Most Recent Platinum

[FluffyAssassin64]

 #127 - Darksiders III

 

 

"BFA"

Unlock Everything

 

Darksiders III is the Dark Souls of Darksiders... no seriously  Whereas previous games in the series have taken their cues more from games like Zelda (with dungeons, etc.), this is a bonafide Souls 'clone'. As a person who loves this style of game (Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, Nioh, etc) I actually surprisingly liked this game more than I thought I would at the start. There are a few glaring issues that hold it back from greatness, but honestly this game is a heck of a lot of fun, and well worth a play for Darksiders and Souls fans alike.

 

To be honest, the game didn't make a great first impression. It felt choppy, unresponsive and the protagonist - at least at the start - seemed to be pretty one-note and 'meh'. Load times were rubbish, it felt nothing like previous games in the series (camera angle and play style in particular), and I considered putting it down... that is, until I continued playing and realised how good this game could be. World building is phenomenal; think Dark Souls 1 - with its interconnectedness, ingenious shortcuts, and poison swamps (rip) - and you're on the money. Honestly, in parts, the area design is up with the best in the genre. It also fit the bill of what the previous game in the series (Darksiders II) missed; the intermingling of heaven/hell with a 'mystical' earth. I thought they did an excellent job of fitting the areas together, and providing new and interesting ways to explore.

 

Furthermore, the combat is an absolute blast. Fury's whip is a great baseline, and the new archetypes are a lot of fun to play with (the visual changes to Fury are a nice touch too). I wasn't sick of the combat by the end of the game, even with the 'lack' of combos, etc. Though dodging (especially when surrounded) can be a bit iffy, and being stunned by every single enemy attack (even the little spider bois) can be frustrating, I had a great time overall. Combined with new methods of traversal, this made exploring the well-crafted world a lot more fun than it could have been.

 

Continuing with the 'stuff I liked' tradition, the overarching story & bosses here were - in my eyes - much better than Darksiders II. The game generally leaves you to your own devices to find the next boss (an aspect I grew to like over time, after initially disliking), but each 'Deadly Sin' was an excellent reflection of their area and theme. Some surprised me, some felt a bit contrived, but overall I loved the design and voice work on the bosses. They had distinct personality, and seeing the way they tempted Fury was always fun Boss battles themselves were also largely solid, with a few 'meh' ones thrown in there. A few suffered from the 'cool in theory, not so fun in practice', or 'hey, this is literally what I did in Souls' ideas... Ornstein and Smough in a derelict ship anyone?!?!

 

Now the bad... performance was a major issue throughout, only worsening in the late game. Visual bugs/glitches and severe frame-rate drops really impacted the gameplay. In a game like this, you need it to be rock-solid, or deaths can feel cheap and unfair. A few bosses caused this issue every single time, and when they can one-hit you, it's a big feels-bad. Character interaction and animation also felt like a bit of a step back from previous games in the series. Or maybe more that I expected more improvement after 6 years, compared to the actually-pretty-good Darksiders II. Platforming was also a bit iffy in parts, meaning that I couldn't always control Fury's movement to the degree I wanted.

 

Trophies here were basically fine, with a few outliers (as seems to be the norm these days). There are a few missables; one involving keeping a character alive in a boss fight, and another 2 relating to a 'side quest' that needs to be completed in a certain way. I would recommend checking at least the 'concept' of these ones before you play, since they are mid-to-late game decisions that could necessitate a whole new playthrough. That said, you can complete all other trophies in a single playthrough if you want. Apocalyptic difficulty is about what I expected from a Souls-like game... which is to say it's tough but fair until you work out the best ways to approach situations. A few one-hit boss moves can feel a little bit cheap though. There are also a few 'grindy' ones that will likely require about an hour (or more) of killing trash mobs, but nothing too arduous. Upgrading your weapon augments can be a 'missable' in a single playthrough too if you're like me and spread your resources too thinly.... overall though, a decent trophy list.

 

By way of recap, Darksiders III is a game that initially had me concerned, before blossoming and growing into a great game in its own right. It takes (more than) a few cues from Dark Souls and similar games, but the world design, story, characters and combat kept me coming back. Though I don't know if I'd say it's a 'better' game than Darksiders I or II, I can say that I probably had just as much if not more fun. I know the game wasn't great at launch (i.e. even worse in some areas), but the experience you get now is a very good one. Just be prepared to deal with somewhat poor performance, and a bit of jankiness, and you'll be fine haha.

