Popular Post Charizarzar Posted January 4, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) Hey PSNP, welcome back to another member interview! Our current interviewee is @ExistentialSolid! ExistentialSolid Standard QuestionsHow did you come up with your PSN name? In my senior year of high school, I read an essay for an English Literature class called The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. In the essay, Camus outlined a philosophical concept that really resonated with my angsty teenage side: the idea of the "absurd." As Camus defines it, the "absurd" is a feeling we experience when our desire for meaning or significance in our lives clashes with the utter indifference of the universe that surrounds us. When we experience the absurd, and thereby struggle to derive meaning from our day-to-day existence, our actions can often feel empty or pointless (like the Greek god Sisyphus rolling his rock up the mountain). We might respond to our inability to derive meaning by turning to religion or sinking into nihilism, but Camus believed we should embrace the meaninglessness of life. We're free to create our own meaning, to chase what makes us happy, to live a full and exciting life brimming with wonder and possibility in spite of any arbitrary sense of place or purpose. I became obsessed with Camus' ideas and later developed an interest in existentialism which is a philosophy that overlaps with many of the emotions Camus expresses throughout his essay. When I needed to come up with a PSN name, I paired my newfound love for existentialism with my appreciation for the Metal Gear Solid series and came up with "ExistentialSolid." Looking back, I'm pretty sure I just wanted to sound smart. What games convinced you to get your PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5? Pssst, hey, this question's kinda boring don't you think? I know it's a little early to go off the rails, but wanna talk about something else for a bit? You know the AI art trend that's been making the rounds where you feed an AI like 10-20 pics of yourself and you get back a bunch of "magic avatars" (artificially produced images of yourself that can look really cool)? Well, I gave one of those apps a try, Lensa specifically, and these are a few of the pics I got back. Since they're not "actual" pictures of me, but still unmistakably resemble how I look, I felt comfortable sharing (I've always kinda wanted to show my face on PSNP, but my anxiety always says "no"). Top-left looks like me if I had a six-figure salary and everything I've ever wanted, except it still wasn't good enough. Top-right looks like me if I became a philosopher and lived in a little cottage somewhere on a remote island. Bottom-left looks like I just rolled out of bed to go to class, but would much rather stay in and sleep. Bottom-right looks like I just had concept art done and wound up in an RPG as some NPC that delivers mail. What are your top 5 game series and why? 1. The Legend of Zelda When I was little, my dad gave me and my younger brother $20 each to spend online. My brother was already planning to buy two or three games that caught his interest, but I had more devious plans. There was a copy of The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition floating around on eBay for $35 and I really wanted it (this edition includes 1, 2, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask). I said to my younger brother, knowing full well he wouldn't like these sorts of games at his age, "Hey, this one game includes four whole games in one and they're supposed to be really, really good! Do you want to split it with me? You can even keep the extra $5!" He said yes and I got to experience some of the greatest games I'd ever played up to that point while my brother played the collection once, hated it, and never touched them again. I felt guilty, but, hey, I enjoyed the games too much to notice. Soon after came Wind Waker which I got for my birthday (it happened to be Link's birthday in the game too which felt like destiny for 12 year old me). Twilight Princess followed and I kept up with the series ever since. To date, the only game in the main series I haven't finished is Spirit Tracks! 2. Star Fox Star Fox was always a big part of my childhood: I must've finished Star Fox 64 hundreds of times, I have so many memories of playing Star Fox Assault's multiplayer with my younger brother, and I got really good at Star Fox Command's online multiplayer progressing from the game's lowest online rank "Z" to the game's highest rank "A" after months of effort. But one of the biggest reasons I'm including the series on this list today is because my inner child needs a chance to vent... See, even though it doesn't get talked about very often, these games do tell a story and I became heavily invested in that story. Star Fox 64 leads into the events of Star Fox Adventures which leads into Star Fox Assault which leads into Star Fox Command. Without spoiling anything, Command has nine different endings and I spent Y-E-A-R-S wondering which ending was going to be established as "canon" once the next Star Fox game released and continued the story. But then came Star Fox Zero... and the story I cared so much about was rebooted. Now, don't get me wrong, I still had fun with Zero. But I felt so detached from the cast, that it felt like they were different characters altogether that led totally different lives in some parallel universe I wasn't a part of. I've been sad and bitter over it ever since. 3. Paper Mario Paper Mario on N64 was both my first RPG and the first game that required me to read in order to progress. Being 5-6 at the time and still learning, this was tricky. I still remember the day I learned the word "invincible." I was so proud of myself once I'd finished (age 6 or 7) that I had my dad film me beating the final boss one extra time and watch the credits with me. A few years later came Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door and I'd never been so excited to get a new game! My dad told me about it a few months before it was scheduled to release and I never stopped bugging my parents about it. What was truly magical though was that, when I finally had the game in my hands and sat down to play it, I hadn't overhyped the game one bit. It was even better than I'd imagined and I couldn't put it down until the credits had rolled a few weeks later. Once I'd finished, I convinced my dad to buy me the strategy guide so that I could find all the little secrets I'd missed along the way. I unfortunately don't have any cool stories to share about the rest of the series, but I liked Super Paper Mario (even if it was a little disappointing as a follow up to TTYD), never finished Sticker Star because I got stuck and was too stubborn to look up the solution, liked Color Splash, and currently have Origami King waiting in the wings for a rainy day. 4. Mega Man You didn't seriously think I've been sporting this profile picture for no reason did you? My experience with Mega Man began in the most confusing way possible: with a copy of Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge on the original Game Boy. I didn't beat it at the time and didn't really like it either. But then, for Christmas one year, I got a copy of Mega Man 64 (a port of Mega Man Legends) and fell in love! It took me 2-3 years to beat Mega Man 64 even though I really enjoyed the game, but, once I'd finished, I started to look into other Mega Man games since 64 ended on a cliffhanger. To my surprise, there were a million Mega Man games out there! I thought "eh, just more for me to like I guess!" and started with the Mega Man Anniversary Collection on GameCube. I beat Mega Man 1 within 24 hours of owning the collection and steamrolled through Mega Man 2-8 in the weeks that followed. Once I'd finished, I moved on to the X series (X1-6), then the Zero series (1-4), then ZX and ZX Advent, then Battle Network (1-3 because I got too bored to play 4-6), then 10, some spin-offs, and finally... Once I picked up a PS3 as was heading off to college, I had the chance to continue the series that started my Mega Man obsession: Mega Man Legends 2. I loved it to the moon and back, but the game ended on a cliffhanger and we never got Mega Man Legends 3! I'll always be ready for the day my profile pic is relevant again though. Maybe we'll at least see MML1/2/Tron Bonne in a collection sooner or later! 5. Metroid When I'd gotten a little older, maybe 11 or 12, I started paying very close attention to the opinions of critics. I went to Metacritic and GameRankings (RIP) religiously to compulsively track the latest releases, read reviews, and learn more about all these great games I might never have the chance to play. While browsing the top GameCube games, I saw a game called "Metroid Prime" sitting pretty as the highest rated GameCube game of all time. Naturally, I had to try it right? I got permission from my parents to buy the game (it was a "scary game with guns" but Nintendo was involved, so my parents reluctantly approved it) and went to GameStop to pick up a copy. I remember trading in my copy of Sonic Advance 2, which I finished and was probably never going to play again, for $6 in store credit. I walked around the store comparing the three or four display cases they had of Metroid Prime before I noticed one of them had a demo disk of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes for the same price. But, when I opened the cases to check for a manual, the case with the bonus disk was the only one that didn't come with a manual. I asked the man at the front desk if I could buy the version of Metroid Prime with the demo disk and switch the manuals from one of the other cases into the one I was buying. It was such a small thing looking back, but he said, "Sure, go ahead!" with a smile and I remember feeling so happy. I never forgot that day and thought Metroid Prime was one of the greatest games I'd ever played. I went on to play the rest of the series (even played and finished the original Metroid using the Fusion/Prime GBA link!) and am eagerly waiting for the day we hear news of Metroid Prime 4. What are your top 5 games and why? Okay, so these games aren't listed in any particular order and, to be honest with you, I might have an entirely different top 5 if you were to ask me this same question a month from now, but here's what I've got in the moment! Due to time constraints and the fact that these entries almost entirely overlap with my favorite series above, I don't have any extra stories to accompany these picks, but just know that these all meant a lot to me growing up! 1. Star Fox 64 2. Metroid Prime 3. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (could have easily been Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker) 4. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door 5. F-Zero GX Which unreleased game(s) are you looking forward to the most and why? I don't think my answer's going to shock anyone... Nintendo's been pretty tight-lipped over what we're going to experience in Tears of the Kingdom, but considering Breath of the Wild once set the bar for compelling open-world gameplay, I'm excited to find out what they've got up their sleeve! Fingers crossed for a more fleshed out story and some badass dungeons! Do you have any other hobbies outside of gaming? I wish I could paint you a picture of a more well-adjusted person that could play an instrument or kept up with their preferred genre of literature or had a little spice garden they tended on the side, but gaming is a grippy little vacuum that doesn't like to let me go and experience other things. I escape my vacuum to write from time to time, but much of what I write exists for my own personal satisfaction and isn't usually shared with others. The pieces I do share publicly often wind up on PSNP in the form of gaming updates, but I've always had difficulty writing about games no matter how avidly I consume them, so my work often feels like "waste" I need to expel rather than "art" I painstakingly craft. Now that I think about it, I guess I don't really have a form of self-expression I'm satisfied with. Top 5 TV shows, Movies, and/or anime, why, and would you recommend them to people? I'm gonna level with you all. I don't really watch many shows, movies, or anime these days. Almost all of my free time is spent obsessing over games in some form or another. What I can do though is give you all a quick top 5 movies from my childhood and another top 5 anime list from my 2016-2018 anime phase! Top 5 Movies (childhood - early teens) Disney's Aladdin Treasure Planet The Iron Giant Disney's Hercules Disney's Robin Hood Top 5 Anime (mid-late University years) Erased Steins;Gate Clannad/After Story Your Lie in April Death Note Top 5 favorite music bands/group/artists/composers/OST? I'm glad to see "OST" included in this question because I don't listen to music all that often. Most of the time, I use music as background noise for when I'm writing or trying to get work done. Thing is, I have trouble focusing when there's lyrics in the mix, so I have to listen to tracks that have no vocals if I wanna make progress. A few of my favorites to put on in the background (in no particular order) include: Outer Wilds OST 1.5. 2 Hours Professor Layton's OST with Rain Relaxing Video Game Music in a Cozy Room (N64) Silent Hill 2 OST Metroid Prime OST 3 Hours of Relaxed Donkey Kong Music Now, if we're talking about those rare occasions where I do listen to music with lyrics, I like to pick out one song, crumple myself into a ball, and listen to it on repeat for a while (usually only when I'm feeling sad). Most of my top picks are buried alongside repressed memories, but a few I've been able to dredge up include The Fray's "How to Save a Life," Taylor Swift's "Back to December," Paramore's "Still Into You," Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," and Matchbox Twenty's "Unwell." All pretty basic stuff, I know, but... hey, it's what I liked. Your favorite platinum and why? I don't think I'll ever forget earning the platinum for Ikaruga. At the time, I was fresh off the starting line for my "Please Destroy Me" checklist and had just posted my first community poll consisting of three games I'd never played, but that I knew were notoriously difficult: Ikaruga, Splasher, and VVVVVV. My plan was to play whichever game won the poll, but... secretly I fully expected Splasher to win. VVVVVV and Ikaruga were sorta just there as fodder to help give voters the illusion of choice. I didn't think in a million years I'd actually have to play either of the other games. As luck would have it though, the poll results shredded my expectations with Ikaruga claiming the top spot. I was stuck with it now and part of me was kicking myself for ever having included it in the poll to begin with. I had very little shoot-em-up experience, but here I was having to play one of the toughest ones on PlayStation right out of the gate. Earning the game's five S++ ranks proved to be one of the most demanding tasks I'd performed in a game up to that point. I had to carefully dissect YouTube videos of each successful S++ rank and attempt to mimic them shot for shot. Watching the same few seconds of footage for minutes on end became commonplace as I tried to ingrain each motion in my mind before practicing it for myself. After days of effort shouldered by my determination to not fail the very first game I'd featured on my checklist, each successful S++ rank felt euphoric. I reveled in my successes week after week until it was finished, but... looking back, I have one regret that has stuck with me to this day. There was one trophy I ended up not spending much time covering in my updates: "Ikaruga and Ginkei: One coin Clear" for completing the game in co-op with a 1CC. I had posted a call to arms looking for a partner to help me earn the trophy and @BrandedBerserk selflessly answered that call. We spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20+ hours practicing and managed to earn the trophy on both of our accounts via share-play (Ikaruga only supported local co-op, so share-play was our only option). In my checklist updates, I only ever credited his efforts in a single post. I failed to acknowledge his work when I finally earned the platinum and also failed to mention him when I posted about the game on the Ultra Rare Cleanup event that was going on at the time. I know this is a weird time to apologize, but, without his hard work, I would have never earned Ikaruga's platinum at all and very possibly could have closed my checklist out of embarrassment. I wish I could go back in time and give him the credit he deserved, so I'm doing it here instead. I'm sorry I didn't properly credit you! Your help really meant a lot, so thank you for taking the time to help out! Your least favorite platinum and why? Almost everyone has a "platinum of shame" buried somewhere on their profile. For some, it's an auto-pop. For others, it's a stack. Sometimes it's a game you despised (*cough* Super Meat Boy Forever *cough*). For me, it was a game I failed to research. Flashback to March of 2019. I was still testing the waters of this whole trophy hunting thing and had been browsing the PSN store to see what was new. I stumbled across a game called "Metagal" and thought, "A Mega Man inspired platformer? Only $5? Now these guys know how to price their indie games!" I scooped it up without a second thought and booted it up as soon as it had finished downloading. In 20 minutes, before I'd even finished two stages, I had the game's platinum. Shortly after reaching stage three, I fell through the floor into an endless void of gray. No matter how far I fell I wasn't dying, but I really didn't want to play through the level again, so I closed and deleted the game. From that day onwards, I never forgot the name "Ratalaika" and avoided anything they published like the plague (I know they occasionally publish good games, but eh). To add insult to injury, Metagal stood as my "fastest platinum" until I decided to auto-pop the Fall Guys platinum much later in 2022. Have you ever been tempted to switch over to the Xbox/Nintendo/PC gaming ecosystems? Of course! Growing up, I exclusively played Nintendo games starting from N64 onwards. I went from N64 to GameCube to Wii while juggling GBA and DS whenever I felt like lounging around the house or going on drives with the parents. I only started testing the waters with PS1/PS2 in my early teens before jumping ship to Xbox 360 a couple years later (most of my friends hung out on Xbox). When I went off to college, I picked up a PS3 and played it in tandem with XB1 and, eventually, a PS4 and a Switch. If Nintendo had specs that could accommodate current gen releases or if I had never developed my addiction to trophy hunting, I might have preferred to stick with Nintendo and Xbox. I still prefer to play on console out of convenience, but if PC ever becomes the one-stop shop for all things gaming, then I'm sure I'll hop aboard the train and give up the trophy hunting life. If you could have one game from any gaming generation be remade or re-released, which one would it be and why? I would crawl across a sea of broken glass to see a remake of F-Zero GX (either on the Switch or on Nintendo's next home console). At the risk of sounding delusional, I think F-Zero GX is the greatest racing game ever made. It's zero-g perfection. The controls, even by today's standards, feel sharp and responsive. The gameplay is silky smooth. The sense of speed is unmatched. The balance between precision and accessibility is navigated masterfully. The music is god-tier. The story kicks ass. WipEout wishes it was half the game F-Zero GX managed to be on the GameCube in 2003. There's debate over how many units the game sold (ranging from 0.65 million to 1.5+ million), but neither estimate is anywhere near enough people to have experienced perfection. If you still have a GameCube hanging around or you have a way to play it on a PC, just try it. You can yell at me if you disagree. I'll fight all of you! This is a hill I'll happily die on. If they remade it... you might never see me again. Updated visuals, maybe a few tweaks to the tracks or the machines (a few are OP), accessibility options, online multiplayer, and online leaderboards would all have me foaming at the mouth. Here's the E3 trailer from back in the day just because: How far are you willing to go for a platinum? 99% of the battle is "wanting" a platinum enough to be willing to put in ridiculous hours towards earning it. Just about anyone is capable of building up their skill at a video game given enough time. The problem is we're often misled into believing that we're "nOt mAkInG pRoGrEss" or that we have "limits." The reality is that you need to buckle down, pick up the controller, and... Try. Again. You will get better. You will improve. Scour the internet for guides and video references if you need to; change up your strategy, try something new, but don't give up. Over the years, I've spent dozens of hours dissecting seconds of reference footage (Ikaruga, Cloudberry Kingdom), learned how to drive a manual after a lifetime spent with automatics (Assetto Corsa, DiRT Rally/2.0), and pushed myself across many different genres even if I had little to no experience to fall back on (Wolfenstein II, Skullgirls: 2nd Encore, etc.). If I really want a platinum trophy, I'll stop at nothing to get it. I believe the same is true for you too. Find the trophy you want more than anything else in the world and let nothing stop you from earning it. Destroy those imaginary limits and prove yourself wrong! If you could give Sony direct feedback on business decisions in the last year, and the latest console generation, what would you tell them? Whenever I see this question, I can't help but imagine some bro in a Hawaiian shirt just strolling up to the CEO's office, blasting music through a boombox he's carrying over his shoulders, sitting down in front of someone like Jim Ryan, legs casually crossed, and saying, "Listen up fam, I've got some B-I-G improvements I wanna make to this place. You're gonna wanna hear me out because I know exactly what you're doing wrong and how you could make this whole shebang you've got going on a little bit better." Let's be real here, what sort of constructive feedback could you possibly expect from some rando on the forums like me? I've got the smarts of a dishrag and zero relevant business experience! I seriously have no idea what Sony could be doing better and any feedback I would offer is likely misguided or could be shredded to pieces by anyone at Sony with an ounce of business sense. We like to pretend we know any better on the forums, but 99.9% of us wouldn't have a clue where