DrunkenEngineer's OCD Funhouse!

[DrunkenEngineer]

I’m almost done with my first 12 week Faction journey, done 100% legit (besides a couple match quits due to time or rage!) and boy, it’s FUN.  I’m just now getting decent enough to at least hold my own in most matches, and am branching out to try more kill-oriented load outs, rather than just hanging back as a gift/revive/heal support-bot.

 

This will be my 30th platinum, which will hold a spot in the trophy milestone on my profile, which is fitting for the first Playstation game I bought since FF7 on the PSX.  I feel I’m in a bit of a rush to get this done given that Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring launch very soon, so I might utilize the boosting method for the last trophy.  We’ll see.

[damcrac5]

1 hour ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

...it’s FUN... 

This is very encouraging.  If I wasn't part of a discord competition, I might actually take the dive after Bloodborne!

 

Question on how you are handling the grounded mode dlc.  Did you get everything on the main game in a single playthrough and your second runthrough be on grounded+?  I'm not sure how it works as the grounded dlc guide is a bit convoluted.  Can you get the 100% (minus MP trophies) in two runthroughs?

[DrunkenEngineer]

After I unlock the platinum I will still have the Grounded trophies to work on. My understanding from the guides is you can do all the single player content in two runs, but I can’t confirm that. 
 

Normally I’d roll straight into the 100% after getting a platinum, but with these new games coming in soon I doubt I’ll hold as strong.  

[DrunkenEngineer]

I popped the platinum for The Last of Us Remastered.  All I have left for the 100% is the Grounded mode trophy stack, which I might do this week?  I'm going on a one-week trip down to the West Coast next weekend, the day that Elden Ring launches.  Between that and Horizon Forbidden West and Total War: Warhammer 3 (PC only) I'm spoiled for choices.  I think Elden Ring wins out, and it will be ready for me when I get back from San Diego & Seattle.  Sadly it doesn't make much sense for me to start anything else new this week as I know I'll be in a rush to finish it before Elden Ring.

 

So, that said, I think I'll work on the Grounded mode trophies and get that sweet 100% in TLOU before I peace out.

[damcrac5]

8 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

I popped the platinum for The Last of Us Remastered.  All I have left for the 100% is the Grounded mode trophy stack, which I might do this week?  I'm going on a one-week trip down to the West Coast next weekend, the day that Elden Ring launches.  Between that and Horizon Forbidden West and Total War: Warhammer 3 (PC only) I'm spoiled for choices.  I think Elden Ring wins out, and it will be ready for me when I get back from San Diego & Seattle.  Sadly it doesn't make much sense for me to start anything else new this week as I know I'll be in a rush to finish it before Elden Ring.

 

So, that said, I think I'll work on the Grounded mode trophies and get that sweet 100% in TLOU before I peace out.

Congrats on the platinum!  Wish I saw your previous post about single player content in two runs.  You can do it.  Takes playing the prologue, then going back via chapter select and grounded + would be there.  Something of that nature.

 

Did you end up boosting any of the multiplayer trophies or did you just ride it out and get it done?  Any tips you have for passing the weeks and keeping some people alive would be appreciated.  I know to save the each missions for the 100% risk, but how many were you able to skip vs playout.  Just started Control after my bloodborne 100%.  Need a little breather before I jump into something like TLOU, but it may be my next target.

[DrunkenEngineer]

15 hours ago, damcrac5 said:

Congrats on the platinum!  Wish I saw your previous post about single player content in two runs.  You can do it.  Takes playing the prologue, then going back via chapter select and grounded + would be there.  Something of that nature.

 

Did you end up boosting any of the multiplayer trophies or did you just ride it out and get it done?  Any tips you have for passing the weeks and keeping some people alive would be appreciated.  I know to save the each missions for the 100% risk, but how many were you able to skip vs playout.  Just started Control after my bloodborne 100%.  Need a little breather before I jump into something like TLOU, but it may be my next target.

For the single player, I have a completed save on Survivor + that I can use by skipping around to the different chapters and completing them on Grounded.  The guides seem pretty inconsistent on how exactly this works best, and there are lots of recommendations to work through the game “backwards”.  I believe it’s because the resources you spawn in with on Chapter select are what you had on your actual playthrough.  I’m not entirely certain what the advantage is to playing the chapters in reverse as opposed to any order you see fit, since the resources should be locked to the state they were at the chapter during the previous playthrough, in my case Survivor+.

 

I find it very convoluted and a prime reason why I passed on hitting up these trophies for so long.

 

Regarding multiplayer, my first journey I rode it out and did it legit.  On my second I got to about halfway and then started skipping matches to advance the day, and linked up with a boosting group here (shoutout to @GummaFlores but I’m not sure he frequents the forums side of the site).  Honestly, boosting isn’t really required - I did it just to link up with others and not be so lonely while playing it with randoms.