 

Game rating: 8/10

Plat difficulty: 3/10 (NB: can play harder difficulty on NG+ if you want, makes it potentially easier)

 

[Inuty]

#178

Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (PS4)

Enjoyment: 9/10

Difficulty: 4/10 

Time: 65 Hours

[Jamescush147]

  Platinum 202 

Ultimate Vault Hunter
Unlock all Borderlands 3 Trophies.

22.13% Uncommon

 

 

Those Circles of Slaughter missions were tough. ?

 

My second Borderlands Plat!

 

Part One is next, Seems easier. Maybe.

[gabrieluiz94]

Ratchet & Clank: Into the nexus

[StraightVege]

 

THE POTION MASTER
Unlock all trophies

 

  #225 (2.86% Ultra Rare, Fastest Achiever!)

 

What sets this game apart from other run and gun 2D platformers? Its unique "two worlds" feature! As the pun in the title implies, pits aren't just deathtraps like in most retro games: instead, falling into a hole seamlessly drops the player into an upside-down, parallel version of the level, with its own layout, enemies, and color palette—every stage is a 2-in-1. Plenty of games in the genre have dabbled with inverted gameplay, but I'm not aware of any that made it the core concept in the way A Hole New World has.

 

You assume the role of "THE POTION MASTER" (really), a goofy looking sort of battle alchemist, on his quest to seal the rift between the two worlds by defeating a demon lord. Four potion types serve as your projectiles, three of which must be earned by defeating bosses - the starting blue flask is a simple projectile, thrown in an arc; Lightning unleashes vertical electricity that reaches the top of the screen; Fire-Ice is a peculiar potion, which changes elements each time it ricochets; Blood, the straightforward energy wave, is capable of passing through walls/ceilings, and also allows the player to double jump and slide. They're all useful in different situations, making for some fun strategy, but it can be a bit awkward to hit foes sometimes, because you don't unlock a reliable horizontal attack until late in the game. Additionally, you're accompanied by a fairy sidekick, Fay, who allows you to perform a charged blast. This is the most useful attack in the game, since it inflicts double damage to bosses.

 

Although you're running on the "ceiling" much of the time, it works surprisingly well, causing little disorientation, since the controls don't change at all in the inverted world. I give a lot of credit to the developers for trying something different, but they rarely used this idea to its full potential, unfortunately. There are a few interesting sections, such as when the player must float rapidly up and down between the worlds while avoiding spikes, or navigating an inverted maze. Most of the time, though, it's simply the exact same gameplay with the screen turned topsy-turvy, and that gameplay is typical genre fare⁠—nothing standout.

 

It also creates some really frustrating problems, like when enemies (and there are literally hundreds of cheap enemies in every level) bob between the worlds, getting cheap hits on you, or when you fall into unseen traps. It can feel like a real slog to get through the last two stages. Fighting the RNG-heavy bosses upside-down in NG+ mode is a headache, as well, and the game commits my biggest pet peeve in boss design: bosses that don't play the damn game. A couple of these bosses can spend half the battle hiding behind invincibility shields and I-frames, and with bad luck, they can do this multiple times in a row, only wasting the player's time. Even more aggravating, on screen boss attacks can still damage/kill you after the boss is already dead, and since the game slows down on the final hit for dramatic effect, dodging them becomes far more difficult. It often feels like the game was created based on what the development team thought was fun and "hardcore," without any playtesting whatsoever.

 

Don't get me wrong, though: this is a pretty solid title, with a cool idea at its core, even if it wasn't fully utilized. It's just not the first game I would recommend to action platformer addicts, as there's some very questionable design. If you're not an old-school masochist player type like me, you might hate it. It's quite short, too, unless you're replaying it for full completion (only five brief stages). By the way, the platinum is kind of a nightmare, so I'm not surprised to be only the 4th person to earn it in the NA version—and the fastest, apparently. Challenge Mode is a mess, Boss Rush requires both perfection and good RNG, and you can easily miss enemies or collectibles during the "Master Collector" playthrough, necessitating yet another run. Seeing as there was basically no information on the game, I posted a topic with some tips and videos HERE, in the event that anyone else wants to tackle this ultra rare.