to begin. What is your favorite thing about PSNP? In much the same way that we compulsively take pictures of the places we've visited or film videos of concerts we've attended, gamers use the "trophy" or "achievement" as a convenient way to document their accomplishments and experiences. If we didn't have a platform like PSNP to brag about the super hard or super time-consuming things we've just done, who's going to know or care that we did these things at all? As some guy on TikTok once said: "If my life isn't viewed, I'm not real. If I'm not seen, I don't exist." My favorite thing about PSNP is having a platform from which we can all collectively feed our consumeristic addiction to trophies as we scavenge for validation from internet strangers. What is your least favorite thing about PSNP? Listen, if you asked me this question a few years ago, I would have told you that the "Trophy Checklist" section was my least favorite thing about PSNP. In my mind, the place stunk of over-inflated egos and narcissistic drivel... but then I started my own checklist. Now I post my own narcissistic drivel! What a world. To actually answer the question, I hate the disputes section on PSNP. It carries the same vibe as a public execution. Toxicity and elitism are rampant, the same few people always make their voices heard even if they actively hinder the process, and we rarely see positive results. Maybe I just don't understand the point of this section of the site and haven't made much of an effort to seek out justification for why it exists. I avoid the place like the plague nowadays and wish it could be relegated to some remote Discord server (I'm sure the idea must've been thrown around before). It could be like PSNP's version of Alcatraz. Also, while I'm on my soapbox, I'm not a fan of only having 25 upvotes per day. I've had days where I have to carefully unlike specific posts just so my anti-social ass doesn't have to say something like, "I would have upvoted, but I hit my limit! I'll be back tomorrow xoxo." Is there anyone in the PSNP Community you would like to give a shout-out to and if so, why? The heroes of PSNP aren't the try-hards like me that waste away chasing some fleeting sense of glory, it's the people that make the effort to lift others up, the people that feel self-assured enough to congratulate total strangers, the people that check-in after noticing someone away for a little too long. These kind souls are the lifeblood of this site and I hope leeches like me that do little more than feed off their goodwill do not eventually outnumber the good ones and the work they put in. I haven't connected with anyone I've met on PSNP well enough to offer any specific shout-outs, but I appreciate those of you that have gone out of your way to support me and I'm sorry I've rarely done the same in return. I'm a self-centered mess and my selfishness will probably eat me alive one day (if it hasn't already started devouring me) Community Questions Would you play the NA version of a game for reps if the EU version is UR, but the NA version is not? What if it was the other way around? That's a tricky one. See, more often than not, the NA version of a game has rarer trophies than its EU counterpart. There are a few exceptions I've come across in my time as a trophy hunter (Catherine, Metronomicon, Galak-Z: The Dimensional among others) but I've never really considered making an EU account to take advantage of these exceptions since they're so few in number. If I took UR hunting more seriously, I would just ravenously consume both stacks assuming they're both UR and carry on with my day. But, because I don't really see UR hunting as a long term pursuit and stacking games isn't very fun (or cost effective) for me, I doubt I'll ever make an EU account to take advantage of future exceptions. That said, I would definitely consider making an EU account if there were a game I really wanted to play that was only available on the EU store! What is the most menacing thing about a turtle? One word, five letters. Their M-O-U-T-H. A stray finger or toe gets anywhere near that thing and that turtle's gonna pull a goddamn Houdini. I'd treat those little dinosaurs with respect and get outta there before I lose a digit... or a shoe. What's the cutest animal that you would avoid no matter what? It may not be the most exotic answer, but I'd have to avoid wild mice. They look like the sweetest little things and I want nothing but the best for them, but I'm terrified of any diseases they may be carrying. I'd never touch one, but I'd also never want to harm one if I could help it. I've thankfully never had to deal with any mice where I live, but, if I did, I'd insist on using humane mouse traps that let you release them back outside. What's the worst game (quality-wise) that you've forced yourself to platinum? If we're talking quality, Space Overlords would easily take the cake as the worst game I've ever forced myself to platinum. What should have been an adrenaline-pumping, robot-Godzilla-esque romp through the galaxy proves instead to be a miserable slog across barren, bite-sized arenas peppered with fragile skyscrapers and bits of enemy fodder. How the development team managed to make massive mechs feel so insignificant is a mystery for the ages. This game was seemingly sent out to die, except its corpse somehow wound up in the PS+ July 2018 monthly game catalog to be paraded amongst tens of thousands of disappointed gamers. The trophies grant you no reprieve from your misery. In fact, the developers insisted on having you destroy a whopping 250,000 buildings if you want to get your grubby mitts on this game's carpet stain of a platinum trophy. Thankfully, people far more clever than myself found ways to grind all this destruction out in about 10 hours, but I spent every minute wishing I was six feet under. Which "bragging rights" games stayed the most fun all the way through? Trackmania Turbo and Assetto Corsa! Both of these challenging racing games involve shaving fractions of a second off your times as you learn to more precisely navigate tricky tracks. It might sound stressful when described like that, and it can be, but there's something very zen-like about zipping through the same track over and over again until you can manage every corner effortlessly. After a while, it all starts to flow together without much conscious thought since your muscle memory is doing most of the work. Assetto Corsa has a lot of mindless filler to sift through before you get to the good stuff, but Trackmania Turbo is excellent from start to finish. If you enjoy racing games and want to really test your skills, give em' a look! Would you consider getting one of the first or fastest 100%s? I've thought about gunning for fast 100% times in the past, but I just don't place much value on being the first or the fastest when it comes to trophies. If I were to go through all the effort of speedrunning a game, I'd focus on the speedrun.com leaderboards rather than the small pool of completionists we see over here on PSNP. That said, I do have a couple fastest 100%s on the site that I've achieved just to see if I could, but they generally require too much planning to be something I do regularly. I can appreciate and respect the effort that players put into achieving fast times though! (Project DIVA Extend leaderboards) What type of things/genres do you enjoy writing? Usually, I enjoy writing journal entries and loosely philosophical tangents. Journal entries usually either involve scenes that are recalled in vivid detail or reflections on things I've said and done. Since I can be overwhelmingly negative and self-critical, I kinda have to delete reflections I've written days or hours after they're composed because they can be painful to look back on later. "Loosely philosophical tangents" come about when I feel like rambling about little observations I make during the day. If I wake up one morning in a daze and think something like—"we surround ourselves with so much mathematical precision in our daily lives. Look at those sharp corners at the edges of your desk, that rounded knob on the end of your door, those little ridges on your water bottle cap. It's all so unnatural... but still uniquely human."—then you can expect a tangent to follow as I saunter over to my poor laptop and crack my knuckles. While I enjoy writing from time to time, I'm not disciplined enough to commit to any sort of schedule. If I'm feeling inspired, I'll write for three days straight, but other times I struggle to write for a few hours every couple months. In the future, I'd like to keep a dream journal and maybe write a couple sci-fi short stories to explore weird concepts I'm fascinated with! Why did you become a gamer? Well, I don't think there are very many people that wake up one day and "decide" to become a gamer. It's usually a product of circumstance. My dad picked up an N64 for me on a whim when I was four years old, showed me how to collect the first star in Super Mario 64, and left me to my own devices while he did real estate or something. I glued myself to the screen in the weeks that followed and never looked back. Being home-schooled from the ages of 7-14 only took that glue and made it stronger considering that me and my younger brothers didn't have much else to do in the dreary city suburbs we lived in growing up. Now I'm certifiably addicted (as are many of us on PSNP). I continue to be a "gamer" because I can't imagine life without an escape. Losing myself in fictional worlds is somehow more fulfilling than engaging with reality. Trophies might give you an excuse to tear down the walls of fiction and engage with reality, if only to seek validation, though I'm not so detached as to believe that any validation derived from trophies is truly worthwhile. At the end of the day, trophy hunters all sit like dragons perched above their hoard of trinkets jealously eyeing one another up like vultures. Would you go for 100% completion on your profile? Nope! I enjoy having the freedom to walk away from a game if it's making me miserable. Chaining myself to each and every game I play until it glistens with a "100%" on my profile (predatory DLC be damned) would dramatically reduce the number of games I'm able to play, add unnecessary stress to my life, and tell a story that is wholly artificial from beginning to end. Life's short enough as it without projecting this fake image of perfection. My profile gets to shine as a complete history of my experiences on PlayStation and any history would be incomplete without blemishes, bouts of experimentation, and evidence of growth. I understand that some of us like to look at completionist profiles as glowing examples of what you can achieve if you see everything through to its end. But not every game you start is going to be worth your time and the sacrifices players have to make to maintain this manufactured façade is just... not my cup of tea. Hot take or not, if we ever see the day where we collectively value authenticity over perfection on PSNP, the sun might shine just a little bit brighter. Your goals for 2023? As far as gaming is concerned, I have three very basic goals for 2023. Slay my white whale (shameless plug to visit my checklist if you'd like to learn more!). Work towards 2000 UR trophies (I want to stop actively hunting them once I hit 2000). Earn at least 3 of the 6 remaining