 

I was able to skip approximately 3 matches in a row before needing to play 1-2 matches to build my clan back up.  Keep skipping matches until you have 10 total survivors (they don’t need to be all healthy, just 10 total).  Then spend a couple matches getting them back up to a comfortable level, I liked 20-30 (all healthy), and then back to skipping matches.  Priority for matches using this method were:

 

1) Queue for Supply Raid (No Parties) and use those for the skip matches to advance the days.  This is the most popular game mode so it’s quickest to find-and-skip.

2) Interrogation (No Parties) for the matches you’ll play.  Interrogation lasts the longest, so you have the most time to run around collecting parts and doing good deeds to build the supplies back up.

 

When playing matches I recommend to settling in to a support role, at least to start out.  In fact, the premade “Support” class is very viable and gives you access to DLC perks and weapons without buying them.  Once you play a handful of matches you can have enough skill points to make custom loadouts, to which I would alternate between a medic/reviver role or an offense-based role.  It just depended on how I was doing that day.

 

I ignored all the missions except for the -100%, and saved the easy stuff (downs, downs w/specific guns, executions, gift items) for those days.  With the boosting group I was able to build my clan up to the highest level needed to unlock the last bit of cosmetics tied to population levels, which I doubt I would have been able to do legitimately.  The largest clan size I ever got by just playing legit was about 60; you need 85 at the end of the 12 weeks to get the last unlock (and week 12 ends on a population risk mission so you need even more survivors before it pops off).

 

Hope this helps.

[damcrac5]

6 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

For the single player, I have a completed save on Survivor + that I can use by skipping around to the different chapters and completing them on Grounded.  The guides seem pretty inconsistent on how exactly this works best, and there are lots of recommendations to work through the game “backwards”.  I believe it’s because the resources you spawn in with on Chapter select are what you had on your actual playthrough.  I’m not entirely certain what the advantage is to playing the chapters in reverse as opposed to any order you see fit, since the resources should be locked to the state they were at the chapter during the previous playthrough, in my case Survivor+.

 

I find it very convoluted and a prime reason why I passed on hitting up these trophies for so long.

 

Regarding multiplayer, my first journey I rode it out and did it legit.  On my second I got to about halfway and then started skipping matches to advance the day, and linked up with a boosting group here (shoutout to @GummaFlores but I’m not sure he frequents the forums side of the site).  Honestly, boosting isn’t really required - I did it just to link up with others and not be so lonely while playing it with randoms.

 

I was able to skip approximately 3 matches in a row before needing to play 1-2 matches to build my clan back up.  Keep skipping matches until you have 10 total survivors (they don’t need to be all healthy, just 10 total).  Then spend a couple matches getting them back up to a comfortable level, I liked 20-30 (all healthy), and then back to skipping matches.  Priority for matches using this method were:

 

1) Queue for Supply Raid (No Parties) and use those for the skip matches to advance the days.  This is the most popular game mode so it’s quickest to find-and-skip.

2) Interrogation (No Parties) for the matches you’ll play.  Interrogation lasts the longest, so you have the most time to run around collecting parts and doing good deeds to build the supplies back up.

 

When playing matches I recommend to settling in to a support role, at least to start out.  In fact, the premade “Support” class is very viable and gives you access to DLC perks and weapons without buying them.  Once you play a handful of matches you can have enough skill points to make custom loadouts, to which I would alternate between a medic/reviver role or an offense-based role.  It just depended on how I was doing that day.

 

I ignored all the missions except for the -100%, and saved the easy stuff (downs, downs w/specific guns, executions, gift items) for those days.  With the boosting group I was able to build my clan up to the highest level needed to unlock the last bit of cosmetics tied to population levels, which I doubt I would have been able to do legitimately.  The largest clan size I ever got by just playing legit was about 60; you need 85 at the end of the 12 weeks to get the last unlock (and week 12 ends on a population risk mission so you need even more survivors before it pops off).

 

Hope this helps.

This is an excellent write-up.  Thank you. I think it is time to stop putting this off and knock it out.

 

My only real hesitation the last month or so was more about the possibility of a re-release for ps5 with TLOU2 that doesn't include the MP(factions as a stand-alone title) much like they did with the Uncharted Legacy of Thieves collection.  

 

I want to play the game.  Why wait. Going for it after Control. 

[DrunkenEngineer]

On 2/21/2022 at 5:14 PM, damcrac5 said:

This is an excellent write-up.  Thank you. I think it is time to stop putting this off and knock it out.

 

My only real hesitation the last month or so was more about the possibility of a re-release for ps5 with TLOU2 that doesn't include the MP(factions as a stand-alone title) much like they did with the Uncharted Legacy of Thieves collection.  