 

Spoiler

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/87020054_1315316818652624_2991617396529168384_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=hvGshD2aZUYAX_5itjc&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&oh=ae9661cf12ea7370d6c3309a0e8aed10&oe=5EF557F1

 

 

Edited March 2, 2020 by ScarecrowsFate

[Whitelightnin683]

 #189 Tokyo Xanadu eX+

The Legend of the X.R.C.
Obtain all trophies.

Enjoyment:10/10

Time: ~70 hrs (my time 100hrs)

Difficulty: 5/10

 

No surprise that I enjoyed yet another Nihon Falcom game. Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is an enhanced PS4 port of the original ps vita version with an added extra story to wrap up some loose ends. As @Masamune pointed out in his recent platinum of the game, it is an action RPG with a Persona-esque story and setting. You'll spend half of the game exploring Morimiya and talking with various NPCs, completing quests, advancing the social rank with your favorite characters/party members and playing short, but fun minigames (Blade card game from TOCS is back!). The other half sees you fighting your way through the Eclipse with typical dungeon crawling elements. The combat is simple with enemies in each dungeon being weak to certain elements as well as flexible party setups/builds. 

 

As I did my first playthrough blind on hard difficulty for the most part ( I did look up the trophy guide see how many quests in each chapter), it did take me a bit longer to complete the game. I cleaned up with a guide on my second playthrough which was also where I started Calamity+Infinity difficulty. This mode isn't as bad I thought especially if someone makes use of certain elements such as Chaos Mirage (greatly extends I-frames jumping then dodging mid-air gives more) combined with Rakuyou ( Drive and EX points from dodging increase *3) and you won't really need to use elixirs to fill the drive gauge for example. That being said, the final boss is still tough. With an excellent soundtrack and good and likeable characters, I am hoping for a sequel one day since this games ending heavily implies it. As the game is on sale right now, I recommend this to anyone interested.

 

 

 

[Han_PL]

Bioshock 2

 

[No longer here]

 

#78: Bioshock 2

Enjoyment: 9/10

Difficulty: 4/10

 

I actually loved this game, not an upgrade from the first game but not a drop of quality!! This series has been great so far. Infinite is up next!!

 

 

#79: Bayonetta (PS4)

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 4.5/10

 

So glad I was able to play this!! Game was great and  not too difficult. I will play Vanquish soon

[Viscera1900]

 #243  -  Bioshock (PS4) 

 

 

Platinum Trophy

"Unlocked all trophies"

 

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 3/10

 

My first time exploring Rapture. This underwater city is full of mysteries. It has lots of things to discover and I think that's the biggest reason why I liked this game so much. The gameplay is fun too; you get lots of different types of weapons and plasmids( shooting fires, lightnings etc) to play with, so the combat system never felt boring. I have to thank PS+ for giving me a chance to try this game out. This is one of the many gems I missed from PS3/Xbox 360 era and I'm glad that I gave it a try. Will definitely play Bioshock 2 at some point.

 

[ZoutjeNL]

 Platinum #25 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Remastered (and 100%)

Enjoyment: 8

Difficulty: 5

 

After completing the second game two weeks or so ago I pretty much started working on the third one straight away. The game started strong. I loved seeing one of my favourite characters returning with full force as a prominent character in the game. It is also nice to see some more back story which really made the story come together. I also really liked the first area and setting of the game. However I was not a fan of all the chapters, especially the running sections and replaying chapter 18 was just very boring. One nice addition that got introduced in UC3 is throwing grenades back. A small but nice addition to the franchise. It is also nice seeing a few new characters getting introduced. While I am not a huge fan of the villain of the game (I found him the worst of the 3) it was still an enjoyable ride. Another complaint, I found the final fight underwhelming.

 

Overall the trophy list was pretty fun and not that hard. Like with 2 I did 3 playthroughs. The first one on Crushing while grabbing all collectibles. The 2nd playthrough on Brutal this time around I prefered getting it out of the way first so I could clean it up doing the speedrun. Overall I found Brutal not as bad as the 2nd game. I found only a few sections tricky which took me a couple of attempts. Overall I had a better time with brutal on this game compared to 2. On the downside, I found replaying the game less enjoyable than 2. The last playthrough I was just listening to music and podcasts just to make it less boring. I don't think I will replay this game in the future but the platinum journey was enjoyable. It was nice to see Drake's story continue with the other characters and while I am definitely going to take a break I already have a physical copy for 4 whenever I feel like it. 

 

If for whatever reason like me you haven't played this before it is definitely worth your time. 

