Gat out of Hell Platinum #90 Fallout 4 91-100 Spoiler Platinum #91 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Platinum #92 Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut Platinum #93 The Raven Platinum #94 Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse (PS4) Platinum #95 Mass Effect Platinum #96 Mass Effect 2 Platinum #97 LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Platinum #98 WWE2K15 Platinum #99 Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Platinum #100 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker 101-110 Spoiler Platinum #101 Grand Theft Auto III Platinum #102 Table Top Racing: World Tour Platinum #103 Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Game of the Year Edition Platinum #104 Hitman GO: Definitive Edition Platinum #105 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Platinum #106 Arcania (PS3) Platinum #107 Zombie Driver HD Platinum #108 Killer is Dead Platinum #109 Hitman: Absolution Platinum #110 LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens 111-120 Spoiler Platinum #111 Mafia II Platinum #112 Grim Fandango Remastered Platinum #113 Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (PS4) Platinum #114 Teslagrad Platinum #115 Alice: Madness Returns Platinum #116 The Testament of Sherlock Holmes Platinum #117 Final Fantasy XV Platinum #118 South Park: The Stick of Truth Platinum #119 Day of the Tentacle Remastered Platinum #120 Mad Max 121-130 Spoiler Platinum #121 NieR: Automata (PS4) Platinum #122 The Deadly Tower of Monsters Platinum #123 Bloodborne Platinum #124 Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance Platinum #125 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS4) Platinum #126 Far Cry 4 Platinum #127 Far Cry Primal Platinum #128 Dishonored Definitive Edition Platinum #129 Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments Platinum #130 Tales of Symphonia 131-140 Spoiler Platinum #131 Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World Platinum #132 WRC 5 Platinum #133 Murdered: Soul Suspect Platinum #134 The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 Platinum #135 Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4) Platinum #136 Borderlands Platinum #137 Dust: An Elysian Tail (PS4) Platinum #138 Tales from the Borderlands Platinum #139 Tales of Graces f Platinum #140 Borderlands 2 141-150 Spoiler Platinum #141 Ratchet & Clank Platinum #142 Ratchet & Clank 2 Platinum #143 Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal Platinum #144 Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Platinum #145 Dark Cloud Platinum #146 Ratchet Deadlocked/Gladiator Platinum #147 Until Dawn Platinum #148 Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time Platinum #149 Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus Platinum #150 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 151-160 Spoiler Platinum #151 Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Platinum #152 Tales of Xillia Platinum #153 Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault Platinum #154 Final Fantasy VII Platinum #155 Life is Strange: Before the Storm Platinum #156 Batman: The Telltale Series Platinum #157 WWE 2K16 Platinum #158 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Remastered Platinum #159 Rime (PS4) Platinum #160 5 Star Wrestling 161-170 Spoiler Platinum #161 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (PS3) Platinum #162 Yakuza 4 Platinum #163 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4) +DLC Platinum #164 Horizon Zero Dawn Platinum #165 Star Wars The Clone Wars Republic Heroes Platinum #166 Ratchet & Clank Platinum #167 Just Cause 3 Platinum #168 Fallout 3 Platinum #169 Tomb Raider (PS3) Platinum #170 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 171-180 Spoiler Platinum #171 Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4) +DLC Platinum #172 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Platinum #173 Steins;Gate (PS3) Platinum #174 Canis Canem Edit/ Bully Platinum #175 Final Fantasy X-2 HD Platinum #176 Steins;Gate 0 (PS4) Platinum #177 Tales of Xillia 2 Platinum #178 Dex (PS4) Platinum #179 Shadwen Platinum #180 Grid 2 181-190 Spoiler Platinum #181 Truck Racer Platinum #182 Darksiders II Platinum #183 God of War: Ascension Platinum #184 Metro 2033 Redux Platinum #185 Yakuza 5 Platinum #186 Broken Age Platinum #187 Red Dead Redemption Platinum #188 Yakuza 0 (PS4) Platinum #189 Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter Platinum #190 X-Men Origins: Wolverine 191-200 Spoiler Platinum #191 Yakuza Kiwami (PS4) Platinum #192 Spyro the Dragon Platinum #193 Burly Men At Sea Platinum #194 Lara Croft GO Platinum #195 WWE 2K17 Platinum #196 Monster Jam: Battlegrounds Platinum #197 Metro: Last Light Redux Platinum #198 Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer/ Ripto's Rage! Platinum #199 Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon Platinum #200 Yakuza 6: The Song of Life 201-210 Spoiler Platinum #201 Resident Evil 5 (PS4) +DLC Platinum #202 Brink Platinum #203 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Platinum #204 Kingdom Hearts III Platinum #205 Resident Evil 6 (PS4) +DLC Platinum #206 Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4) Platinum #207 WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 Platinum #208 WWE Legends Of Wrestlemania Platinum #209 Jak II Platinum #210 Jak 3 211-220 Spoiler Platinum #211 Onrush Platinum #212 Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Platinum #213 Jak X: Combat Racing Platinum #214 Deadpool Platinum #215 Super Time Force Ultra Platinum #216 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Platinum #217 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Platinum #218 Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Platinum #219 Rage Platinum #220 The Godfather II 221-230 Spoiler Platinum #221 WWE 2K18 Platinum #222 Assassin's Creed Origins Platinum #223 Dead Space Platinum #224 Batman: Arkham City Platinum #225 Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek Platinum #226 Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart Platinum #227 Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood Platinum #228 Nightmares from the Deep 2: The Siren's Call Platinum #229 Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones Platinum #230 Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala 231-240 Spoiler Platinum #231 Yakuza: Dead Souls Platinum #232 Driveclub Bikes Platinum #233 Driveclub Platinum #234 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Platinum #235 Tales of Zestiria (PS4) +DLC Platinum #236 LEGO Jurassic World Platinum #237 LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues Platinum #238 Tomb Raider: Legend (PS3) Platinum #239 Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PS3) Platinum #240 Tomb Raider: Underworld (PS3) 241-250 Spoiler Platinum #241 Virginia Platinum #242 Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PS4) +DLC Platinum #243 LEGO The Hobbit Platinum #244 Tales of Berseria Platinum #245 Deponia Platinum #246 Chaos on Deponia Platinum #247 Goodbye Deponia Platinum #248 Deponia Doomsday Platinum #249 Resident Evil Platinum #250 Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition 251-260 Spoiler Platinum #251 Snooker Nation Platinum #252 Fahrenheit/ Indigo Prophecy Platinum #253 Resident Evil Revelations Platinum #254 Detroit: Become Human (PS4) Platinum #255 2064: Read Only Memories Platinum #256 WWE 2K19 Platinum #257 The Little Acre Platinum #258 Psychonauts Platinum #259 Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time Platinum #260 Zone of the Enders 261-270 Spoiler Platinum #261 Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner HD Edition Platinum #262 Risen 2: Dark Waters Platinum #263 Risen 3: Titan Lords Platinum #264 Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End Platinum #265 Thief Platinum #266 Judgment (PS4) Platinum #267 Dangerous Driving (PS4) Platinum #268 Crash Bandicoot Platinum #269 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back Platinum #270 Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped 271-280 Spoiler Platinum #271 Batman: The Enemy Within Platinum #272 Resident Evil Revelations 2 Platinum #273 Shenmue Platinum # 274 Shenmue II Platinum #275 Snooker 19 Platinum #276 LEGO City Undercover Platinum #277 Resident Evil 0 Platinum #278 Elex Platinum #279 Prince of Persia Platinum #280 Star Wars Episode I: Racer 281-290 Spoiler Platinum #281 Eventide: Slavic Fable Platinum #282 Eventide 2: Sorcerer's Mirror Platinum #283 Eventide 3: Legacy of Legends Platinum #284 LEGO Ninjago Movie: The Videogame Platinum #285 Need for Speed Payback Platinum #286 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Platinum #287 My Brother Rabbit (PS4) Platinum #288 Middle-earth: Shadow of War Platinum #289 1979 Revolution: Black Friday Platinum #290 Transistor 291-300 Spoiler Platinum #291 Yesterday Origins (PS4) Platinum #292 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Platinum #293 Full Throttle Remastered Platinum #294 Dirt Showdown Platinum #295 Erica (PS4) Platinum #296 Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (PS4) Platinum #297 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (PS4) Platinum #298 Queen's Quest 2: Stories of Forgotten Past (PS4) Platinum #299 Bound by Flame (PS3) Platinum #300 Pure Pool (PS4) +DLC 301-310 Spoiler Platinum #301 Queen's Quest 3: The End of Dawn (PS4) Platinum #302 WWE 2K20 (PS4) Platinum #303 The Town of Light (PS4) Platinum #304 The Technomancer (PS4) Platinum #305 Queen's Quest 4: Sacred Truce (PS4) Platinum #306 Cat Quest (PS4) Platinum #307 Assassin's Creed II (PS3) Platinum #308 Okage: Shadow King (PS4) Platinum #309 ICO (PS3) Platinum #310 The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker (PS4) 311-320 Spoiler Platinum #311 Stories: The Path of Destinies (PS4) Platinum #312 Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4) +DLC Platinum #313 Glass Masquerade (PS4) Platinum #314 Shadow of the Colossus (PS3) Platinum #315 Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions (PS4) Platinum #316 Shadow of the Colossus (PS4) Platinum #317 The Bard's Tale (PS4) Platinum #318 Drakengard 3 (PS3) +DLC Platinum #319 Manual Samuel (PS4) Platinum #320 Gravel (PS4) 321-330 Spoiler Platinum #321 Vampyr (PS4) Platinum #322 Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (PS4) Platinum # 323 This War of Mine: The Little Ones (PS4) Platinum #324 LEGO Movie: The Videogame (PS4) Platinum #325 Seasons After Fall (PS4) Platinum #326 Beholder: Complete Edition (PS4) Platinum #327 Final Fantasy IX (PS4) Platinum #328 Beholder 2 (PS4) Platinum #329 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (PS3) Platinum #330 Agents of Mayhem (PS4) 331-340 Spoiler Platinum #331 Legend of Kay: Anniversary (PS3) Platinum # 332 Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (PS4) Platinum #333 Thimbleweed Park (PS4) Platinum #334 Cat Quest II (PS4) Platinum # 335 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (PS3) Platinum #336 LEGO Movie 2: The Videogame (PS4) Platinum #337 Oxenfree (PS4) Platinum #338 Afterparty (PS4) Platinum #339 Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink (PS4) Platinum #340 VA-11 Hall-A (PS4) 341-350 Spoiler Platinum #341 Stranded Deep (PS4) Platinum #342 The Wolf Among Us (PS4) Platinum #343 Yakuza 3 (PS4) Platinum #344 MediEvil (PS4) Platinum #345 Wreckfest (PS4) Platinum #346 Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love (PS4) Platinum #347 Chicken Police (PS4) Platinum #348 Lords of the Fallen (PS4) +DLC Platinum #349 Peaky Blinders: Mastermind (PS4) Platinum #350 NieR:Replicant (PS4) Home of the 100%'s, Part 1 If it's Blue, you'll find a link for a review. I'll post the reviews in the spoiler tags underneath the thumbnails, just scroll down to the relevant game. These are all in alphabetical order. It seemed easier to do that than to put them in completion order. Part 2, is in the post below this one. Spoiler Spoiler 3D Billiards Pool & Snooker A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV (PS4) Abzu (PS4) Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders (PS4) Armikrog (PS4) Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry Beyond Good & Evil HD Brunswick Pro Billiards (PS4) Child of Light (PS4) Danger Zone (PS4) Danger Zone 2 (PS4) Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (PS4) Doki-Doki Universe Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon Fez Gone Home Hitman Hitman 2 + Additional Expansions Hue (PS4) inFamous: Festival of Blood International Snooker (PS3) King's Quest Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Letter Quest Remastered (PS4) Linger in Shadows (PS3) Little Nightmares (PS4) +DLC Mar: War Logs (PS3) Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS4) Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge Pool Nation (PS3) Resident Evil 4 (PS4) Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles Sly Minigames SOMA Star Wars: Racer Revenge Super Star Wars Tales of Monkey Island Chapters 1-5 Tekken Revolution The Secret of Monkey Island (PS3) Valiant hearts: The Great War What Remains of Edith Finch WWE 2K Battlegrounds (PS4) Xeodrifter Games Started Dragon Age: Inquisition - 76% Grand Theft Auto V -19% (Not looking to platinum this because of "Run like the wind" but I'd like to 100% the story at least) Mass Effect 2- 94% (Need to get around to purchasing the Arrival DLC) Mass Effect 3 - 42% (This has quite a funny story to it as to why it hasn't been platinumed yet) Star Ocean: The Last Hope International (PS3) - 31% (I really want to get back to this, but I keep sort of just putting it off) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3) - 69% (Need to get around to starting and finishing the DLC as I have it all now) Bloodborne 92% (I'm missing one DLC Weapon (funny story though), so I need a NG+ run through) Batman: Arkham Knight 77% Bioshock 2 - 51% (PS3) (I'm really not a fan of online boosting) Red Faction: Guerilla - 36% (PS3) (Same as above) Unstarted Games. These are in no particular order of priority! Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles (PS3) Knee Deep (PS4) The Last Remnant Remastered (PS4) Human Fall Flat (PS4) Mafia III +All DLC (PS4) Amnesia Collection (PS4) Tearaway Unfolded (PS4) Invisible Inc (PS4) Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4) + All DLC Rogue Galaxy (PS2/PS4) Watchdogs 2 (PS4) +All DLC Greedfall + DLC (PS4) Dark Cloud2/ Dark Chronicle (PS2/PS4) Bioshock Remastered (PS4) Bioshock Infinite (PS3) + All DLC Just Cause 4 (PS4) Plus All DLC Star Ocean: First Departure R (PS4) Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PS2/PS4) Darksiders III (PS4) + All DLC Serial Cleaner (PS4) The Sinking City (PS4) Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales (PS4) Aragami + All DLC (PS4) Oddworld: New N' Tasty (PS4) Oddworld Strangers Wrath (PS3) Alpha Protocol (PS3) Dishonored 2 (PS4) Alekhine's Gun (PS4) Destroy All Humans! (PS2/PS4) Destroy All Humans! 2 (PS2/PS4) Star Wars Bounty Hunter (PS2/PS4) Star Wars Jedi Starfighter (PS2/PS4) Ken Follet's The Pillars of Earth (PS4) Lego Marvel's Avengers + All DLC (PS4) Edited September 26, 2023 by rjkclarke 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted April 26, 2021 Author Share Posted April 26, 2021 (edited) Sideshows and Curiosities (This is where all the slightly esoteric and sometimes non gaming related posts are going to be kept, so if you want to look at aspecific one, now you know where you can find it) Spoiler Sideshows and Curiosities #1 - Five of my Favourite Television Shows 2021 End of Year Awards Sideshows and Curiosities #2 - Five Of My Favourite Acting Performances In Film 1000th Post and First Year Anniversary..... Thank You Post Sideshows and Curiosities #3 - Professor RJ's Ultra Science-Fiction Ranking of Doctor Who...Doctors, Part 1 Sideshows and Curiosities #4 Professor RJ's Ultra Science-Fiction Ranking of Doctor Who... Doctor's, Part 2 The Platinum Vault, Part 2 (Just follow the blue link for the reviews!) Spoiler 351- 360 Spoiler Platinum #351 LEGO DC Super-Villains (PS4) +DLC Platinum #352 Bastion (PS4) Platinum #353 Hellblade:Senua's Sacrifice (PS4) Platinum #354 Evoland: Legendary Edition (PS4) Platinum #355 Pool Nation (PS4) Platinum #356 Lone Survivor (PS4) Platinum #357 Black Mirror (PS4) Platinum #358 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3) +DLC Platinum #359 The Artful Escape (PS4) Platinum #360 Ape Escape (PS4) 361-370 Spoiler Platinum #361 God of War (PS4) Platinum #362 Stray (PS4) Platinum #363 Coffee Talk (PS4) Platinum #364 We Were Here (PS4) Platinum #365 Flipping Death (PS4) Platinum #366 Concrete Genie (PS4) Platinum #367 Puyo Puyo Champions (PS4) Platinum #368 Nexomon (PS4) Platinum #369 The Shapeshifting Detective (PS4) Platinum #370 Titanfall 2 (PS4) 371- 380 Spoiler Platinum #371 Dark Nights with Poe and Munro (PS4) Platinum #372 Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PS3) Platinum #373 The Order: 1886 (PS4) Platinum #374 WWE 2K22 (PS4) Platinum #375 Silence (PS4) Platinum ##376 The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (PS3) Platinum #377 Kona (PS4) Platinum #378 Yooka-Laylee (PS4) Platinum #379 Ape Academy 2 (PS4) Platinum #380 A Way Out (PS4) 381-390 Spoiler Platinum #381 Syphon Filter (PS4) Platinum #382 Dead Synchronicity (PS4) Platinum #383 Batman: Arkham Origins (PS3) Platinum #384 Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered (PS4) Platinum #385 BioShock (PS4) Platinum #386 Astro's Playroom (PS5) Platinum #387 Pyre (PS4) Platinum #388 Truberbrook (PS4) Platinum #389 Unpacking (PS5) Platinum #390 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5) 391-400 Spoiler Platinum #391 LEGO The Incredibles (PS4) Platinum #392 We Were Here Too (PS4) Platinum #393 Twisted Metal (PS5) Platinum #394 A Short Hike (PS4) Platinum #395 Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassin's (PS4) Platinum #396 Watchdogs 2 (PS4) Platinum #397 Mirrors Edge: Catalyst (PS4) Platinum #398 Borderlands 3 (PS5) Platinum #399 Twisted Metal 2 (PS5) Platinum #400 Return To Monkey Island (PS5) 401-410 Spoiler Platinum #401 It Takes Two (PS5) Platinum#402 Greedfall (PS4) Home of the 100%'s, Part 2 (These are all ordered alphabetically, follow the blue link to take you straight to the post the review is on!) Spoiler Spoiler Ape Escape 2 (PS4) Blood Knights (PS3) Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS4) Firewatch (PS4) Inside (PS4) Journey (PS4) Last Day of June (PS4) Limbo (PS4) Observation (PS4) Stick It To the Man (PS4) Subject 13 (PS4) The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (PS4) Type:Rider (PS4) Warframe (PS4) Uncanny Valley (PS4) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Captains Log Stardate....... No, I'm not doing that haha! I'm so far making pretty good progress with Drakengard 3 , considering I'm juggling several things at the moment so I'm not getting that much time to really play games, I'm just sleeping less to try and cram everything in. So I'm sitting at 31% Completion now, I'm really enjoying it too apart from the obvious frame rate issue Drakengard 3 has, but I platinumed Fallout 3 and New Vegas so I can deal with playing the video game equivalent of a PowerPoint presentation, for a story as good as Drakengard 3 seems I think a few dropped frames here and there won't hurt. I've done two of the six DLC packs. One of the packs doesn't have trophies for some reason, but for £25 there is no way I wasn't going to play it, thankfully I did want to and I think its going to really help towards the base game trophies like money farming and what not, so cannot complain at all. I was debating putting down two mini reviews of what I thought the DLC's were like but I think I'll hold off until I have the platinum and all the other DLC finished, then I can do it in one longer dedicated post. Oh well, once the Snooker World Championships have finished, I'm probably watching an unhealthy amount right now. (Colette from Tales of Symphonia would call me a Snooker Maniac haha!) I'll have one less thing to concentrate on once that has finished, so I'll probably be able to get more done then. Had a little edit of the original post, added a few games here and there,, then I noticed that about roughly 60% at least of the games I want to play are really long. I haven't quite decided yet whether or not to clear out some of the quicker games first and then the longer ones, or just continue as I have been just, flitting from game to game as my mood takes me. I think I'm going to try and put up my first "Classic Review/Rundown " either tomorrow or in the next few days, got to start those at some point if I plan to do them, as I have quite a few to get through. I think I'll start with my very first platinum and then I might just do them in a random order from there, or maybe if the genre of a particular game I'm playing reignites a few thoughts about a particular game I might do that one. I'll see how I feel about them, I've always played things in a fairly haphazard order so who knows might be interesting to go chronologically, I've really not made my mind up. I guess cliched as it is, I'll just go with the flow haha. Edited February 6 by rjkclarke 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 You have a truly impressive profile and trophy collection. Seriously, that's a stupidly high completion percent. Do you dabble in other platforms or is this profile where it's at? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted April 26, 2021 Author Share Posted April 26, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: You have a truly impressive profile and trophy collection. Seriously, that's a stupidly high completion percent. Do you dabble in other platforms or is this profile where it's at? Thank you!! I really appreciate that, its been a long old journey/quest, whatever you want to call it haha. I'm still kind of trying to find ways to keep it interesting and entertaining for myself. I had a look at your profile earlier actually when I looked at your checklist thread. You've got some really good stuff on there too, you've nearly got that pesky Star Wars Battlefront platinum, I can't ever decide if I want to play those games or not. Funny you should mention other platforms actually, because I used to dabble a bit with achievement hunting way back on the Xbox 360 not like massively, think I had like 44,000 GS or something. Then when I got a PS3 I sort of just left it alone for a few years, I still played the console just was never online, but I never realised that Microsoft delete your account if they think it hasn't been used for a while, so yeah GONE FOREVER, WOOPS. Nevermind though, just this profile now I suppose. Shame Eternal Sonata doesn't have trophies or I'd platinum that to fill my favourite 1000GS shaped hole. So I guess Playstation is where I am right now yeah. Edited April 26, 2021 by rjkclarke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 "Pesky" is a good way to describe Battlefront. I've done all the typically difficult, online-only trophies, and have completely lost steam on the home stretch. The priority was to get the online trophies out of the way as it's old and unpopular, and if it wasn't an EA title I'd be very worried about a server shutdown. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend playing it unless you are a Star Wars fan, and are OK with a grindy trophy list. The server population is more or less dead, and I had to use a Discord community to organize matches for the DLC lobbies. I had approximately 200 hours into the game when I picked it up last month, and sunk another 50 or so (or maybe more, I didn't track). I don't regret the experience at all as I made some new friends out of it, but if I didn't have trophy progress on it I wouldn't have done this. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockySanchez666 Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 Nice collection mate 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted April 26, 2021 Author Share Posted April 26, 2021 46 minutes ago, RockySanchez666 said: Nice collection mate Thanks Rocky!! I never expected you to end up finding your way onto this thread haha, awesome that you did though, I might as well ask you here, as I cant really be asked to go on my phone right now whilst I'm on my PC, are you ok if I mention you in any write ups where I talk about games we've boosted together? Would certainly be fun chronicling the nightmare we had on WWE2k15! I mean, there is a fair few games on here that I never would have gotten the platinum in had it not been for your help keeping me sane and amused during some of those boosting sessions we've done over the years, plus you helped make a lot of those experiences so much more enjoyable, I said in my opening post that I'm not really a fan of online boosting, but its more when it relies on so many people like when we were doing Dirt: Showdown earlier in the year haha. 1 hour ago, DrunkenEngineer said: "Pesky" is a good way to describe Battlefront. I've done all the typically difficult, online-only trophies, and have completely lost steam on the home stretch. The priority was to get the online trophies out of the way as it's old and unpopular, and if it wasn't an EA title I'd be very worried about a server shutdown. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend playing it unless you are a Star Wars fan, and are OK with a grindy trophy list. The server population is more or less dead, and I had to use a Discord community to organize matches for the DLC lobbies. I had approximately 200 hours into the game when I picked it up last month, and sunk another 50 or so (or maybe more, I didn't track). I don't regret the experience at all as I made some new friends out of it, but if I didn't have trophy progress on it I wouldn't have done this. I can definitely understand why you would prioritise it for that reason. Pretty much everything you listed is one of those things that has always put me off it, I am a big Star Wars fan, but I know I'd constantly unfairly compare it to the halcyon days of the PS2 era Battlefront games. I can deal with a grindy trophy list, that isn't too much of a problem but then when you add to that the problem of having to rely on lots of other people to get organised, that is where I start to lose a bit of interest in starting it. Sounds like you've pretty much done all of the hard work though, I have to admire your dedication there! Also, you made some friends along the way, that is one of the best side effects of playing games with an online component. So that is awesome too. Looks like you are so close though!! I'll use a Star Wars analogy actually, just imagine that you are Luke trapped in the ice cave on Hoth, looking at your lightsaber as a Wampa comes striding towards you, the minute you get that Platinum, somewhere there will be a one armed Wampa as you go running straight out of the cave to pastures new. Ok so I made that analogy a bit messy towards the end, but you get my drift I hope haha. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted April 27, 2021 Author Share Posted April 27, 2021 (edited) Lets take a crack at a "Classic/Retro" review/ write up, I'm still figuring out names and titles haha. But I guess I should start at the beginning. Classic Review Platinum #1 WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 (PS3) PLATINUM OBTAIN ALL OTHER TROPHIES A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 8th Jul 2011: 3:29:03 PM Time Taken to Platinum : 1 week, 22 hours, 49 minutes Platinum Rarity - 3.87% Trophy Number - #45 I'm not quite sure why they felt the need to shout in the description, I guess it is a wrestling game so I'll give them a free pass on that one. Even back when I used to spend a bit of time going after Gamerscore on Xbox 360, I always liked the idea of trophies more, I'm sure it isn't just me but anybody that has dabbled with both might be able to attest to this, when I was playing on 360, I very rarely felt motivated to get all the achievements , unless I really liked the game, I used to have a bit of a cut and run type approach where I would basically, just get what I could and then think about coming back to it later, perhaps I was just a colossal tit when I was younger, who knows haha. The pursuit of a platinum for me has always been that satisfaction of being able to tell yourself that you've practically seen everything that experience has to offer, not always obviously. (Looking at you Teslagrad, still finished the game though, because why go all that way to not finish it.) So I guess, I'd better make like Worzel Gummidge and put my reviewing head on. (No cups of tea, or slices of cake though unfortunately.) I know this is my first platinum, but it wasn't actually my first PS3 game, that was actually Fallout New Vegas, I remember asking for it for Christmas in 2010 to try and incentivise myself to buy a PS3, it did work eventually I suppose. Thankfully, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011, is still fairly fresh in my memory, because I still used to play this quite a lot with one of my friends, this game is an incredibly fun multiplayer experience, especially if you've had a few drinks and even when it isn't. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do that for the last year because here in the UK you aren't allowed to go in other peoples houses at the moment, unless that has changed and I just didn't notice. So in the above regard I have very fond memories of this game, we must have sunk so many hours into silly, multiple person ladder matches with created characters like Darth Maul, Luke Skywalker, Solid Snake and Raiden to name a few, Raiden even had a naked alternate attire, which if anyone reads this and is a Metal Gear fan, you can probably imagine what that looked like haha. This game had VERY VERY weird physics, which was where a lot of the fun came from in matches involving weapons, if this was on PS4 I would have so many saved clips of just ridiculously funny moments. Somehow, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 actually manages to look more visually impressive than WWE 2K20, that was released in 2019, I'm not going to jump aboard the "lol look how crap that game is" bandwagon, because I got the platinum in it and I did enjoy it for what it was, but visually, unfortunately it just is a fact in this case. The story mode in this game, Road to Wrestlemania, was one of the better ones from what I remember they do tend to be fairly hit and miss. This last entry in the Smackdown Vs Raw series was just a fairly solid all round game I thought. I mean usually, when I write these kinds of things I like to talk about the OST, but this one pretty much is just a lot of wrestler themes for the menu music so I guess this section will stay a bit shorter. As far as the trophies in this game go, I actually still remember a fair few of them, some more fondly than others. the Man of 1,004 holds trophy (Perform 1,004 Signature and Finishers in any mode of play) was one of the ones I remember, less fondly. I think this was probably one of the first times I'd felt "the grind" I'm fairly sure that this trophy was bugged too, so I essentially had to do all 1004 in one sitting as did many others probably. All the other trophies though are fairly standard "do this thing, in a specific way" type trophies that you see a lot in sports games, beat the story mode, that kind of thing. It did have online trophies though, I don't actually remember how the online Royal Rumble worked, it has been nearly ten years haha, but you had to win one of those. I don't ever really remember being bored though and variety in trophies is always very welcome, but you could argue that might be the "newness" of trophy hunting to me at the time. A pretty fun time really, usually I'd say whether or not I recommend this, but I'm fairly sure the platinum is unobtainable now, but if anybody reads this and doesn't particularly care about the platinum, (Seems unlikely on a trophy tracking site I suppose) this still has an incredibly fun multiplayer that holds up really well to this day, so its pretty easy to find a cheap copy and have a bit of a blast with it. I guess its kind of cool but unintentional that my first platinum is now an ultra rare, I think it was just shy of 4% when I looked earlier. This has been quite a fun trip down memory lane actually. Edited February 2, 2022 by rjkclarke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockySanchez666 Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 3 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Thanks Rocky!! I never expected you to end up finding your way onto this thread haha, awesome that you did though, I might as well ask you here, as I cant really be asked to go on my phone right now whilst I'm on my PC, are you ok if I mention you in any write ups where I talk about games