 

I want to play the game.  Why wait. Going for it after Control. 

If I had to guess (and this is a complete guess), a PS5 re-release is likely coinciding with the HBO series, which is in 2023 I believe.

 

Go for it!

[damcrac5]

2 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

Go for it!

It has started. Going to chip away at the MP as I work through control. One mission in control a night, then rest on TLOU.

 

I'm not doing a good job after the first week, but there is improvement. Going to play every match until I get comfortable with the mode and/or hit 40 survivors. Currently started with your recommendation, interrogation no party. 15 full minute matches.  Only once so far has it ended with opening which got me up to 26 survivors. Maybe another victory or 2 will get me over the 40 mark. 

 

Need to figure out a better way of getting supplies other than killing. Not much luck trying to heal squad members as they all just die really fast, lol.  Probably some YouTube videos I can watch for that. 

 

Will see how the rest of it goes, but I feel like this will grow on me. No backing down now. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by damcrac5

[DrunkenEngineer]

20 minutes ago, damcrac5 said:

It has started. Going to chip away at the MP as I work through control. One mission in control a night, then rest on TLOU.

 

I'm not doing a good job after the first week, but there is improvement. Going to play every match until I get comfortable with the mode and/or hit 40 survivors. Currently started with your recommendation, interrogation no party. 15 full minute matches.  Only once so far has it ended with opening which got me up to 26 survivors. Maybe another victory or 2 will get me over the 40 mark. 

 

Need to figure out a better way of getting supplies other than killing. Not much luck trying to heal squad members as they all just die really fast, lol.  Probably some YouTube videos I can watch for that. 

 

Will see how the rest of it goes, but I feel like this will grow on me. No backing down now. 

Gifting supplies is a very easy way to gain parts. When I was starting out that’s all I did, and what I fell back on later when I was having rough matches.

 

The PSNP multiplayer guide is a good resource. 

[DrunkenEngineer]

Also, if you need any help just send me a friend request on PSN!

[damcrac5]

3 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

Also, if you need any help just send me a friend request on PSN!

Might take you up on that. I joined the boosting discord you're a part of but all the boosting sessions are when I work or have family commitments. Looks like I'll have to do em legit.

 

Only really worried about the 5 downs on each map, lol. I'm bad, but still learning. 36 survivors at 8 days, so I'll start skipping here very soon. I'm starting to see the appeal of the game mode. Hopefully I will enjoy it the more I play. 

 

[DrunkenEngineer]

19 hours ago, damcrac5 said:

Might take you up on that. I joined the boosting discord you're a part of but all the boosting sessions are when I work or have family commitments. Looks like I'll have to do em legit.

 

Only really worried about the 5 downs on each map, lol. I'm bad, but still learning. 36 survivors at 8 days, so I'll start skipping here very soon. I'm starting to see the appeal of the game mode. Hopefully I will enjoy it the more I play. 

 

I had a couple days off planned and was able to fit in the boosting sessions, but outside of that no way my schedule was going to line up.

 

It’s 5 downs OR executions total.  So do what I did - steal other people’s executions if they get the downs.  Dastardly, but it works.  I don’t think you’ll have problems with those trophies.

[DrunkenEngineer]

It’s time for what’s turned into a monthly update!

 

I left shortly after my last post for a week long vacation, and after I got back I finished the Grounded DLC for The Last of Us Remastered, so that’s another 100% and a review I need to produce.

 

A very cool effect of going for TLOU was discovering the “claw” controller grip.  In vids of people playing shooters on PlayStation I would often be puzzled with how they could make it look so fluid, almost like they were using a keyboard and mouse.  How can they mange to toggle the D-Pad while also moving with the left stick?  How fast can they be to move their thumb around between the right stick and face buttons!  The answer was a different grip style where the index fingers, rather than your thumbs, manipulate the face buttons.  It took me a little bit to get in to, but now it’s more comfortable to me.  I had a similar progression when it came to GTAV and Mafia 3 - index fingers operated L2/R2 and L1/R1 and I shifted to L1/R1 index fingers and L2/R2 with the middle fingers.

 

Anyways, I’m working on Elden Ring on PS5 and enjoying myself immensely, though I need to take frequent breaks when I run into a brick wall with certain bosses.  In the interim I’m still dabbling with my PC games, notably Deeprock Galactic and Ghostrunner (I literally bought this a month before it was a PS+ freebie, so you are welcome everyone!).

 

Only two games remain on my trophy list with significant multiplayer trophies.  @damcrac5 I see you got the trophies for Uncharted 4 MP & Survival done, did you use a boosting group here?  That will be my next MP cleanup I attempt, since the PS5 re-release did not include any of the MP functions (I suspect ND/Sony will soon follow with a PS4 server shutdown, based on no information but my paranoia).