platinum trophies on my top secret "must earn" list. Favourite thing about America/living in America? It's easy for me to get caught up in the negativity surrounding American culture. So much so, in fact, that I'm having trouble trying to find one thing to praise, let alone elevating said thing to the status of my "favorite." I've never traveled outside of the US, so I don't even really have any other countries to compare it to. I know I've technically got it better here than in many other countries around the world, but... eh. What I'm about to say is almost certainly going to come across like a copout answer, but the only praise I feel I can offer is that I've met a lot of really kind and accepting people over here. I mentioned my social ineptitude in my "about me" blurb in the Interview Questions thread, but no one really gave me a hard time over it growing up. Wherever I go, people have always welcomed me with open arms. I wasn't bullied, I had support from my peers, and I was widely accepted no matter what I chose to do. That said, as a straight white male, I recognize that I'm speaking from a position of privilege. I'm playing on easy mode as far as my genetics are concerned and you probably shouldn't take my limited perspective as representative of the broader American experience. Least favourite thing about America/living in America? I hate how quickly patriotism in this country can devolve into nationalism. American exceptionalism, the idea that America is somehow inherently special, is so deeply embedded into the fabric of American society that you can't go one day without hearing someone say "America is the greatest country on earth!" or "Made in America, by Americans, for Americans!" or "We're putting America first!" This toxic narrative produces self-centered, often racist, and nationalist people, yet that narrative continues to echo unfettered across classrooms and over the airwaves. I hate how easy it is for someone to purchase assault weapons. An 18 year old can walk into a department store and walk out with two AR-15s without so much as a background check. Do you have any idea how messed up and dangerous that is? You can't even purchase alcohol until the age of 21. But as soon as someone dares to push back with "we need to ban assault weapons or raise the legal age to purchase firearms or perform extensive background checks before the sales of any firearms" you're met with a crowd of delusional lunatics that say "wE neEd fReeDoM! YoU liBs caN'T taKe mUh gUns awAy." It may sound as though I'm building up a straw man, but there are legitimately no rational arguments on the other side of the fence. I hate that women's rights and LGBTQ+ rights are still serious issues in the 21st century. I hate that teachers aren't paid nearly enough for what they do. I hate that you have to fight for a living wage in this capitalist dystopia (forget "thriving" wage). I hate that I feel so powerless... If anyone wants to adopt me so that I can run away to another country, feel free to hit me up! Are there any games that you were hyped for but turned out to be a flop in your opinion or vice versa? Back in 2021, I was really, really looking forward to Metroid Dread. Being a huge fan of the Metroid series, I thought I'd fall in love with Dread at first sight. I even went through all the effort of picking up a physical copy of the game at my local GameStop and grinded up enough Platinum Points over on "My Nintendo" to pick up the Metroid Dread holographic posters they were offering up. When I finally got the chance to play... I couldn't even finish it. It felt like every other metroidvania I'd played in the past 10-15 years. Sure, movement felt slick and refined. Sure, the difficulty was kicked up a notch and bosses required practice to beat. Sure the story continued hot off the heels of Metroid Fusion (released way back in 2002 and one of my favorite GBA games). But I just didn't care anymore. I played it for about 5 hours over the course of 3-4 days before I set it aside and moved on. I don't even fully understand why I don't like the game. Maybe I expected innovation rather than refinement. I didn't want the best possible version of a game like Super Metroid or Metroid Fusion or Metroid Zero Mission or Metroid Samus Returns. I wanted something to set a new bar for metroidvanias and push the genre forward. But it's not trying to be that innovator. It's the same old song and dance they've always done... at least, I think it is. I haven't finished it so I couldn't tell you. I'll give it another chance someday. Still very excited for Metroid Prime 4 though! Are there any games that you hate that other people love or vice versa? Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception/Mask of Truth both come to mind! These two strategy-driven visual novels received weak reviews, weak sales, and failed to generate much of a splash at launch, but they're beautifully written and a blast to play. I cared so much about the cast, about the world they were in (I even read the hundreds of little glossary entries to learn more), about the intricacies of gameplay, and about the music! I couldn't put the games down once I'd started and loved every minute of it! If you like Fire Emblem or romantic slice-of-life stories, consider giving them a try! I'm going to give you an unusual recommendation though if anyone out there is listening: consider turning the character voices off and letting your mind fill in for the cast as you read. It'll feel more like a really good book and make some of the scenes more emotionally impactful (unless you understand Japanese, in which case, this rec is optional). Opinion on the USA team at the World Cup? Growing up in a part of the world where we measure things in "feet", but call football "soccer", I never really developed much of an interest in the sport (or in sports at all for that matter). My only exposure to this year's World Cup comes courtesy of an article I stumbled across explaining that the Men's and Women's teams were splitting the prize money for their collective efforts at the games, which I thought I was cool since male athletes are usually paid more. Since I don't really understand the rules of the game, I can't comment on the USA team's level of play or discuss the strengths of other participating teams, but, like some out-of-touch old man usually says then they have no idea what's going on, I'm glad they seem to have put up a fight. While only tangentially related, I've thought about trying out more sports games with FIFA (soon to be EA Sports FC) topping the list of games I've considered playing. I don't have any friends that have an interest in the sport though, so if anyone reading out there wants to introduce me, feel free to reach out! What are the top 3 hardest plats you’ve accomplished? 1. Ikaruga (0.61%) 2. Assetto Corsa (0.22%) 3. Verlet Swing (0.88%) What are your top 3 hardest non-plats (100%) you’ve accomplished? 1. Cloudberry Kingdom (0.12%) 2. Trials Fusion (0.10%) 3. VVVVVV (0.44%) Do you do any kind of “mini-celebration” for yourself after any kind of extreme challenge is done? Hmm... sort of, but it's complicated. See, as soon as I've passed the threshold of "knowing" I can get some extreme challenge done, the elation I'd feel upon the challenge's completion gradually starts to fade away. It's sort of like a balloon that's slowly losing air. Once I've hit a critical breakthrough and victory feels inevitable, I start deflating until the balloon finally explodes (the challenge is conquered) with however much air is left over. If there's still a lot of air (excitement) in the balloon, I might lean forward in my chair or stand up in disbelief until I sink into a puddle of self-satisfied goo. If there's still a little air left over, I might lean back in my chair and try to let the feel-good chemicals do whatever they do best. If there's no air left, I might just feel a brief sense of relief as I carry on with my day. But, to more directly answer your question, I don't really do anything celebratory when I've accomplished some difficult task. I usually just sit back in my chair hoping to feel something. What are some of the most disappointing trophy lists for the games that you've otherwise enjoyed? (e.g. the trophies could have been more challenging, etc.) You know those aggravating players you find here and there across the forums that don't buy a game because it doesn't have a platinum trophy? Yeah, that was me... I've rarely ever been disappointed with a trophy list, but, early on in my trophy hunting career, I hated when games I was interested in didn't come with a platinum trophy and often didn't buy them since I felt there was no "reward" waiting for me at the end of the experience. I didn't buy Sonic Mania at (or near) launch even though I'm a big Sonic fan, I didn't bother with Little Nightmares even though I followed the game up to launch, and I didn't play through Mega Man 10 more than once—all because there was no platinum at stake. Are there many games that you'd still consider playing even after earning all trophies (apart from your white whale that you're currently pursuing)? Absolutely! Here's the thing: whenever I play a game, I need a clear goal in mind to set my sights on. In the case of a game that I'm playing for trophies, a goal is clearly defined from the moment I start playing. For games that don't have trophies, I need to come up with my own goals to keep me invested in whatever's going on. In most cases, this made up goal will manifest itself as a leaderboard grind. I spent a lot of extra time playing games like Project DIVA: Future Tone, Splasher, and Verlet Swing because I enjoyed the satisfaction of climbing their respective in-game leaderboards. Unfortunately, it can be easy to hit a wall where I don't know how to go any faster or play any better, so I end up setting the game aside and moving on instead of poking and prodding at the wall standing in the way. When I don't have leaderboards to climb, I might instead be drawn to multiplayer games where I can rank up to my heart's content or otherwise build up some set of skills. I've spent several hundred hours playing the Smash Bros. games over the years seeing how far I can push my mains, but it's rare for me to really sink into any game's multiplayer component since the skill ceiling feels limitless and I don't have the friends I'd need to push alongside me to keep me motivated. In the future, I'd like to find a game to play competitively (whether speedrunning or multiplayer), but it may be some time before I take that next step. Have you ever considered streaming the games you're playing? I have considered streaming! But there are a few hurdles I'd have to overcome first. The biggest hurdle is my social ineptitude which I've briefly described in my "about me" interview blurb. To stream, you generally need a strong personality and the ability to engage with your viewers. If I'm over here reading out a basic question from chat like, "What do you think of this game?" and I respond by saying something like, "um... it's pretty good. The gameplay is nice." then I'm probably not going to get very far as a streamer. If I'm not able to come up with worthwhile banter off the cuff, I might drown in the sea of other casual streamers that stream to 3-5 friends for their entire careers. Let's suppose I had a personality that could keep an audience