we've boosted together? Would certainly be fun chronicling the nightmare we had on WWE2k15! I mean, there is a fair few games on here that I never would have gotten the platinum in had it not been for your help keeping me sane and amused during some of those boosting sessions we've done over the years, plus you helped make a lot of those experiences so much more enjoyable, I said in my opening post that I'm not really a fan of online boosting, but its more when it relies on so many people like when we were doing Dirt: Showdown earlier in the year haha. I can definitely understand why you would prioritise it for that reason. Pretty much everything you listed is one of those things that has always put me off it, I am a big Star Wars fan, but I know I'd constantly unfairly compare it to the halcyon days of the PS2 era Battlefront games. I can deal with a grindy trophy list, that isn't too much of a problem but then when you add to that the problem of having to rely on lots of other people to get organised, that is where I start to lose a bit of interest in starting it. Sounds like you've pretty much done all of the hard work though, I have to admire your dedication there! Also, you made some friends along the way, that is one of the best side effects of playing games with an online component. So that is awesome too. Looks like you are so close though!! I'll use a Star Wars analogy actually, just imagine that you are Luke trapped in the ice cave on Hoth, looking at your lightsaber as a Wampa comes striding towards you, the minute you get that Platinum, somewhere there will be a one armed Wampa as you go running straight out of the cave to pastures new. Ok so I made that analogy a bit messy towards the end, but you get my drift I hope haha. Sure go ahead, I'd say the same too mate, bring on wwe 2k22 lol, I don't how I keep on top of boosting games nowadays, it's like a runaway train especially catching up on those ps3 games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted April 29, 2021 Author Share Posted April 29, 2021 On 27/04/2021 at 1:56 AM, RockySanchez666 said: Sure go ahead, I'd say the same too mate, bring on wwe 2k22 lol, I don't how I keep on top of boosting games nowadays, it's like a runaway train especially catching up on those ps3 games Awesome man, I will do just that then, whenever I get to the games that we have played together, should add another little fun element on top of it. Lets hope 2K22 is an improvement on the last one eh lol. I don't know how you keep up with keeping track of all those things you are boosting either, but your dedication to it is definitely impressive. Hats off to you though man, I've said it before, but you really have done some insane PS3 online grinds in your time!! I guess you have to prioritise the PS3 titles a bit more now as well, as those servers could probably go at any minute, does make me rather glad that I only have a few PS3 titles left I'm that bothered about chasing online trophies in, otherwise I guess it would be so easy to get overwhelmed by it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted April 29, 2021 Author Share Posted April 29, 2021 (edited) Think I'll do a little update before I go to sleep, its 3.30 AM in the UK and playing Drakengard 3 for hours later than I probably should have might not have been the best idea, but what are these sorts of threads for if you can't at least update them with progress. I'll probably loosen up on some of these "updatey" type posts, because I keep noticing I do have a tendency just like Kryten from Red Dwarf to have a few "modes" to how I write so I guess when I'm doing this I'll be fairly casual and then when I'm reviewing... Well to tweak a line from that show "REVIEW MODE ENGAGED" haha. I noticed I haven't dropped any swearing into any posts so far, I guess I don't really need to either unless something really calls for it or I'm using quotes, it just surprised me a bit because in real life I'm always as Karl Pilkington would say, "effin and jeffing" but never mind. Drakengard 3 wise, I've just hit 63% completion so I think considering I've barely had much time to play it I'm doing alright, still absolutely loving it too. I've done 5 out of 6 DLC packs now and I'm leaving what I hope to be the best one because it features the main character until last or at least after Ending D. I might try and push through tomorrow sleep be damned and try to get through Ending C and D so that I'd only have bits of side content and money farming left for the Platinum trophy. So far it all seems to be going fairly well, I think my next sort of classic/ retro review thing might be Nier: Automata, because of the Drakengard 3 connection, I was thinking about doing the original Nier, but that game is very very special to me, so I want a bit more time to collect some thoughts about that one. Edited April 29, 2021 by rjkclarke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) So that is Drakengard 3 at 100% complete now, that was a hell of a fun time, despite sometimes playing like a PowerPoint presentation. I'll do a write up of the DLC in here and also paste in the post I'm going to put in the Most Recent Platinums thread, just so I can have it tagged onto the DLC write ups in one nice uniform spot, as I'll want to tidy up that messy first post at some point in the near future. Drakengard 3 Review! Platinum #318 Drakengard 3 (PS3) The Final Song I can hear the sound. A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned and 100% earned - 1 May 2021: 9:40:52: AM Time Taken to Platinum : 1 week, 1 day, 8 hours Platinum Rarity - 12.00% Trophy Number - #15,406 Ever had that agonising feeling when delving into your backlog where you just think "Oh, why didn't I start this sooner" well that is sort of where I'm at right now. I wish I had started this sooner, I've known pretty much from when it was released that I was going to like it. I remember playing Drakengard on PS2 when I was about 14 or 15 and being blown away by some of the issues and themes in that game. I think my 14 year old brain was surprised a video game was allowed to tackle some of the dark subject matter bubbling above and under the surface in the original Drakengard, so I've always been a big fan of Yoko Taro as a storyteller he has an incredibly deep grasp on multiple perspectives I think, which is always important when trying to tell a complete story. I think the less said about Drakengard 2 the better haha as I did hear he doesn't even consider it "canon." Nier however, was my personal favourite game of the PS3/360/Wii generation, I'm not saying it was the best, its just the one I have the most fondness for and I don't really see that changing, I still have the Nier OST on my iPod (Yes I still have a working iPod lol) and it still gets played fairly often, so why I never got around to playing Drakengard 3 until 2021 is anybodies guess. Drakengard 3 is connected to both Drakengard 1 and Nier, if anybody was unaware it is a prequel/ interquel to the Drakengard/ Nier series. I'm fairly sure its supposed to be a very dark comedy as well. I don't feel like i misinterpreted it but you never know haha. This game is far from perfect though, it is unfortunately marred by a lot of technical issues that I can't really ignore if I'm going to be able to talk about this in an objective fashion. There is a part of me that actually thinks this game was originally developed for the VITA, it has very short succinct levels that feel quite enclosed at times which you would think would be good for a smaller screen so theoretically it would be almost perfect for a handheld format. Funnily enough I seem to be saying that about a lot of games I've played recently. The problem with that though, is that it barely manages to run stably on a PS3, which is a shame because this game really and I mean REALLLY suffers from slowdown and framerate issues very often. The DLC runs a lot better though to be fair. The technical issues do sort of just become something that you end up suffering through because the game is VERY VERY good in almost all other departments. It seems unlikely but I think a PS4/PS5 remaster of this would do wonders for it; because if it was just a little more playable for people with a little less tolerance (that isn't a dig, its just the issues test your patience a bit) it would probably be so much better received. I think the shorter formatted levels though are a deliberate callback to the original Drakengard, which was structured that way, instead of a sprawling empty open world that you might find in a more modern title. It does feel very true to both Drakengard and Nier which is always something you want from a game that is part of a wider mythos, you do want it to feel like part of it. Drakengard's connection to Nier I would probably liken to Judgment/Judge Eyes connection to the Yakuza universe, the link is fairly tenuous but they still both feel part of a shared universe, so that is something Drakengard 3 achieved really well I think. There isn't a whole lot to say about the combat, its pretty much your bread and butter hack and slash type thing, a little unsophisticated and unfair at times but still very good I barely ever mention the games plot when I'm writing these sorts of things and I don't think that is going to change here, because I always assume people wouldn't want to be spoiled on something, even an older title like this. The plot absolutely deserves peoples eyes and ears on it too. I might mention the odd character here and there though. The English voice cast in this is very memorable and well performed I pretty much like Cam Clarke in any voice role he does but you can absolutely tell he is having an absolute blast playing Decadus in Drakengard 3 he arguably gets a good chunk of the games funniest lines too. He's a bit of a kinky so and so haha. Tara Platt shows an incredible amount of versatility as the main character Zero, a character that is at times hard to like but as the story unfolds you begin to understand her motivation more and more. Zero is a very easy character to get wrong, but much harder to do right and I think the interplay between her and Mikhail the Dragon is incredibly cleverly handled once you understand the whole story. Drakengard 3's art style is very distinctive too, its almost a melding of Nier's aesthetic and the original Drakengard, I mean some of the level design is a little samey and some of the textures aren't the best, but all of the important characters REALLY stand out such as the six sisters and your companions. Just like Nier, Drakengard 3 boasts an incredible soundtrack. Emi Evans provides some more of her incredibly haunting melodic vocals in this game, there is just something very otherworldly and ethereal about her voice so it is absolutely perfect in a place like this, similarly to how her voice is used in My Brother Rabbit strangely. Wow I never thought I'd reference an Artifex Mundi game when talking about something like this but there you go. As