 

[damcrac5]

43 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

Only two games remain on my trophy list with significant multiplayer trophies.  @damcrac5 I see you got the trophies for Uncharted 4 MP & Survival done, did you use a boosting group here?  That will be my next MP cleanup I attempt, since the PS5 re-release did not include any of the MP functions (I suspect ND/Sony will soon follow with a PS4 server shutdown, based on no information but my paranoia).

 

 

I did the base game MP trophies solo, but I got a carry for the survival DLC.  Joined a session on here by someone that was just powering people through the trophies.  I am also aware of a facebook group that may also still be doing it called Uncharted Survival Star Hunters.  My boost had everything covered via gear and exploits and I just needed a microphone to listen and shoot what I could.  It isn't a game mode you can just jump in with skilled players and complete. You need upgrades to handle survival difficulty, which is why i think the guide states 70 hours?  

 

I'm happy I got it done despite getting carried, but slightly disappointed in that I could've just waited for the Legacy of Thieves Collection and not had to worry about it.  I have a 120hz TV, so I'll likely want to do it again at some point.  Just need to get through Uncharted 2, 3, 4, and LL on PS4 first, then consider the PS5 stacks.

[DrunkenEngineer]

13 minutes ago, damcrac5 said:

 

I did the base game MP trophies solo, but I got a carry for the survival DLC.  Joined a session on here by someone that was just powering people through the trophies.  I am also aware of a facebook group that may also still be doing it called Uncharted Survival Star Hunters.  My boost had everything covered via gear and exploits and I just needed a microphone to listen and shoot what I could.  It isn't a game mode you can just jump in with skilled players and complete. You need upgrades to handle survival difficulty, which is why i think the guide states 70 hours?  

 

I'm happy I got it done despite getting carried, but slightly disappointed in that I could've just waited for the Legacy of Thieves Collection and not had to worry about it.  I have a 120hz TV, so I'll likely want to do it again at some point.  Just need to get through Uncharted 2, 3, 4, and LL on PS4 first, then consider the PS5 stacks.

That’s good information, thanks for sharing.  I’ll keep my eyes peeled on the boosting sessions, and also poke around on facebook and see if I can find that group.

 

I’d honestly be happy with getting a carry for that game mode as I know I don’t want to dump 70 hours into Survival mode.

[DrunkenEngineer]

Platinum #30 + DLC 100% - The Last of Us Remastered (February 18, 2022)

 

 

Do you like complex narratives with anti-heroes?  Was Cormac McCarthy's The Road not depressing enough? Then come take a trip with Ellie & Joel as they navigate through a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal infection, presenting a unique take on the age-old zombie horror adventure. 

 

The Good

• Linear, single-player campaign with tremendous attention to detail
• Intense third-person combat that is deliberately claustrophobic and visceral
• Rewards exploration and thriftiness with supplies - the survival horror heritage is evident
• Multiplayer mode that is criminally underrated and past it's heyday, but fun to visit

The Bad

• Save system is overly finicky with save slots that begin new autosave paths
• Try to get through the prologue without misting up

100% Impressions

This was my first PlayStation game since the original PSX generation, and what a blast it was.  I initially played the game multiple times through with no regard to trophies.  In fact, my first playthrough netted me 4 trophies total.  Over the course of the next several years I would revisit the campaign and beat it on a successively higher difficultly level, or hunt for collectibles; I solely treated trophies as an excuse to get more content out of the game (a healthy perspective that I often lose track of).  At one point I was content to just collect all the single player trophies and leave the multiplayer untouched, because, well...it was intimidating!

 

But the call of the Platinum trophy was too great.  I poured over multiple guides and stressed myself out about the multiplayer until I finally took the plunge.  After the initial frustration we all feel when getting clowned on by veterans, it became legitimately fun.  The multiplayer trophies permit a wide variety of playstyles in order to progress the meta-game that presents itself in between matches.  By the end of my two Faction journeys I was comfortably hanging with the big boys (at least in my head).  There are some well-known exploits that are difficult to pull off, but still abused by the community which would absolutely ruin a lobby, but I still made it through the trophies just fine.

 

I'm always going to have a great deal of nostalgia for this game.  The music by Gustavo Santaolalla is haunting, the performances by Troy Baker & Ashley Johnson exemplary, and the technical direction is world-class.  As my introduction to what a first party title - developed to leverage the best features of a brand new console - could present, I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

[Platinum_Vice]

8 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

Multiplayer mode that is criminally underrated

 

God yes. The pacing was perfect. I loved everything about the multiplayer in this game.