entertained. The next hurdle would involve content. I'm not convinced there are many people out there that care about watching some guy hunt trophies, so I'd need to either settle into a more popular niche like speedrunning or become a "let's player" to build up any sort of audience. Multiplayer games might be another option, but I don't currently have a friend group that could make that sort of approach possible (you'd typically need at least 2-4 people with strong personalities). The last hurdle would involve equipment and money. I don't have a stream ready setup, so I'd have to stream directly from a PS4/PS5 (when I get one) and use a cheap headset as a mic. This isn't always too big of a deal and I could upgrade to a better mic without breaking the bank, but streams tend to do better with face cam which wouldn't be possible (I think) unless I were to stream from PC. Now, even with these sorts of hurdles standing in the way, I know most people don't just roll out of bed and become incredible streamers overnight. Like anything else, it's a skill that takes practice. I'd become less "socially inept" by putting myself out there and making an effort to stream even if the stream ends up being a mess. I'd settle into a niche if I have the willingness to experiment and find out what I enjoy doing. I could always save up money to improve my setup if I develop a genuine passion for streaming. All of these hurdles can be overcome with time, effort, and experimentation, but I don't know if I have the strength to do so. My self-esteem might not be able to handle how long it would take to transition from "unwatchable" to "watchable" without falling apart first. Do you like the concept of speedrunning games (and going for world records)? I do! But it also terrifies me... As far as single-player achievements are concerned, speedrunners are at the top of the mountain when it comes to skill, determination, and prestige. I haven't discussed what I'm about to tell you all for privacy reasons, but one of my younger brothers is a fairly well-known speedrunner who's achieved several world records in a competitive GameCube game (holding each record he's achieved for several years). I'm not going to mention him by name or discuss the game he plays, but he's dedicated many thousands of hours into honing his skills at the game he's chosen. What scares me about speedrunning is the uncertainty of payoff. What if he hadn't been successful in achieving his world records? What would he have to show for all the effort he's put into mastering his game? Would it have all still been worthwhile? What if I'm too old to compete? Some of the greatest speedrunners in the world are in their teens and display prodigious mastery of their games in a fraction of the time that some of the older runners have put in. If we sidestep my uncertainty, we have the issue of repetition. The willingness to experience nothing but the same set of obstacles for months, even years, at a time requires a frightening level of mental fortitude. It can be mind-numbing and I feel like I'd completely lose interest after a few weeks of effort. My brother has pretty much exclusively played his game of choice since the early 2010s with no signs of fatigue. It's as though his game is a second home. I don't know of any game that could convince me to stick around for that long. It's as though there exists a "gaming monogamy" among certain people, but I'm stuck with polyamorous tendencies. All my reservations aside, if I ever find a game that really clicks with me, I'd love to make a serious effort to speedrun it one day (assuming the game is fairly competitive). I kind of want to go all-in on the next major 3D Mario game, but I'd probably need to set my sights onto something more realistic if I want to actually achieve world records. I bet it'd be exciting to try anyway and see how far I can push! What is your favorite preparation of fish/fish products? Part of me wishes I could stroll out here and impress everyone with some hidden culinary expertise and say things like, "oh, the Porchetta salmon with sauce vierge, which I definitely know how to prepare, is to die for, but my favorite is Kingfish ceviche tacos paired with a vintage champagne." Unfortunately, I have a very basic Mid-Western American palate and rarely eat fish. In fact, I think in the whole wide world of seafood, I've only eaten a few simple fried fish dishes, tuna, lobster, crab, and some grocery store sushi. I think "fried" would probably be my favorite preparation of fish, but if there's another way to prepare fish that helps take away some of the fishy taste, I'd be all over that! Thoughts on mint chocolate? Icky - Yum! - Do you play on other platforms? (you mentioned Nintendo) If so do you have a favourite game? I do! I retired my Xbox One a few years back, but I play on my Switch every now and then to catch up on the occasional exclusive (or to play Smash and Mario Party with friends)! Just a few months ago, I played through Luigi's Mansion 3 and it was such a charming and therapeutic experience. The creativity was off the charts (par for the course with Nintendo) and I never knew combing rooms for cash could be so relaxing. I have a few more games sitting on the shelf waiting for a rainy day like Paper Mario: the Origami King, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Pokemon Shield, and Metroid Dread if I ever give it another chance to impress. My favorite Switch game, on a technicality, might have to be Super Mario Odyssey! I enjoyed Breath of the Wild a tiny bit more, but I was one of the few that chose to play the Wii U version at launch and haven't experienced more than a few hours of the Switch version. Both games are phenomenal in their own ways of course. Mario Odyssey bombards players with these concentrated, non-stop bursts of originality while Breath of the Wild tantalizes players with brilliant puzzle design and a world that's begging to be explored. Do you do much reading (given you write) and if so, favourite genre and novel? I haven't really done much reading over the past few years, which is a shame because it's easy for me to get inspired by authors I'm exposed to and feel the itch to write for myself. Most of my reading nowadays takes place while doomscrolling social media or browsing the forums over here on PSNP. I'm a little insecure over my taste in books, so I'm hesitant to list a favorite novel, but I generally enjoy sci-fi, romance, and philosophy. Even if I rarely do much reading these days, I'm always open to recommendations! What's a game you love that doesn't have a particularly challenging plat? Outer Wilds! It's a masterfully crafted little celestial sandbox filled with mysteries so compelling, you'll lie awake at night as each seemingly disconnected piece of the puzzle ricochets around in your sleep-deprived noggin. I could spend hours regaling you with the most ridiculous things that happened to me in space, but that would spoil the fun! If you enjoy a little detective work and some light puzzle solving, please consider playing it for yourself. But go in blind if you can! The game won't be able to cast its spell on you if you're mindlessly following a guide as you trudge along towards the game's conclusion. You can even rest easy until the credits roll since there are no missable trophies. Outer Wilds is available on the PS+ Extra catalogue and regularly goes on sale, so you have no excuse not to try it! If you need someone to shout your space stories at without spoiling the experience for new players, you're free to blow up my DMs. I never get tired of this game and will sing its praises until I become stardust. Is there a tough game you'd recommend to people who normally avoid challenging plats? Sort of! Here's the thing. Some people, no matter what you do or say, will find no satisfaction in the pursuit of challenging plats. That's fine. As frustrating or unrelatable as these people can be, it's best to learn to accept them as they are and not bug them with all the hard games you want them to try. The people you want to target are the ones that enjoy a challenge, but that don't believe they're capable of achieving success at higher levels of difficulty. To those of you out there that fit into this box, I want to talk to you specifically! One of the best ways to break out into the exciting worlds of challenging plats is to look critically at what you either know you excel at or have a lot of experience with. Maybe you've been hooked on platformers from a young age or have been playing racing games all your life. Try to find one genre you believe you're the best at and make it a temporary focus. When I started getting into trophy hunting in my mid-20s, I already had hundreds of platformers under my belt ranging from the NES all the way up to current gen, so I felt that my best bet would be to attempt a challenging platformer first. I looked through the forums and found Super Meat Boy to be the quintessential "hard" platforming plat, so I dove into the deep end and gave it my all. When I eventually succeeded, my confidence started to improve dramatically and I felt incredible! The key is to find a genre you're best at and dive recklessly into the deep end! Are you a fan of platformers too? Consider trying Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV, or Splasher. Are you a fan of racing games? Consider trying Trackmania Turbo, Crash Team Racing, or Assetto Corsa. Are you a fan of FPS games? Consider trying Wolfenstein II, Shadow Warrior, or Warhammer Vermintide II. Are you a fan of strategy games? Consider trying XCOM 2 or Frostpunk. Are you a fan of fighters? Consider trying Ultra Street Fighter IV, UMvC3, or Skullgirls. Are you a fan of shoot-em-ups? Consider trying Ikaruga, Dariusburst Chronicle Saviors, or Deathsmiles 1+2. Are you a fan of puzzle games? Consider trying Tetris Effect. There are so many genres and sub-genres you could specialize in, you only need to find what you love and build up the guts to step up to one of the many challenges out there! There are plenty of other great options for difficult games, so don't take this as any sort of definitive list. Several of these were great entry points for me specifically, but you'll likely find your own entry points as you explore whichever genres you're into. Make it a point to put your absolute all into whichever game you select though! If you succeed, I'm convinced your confidence will start to shift just like mine and you'll eventually feel like you can conquer the world if you put your mind to it! Do you see yourself easing off difficult games in the future? I do! It's one thing if you enjoy difficult games with every fiber of your being, but it's another if you're just chasing the glory that comes with it all. If you're like me and you kinda enjoy difficult games, but you're really only after the bragging rights, it can all start to feel hollow after a while. Is anyone really going to care once I get one more really difficult platinum or amass 2000 UR trophies? Would they suddenly care if I had this other really difficult platinum or collected 2500 UR trophies? Past a certain threshold, the higher you climb, the smaller the circle of new people you impress and the more unrelatable you become to the everyman. I feel as though I've peaked as far as trophy hunting is concerned and it's all downhill from here. When you're fresh and just starting