far as the trophies in Drakengard 3 go, they are all fairly straight forward apart from a few. It ends up being one of those games where you unlock about 75% of the base game trophies before you hit the wall so to speak. But there are at least three reasons why a lot of people probably wouldn't platinum this game or might end up giving up on it and that is Branch D the infamous Rhythm Game finale, Accord's requests and upgrading all Weapons to max level. That Rhythm Game caused quite a lot of controversy I believe. Although, I do have my own almost funny story about Branch D. Part of me wondered whether it was deliberate but one of Decadus' kinks is being denied pleasure and that Branch D boss almost denied me the satisfaction of a platinum trophy, so I thought that was a nice bit of funny irony there. I know its a call back to Drakengard 1's final ending but it didn't stop it getting a little infuriating. Once you nail that Rhythm Game though it is so exhilarating, my heart was pounding a lot, it ended up taking me about three hours, because I messed up so much near the end and its an eight minute song/fight. If I was going to give anyone advice though on the platinum, I'd recommend picking up the DLC because it will pretty much cut the time you have to farm gold down by half, I think its estimated to take about six hours, but after getting every DLC chest I ended up needing to farm for about just shy of two hours, plus the DLC is very good so there is that added bonus. I do recommend this, but its sort of one of those games where you have to know that you'd like it going into it, so might be one to research a bit , I think if you went in blind having no prior experience of how odd some of Yoko Taro's games can be you might feel a little bit put off. I would say it is quite a rich and fulfilling experience though, so apart from how infuriating the final boss was I pretty much enjoyed all my time with it for what its worth and the platinum ABSOLUTELY felt earned. DLC I'll give a little run down here of each DLC pack and what I thought about them, I won't give any spoilers so this might be a bit shorter form here, but for the record I was really apprehensive about paying £25 for all the DLC it seems a lot especially when they don't even contain cutscenes, but I do actually think it was worth it overall considering how much depth it adds to the characters of the six sisters, almost essential really, plus they really help with some of the base game trophies. One's Prologue: This is strangely, the only DLC pack that doesn't contain trophies, its still absolutely worth playing though, just maybe don't go the extra mile and level One to max level like the other sisters. Ironically, One is probably the character that most needed their own dedicated DLC as she seems like the sister that gets the least amount of development over the course of the game. Like all the other packs with the sisters this one is a prequel, apart from Zero's which sort of acts as a midquel and prequel a bit like Borderlands: The Pre Sequel does actually, with characters retelling events. You do get 4 levels/maps to play through which is decent and they all take a reasonable amount of time. You get a pretty decent Chakram as well for the base game which costs you the grand total of 0 gold to upgrade so long as you have the materials. I can't say that I enjoyed this as much as the others, I liked the story element to it, I just don't really have much fun with Chakrams in this game, that or I suck with them I suppose. Two's Chapter: Bliss Two's chapter is really interesting, it contains a lot of character development for one of Zero's companions Cent as well. Of the six content packs I think this one is one of if not the best one, that could be purely down to just the final boss alone though and the initial lead up to it. The final boss of Two's DLC is so well realised and so haunting at the same time, very reminiscent of a few sections of Nier. One of those things that is worth seeing at least even if you didn't up playing it. I like the fact the game makes sure you have at least experienced Branch A before starting the DLC's I don't think there would be as much impact if you hadn't interacted with the characters yet. Also worth noting are the Memoirs of the Intoners, which act like little mini stories about the sisters lives or others perspectives on them, you get one each from each time you level up for a maximum of ten, these are so worth the time to read through as well. Got to get your moneys worth from the hefty DLC price tag haha. For finding all the chests you also get 500K in gold some decent crafting materials and Two's Sword which is actually one of the best swords, as again you can upgrade it for free and have a superior sword to Zero's for a good portion of the game. Three's Chapter: Play Three. takes a little bit of time to get used to as far as a playstyle goes, she has an odd sort of scissor blade weapon that takes a bit of time to adjust to using. You have to adjust quickly as well because of the way the DLC is structured, its a bit unusual in that its essentially Three play testing her own creations by fighting variations of some of the enemies throughout the game. This leads to some particularly funny dialogue later when fighting a pack of Cerberus of various shapes and sizes in this packs dedicated dragon level, which was a personal highlight. I really enjoyed this one despite those scissors being a bit funky, I never bothered to upgrade them so I couldn't say if they are good or not. One of the best things about this DLC is how much more depth there is to Octa's character that you don't really notice until quite late on in the main story. The intoner Memoir's are a very good read here, as they shed some light on how other people perceive Three, she's quite introverted so a random soldiers perspective of her ends up being quite interesting. As usual, you can unlock plenty of decent things from opening all the chests in the DLC pack. Four's Chapter: Frigidity Apart from the final two verses, I wasn't particularly a fan of Four's DLC, but I think that is more to do with Four being incredibly unlikeable, she is incredibly fun to control though purely from a gameplay aspect, in fact I'm sure most people have known someone like Four in their lifetimes. The final two verses are both equal parts messed up and hilarious, the Dragon who's name I won't mention because its a bit spoilery has some spectacularly funny dialogue on the approach towards the final boss, that level happens to be the best one to get to level 10 on so you end up playing it a lot, and those funny pieces of dialogue never really got old. Her particular Intoner Memoirs are quite interesting as its her true thoughts about the people she associated with the most, her Sisters and Decadus, instead of the sweetness and light that she projects to the world. The usual goodies can be found in all the chests and Four's claws become available for Zero in the base game, which can be a really good weapon if you use the charge attack to stagger lock enemies. Five's Chapter: Hunger Just like One, Five is another one of the characters that you meet fairly fleetingly in the main story. I think the DLC actually has a lot more going on beneath the surface than it actually appears to. If you read between the lines a bit with Five they are presenting some fairly interesting philosophical idea's about her character, something Yoko Taro has a penchant for, aside from that I can't really go into in too much detail about it because it would spoil the DLC story, these get expanded upon even further inside her Intoner Memoirs, but of all the DLC packs this, One and Two probably have the most depth to them. That sounded really pretentious so I should probably go bonk myself on the head with some wood or something haha. Five, doesn't really control any different to Zero with a spear, so its pretty standard spear wielding fun on that one. I really liked the final boss of this verse too, it was incredibly quirky and incredibly funny, not what I expected at all. Chests are full of the usual DLC goodness, I wouldn't bother upgrading Five's spear though, there is plenty of better ones so better to save your materials to be honest. Zero's Chapter: Fate Here we are then, the last one that I did. You can play this one whenever you have finished Branch A, but its probably best left until Branch D is finished so that you have pretty much all of the plot details known, plus the Intoner Memoirs shed some light on what happens to the world after Branch D so I thought personally it was probably best to leave it till last. Zero plays, well exactly the same, as you'd expect. This one actually seemed like it was one of the shorter packs, but I really liked the fact it shed some more light on the relationship between Michael the Dragon before he was Mikhail and how he interacted with Zero, because you only get a fleeting idea of what that dynamic was like at the very start the game so its nice to see it get expanded upon here. Some of the interactions between the characters are like a lot of things in this game, very funny. Zero has a few moments in this DLC where she's super similar to Kaine from Nier, which I enjoyed quite a lot. The costume you get from this DLC is actually really good intermediary between your regular outfit and Crimson/Bloodsoaked garb you get for attaining max weapon levels. The DLC outfit extends the amount of time you can use Intoner mode by quite a bit so its useful for some of the money farming you have to do. I had a really good time with this game and all its DLC, although I haven't really slept very much for the better part of a week, so I could try and fit everything I've wanted to do in that time-frame . I guess I should just sleep more next week if I can. But yeah, what a ride Drakengard 3 was despite a few technical issues. Edited February 2, 2022 by rjkclarke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 3, 2021 Author Share Posted May 3, 2021 (edited) I feel like I need a little light hearted vent and my own thread seems as good a place as any. I think I underestimated how much of a mammoth task it will be writing reviews of every game I have a platinum or 100% completion in, I still plan to obviously, because I really do enjoy the writing process I really can't overstate that enough. I'm just going to have to approach it in a sensible way and not try and rush it all my fingers will end up like little worn down twiglets from all the typing lol. In all seriousness though, I feel like I'm starting to make a halfway decent attempt at making the opening post look presentable now, I was absent mindedly thinking earlier today about how essentially this kind of opening post is like a Merchants stall or a front garden, then I thought about how mine would look if it was a front garden or Merchant Stall. IT WOULD LOOK TERRIBLE, people would probably run away screaming, or be sick into their shopping bags. Okay maybe not that bad, but