 

8 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

Over the course of the next several years I would revisit the campaign and beat it on a successively higher difficultly level, or hunt for collectibles; I solely treated trophies as an excuse to get more content out of the game (a healthy perspective that I often lose track of).  At one point I was content to just collect all the single player trophies and leave the multiplayer untouched, because, well...it was intimidating!

 

Are you in my head?

 

9 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

I'm always going to have a great deal of nostalgia for this game.  The music by Gustavo Santaolalla is haunting, the performances by Troy Baker & Ashley Johnson exemplary, and the technical direction is world-class.

 

Great review on a great game. I'm glad we agree on so much about it. I think there's a few of your followers who still haven't played this gem and I hope they get inspired to jump in ?

 

Congratulations on the 100%, it sounds like it was big for you over the course of your checklist. ?

[DrunkenEngineer]

On 4/9/2022 at 6:26 PM, Platinum_Vice said:

Congratulations on the 100%, it sounds like it was big for you over the course of your checklist. 

 

Thanks, this was a big win for me.  For some stupid reason multiplayer trophies always intimidate me, probably because I can get frustrated easy and when I was younger I was a KDR stat chaser.  I’ve honestly really mellowed on that as I’ve gotten older.  It helps that most MP trophies have less insane requirements than they did during the early 360/PS3 years.

 

I’m looking forward to cleaning up the DLC for sequel, though I expect that to be sometime in the distant future.  Too many other games to play at the moment!

[DrunkenEngineer]

Platinum #31 - Elden Ring (April 13, 2022)

 

 

Heralded by massive hype that thankfully lives up to expectations, Elden Ring is a masterclass of third-person action RPGs that builds off the developer's pedigree and delivers an exceptional experience.

 

The Good

• Open world that rewards exploration, not map icon clearing
• Voice acting is the best the series has ever had
• Blue, four armed waifu!
• Easily accessible for new players

The Bad

• Framerate is a little unstable, even in performance mode
• Magic builds are much easier than melee (as is tradition), and so of course I would refuse to use them and made the game much harder on myself

100% Impressions

The quality of life improvements have made this the best game for new players to jump in.  Gone are the punishing upgrade trees (better check the wiki before you invest in that upgrade path!), trap stats, and slogging corpse runs.  This is also reflected in the trophy list itself, with very few missables, endings that can be easily save-scummed, and a complete lack of grinding.  And it's truly a relief that the game does not suffer one bit for these streamlining efforts.

 

As I first emerged from the tutorial zone a sense of overwhelming came over me.  "This map is big, I can't believe they made a Souls game that is open world!" I thought.  Surely this zone contains all the game's content, right?  As I progressed, it just became bigger and bigger, more and more maps and paths opening up.  The last game I had a similar sense of wonderment at exploring was Skyrim, all the way back in 2011.  Point yourself in a direction and you'll find something interesting.

 

Bosses, however, were a bit of a mixed bag.  There seemed to be a great dichotomy in difficultly between two buckets - mandatory bosses (manageable, could also be called easy), optional bosses (much more difficult).  Which makes sense given the more accessible nature over previous Souls games.  It could also be a function of class build and overall level when attempting certain bosses.  Since this is largely open world you can tackle a lot of the bosses in any order you want.  If I found myself hitting my head against a certain boss (damn you Valiant Gargoyles!) I was better served by coming back later, wiser and at a greater level, and hopefully smashing them to bits.

 

I did dabble with the guides a little bit, to at least keep myself covered on the missable trophies, mostly setting up the various endings so I could tackle this in one playthrough.  It took me 95 hours to complete, which seems about average from what I can tell.  I didn't notice any obvious hooks for DLC, but I'd buy it regardless!

 

Rise, Tarnished!

Edited April 18, 2022 by DrunkenEngineer

[DrunkenEngineer]

Time flies - it’s been exactly one year since I started this checklist.  I began this little guy as a means to connect with the trophy hunting community, log my thoughts as I work through completions, and carve out order in my little gaming head space.

 

In the span of a year, I’ve met some large milestones.

1. Logged 6 multiplayer completions, only one to go!
2. Smashed through GTAV
3. Unlocked 20 platinums

There have been some struggles, conflicts, and hopeful revelations as a result of this journey.

1. I’m reasonably platform agnostic - there absolutely is space to game on multiple platforms, and make good progress.  I just have to accept the slower pace, and be vigilant about duplicating my efforts.  Playing games on PlayStation that I have already accumulated achievements on Steam is a bad idea, as I’m going to 100% both copies if I do that.
2. I prefer playing first person shooters on PC
3. Don’t be afeared of the unobtainables.  I have massive respect for people like @rjkclarke, @YaManSmevz, @DrBloodmoney, folks with absolutely fearsome profiles with high quality games, completion rates,…and lists with dead trophies!  Perfection is an illusion, and these three (and many others I haven’t named) have made the best of their trophy journeys, when others (possibly me) would consider starting a new profile.  That is a large personal motivator to engage in trophy hunting; I come from Steam where I was locked out of a true 100% profile.