out, there's so much more suspense that surrounds everything you do. You'll have people wondering "can this new player get this really difficult trophy? Let's find out!" You'll generate interest and make people excited! But, if you have an established track record of getting anything you set your mind to, it becomes a case of, "oh... the really good player is playing another hard game. I'm sure they'll succeed if they want to, so... who cares?" The road only gets lonelier and darker the further you go and the rewards for doing so are diminishing. Forget glory. Make friends, play what you enjoy, and you'll be on the road to a satisfying career as a trophy hunter. I'm lost in the dark marching onwards alone to the beat of a dying drum. Please do better than me! I know you can! Have you ever considered writing a guide for a game you've played? I have! In fact, I've co-authored one in the past, but it's gone now. I'd be open to writing another in the future if I find a friend or two to write one with. To be honest with you though, I think I prefer contributing little bits of info here and there rather than trying to break down an entire game. An edge TrueAchievements has over PSNP, in my opinion anyway, is the ability to make guides for individual achievements rather than the full game. I'd have written dozens of mini-guides by now had PSNP followed in their footsteps. As games continue to grow in size and scope, it doesn't really make sense to continue trusting one or two people with the job of optimally guiding players through an entire game. Making matters worse, there's a lot of competition to crank out a "good enough" guide as soon as possible for new releases rather than waiting for something more "optimal" to fill the void. Unfortunately, it's rare to ever see better, more comprehensive, guides replace these first pass efforts, at least on PSNP, so we're often stuck with mediocrity. It would be cool to someday see a hybridized system in which the efforts of many individual authors are compiled into an ever-evolving trophy guide. In the same way that TA shows readers the most upvoted guides first, this theoretical guide would automatically assemble the most popular individual trophy guides into one document accompanied by the most popular road maps and tips. Then again, accurately assessing "popularity" might be a point of contention and would be harder to gauge the older a game gets... Setting the idea aside, my point is that I don't think the current system will last forever. There are too many attention seekers riding the waves of relevance and muddying the waters for the authors that can actually write a worthwhile trophy guide. Best Christmas song and movie? Picking out a favorite Christmas song is a lot tougher than I thought it'd be. Um... I'll pick out three that I like just so that I'm less likely to embarrass myself with my honest answer (the third one). José Feliciano - Feliz Navidad Taylor Swift - Last Christmas Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You Now, picking out a favorite Christmas movie was waaay easier to figure out! I love Elf (2003) and used to watch it almost every year with family. Did you get up to anything over Christmas (and/or) New Years? I did! I got to relax and spend the holidays with my immediate family. We drove around and saw the Christmas lights, watched movies, and made cookies! Post-pandemic, that's all I could really ask for. Thank you all for reading! I'm not sure if I've ever shared this much with an online community before, but it feels nice to open up a little and daydream about days long gone by. Please stay safe and happy hunting! ____________________________________________________________________ Thank you to all who participated in asking questions in this interview! See you soon for the next one. Spoiler @Rally-Vincent--- @breakingthegreen @slicknick3822 @serrated-banner9 @Lum @det_gittes @Jelly Soup @CptToffer Edited January 4, 2023 by Charizarzar 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelestialRequiem Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Wow -- this was awesome. Your interests with Nintendo remind me greatly of myself. I actually like Star Fox Zero -- though for a PlatinumGames title, I felt like it was too limited. I'd like to see them have a more honest budget and scope if they're ever permitted to venture again with Nintendo's IPs. I'm also a lover of Zelda -- my personal favorite is Minish Cap. I was in 7th grade when it released and the amount of times I've replayed it is comical. Not counting Star Fox (though like you, Assault's multiplayer is something I engaged with a lot as a kid) -- many of Nintendo's supreme titles are the ones that were outsourced, I feel. I'm glad they're still willing to do that today (I actually really adored Metroid Dread). However, there is a particular game I gotta gush about: 4 hours ago, Charizarzar said: If you could have one game from any gaming generation be remade or re-released, which one would it be and why? I would crawl across a sea of broken glass to see a remake of F-Zero GX (either on the Switch or on Nintendo's next home console). At the risk of sounding delusional, I think F-Zero GX is the greatest racing game ever made. It's zero-g perfection. The controls, even by today's standards, feel sharp and responsive. The gameplay is silky smooth. The sense of speed is unmatched. The balance between precision and accessibility is navigated masterfully. The music is god-tier. The story kicks ass. WipEout wishes it was half the game F-Zero GX managed to be on the GameCube in 2003. There's debate over how many units the game sold (ranging from 0.65 million to 1.5+ million), but neither estimate is anywhere near enough people to have experienced perfection. If you still have a GameCube hanging around or you have a way to play it on a PC, just try it. You can yell at me if you disagree. I'll fight all of you! This is a hill I'll happily die on. If they remade it... you might never see me again. Updated visuals, maybe a few tweaks to the tracks or the machines (a few are OP), accessibility options, online multiplayer, and online leaderboards would all have me foaming at the mouth. Here's the E3 trailer from back in the day just because: This game is fucking unreal. Immediately when I got this game, it was evident that it wasn't developed by Nintendo. SEGA (and specifically, the intensity from the Yakuza studio) couldn't have made a better game. Some of the music reminds me of Metal Gear Rising. I hope that unless a remake is 1:1 -- it's untouched and just given to us in the form of a remaster with online abilities. Found some active AX machines when I was living in Japan. Next time I visit, I'll take pictures and maybe some footage if I'm able to. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselmanchild Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Great interview! For those who don’t know him — I have had the pleasure of chatting with ExistentialSolid a few times around the community and even had the pleasure of teaming up with him once to play Magicka 2 for a few days, and I can tell you that he is a really friendly guy. He’s also got a super impressive profile with an insane UR trophy collection! I was a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to video games and I’ve always considered myself to be an extremely average when it comes to raw skills and knowledge/experience of games, but I’ve quite recently begun to take more of an interest in the more prestigious side of this hobby and the thrill that comes with pursuing more challenging trophies, and it’s guys like you whose profiles I look to for inspiration and ideas on new games and genres to explore. I think you imparted some really good advice and wisdom on this particular topic throughout the interview and I enjoyed reading your thoughts on those bits. It’s also pretty clear you have a very long and rich gaming history, and a wealth of knowledge, thoughts and stories to go with it. Reading about your favourite games and the titles that shaped you into the trophy hunter you are now was pretty neat. You have some funny stories too. As a fellow Evil Big Brother, I especially got a kick out of the tale of how you tricked your poor little brother into helping you buy the Zelda collection for your own nefarious purposes. Lmao. ? Anyways, Happy New Year to you mate. I hope that you can achieve all your goals for 2023. Thank you for sharing your history with us because I really enjoyed reading it! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serrated-banner9 Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 that was a good read 4 hours ago, Charizarzar said: Have you ever considered writing a guide for a game you've played? I have! In fact, I've co-authored one in the past, but it's gone now. I'd be open to writing another in the future if I find a friend or two to write one with. To be honest with you though, I think I prefer contributing little bits of info here and there rather than trying to break down an entire game. An edge TrueAchievements has over PSNP, in my opinion anyway, is the ability to make guides for individual achievements rather than the full game. I'd have written dozens of mini-guides by now had PSNP followed in their footsteps. As games continue to grow in size and scope, it doesn't really make sense to continue trusting one or two people with the job of optimally guiding players through an entire game. Making matters worse, there's a lot of competition to crank out a "good enough" guide as soon as possible for new releases rather than waiting for something more "optimal" to fill the void. Unfortunately, it's rare to ever see better, more comprehensive, guides replace these first pass efforts, at least on PSNP, so we're often stuck with mediocrity. It would be cool to someday see a hybridized system in which the efforts of many individual authors are compiled into an ever-evolving trophy guide. In the same way that TA shows readers the most upvoted guides first, this theoretical guide would automatically assemble the most popular individual trophy guides into one document accompanied by the most popular road maps and tips. Then again, accurately assessing "popularity" might be a point of contention and would be harder to gauge the older a game gets... Setting the idea aside, my point is that I don't think the current system will last forever. There are too many attention seekers riding the waves of relevance and muddying the waters for the authors that can actually write a worthwhile trophy guide. i actually want to know what game that was for, there's always random stuff that intrigues me. your right (in my opinion) where you say "there's a lot of competition to crank out a "good enough" guide as soon as possible for new releases rather than waiting for something more "optimal" to fill the void. Unfortunately, it's rare to ever see better, more comprehensive, guides replace these first pass efforts, at least on PSNP, so we're often stuck with mediocrity." as a new guide writer myself (having one published on new years eve, which was actually new year's day for me so it's actually the first guide for 2023 for me, enough rambling) i tend to be interested in writing guides where no one has written one yet. i do what to give credit where crdit is due though and especially to writers like @SlyCooperFan100 who update