I think I made my own protracted weird point fairly well. There would be loads of bald bits of soil everywhere, no plants just some sparse patches of grass that from a helicopter/drone might read COMING SOON or you know something equally silly, or just one big block of grass text. It basically just didn't feel finished enough After spending a few hours tinkering around though, I'm starting to like the look of it a bit more I've added 125 of 318 Platinum's to the Platinum Vault part, I'll add more later, it just takes a while finding and pasting in all those images. I'll probably fit some more in tomorrow. I just thought it would be better if I added all the Platinum's now and then really, that will be one of the more time consuming parts done as I'll just have to change the title to a link whenever I get around to actually reviewing them in the future. I also worried in the opening post I was sounding like " Hey erm I cant be bothered to actually add my trophy list to this yet, so if you want to find my profile you can" I thought it would probably be better to just add them and then make it as accessible to people as possible in case people did want to have a read through at some point in the future. Good to get that bit of nonsensical silliness out, onwards and upwards and all that. Edited May 3, 2021 by rjkclarke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_Radio Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 Very good and impressive trophy profile. Obviously you've been at it for a long time. Writing these long reviews is the main reason why I've put off writing reviews on my own trophy checklist thread. It takes a long time to think about what you remember about the game, and to compile it in a few paragraphs isn't easy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 3, 2021 Author Share Posted May 3, 2021 (edited) 19 hours ago, AJ_Radio said: Very good and impressive trophy profile. Obviously you've been at it for a long time. Writing these long reviews is the main reason why I've put off writing reviews on my own trophy checklist thread. It takes a long time to think about what you remember about the game, and to compile it in a few paragraphs isn't easy. Thank you!! That is nice of you to say, I definitely have been at it for a long time, close to ten years now. Although I guess these days you could say having 300+ platinum trophies doesn't mean a whole lot depending on what your stance is on that sort of thing, but I've pretty much had good experiences to some degree with every single one that I have gotten, which is partly why I felt the need to start chronicling some of those thoughts. These days though somebody could probably get 300+ in the space of a year or less if they really wanted to. Not sure they would have a whole lot of fun in that endeavour, I know I wouldn't, but that is just me, I guess different people like different things, we don't all have to be motivated by the same desires and nor probably should we be. As long as people are enjoying themselves who am I to criticize that. Hard for me not to sound like a cockwomble on that one. I'm too laid back to really worry too much about what "modern trophy hunting" has turned into. It seems like the sort of thing that can spark major toxicity if not handled delicately. You've got a pretty beastly profile yourself by the way, I like the fact you don't shirk going for 100%'s without a platinum trophy in them, after all a game is still a game and it should be enjoyed the same whether or not it has a platinum, but that is just my take on that. I have plenty of games I plan to get around to playing in the future myself that don't have a platinum. You really hit the nail on the head there about putting off writing reviews, because of it taking a while to compile your thoughts on something you've not played for years. If you do though, I'll be sure to read them because, just like most people I'm sure you've got plenty of interesting thoughts and experiences about the games that you have played. Its actually one of the things I like about this sort of thing, is how some people can have such a completely different experience of games they've played because they had different preconceived ideas and expectations going in. I struggle to be succinct when writing anything, so that is another thing I'm struggling with, the fact that I know I'm going to be sitting here for probably an hour plus at a time each time I think about writing a review. Still enjoy it immensely though. Edited May 3, 2021 by rjkclarke 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 (edited) So that seemed like it took forever, but FINALLY I've managed to get all of my Platinum Trophies and 100%'s into the first post, that took bloody ages!! Feels Great to finally have it all in one place. It has just taken such a long time, but I really think its going to be worth it, because from this point on I can pretty much focus exclusively on getting to review the games I want to, as its going to be nice and easy to just paste a link in the titles and then not have to worry about them, because if it was a case of just adding one at a time it would have looked so barren for a VERY long time. Also I do think that Both of the new 100% and Platinum sections look pretty nice now, certainly compared to what it was. So Starting to feel more positive about it, which is always great for motivation. It was certainly an experience getting it all in there, I noticed so many minor details I'd literally never noticed about lots of those trophy tiles too. Like the fact MGSV's Platinum tile actually has a Trophy in it I've somehow never noticed that. I'm not sure what I thought it was before, but maybe I need to take my Nan's advice and finally get some glasses haha. I know maybe this doesn't warrant an update post, but I'm doing it anyway because that was such an arduous task to get everything in there and I guess to let anyone that might stumble across the thread know where to look to see what kind of things might start appearing in here in the future on the off chance they want to hear my oddball musings on some of the Platinum's I've gotten over the years. I'm going to try and get the review of Nier Automata out later today, as I've been putting that off for a while, because its hard to really articulate what I feel about that game without going into spoilers, so I'll have to think a bit more on it and try and be as vague as possible. That's it for now Peace out. Edited November 18, 2021 by rjkclarke 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 22 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: So that seemed like it took forever, but FINALLY I've managed to get all of my Platinum Trophies and 100%'s into the first post, that took bloody ages!! Feels Great to finally have it all in one place. It has just taken such a long time, but I really think its going to be worth it, because from this point on I can pretty much focus exclusively on getting to review the games I want to, as its going to be nice and easy to just paste a link in the titles and then not have to worry about them, because if it was a case of just adding one at a time it would have looked so barren for a VERY long time. Also I do think that Both of the new 100% and Platinum sections look pretty nice now, certainly compared to what it was. So Starting to feel more positive about it, which is always great for motivation. Looks great mate - I know full well that getting nice formatting within the confines of the forum software is never easy, and very laborious! ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_Radio Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 17 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Thank you!! That is nice of you to say, I definitely have been at it for a long time, close to ten years now. Although I guess these days you could say having 300+ platinum trophies doesn't mean a whole lot depending on what your stance is on that sort of thing, but I've pretty much had good experiences to some degree with every single one that I have gotten, which is partly why I felt the need to start chronicling some of those thoughts. These days though somebody could probably get 300+ in the space of a year or less if they really wanted to. Not sure they would have a whole lot of fun in that endeavour, I know I wouldn't, but that is just me, I guess different people like different things, we don't all have to be motivated by the same desires and nor probably should we be. As long as people are enjoying themselves who am I to criticize that. Hard for me not to sound like a cockwomble on that one. I'm too laid back to really worry too much about what "modern trophy hunting" has turned into. It seems like the sort of thing that can spark major toxicity if not handled delicately. I have some throwaway platinums myself don't get me wrong, but the lengths and strife people go through to gain that many in just a year or two is..... pointless. Breakthrough Gaming Arcade is a prime example of how not to make games and then sell them to a niche audience, that audience being the trophy hunters. We've always been the minority, but they can do better than this. 17 hours ago, rjkclarke said: You've got a pretty beastly profile yourself by the way, I like the fact you don't shirk going for 100%'s without a platinum trophy in them, after all a game is still a game and it should be enjoyed the same whether or not it has a platinum, but that is just my take on that. I have plenty of games I plan to get around to playing in the future myself that don't have a platinum. It took me a lot of hard work to get to where I am now. Trophies are honestly just icing on the cake. The main issue is I suffer from OCD and I'm sort of a perfectionist, if a game is left unfinished I want to get it done. Thankfully I don't have that problem on Steam. 17 hours ago, rjkclarke said: You really hit the nail on the head there about putting off writing reviews, because of it taking a while to compile your thoughts on something you've not played for years. If you do though, I'll be sure to read them because, just like most people I'm sure you've got plenty of interesting thoughts and experiences about the games that you have played. Its actually one of the things I like about this sort of thing, is how some people can have such a completely different experience of games they've played because they had different preconceived ideas and expectations going in. I struggle to be succinct when writing anything, so that is another thing I'm struggling with, the fact that I know I'm going to be sitting here for probably an hour plus at a time each time I think about writing a review. Still enjoy it immensely though. I'm roughly seven months behind on my own reviews. I have to start with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and work my way up to the present. Not easy, considering everything I've played since Tekken. Being a little brief but a little descriptive is the best approach. Writing long ass textbook definitions on games you've done just confuses the reader. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 (edited) 14 hours ago, AJ_Radio said: I have some throwaway platinums myself don't get me wrong, but the lengths and strife people go through to gain that many in just a year or two is..... pointless. I think most people probably have the odd throwaway platinum, plus I suppose everyone has their own view on what a throwaway platinum constitutes. An Ultra Rare hunter would probably look down their nose at me for playing Point and Click Adventure games for example, or HOP games. I really like them though, so to me they wouldn't be a waste of time. I guess it depends how you want to view them, there is a few I certainly don't think I would have on there if they hadn't been free or at least very cheap, but I suppose I try and be fairly optimistic about things like that. Nobody forced a gun to my head and said PLAY LARA CROFT GO!!!! like I definitely wouldn't have actively pursued buying Burly Men At Sea for example, but I really enjoyed playing it. 14 hours ago, AJ_Radio said: Breakthrough Gaming Arcade is a prime example of how not to make games and then sell them to a niche audience, that audience being the trophy hunters. We've always been the minority, but they can do better than this. I've seen a few videos of those, I've never looked at how much they cost but I'd find it pretty astounding if they carried any sort of a high price tag. I mean if done right, there isn't anything wrong with a nice deliberate retro aesthetic, I'm well up for a nice bit of pastiche done right! They do seem a bit shallow I guess. Weirdly my first ever console/ computer I suppose you should say was a Commodore 16/Plus 4 that makes me seem ancient but I'm not, but I remember playing games that ran off a cassette that played better than those Breakthrough Gaming Arcade game's seem like they play. 14 hours ago, AJ_Radio said: It took me a lot of hard work to get to where I am now. Trophies are honestly just icing on the cake. The main issue is I suffer from OCD and I'm sort of a perfectionist, if a game is left unfinished I want to get it done. That is a good way to approach it I think, I feel a similar way, that trophies are just the icing on the cake. I've always tried to get the best value for money out of the games I play ever since I was fairly young, I kind of feel like trophies end up being a natural extension of that. I often wonder if I have OCD myself, but I have no idea. Probably means you will always be able to maintain a high completion percentage though. I have no idea if you are like this too, but my own unfinished games do get under my skin a little bit, especially the ones where its really hard to motivate myself to play them, because of just incessant online grinds. 14 hours ago, AJ_Radio said: I'm roughly seven months behind on my own reviews. I have to start with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and work my way up to the present. Not easy, considering everything I've played since Tekken. 14 hours ago, AJ_Radio said: Being a little brief but a little descriptive is the best approach. Writing long ass textbook definitions on games you've done just confuses the reader. I've got to apologise for the messiness of these quote posts, my mouse is being a pain in the arse and won't highlight text at the moment. (It will highlight blocks, but not when I hold and drag over it, so it won't let me do more than one paragraph at a time when quoting, ODD.) I'm going to have to do something about that soon. That does sound like quite the task you have ahead of you catching up on those reviews, I remember seeing quite a few of your update posts in the Most Recent Platinum thread and it certainly seems like you've been busy. Some good advice for the reviews though, I appreciate that, think it will be a little bit of a bumpy road for me to find the right balance, but hopefully I'll get there eventually. 16 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Looks great mate - I know full well that getting nice formatting within the confines of the forum software is never easy, and very laborious! ? Thanks DrB!! Haha, It certainly took a while, but it was a nice thing to distract me in-between sessions of the Snooker, nice little time filler waiting for the middle aged men in waistcoats and bow-ties to come back and hit some high tensile plastic balls around on a rectangular piece of felt with a stick. I shouldn't have written that haha, that just made Snooker seem even weirder than it probably already does. I wanted to find the quote, but I couldn't in the end but one of your posts yesterday cracked me up so much, telling someone how hard he must struggle in restaurants when they ask them if they want a pudding, then proceeding to pour it onto their Steak and Potatoes. Been enjoying your Scientific endeavours lately, found those very entertaining. I actually was thinking about picking up The Mysteries of Little Riddle, but I think I'll give that a miss after reading your write up of it, it sounds pretty much like interminable nonsense! Edited May 5, 2021 by rjkclarke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted May 5, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 5, 2021 (edited) Alrighty, lets get back to the old reviewing again. CLASSIC REVIEW TIME! I've been meaning to get around to this for a while and better to do NieR Automata now as I've just played through Drakengard 3 and those two games are connected. Classic Review Platinum #121 NieR: Automata (PS4) Final Words Thank you for playing. A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 21st March 2017- 5.33.05AM Time Taken to Platinum : 6 days, 16 hours, 59 minutes Platinum Rarity - 30.64% Trophy Number - #6,918 Judging by when I earned the platinum for this, I must have been having a bout of insomnia or something, mind you I expect once I begin to do more and more of these I'm sure I'll notice I'm quite the night owl haha. I'd better get this out of the way now and say that I'm going to have some pretty mixed feelings about this game. That isn't to say there won't be positive ones too because I like this a lot, I just have very mixed feelings about it, I think they might be a ME problem and not the games fault though. I remember in the build up to this game being equal parts excited and apprehensive for NieR Automata, I always try to be positive and optimistic about things whenever I can though. I wanted a true sequel to the original Nier, this is a sequel yes but it only really feels tangentially connected by the world and a few returning characters. In my heart I knew that was what I was going to get - I had sort of just accepted that. NieR, was on PS3 a niche title at best so to essentially start with a clean slate for the sequel at least, wouldn't alienate the new fans of the sequel and yes technically superior video game. I think I created my own problem, where the idea of what a sequel could be, would never be what I'd actually get. I think that is part of the reason why a lot of people really struggle with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, what you got was never the resolution that you had in your head, so its easy to pile the negativity onto it. I won't mention my thoughts on that film though, I might get tied to a tree and set on fire for my opinions haha! I'm done with the little bit of negativity I have towards NieR: Automata though, because it really is a great game. In almost every department except a few NieR: Automata is technically a far superior game to the original. I don't quite like it as much and I don't think that is ever going to change. I've made peace with that though, so I'll stop waffling about it. I think a lot of this game is incredibly well realised though, it has an open world that doesn't outstay its welcome, which I think in modern day gaming you can't say that too often. One of the elements to its semi open world that REALLY works is how condensed and memorable all the area's are, the original Nier is similar in that regard. Every place you visit feels so distinct and unique, the Theme Park area in Automata is a particularly good example of that. At this point distinctive, memorable locations should be something you just expect from a Yoko Taro title. I think there is something like 26 endings technically from what I remember. I seem to remember Automata ran incredibly well on my basic launch PS4, not sure it would now my PS4 is getting on a bit, think its slowly dying as I seem to get errors on a pretty much daily basis. Running smooth is something you always want though, in a game with multiple playthroughs, I wish I could have said the same about Drakengard 3. The combat in Automata is so far superior to the original Nier as well, it actually has a lot more variety to it, plus it does an incredible job with how well the camera can sometimes shift perspective when going through certain area's. Automata, contains some incredibly worthwhile side content too, which also help to really enhance some of the philosophical themes within the plot. As usual, in these kind of things I never directly mention the story, I would hate to have the story spoiled for a game like this, so I'll assume other people are the same. I am going to talk about some of the themes and characters found within, but as briefly as a waffle bag like myself can! Although I prefer the original NieR's story, because its a little more concise and less convoluted, Nier Automata does do a wonderful job with some overtly very deep philosophical themes that are only sort of touched upon in the original. Automata, really does a fascinating job of exploring the notion of "The Soul" and what it truly means to be alive, it does it in such a unique way too - that could if it was mishandled have come across incredibly preachy and patronising, instead Yoko Taro for the most part leaves it up to YOU to make your mind up. I'm finding it hard not to compare it to the original NieR and for the most part I'm not, but its hard not to. I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible though. Like the original, Automata is absolutely littered with memorable interesting characters. Well interesting characters and 9S, I'm not the biggest fan of 9S, he's a little bit of a whinge bag, but then I think I might be too, if I was him haha. Alexis Tipton does a tremendous job as Pascal, I really can't overstate that enough. The "Become as Gods" section really hurt me, right in the feelings. I'd usually give a dedicated section to what the art style and OST are like, but it would be hard to do it justice without going into a real deep dive into it all. As far as the art style goes though, if you are familiar with Yoko Taro's work, you'll probably know what to expect, and if you aren't then there is a good chance you probably soon will be. Both elements are incredibly well realised though and I think just like NieR, Sound Design is used in a