So where do we go from here?  Let’s knock out the last batch of multiplayer trophies, keep logging completions on platform unique titles, and hit trophy level 300.  Offsite I’m going to keep working on my Steam profile (becoming zen with bullet point (3) above), taking inspiration from many of the high quality checklists here and logging completions there for games I already own.  If I’m jonesing to add them to my PlayStation profile I’ll only consider it when I’ve cleaned up my Steam copies.

 

For those interested, my Steam profile. I’m particularly excited to clean up the Dishonored series, Supergiant Games catalog, the Tomb Raider reboots, and Hyper Light Drifter.

 

Thanks to all who have stopped by over the year and left feedback.  Here’s to another year of old man gaming!

 

Cheers!

Edited April 27, 2022 by DrunkenEngineer
Fixed link

[DrBloodmoney]

Congrats man!

 

Been following this one almost since since inception, and love the game takes (whether I agree.... loved the Gris write up, and remember strongly agreeing on A Plague Tale, as well as a bunch of other others) or disagree... (I can't deny hovering over that "unfollow" button in outrage - OUTRAGE! - after reading the Deathloop one... but just for a second ?) they're always interesting to read, and following your progress is super fun!

 

Long may it continue!

 

1 hour ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

Don’t be afeared of the unobtainables.  I have massive respect for people like @rjkclarke, @YaManSmevz, @DrBloodmoney, folks with absolutely fearsome profiles with high quality games, completion rates,…and lists with dead trophies!  Perfection is an illusion, and these three (and many others I haven’t named) have made the best of their trophy journeys, when others (possibly me) would consider starting a new profile.  That is a large personal motivator to engage in trophy hunting; I come from Steam where I was locked out of a true 100% profile.

 

 

Haha - I appreciate the shout out, yeah - perfection is a mirage... 

...though I must admit, I'm not sure I'd call mine fearsome, as much as the result of a combination of mediocre skill, but the ability to just keep going... I like to think I'm more Rocky in the first movie -  I'm not the guy who beats the games cleanly or quickly... I'm just the guy who keeps getting up and having another go after they smash me into the mat ?

 

Well, now you've said it publicly - you're stuck!

No restarting now - you got to dance with the girl what brung ya from now on...

...welcome to the imperfection club!

It's fun on this side, I promise! ? ?

Edited April 25, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[rjkclarke]

Happy birthday to this awesome place!

 

I have been along for the ride since pretty much the beginning too, even if for some reason I only started "technically" following the thread in August of last year. I think because I've been following you since very early on, is why I didn't hit follow on the thread for a while, as I always knew whenever you were posting something in it. Either way,  I was pretty much onboard from the outset. You even got me really pumped to play Darksiders III, but because my mind never stays on one thing for too long, I just kind of put that off and off, for the longest time, but when I do, you'll almost certainly have been a huge part of why I did!

 

I respect the hell out of the determination you have to actually do cleanup on your profile, and it absolutely is something that I wish I had more of myself, I get enthusiastic about it, and then for whatever reason sometimes I don't always follow through on it! Congratulations on all of those beastly completions in the last year. I've gotta admire your dedication to cranking through those multiplayer trophies too, I must admit those are probably one of my gaming kryptonites, so hopefully I can channel some of your own grit, determination and dedication and just get through them.

 

You did manage to put my mind at ease about the multiplayer experience in The Last of Us, something I'm really glad of.  I'm planning to play that this year, as I feel like I owe it to myself to give it a proper go, and reading that you had a pretty trouble free time with it, really has stopped me worrying about that aspect a bit.

 

I'm also really happy that you've started to document your experiences on Steam and other platforms a bit more. We'll be here to read about it, whatever it is you decide to share with us. Especially as it meant that everyone else got to hear your awesome story of the trial in Shadow of Mordor, where you were desperately trying to will that Graug to have some dinner as the seconds were ticking away, that's such a hilarious story!

 

Thanks for the shoutout too buddy!

 

2 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

 Perfection is an illusion, and these three (and many others I haven’t named) have made the best of their trophy journeys, when others (possibly me) would consider starting a new profile.

 

That is how I tend to look at it, that you can't really ever achieve perfection... Nothing wrong at all with striving for a 100% profile if you can get it. But I don't think I'd change mine, even if I could. I see my trophy/game list as my personal gaming history across PlayStation platforms, the wins, the losses, the highs and the lows, they all tell a story, and I'm perfectly content with that.