 

 

[juakofoo94]

#55  





 The N. Credible Crash Bandicoot!  
Collect all the Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back trophies.

This game has some really difficult time trials but is not as hard as Crash 1. I think the slide jump and the ability to run makes things easier. Going for Crash 3 plat now!

[DamagingRob]

#440- Touhou Double Focus

Gensokyo Pulitzer Prize
Obtain all trophies.

 

Easier to just link my KYC reviews: Day 1 & Final Review. Getting used to the odd controls, and the dreaded Time Attack mode will be the biggest hurdles for getting this one. 

 

Platinum image and Time Attack stats:

Spoiler

One more death, and I would have been over the time limit. So stressful. Lol. Really don't like these kinda trophies. It's why I never finished Lumo. :/

[Undead Wolf]

 #307 - Yakuza Ishin

龍が如く 維新！

トロフィーを全て揃えた

 

I've been looking forward to playing this one for quite some time and it's just as awesome as I always hoped it would be. The language barrier really wasn't much of an issue because there's a very good guide out that go so far as describing what's happening in each cutscene. I would definitely recommend this to the bigger, more dedicated Yakuza fans out there. With this game complete, I now have the platinum in every Yakuza/Ryu ga Gotoku game except Yakuza 7 (I'm waiting for its western release).

 

 

Being set in 1800's Japan is a welcome change of pace from the usual Kamurocho and other modern day cities the series is known for. The combat radically differs from the norm too, with much more of an emphasis on swords and guns over fists. The gun style can be pretty OP, especially once you start diving into the blacksmithing mechanic. I'm not complaining though.  There were so many cool moments, both in cutscenes, and during things like boss battles. If you want to feel like a badass samurai, this is the game for you.

 

The platinum in this game is quite a beast. Doing everything in the completion list and Virya Catalog (basically a 2nd completion list) took me 119 hours. Some of the requirements involved things like completing the minigames with a high score, catching all types of fish, executing all Heat Actions, and so on. By far the most time-consuming task though was the one for crafting every single weapon and piece of armour. This requires an absurd amount of material grinding as you can imagine. The most difficult part for me was probably completing this song with a good rank. It feels just as intense at it looks! After about an hour or so of attempts though, I was finally able to do it. I wouldn't say everything else was a cakewalk per se, but that was the only thing that stood out to me as being difficult.

 

I love this game! If it ever does get a localisation, you can bet that I'll be doing this all over again.  I can't think of anything better to end this post with than the opening. It's one of the best in the series. ?

 

 

[ArmoredSnowman]

1 hour ago, Undead Wolf said:

 #307 - Yakuza Ishin

龍が如く 維新！

トロフィーを全て揃えた

 

I've been looking forward to playing this one for quite some time and it's just as awesome as I always hoped it would be. The language barrier really wasn't much of an issue because there's a very good guide out that go so far as describing what's happening in each cutscene. I would definitely recommend this to the bigger, more dedicated Yakuza fans out there. With this game complete, I now have the platinum in every Yakuza/Ryu ga Gotoku game except Yakuza 7 (I'm waiting for its western release).

 

 

 

 

Congrats

[SerpentSeed]

#88... Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroine's Infinite Duel.

[thinktank79]

#97 3 on 3 freestyle finally got the 200 mvp’s. Free to play game that I’d always come back to between games or when I’d didn’t have a lot of time & wanted something to zone out to. Big grind if you’re looking for trophies unless you’re really good or want to drop some money on it. Fun arcade basketball different from nba jam if that’s what you want though 

[Burek_san]

 

One Percenter

194 - Days Gone

good game with a good story going for 100 % 

[sunnydaleAlumni]

 

  Super-Perfectionist   Mastered Chaos;Child

 

Wowza. Smart, funny, heart-wrenching, grotesque & mind-bending. I absolutely loved it 

[Conor]

 #51- MY NAME IS MAYO (PS VITA)

 My Name is Mayo!  

 

Enjoyment: 10/10

Difficulty: 10/10

Time Taken: 42 Minutes & 10 Seconds (about 100 hours in-game)

Rarity: 93.3% Common (PSN) / 97.86% Common (PSNProfiles) because it's so good

Hardest Trophy: What do we do now? (  Gold)- Unlock all the rewards!

 

"Even if you say you don't like mayonnaise, it's possible that it's in some of your favourite foods..."