way that often video games don't.do. Sometimes in video game OST's are just background music, but Keiichi Okabe seems to approach them the same way that Cinema does, which is to enhance the scene, mood and tone above all else. So for that I can't praise it enough. So now we come to the trophies. This is another one of those area's with this game I have a bit of a problem with. The trophies themselves are, for the most part fairly straightforward apart from the odd missable item that you need to watch out for here and there.My main issue I think is the Trophy Shop, this might be a controversial opinion I don't know but I think only the idea of it as a good one, its actual execution is a bit iffy. If anyone is aware of the TV show Father Ted one of the characters Mrs Doyle loves making tea, but for Christmas gets bought a Tea Maker, which she doesn't like and Ted says that it eliminates all the misery of making tea, to which she replies "MAYBE I LIKE THE MISERY". To me the Trophy Shop takes away that enjoyable "Misery" of getting items and doing all the other extracurricular things you can do if you just buy them for in game money. I obviously don't look down my nose at anyone who has used it though, it just wasn't for me and I never used it either, I did it the old fashioned way haha! One of my most enduring memories of the original NieR is grinding and hunting for upgrade materials, I think its part of the main reasons I love the OST in that so much, you just get into such a rhythm of doing certain things, I feel like you would lose that sort of experience, that is also present in this game by using the Trophy Shop. I'll give a special mention to the Lunar Tear trophy, I'm so glad that was in the game, I still remember the wave of emotion that crept over me as I found "that place" from the original game, it was truly something very beautiful. I think it goes without saying that I recommend this game, its an incredibly good jumping in point for Yoko Taro's work as well, as it is incredibly accessible to newcomers. I guess its a fairly easy platinum too, because of the Trophy Shop so that is there if you want to have a faster time. I promise I'm not being elitist with my views on it, I'm not, I just don't like it, but I've got no problems at all with people who do. However, I expect most people don't enjoy grinding for item materials either haha. I think writing this review of NieR: Automata has really helped me actually, thinking on it some more now, I feel like I have a deeper appreciation for it, once I'd aired my grievances about the game not being "What I wanted" and nor should it be. I've really enjoyed writing this one. Not sure when I'll review the original NieR, might pair that with NieR: Replicant whenever I get around to getting that platinum. Edited February 2, 2022 by rjkclarke 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, rjkclarke said: snip Nice review mate It’s interesting for someone like me who liked Automata very much also, but never played the original, to hear what a big fan of the original has to say. It definitely sounds like the ‘baggage’ (not the right word, but you know what I mean!) that comes with pre-existing fandom made it more of a slow build of your appreciation of the sequel than my immediate “I don’t know what this shit is, but I’m all in!” brand of confused admiration.? I was a fan of the same aspects that you highlighted - the strangely astute study of philosophical ideas, as viewed by creatures without all the tertiary tools to necessarily understand them, and the look at how following a single philosophy to it’s logical but extreme end without outside influence can be dangerous or desperately sad and tragic. The ‘Become as Gods’ section obviously, but also a lot of the side quests (the ‘couple’ quest still sticks with me in particular.) I think, oddly, the biggest difference we have is maybe our view on the ‘Trophy Shop’ mechanic. I know the arguments against it of course - but I think it has a specific, and actually, proven and successful aspect to it - the preservation of peoples memory of the game. What I mean by that is - if you talk to almost any trophy hunter who platinumed that game, and they will remember it fondly and often rave about it. That might just be because it’s a great game (and it is, no question), but there are plenty of other great games, and not many have quite the uniform level of fondness engrained in people - and I think the trophy shop is the reason. With a lot of games - especially rpgs - the player forms quite an attachment with the characters and the mechanics over the course of the story. However, most rpgs also have a considerable post-game grind associated with them, and that means that by the time the trophy hunter has platinumed the game, much of the memory of the story and the characters they love is dulled, and the abiding, lasting memory of the game is the last part they did - the grind. Some folks love that grind, and that’s cool, they can still do it here, and their memory of the game will be positive because they ended on a high for them, but for for folks who don’t love it, they can finish up the list with the trophy shop (which is only possible after completing ending E anyway) and they will also end on a high - the part they remember most will be the story parts they loved. The net effect being - no one is going “Well, the story was good, but it was a pain at the end”. No one has to caveat or temper their recommendation of the game to others - everyone remembers it fondly Trophy rarity questions aside - that can only be good for the game overall, I think, and can only help sentiment in favour of Yoko Taro getting to keep making his odd brand of philosophical strangeness just the way he wants to without interference. Positive sentiment among the user-base is, after-all, the perfect antidote to marketing driven, focus-tested, banality-inducing corporate oversight... ... Just ask FROM software ? Edited May 5, 2021 by DrBloodmoney 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 5, 2021 Author Share Posted May 5, 2021 (edited) On 05/05/2021 at 10:50 PM, DrBloodmoney said: Snip ^^ Never thought to reply like that haha, that does make things a lot easier. Thanks as well by the way I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I'm probably going to do an edit in a bit here and there as some of the sentence structure is a bit off, I wrote that on an empty stomach so I started to rush a bit towards the end. You know, that is an incredibly apposite point you made there about the Trophy Shop, I'll be honest I hadn't really thought about it like that. I guess because I'm fairly used to RPG's, I always tend to forget that I'm definitely in the minority of people that somewhat enjoy the grind. I'm usually fairly quick to prioritise the fact that there are so many other perspectives than just my own, so skimming over those factors is actually so unlike me - so that is a poor show from me really, I think I just got a bit caught up in my perception of how I saw it. You are so right as well, I'm genuinely not being sycophantic either. I know plenty of people who would never term themselves a "Trophy Hunter" that have gotten the platinum in this, that obviously never would have otherwise and I know they used the Trophy Shop, in fact it was one of my best friends first platinums and I've never looked down on them for it, in fact I think it encouraged him to do a bit more hunting as he liked the idea a bit more. It honestly hadn't ever occurred to me before that it could have been down to the accessibility of the Trophy Shop, I just sort of saw it as a lazy cop out, which I'm totally wrong about. I think to be honest my stance on it might have been more justified if it had opened up after Ending A or something, because then you truly could miss out on some of this games magnificence. I'm so glad you brought that up, because I probably would have just remained thinking it was a lazy implementation and just continued to be a bit of a sour puss about it all, which I worried I was coming across as anyway. So I truly appreciate the slight change of perspective on that one. Edited May 6, 2021 by rjkclarke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotz99 Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 I've been on the lookout for a PS3 copy of the original Nier (at a decent price) as I borrowed it from a friend a long time ago and never really had the time to play it back then, so it sits on my account with a low percent. It pains me to see that it was actually a really solid experience for people and after playing Automata, it makes me want to play it more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 6, 2021 Author Share Posted May 6, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, Grotz99 said: I've been on the lookout for a PS3 copy of the original Nier (at a decent price) as I borrowed it from a friend a long time ago and never really had the time to play it back then, so it sits on my account with a low percent. It pains me to see that it was actually a really solid experience for people and after playing Automata, it makes me want to play it more. I think a few people are having that problem now, which is a shame, especially as NieR: Replicant isn't strictly the same game, so it isn't as if you can pick up that version and have the same experience you would with the PS3 version. I feel fairly lucky in the sense that I picked it up back in 2011 for I think about £10, before it really started to inflate and become the cult classic that it is now. I remember one of my friends had to pay loads for it. I honestly can't recommend the original NieR enough to people, to the point where people would probably want to tell me to shut up about it haha, its very unpolished and visibly quite low budget, but the story is one of my favourites that I've ever experienced in gaming. Its my favourite game from that PS3/Wii/360 gen as well. I don't want to come across like some crazy preacher on a plinth in a town square so I'll try not to haha. Doing the whole..... HEAR YEEE.... HEAR YEEE.... NIER IS AN UNDERRRATED GEM thing. But in all seriousness if you can find a copy that is a price you are willing to pay, I'd definitely encourage you to go for it. I have the same problem myself - where there are quite a few PS3 games I never got around to playing, that I now want to, where the prices are starting to skyrocket a little bit, I feel like there is always a limit to how much you are willing to pay for something that is at this point fairly old. A little part of me tells me I should though, because I might end up really enjoying it. Decisions... Decisions and all that. Edited May 6, 2021 by rjkclarke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intoner_Zero Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 Most excellent reviews on Drakengard and NieR, cheers to you~ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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