 

1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said:

combination of mediocre skill, but the ability to just keep going... I like to think I'm more Rocky in the first movie -  I'm not the guy who beats the games cleanly or quickly... I'm just the guy who keeps getting up and having another go after they smash me into the mat 

 

Amen on that one ?, even if I think you're being a bit hard on yourself ..... That's pretty much how I feel sometimes, it's a case of I don't want a videogame to beat me, but it's probably going to beat me a whole lot more before I beat it ?, but one day I might get a lucky punch in and it'll go down like a sack of spuds!

 

Looking forward to whatever the next year has in store for us all..... oh and PLEASE, PLEASE review those Tomb Raider reboots if/when you return to them on steam,I will be all in for reading those! ?

 

Congratulations again man! It's been awesome so far!

Edited April 25, 2022 by rjkclarke

[YaManSmevz]

2 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

Time flies - it’s been exactly one year since I started this checklist.  I began this little guy as a means to connect with the trophy hunting community, log my thoughts as I work through completions, and carve out order in my little gaming head space.

 

Oh shit! I had no idea you started your checklist so close to when Doc and Clarkie did. Crazy! Congrats on keeping this going, man!

 

2 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

In the span of a year, I’ve met some large milestones.

1. Logged 6 multiplayer completions, only one to go!
2. Smashed through GTAV
3. Unlocked 20 platinums

 

A big congrats for this as well! Dude I wouldn't even be attempting to complete GTA V if not for you inspiring me to do so. I also had a blast playing Rocket League with you, so I'm really gonna try to make myself more available the next time you're tackling a multiplayer game, we need to tag team on somethin again!

 

2 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

1. I’m reasonably platform agnostic - there absolutely is space to game on multiple platforms, and make good progress.  I just have to accept the slower pace, and be vigilant about duplicating my efforts.  Playing games on PlayStation that I have already accumulated achievements on Steam is a bad idea, as I’m going to 100% both copies if I do that.
2. I prefer playing first person shooters on PC
3. Don’t be afeared of the unobtainables.  I have massive respect for people like @rjkclarke, @YaManSmevz, @DrBloodmoney, folks with absolutely fearsome profiles with high quality games, completion rates,…and lists with dead trophies!  Perfection is an illusion, and these three (and many others I haven’t named) have made the best of their trophy journeys, when others (possibly me) would consider starting a new profile.  That is a large personal motivator to engage in trophy hunting; I come from Steam where I was locked out of a true 100% profile.

 

I've always dug how you divvy up your gaming. Does it give each platform a slight feel of freshness when you switch it up? I'd imagine it would feel something akin to that, but my renewed Sony loyalty has reduced my platform versatility to a PS4 and a PS3 waiting in the wings?

 

Also thanks so much for the shout! I have to concur with Doc's grateful yet demure response, haha... I don't consider myself particularly skilled or as persistent as I'd like, but that means a lot coming from you so I will take it!

 

And agreed on the whole perfection pursuit. Props to anyone going for that of course, but I'm personally glad that I accidentally doomed myself to a 99%-at-best profile. It takes a lot of stress off, and frankly it's nice to be reminded that it isn't the end of the world!

 

2 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

For those interested, my Steam profile. I’m particularly excited to clean up the Dishonored series, Supergiant Games catalog, the Tomb Raider reboots, and Hyper Light Drifter.

 

Thanks to all who have stopped by over the year and left feedback.  Here’s to another year of old man gaming!

 

Cheers!

 

Hell yes to all of this, as usual I'd wish you luck but you hardly need it?? It's been a joy following you dude, and as another old man gamer, I gotta tell you you're absolutely killin it and I'm looking forward to another year of drunken gaming?

 

1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Well, now you've said it publicly - you're stuck!

No restarting now - you got to dance with the girl what brung ya from now on...

...welcome to the imperfection club!

It's fun on this side, I promise!  

 

Seconded!

 

...and if you stumble upon a new 100% profile under the name YaBoiSmeverino, just ignore that?

 

38 minutes ago, rjkclarke said:

You did manage to put my mind at ease about the multiplayer experience in The Last of Us, something I'm really glad of.  I'm planning to play that this year, as I feel like I owe it to myself to give it a proper go, and reading that you had a pretty trouble free time with it, really has stopped me worrying about that aspect a bit.

 

Engineer planted that seed in my head as well... lemme know when you're thinking about tackling that multiplayer, yeah?

 

38 minutes ago, rjkclarke said:

That is how I tend to look at it, that you can't really ever achieve perfection... Nothing wrong at all with striving for a 100% profile if you can get it. But I don't think I'd change mine, even if I could. I see my trophy/game list as my personal gaming history across PlayStation platforms, the wins, the losses, the highs and the lows, they all tell a story, and I'm perfectly content with that.

 

Well said, agreed completely!