 

Anybody got a spare thumb they aren't using? And a sawcutter? And some glue/ sewing kit? My thumb has started to turn black and smell funny and it hurts really bad oh GOD please make it stop!

[madbuk]

#362 - De Blob 2

I had originally played this years ago on PS3, and i remembered enjoying it quite a bit but also remembered the levels dragging on a lot longer than they really should've. Upon replaying it, the levels are pretty lengthy but I don't think it's unreasonably so. I think I prefer this one to the first game overall, but there's not a huge difference in gameplay between the two. The story is pretty bad, it's just there for an excuse to get you from level to level, which is fine, it serves its purpose well. The time limit was a lot stricter in this game than the last game and I won't pretend I didn't use the time extender cheat code from time to time, these levels are so long that I'd hate to have to fully redo one because I ran out of time.

 

If we ever get a de Blob 3 (I hope we do tbh), what I'd like most out of it is for it to remove the timer, gives us more levels overall but make them shorter in length, have better collectible tracking so you know roughly which area you're missing a style/gallery icon/etc... Release de Blob 3, THQ. You can do it. As a side note btw, I somehow managed to get fastest achiever on this. Nifty. 

[Deluziion90]

Platinum #254 - Red Dead Redemption 2

Legend of the West

 

Current Rarity PSNP: 1.95%

Current Rarity PSN: 0.1%

 

Difficulty: 5/10

Fun: 7/10

Grind and soul destroying 10/10

 

254 platinums but by far this is my #1 most dedicated platinum I've ever gone for since I started my 100% journey on PSNP. And so happy with this one I could start a party right now !

 

So how was the game?

Story: 1 Year and  a few month's ago I bought the game on release and what an amazing 10/10 story this game had to offer me and Arthur is probably one of my favorite characters ever! I loved everything about it and got some weird trophies along the way. 

 

Road to platinum

My first objective were 2 trophies:

Skin Deep
Skin every species of animal in Story Mode.

Zoologist Study every animal across all states in Story Mode

 

Well around 70% done and if I remember correctly days and maybe 2 weeks of grinding this game broke me. I just couldn't run around any longer and was so annoyed running around all day on my days not working just searching for stupid animals.

 

So a year passed and I got a whole bunch of platinums and was bored and decided to just fill up my time with some RDR2 again. Well the 2 shitty trophies went rather quick with all the new guides online and I got both of these trophies.

After that I was hooked and grinded the past month day and night to get all other trophies done. I'm completely drained and tired and going to take a few days off and not touch my PS4  

 

Big thanks for all the guides and help  

GTASeries for all the misc trophies

Platinum chasers for the gold medals in story

@HusKy for this amazing script because that would probably made me rage quit once again on 1 challange.

[seyhano]

10 hours ago, Stan Lee said:

The part with the red bra was really tough. Congratulations.

 

 

 #51- MY NAME IS MAYO (PS VITA)

 My Name is Mayo!  

 

Enjoyment: 10/10

Difficulty: 10/10

Time Taken: 42 Minutes & 10 Seconds (about 100 hours in-game)

Rarity: 93.3% Common (PSN) / 97.86% Common (PSNProfiles) because it's so good

Hardest Trophy: What do we do now? (  Gold)- Unlock all the rewards!

 

"Even if you say you don't like mayonnaise, it's possible that it's in some of your favourite foods..."

 

Anybody got a spare thumb they aren't using? And a sawcutter? And some glue/ sewing kit? My thumb has started to turn black and smell funny and it hurts really bad oh GOD please make it stop!

 

[Akeachi]

Platinum #5 - Titanfall 2

Enjoyment : 9/10

Difficulty : 3/10

This game is awesome! It became my favourite FPS I've played on the PS4 (After Overwatch)

And it's without a doubt, the most underrated game this gen because of the timeframe it released in.