their guides with additional information (fixes, dlc information etc) years after the original guide was published (especially Sly's best series ever Ace combat guides) which gets a huge round of applause from me. the only problem IMO i have with guides is when the author just vanishes (you know the type that last earn a trophy like 3 years ago) and there's no one to update the guide. if you ever want to co-author a guide i would be glad to help. 4 hours ago, Charizarzar said: Least favourite thing about America/living in America? I hate how quickly patriotism in this country can devolve into nationalism. American exceptionalism, the idea that America is somehow inherently special, is so deeply embedded into the fabric of American society that you can't go one day without hearing someone say "America is the greatest country on earth!" or "Made in America, by Americans, for Americans!" or "We're putting America first!" This toxic narrative produces self-centered, often racist, and nationalist people, yet that narrative continues to echo unfettered across classrooms and over the airwaves. I hate how easy it is for someone to purchase assault weapons. An 18 year old can walk into a department store and walk out with two AR-15s without so much as a background check. Do you have any idea how messed up and dangerous that is? You can't even purchase alcohol until the age of 21. But as soon as someone dares to push back with "we need to ban assault weapons or raise the legal age to purchase firearms or perform extensive background checks before the sales of any firearms" you're met with a crowd of delusional lunatics that say "wE neEd fReeDoM! YoU liBs caN'T taKe mUh gUns awAy." It may sound as though I'm building up a straw man, but there are legitimately no rational arguments on the other side of the fence. I hate that women's rights and LGBTQ+ rights are still serious issues in the 21st century. I hate that teachers aren't paid nearly enough for what they do. I hate that you have to fight for a living wage in this capitalist dystopia (forget "thriving" wage). I hate that I feel so powerless... add abortion to that list as well. let's be frank here, if the us tried to change the drinking age from 18 to 21 today i doubt it would because the conservatives would be like "LeFt WiNg IdOiTs ArE RuInInG OuR CoUnTrY". "America is duh best country" nah bro, Uk is better (ignore our politics and strikes, and those Scottish independence people pls), The serious issues here are how terrible the conservatives running our government has done in the past year the economy (which is DEFINITELY not in recession or collapsing right about now) and more recently Immigration mainly with Brexit (just leave at that please) and education sort of secondary issues that are sort of appears on news but mainly the main ones. 5 hours ago, Charizarzar said: Is there a tough game you'd recommend to people who normally avoid challenging plats? Sort of! Here's the thing. Some people, no matter what you do or say, will find no satisfaction in the pursuit of challenging plats. That's fine. As frustrating or unrelatable as these people can be, it's best to learn to accept them as they are and not bug them with all the hard games you want them to try. The people you want to target are the ones that enjoy a challenge, but that don't believe they're capable of achieving success at higher levels of difficulty. To those of you out there that fit into this box, I want to talk to you specifically! One of the best ways to break out into the exciting worlds of challenging plats is to look critically at what you either know you excel at or have a lot of experience with. Maybe you've been hooked on platformers from a young age or have been playing racing games all your life. Try to find one genre you believe you're the best at and make it a temporary focus. When I started getting into trophy hunting in my mid-20s, I already had hundreds of platformers under my belt ranging from the NES all the way up to current gen, so I felt that my best bet would be to attempt a challenging platformer first. I looked through the forums and found Super Meat Boy to be the quintessential "hard" platforming plat, so I dove into the deep end and gave it my all. When I eventually succeeded, my confidence started to improve dramatically and I felt incredible! The key is to find a genre you're best at and dive recklessly into the deep end! Are you a fan of platformers too? Consider trying Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV, or Splasher. Are you a fan of racing games? Consider trying Trackmania Turbo, Crash Team Racing, or Assetto Corsa. Are you a fan of FPS games? Consider trying Wolfenstein II, Shadow Warrior, or Warhammer Vermintide II. Are you a fan of strategy games? Consider trying XCOM 2 or Frostpunk. Are you a fan of fighters? Consider trying Ultra Street Fighter IV, UMvC3, or Skullgirls. Are you a fan of shoot-em-ups? Consider trying Ikaruga, Dariusburst Chronicle Saviors, or Deathsmiles 1+2. Are you a fan of puzzle games? Consider trying Tetris Effect. There are so many genres and sub-genres you could specialize in, you only need to find what you love and build up the guts to step up to one of the many challenges out there! There are plenty of other great options for difficult games, so don't take this as any sort of definitive list. Several of these were great entry points for me specifically, but you'll likely find your own entry points as you explore whichever genres you're into. Make it a point to put your absolute all into whichever game you select though! If you succeed, I'm convinced your confidence will start to shift just like mine and you'll eventually feel like you can conquer the world if you put your mind to it! TBH, we need all of the Easy tech mobile games on playstation. if you don't who they are they are (i think) Chinese gave dev who realises games on ios on the app store. if your a fan of Turn based strategy games, i highly recommend trying them, most are free or under £1. if those were on playstation then they probably be UR and i bet the trophy for finishing the last level of the campaign for each one would be UR. probanly the barrier towards plat would be if there was a "get 3 stars on all campaign missions" trophy. now that will be sub 1% i need to go back to them at some point. any good turn based strategy games on Playstation (excluding civilisation)? 5 hours ago, Charizarzar said: Top 5 favorite music bands/group/artists/composers/OST? I'm glad to see "OST" included in this question because I don't listen to music all that often. Most of the time, I use music as background noise for when I'm writing or trying to get work done. Thing is, I have trouble focusing when there's lyrics in the mix, so I have to listen to tracks that have no vocals if I wanna make progress. A few of my favorites to put on in the background (in no particular order) include: Outer Wilds OST 1.5. 2 Hours Professor Layton's OST with Rain Relaxing Video Game Music in a Cozy Room (N64) Silent Hill 2 OST Metroid Prime OST 3 Hours of Relaxed Donkey Kong Music Now, if we're talking about those rare occasions where I do listen to music with lyrics, I like to pick out one song, crumple myself into a ball, and listen to it on repeat for a while (usually only when I'm feeling sad). Most of my top picks are buried alongside repressed memories, but a few I've been able to dredge up include The Fray's "How to Save a Life," Taylor Swift's "Back to December," Paramore's "Still Into You," Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," and Matchbox Twenty's "Unwell." All pretty basic stuff, I know, but... hey, it's what I liked. man you need to listen to the Item asylum OST. sure it's a game on roblox but man it's fun as all heck and and it's OST slaps harder then the backhand slap (if you ever play roblox, please try this game it's fun as heck) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAUt2Zj-hzM&list=PLxghcn2wKrZgdPWhXXcJZOPB_NR76qfQE (above link should bring you to a playlist with the full OST) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ExistentialSolid Posted January 6, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted January 6, 2023 (edited) On 1/4/2023 at 0:25 PM, CelestialRequiem said: I actually like Star Fox Zero -- though for a PlatinumGames title, I felt like it was too limited. I'd like to see them have a more honest budget and scope if they're ever permitted to venture again with Nintendo's IPs. I'm also a lover of Zelda -- my personal favorite is Minish Cap. I was in 7th grade when it released and the amount of times I've replayed it is comical. Not counting Star Fox (though like you, Assault's multiplayer is something I engaged with a lot as a kid) -- many of Nintendo's supreme titles are the ones that were outsourced, I feel. I'm glad they're still willing to do that today (I actually really adored Metroid Dread). For sure! PlatinumGames did play it pretty safe, but, story aside, I enjoyed Star Fox Zero for what it aspired to be: a reimagining of Star Fox 64 with a dash of Wii U magic. The gameplay was addicting enough to get me chasing all of the game's hidden/score-based medals, but it never really offered a compelling reason for me to stick around for more. The whole experience felt a little more like a well-intentioned tech showcase than a legitimate extension of the series. Compared to everything else out there in 2005, Star Fox Assault's multiplayer was probably pretty run-of-the-mill, but I just couldn't get enough it. I still remember the day when me and my brother found out we could stand on the wing of an Arwing before takeoff and get carried along for the ride. We spent the next several days flying each other around the arenas, practicing mid-air hijacking stunts, and just goofing around. On 1/4/2023 at 0:25 PM, CelestialRequiem said: This game is fucking unreal. Immediately when I got this game, it was evident that it wasn't developed by Nintendo. SEGA (and specifically, the intensity from the Yakuza studio) couldn't have made a better game. Some of the music reminds me of Metal Gear Rising. I hope that unless a remake is 1:1 -- it's untouched and just given to us in the form of a remaster with online abilities. Found some active AX machines when I was living in Japan. Next time I visit, I'll take pictures and maybe some footage if I'm able to. I'm glad to see someone understands just how good this game is! The reason I'd be alright with a remake/remaster not being 1:1 is because the speedrunning community has had a field day with the game's physics engine and online might get messy without some key fixes. If online features were to be added to the game, untouched, the best players would be the ones that have mastered exploits like snaking and shift boosting (among others). Pair these exploits with a small handful of OP machines like "Fat Shark" or "Black Bull" and the state of the online could get bleak pretty fast. I had no idea there were active AX machines still out in the wild! If you get the chance to check one out, don't forget to tag me! ? On 1/4/2023 at 1:30 PM, dieselmanchild said: I think you imparted some really good advice and wisdom on this particular topic throughout the interview and I enjoyed reading your thoughts on those bits. It’s also pretty clear you have a very long and rich gaming history, and a wealth of knowledge, thoughts and stories to