[DrunkenEngineer]

Gentlemen! (I’m stretching the definition here) Thanks for the kind words and support!  I’m glad to hear I can be an inspiration with regards to ill-conceived notions of perseverance, hah!  One of my favorite activities outside of gaming is strength training, which is the ultimate in practicing patience and grinding shit out.  When I say that out loud it’s no surprise that I can do the same with long ass games.

 

21 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Been following this one almost since since inception, and love the game takes (whether I agree.... loved the Gris write up, and remember strongly agreeing on A Plague Tale, as well as a bunch of other others) or disagree... (I can't deny hovering over that "unfollow" button in outrage - OUTRAGE! - after reading the Deathloop one... but just for a second ) they're always interesting to read, and following your progress is super fun!

 

Hah, I knew Deathloop would be controversial to you.  TBQH I think some of my poor impressions was a combination of discomfort playing with a controller & focusing too much on the trophy list.  I do have the game on my Steam wishlist and in a year or so if I doesn’t have any DLC released I am going to revisit it on PC and see if my impressions improve.  It was fun, but didn’t like it as much as the previous Arkane games.  But I’m glad you stuck around ?

 

20 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

I respect the hell out of the determination you have to actually do cleanup on your profile, and it absolutely is something that I wish I had more of myself, I get enthusiastic about it, and then for whatever reason sometimes I don't always follow through on it! Congratulations on all of those beastly completions in the last year. I've gotta admire your dedication to cranking through those multiplayer trophies too, I must admit those are probably one of my gaming kryptonites, so hopefully I can channel some of your own grit, determination and dedication and just get through them.

 

You still have a stupidly high completion rate.  “Cleanup” makes sense on my two platforms because I have such a small library of progress built up.  Only 44 games on PSN and 130 on Steam.  Most of my early 2010 gaming time was spent playing Battlefield and other shooters which weren’t on Steam.  So yeah, cleanup for a profile like yours is daunting (I peeked and your total number of incompletions rivals my total games played), but you hit 90% completion rate.  That’s my goal!  After that I won’t be motivated to revisit games that I’m not interested in just to move the completion needle a smidge.  And if I start talking about rebuying games on PlayStation that I haven’t revisited or completed on Steam, smack me on the nose.

 

20 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

I'm also really happy that you've started to document your experiences on Steam and other platforms a bit more. We'll be here to read about it, whatever it is you decide to share with us. Especially as it meant that everyone else got to hear your awesome story of the trial in Shadow of Mordor, where you were desperately trying to will that Graug to have some dinner as the seconds were ticking away, that's such a hilarious story!

 

Looking forward to whatever the next year has in store for us all..... oh and PLEASE, PLEASE review those Tomb Raider reboots if/when you return to them on steam,I will be all in for reading those!

 

Mordor’s Trial Tale was a big reason why I wanted to add it to my PSN profile, so I could share it “officially”.  My weird OCD prevented me from doing that on a trophy board!  If we do expand this little log to include Steam write ups I’ll have to get a little creative with my reviews.  Maybe I can keep a similar format to my PlayStation reviews, with some obvious indicators that it’s an offsite review?  The more “formal” reviews I produce take me about an hour (even though they don’t read like it), but I’ve cut that time down considerably by adopting a more relaxed writing approach that comes more from the heart.  Could do something similar here.

 

Tomb Raider reboots will for sure come.  I beat the first one in 2018, I beat the main campaign in Rise exactly one year ago, and I have Shadow waiting in the wings.  Grinding the MP for the first one is gonna stink, but that experience is common to all platforms.

 

19 hours ago, YaManSmevz said:

I've always dug how you divvy up your gaming. Does it give each platform a slight feel of freshness when you switch it up? I'd imagine it would feel something akin to that, but my renewed Sony loyalty has reduced my platform versatility to a PS4 and a PS3 waiting in the wings

 

It does give it a sense of freshness!  And I like to leverage both platform’s strengths.  PC for when I want to blast shit in first person shooters, or if the game just performs better there (Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a recent example), or if I want retreat like Gollum into my little office of solitude.  PS5 for games best played on the couch with a controller (I still play PC games with a controller where it suits), better with an audience (my partner loved watching The Last Guardian, and it’s a Sony exclusive so no choice there).  She didn’t enjoy when I took over the TV for GTA5 ? but is looking forward to me hitting up RDR2.

 

PS+ is nice in that it kind of solves the problem of “which platform to buy it”.  If it’s FREE that’s easy for me!  If the leaks are to be believed Curse of the Dead Gods is May 2022’s game, and normally I would debate whether to get a ball-busting roguelike on Steam or PSN (I have Hades and Dead Cells on Steam), it’s a no brainer if it’s free.

 

All that being said, I do have two recent Steam completions that I’d be willing to write about.  Ghostrunner and The Red Strings Club.  Any takers?