go with it. Reading about your favourite games and the titles that shaped you into the trophy hunter you are now was pretty neat. You have some funny stories too. As a fellow Evil Big Brother, I especially got a kick out of the tale of how you tricked your poor little brother into helping you buy the Zelda collection for your own nefarious purposes. Lmao. ? Anyways, Happy New Year to you mate. I hope that you can achieve all your goals for 2023. Thank you for sharing your history with us because I really enjoyed reading it! You're too kind, man. There's some harsh wording and negativity sprinkled in throughout the interview that I probably should have edited out, but I'm glad you were able to see the good I tried to cram in there. Thinking back, I really was an evil big brother. ? The same younger brother in that story had a very strong sense of empathy when he was little and, whenever I felt like messing with him, I'd point out something he's doing in a game that could be described as "mean" and make him feel extremely guilty for doing it. If he accidentally hit a friendly NPC for example, I'd make him feel so bad that he'd feel pressured into turning off the game entirely (and passing me the controller, haha) just so that the NPC wouldn't "remember" it. Happy New Year to you as well and thank you for taking the time to read this! ? On 1/4/2023 at 1:32 PM, serrated-banner9 said: i do what to give credit where crdit is due though and especially to writers like @SlyCooperFan100 who update their guides with additional information (fixes, dlc information etc) years after the original guide was published (especially Sly's best series ever Ace combat guides) which gets a huge round of applause from me. Absolutely! My take on PSNP's guide writing community may have come across as overly negative or pessimistic in the interview, but I know there's plenty of incredible guide writers out there that take pride in their work and regularly keep their guides up to date. A lot of my frustration probably stems from some weaker AAA guides I've used in the past and the alarming frequency of certain names I've seen cluttering the guides section of the site. While there's probably nothing that can be done about the current system, I wish there were some way to transition towards crowdsourced guide production to help fill in the gaps that one or two authors would otherwise miss. On 1/4/2023 at 1:32 PM, serrated-banner9 said: any good turn based strategy games on Playstation (excluding civilisation)? Well, besides something like XCOM 2, if you're looking for something difficult, another good turn-based strategy game is Wargroove! It's very similar to Advance Wars if you've seen or played that on GBA/DS. I've almost picked it up a few times, but I can be impatient with strategy games. ? On 1/4/2023 at 1:32 PM, serrated-banner9 said: if you ever want to co-author a guide i would be glad to help. man you need to listen to the Item asylum OST. sure it's a game on roblox but man it's fun as all heck and and it's OST slaps harder then the backhand slap (if you ever play roblox, please try this game it's fun as heck) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAUt2Zj-hzM&list=PLxghcn2wKrZgdPWhXXcJZOPB_NR76qfQE (above link should bring you to a playlist with the full OST) That's really kind of you! Thank you for the offer! I'll be sure to check out the Item asylum OST sometime! Edited January 16, 2023 by ExistentialSolid 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moridin83 Posted January 7, 2023 Share Posted January 7, 2023 I find it really interesting that you ended up a trophy hunter, despite all your favorite series being Nintendo franchises. That little dopamine hit when we get that ding from a trophy is really something isn't it? For the record, that's not a slam, I'm exactly the same way, it just funny where we end up hobby wise sometimes. It's always interesting to find out more about someone who's inspired some of your gaming milestones. Your "Destroy me" thread is responsible for two of my harder plats, so I'll always be grateful for the kick in the ass it gave me out of my comfort zone. Regarding music, do you listen to anything while grinding boring trophies? If so, is it different from your normal fare? I'm sure space overlords didn't require game audio, or concentration, so that would seem like a time for more active music than bgm. I recently finished Godzilla, and I couldn't have done it without music/podcasts holding more of my attention than the game, so I'm curious what you do for gaming situations like that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselmanchild Posted January 7, 2023 Share Posted January 7, 2023 18 hours ago, ExistentialSolid said: Thinking back, I really was an evil big brother. The same younger brother in that story had a very strong sense of empathy when he was little and, whenever I felt like messing with him, I'd point out something he's doing in a game that could be described as "mean" and make him feel extremely guilty for doing it. If he accidentally hit a friendly NPC for example, I'd make him feel so bad that he'd feel pressured into turning off the game entirely just so that the NPC wouldn't "remember" it. Happy New Year to you as well and thank you for taking the time to read this! Oh my god I’m dying of laughter right now. That is hilarious! You must have corrupted the childhood innocence right out of him with stunts like that after he grew older and realized you were just messing with him. My brothers and I didn’t have a whole lot of games around us growing up, but I do remember doing similarly evil things to them at times with the ones we did. I recall split-screen racing in a couple PC games where I reconfigured their side of the controls so I’d annihilate them. Or one time using a link cable to trade away some of my brother’s best Pokémon from his GameBoy when he wasn’t there to stop me, and successfully convincing him I was actually just “helping” and he got the better end of the deal after he caught me. One of the funniest ones I remember was when we were playing this Tank vs Tank game on our neighbour’s computer (I forget the name of it) with my middle brother. Neither of us were very good at it, but naturally I wanted to win and my brother was frustrating my natural efforts to do so. Somehow I convinced him to leave the room for a couple minutes, with the game running, while I prepared a “surprise” for him. I remember going in and destroying all his bases one by one with absolutely no resistance from his AFK tanks while he grew increasingly suspicious from the other room, all the while I was laughing so hard I almost peed my pants. He was not too pleased with me when he discovered what I had done lmao. ? I was an evil sunnuvabitch sometimes, but believe me my brothers gave as good as they got sometimes! We laugh about all that kind of stuff now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExistentialSolid Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 (edited) On 1/7/2023 at 8:36 AM, Moridin83 said: I find it really interesting that you ended up a trophy hunter, despite all your favorite series being Nintendo franchises. That little dopamine hit when we get that ding from a trophy is really something isn't it? For the record, that's not a slam, I'm exactly the same way, it just funny where we end up hobby wise sometimes. It's always interesting to find out more about someone who's inspired some of your gaming milestones. Your "Destroy me" thread is responsible for two of my harder plats, so I'll always be grateful for the kick in the ass it gave me out of my comfort zone. Regarding music, do you listen to anything while grinding boring trophies? If so, is it different from your normal fare? I'm sure space overlords didn't require game audio, or concentration, so that would seem like a time for more active music than bgm. I recently finished Godzilla, and I couldn't have done it without music/podcasts holding more of my attention than the game, so I'm curious what you do for gaming situations like that. Once the trophy bug's bitten you, there's no going back. ? As bigger releases started to shy away from Nintendo's consoles post-Wii, I felt like I needed to branch out to other platforms to avoid missing out. Cost was a serious issue too considering that Nintendo continues to charge a premium for their heavy-hitters while competitors like Sony regularly offer up their best games for a fraction of the cost in weekly or monthly sales. I'm not made of money and, back when there used to be monthly "Flash Sales" on PS3, my collection of games started to swing heavily in favor of Sony. Even so, I still think Nintendo's exclusives are the best in the industry, but I have to be much more selective since they're so expensive (I've been thinking of renting instead of buying since I rarely replay games nowadays anyway). In cases where I'm grinding or playing simpler games, I don't usually play music, but I'll almost always mute the game and put on something from YouTube or Twitch to watch while I play. Something about the game + video combo feels so therapeutic, as though complete mental occupation has been achieved. I'm either trying to keep up with whatever's going on in the game or following along with a video, so I don't have much time for the negativity stewing in my mind to weigh me down. I've even been using this combo on regular games since it's such a great way to destress. Most recently, I played all of Ziggurat, Brawlout, JumpJet Rex, and my first playthrough of Windbound while binge-watching episodes of Good Mythical Morning (it can feel like old people TV sometimes, but hey, it's really addicting). Feeling blue? Why treat your problems the old-fashioned way? Overload your senses and forget your troubles! On 1/7/2023 at 1:40 PM, dieselmanchild said: One of the funniest ones I remember was when we were playing this Tank vs Tank game on our neighbour’s computer (I forget the name of it) with my middle brother. Neither of us were very good at it, but naturally I wanted to win and my brother was frustrating my natural efforts to do so. Somehow I convinced him to leave the room for a couple minutes, with the game running, while I prepared a “surprise” for him. I remember going in and destroying all his bases one by one with absolutely no resistance from his AFK tanks while he grew increasingly suspicious from the other room, all the while I was laughing so hard I almost peed my pants. He was not too pleased with me when he discovered what I had done lmao. If you're playing by the rules as siblings, you're doing something wrong. ? Your story sent me straight back in time to when I got Battletanx on N64 from the tooth fairy. It's probably not the same game as the one you played on PC, but it involved tank vs tank combat much like you described with base defending and several unit classes to choose from. I don't remember any devious tricks I pulled back in the day, but me and my brother must sunk entire weeks into that game growing up. We used to build up massive teams alongside AI units, go for flashy long-range kills through fog-covered maps, and spent forever trying to find ways to outrun the game's nukes (spoilers, we never found a way to survive). Edited January 16, 2023 by ExistentialSolid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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