 

The multiplayer is great but the highlight for me was the story mode! I really enjoyed it! Every level had some cool ideas to them. And I liked the interactions between Cooper (you, the player) and BT

 

The level design is really good too, the movement is just so much fun which made to interesting and polished platforming sections

 

It's really sad that I doubt that we'll get Titanfall 3 because of 2 bad sales and the fact that they're working on Apex Legends now and it's definitely making them more money than Titanfall so I don't think they would bother but I still have hope

 

Platinum-wise it's really easy. Even Becomes the master isn't hard at all, I got it in like 20-30 mins of trial and error

[NullSpace84]

 

 

#44: Azur Lane: Crosswave

 

At long, overdue last, I earned my premiere platinum of 2020, on 03/03! It was a fun voyage, rife with shipfu, that embarked. Azur Lane: Crosswave has its share of flaws, owing to its over-adherence to the mobile game’s framework, plus Compile Heart’s trademark unglamourous grindy habit, but it largely succeeds as its own naval deal and pleased me greatly to wade through - ah, but one ought to know, beforehand, which class of video game one would enter, here:

 

This is a text-heavy game. I repeat: This is a text-heavy game. Whether you favor or disfavor Crosswave’s final product largely hinges upon your affinity for plentiful exchanges of dialogue. A decisive skew toward visual novel circumnavigates Crosswave's core shipgirl skirmishes; as such, the end result, while certainly not “5 minutes of gameplay total” as snided elsewhere, piles on the talkin’ among Crosswave’s cast of 28 playable, 35 support, and 3 extra ladies. A quick dip into the shipyard reveals what’s up.

 

AL: Crosswave plays out on the open seas. The quick-paced 3D skirmishes get up with frenzy, since a shipgirl can skate across the surface of the water much swifter than an old iron broadside. Fleets deploy up to 3 to a side, drawn from the 28 playables up front and passively flanked by the 35 support gals who auto-activate support skills from offscreen. Lighter ships rely upon their pew-pew guns to buy time and chip damage until they can launch torpedoes or heavy volleys, whereas heavier ships blast with their battle cannons or launch small squadrons of dogfighters and bombers to assault their opponents. Each shipgirl can also access on cooldowns a (truthfully over-convenient) lock-on volley and a unique skill which was sourced from the base AL game. A small assortment of mass-produced enemy boats and aircraft comprises the literal cannon fodder. Since the game adheres to Azur Lane’s ranking system, clashes play out in under 120 seconds for S Ranks, meaning they can at times feel unsatisfyingly incomplete. An array of 110 Extreme Battles on the side mildly mitigates any lulls away from the field of engagement, during the story mode’s 7 chapters of talkin’ and seafaring events. The story itself offers decent conversation from several popular AL mainstays like Enterprise and Akagi, not to mention an extended look at merchantess-turned-emcee Akashi, plus actual character development for its protagonist duo, Shimakaze and Suruga, neither of whom irritated me on the regular - no, rather, I grew fond of both. It nestles to its credit into a midsection between CH’s more sorrowful darker entries (Death End Re;Quest & Dragon Star Varnir) and their peppier puffs of plot (Hyperdimension Neptunia). I happen to like reams of crunchy dialogue in video games, and Crosswave provided several quality and/or grin-worthy moments for me in its tale. Nonetheless, it /can/ really drag on when a half-dozen chats, half of them idle, intersperse between meaningful battle rounds. As I alluded, the Extreme Battles serve as concise but energized action if one’s itching for a match. Do note that variety isn’t much of a component - in the absence of terrain, the ocean can only give a thin surface, and these gals sure don’t jump.

 

The character models look acceptable - pleasant, if pretty standard, for the budget, with small but fitting animations. A tad too many seiyuu chirp in their voice acting for my liking, but several others carry themselves with womanly heft, and audio can be adjusted and muted as desired - recently touching Final Fantasy XIII, for example, reminded me of how far standard-issue customization options have arrived, and games now are richer for them! Speaking of audio, it /immediately/ struck me that Compa assigned their veteran, Kenji Kaneko, to score half of Crosswave’s soundtrack. This composer employs obvious musical traits to the attentive ear, such as 16-bar sections which love to shift from a minor sixth on the 15th bar to the home chord on the 16th bar. This trend dates all the way back to Cross Edge, on early PS3, and it kinda betrays the product as an Idea Factory jam. Not unlikable music, mind, merely somewhat formulaic. Mr. Yugi Sugiura, of Death End Re;Quest and Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online (among others), handles the other, less Neppish tunes. I tended to like his output stronger, on the whole.

 

I would be remiss not to mention the trophy legwork (uh...hull? rigging?). Nothing at all is missable, nor difficult, particularly on the game’s pushover Easy mode; Normal begins soft but gradually ramps up to medium-soft; Hard converts enemy aircraft carriers into damage soaks and can KO one’s fleet in one or two mistimed dodges or force-field blocks. For trophies, no particular difficulty mode is mandated. The iffy (....I apologize) affection grind takes the platinum to task, is all, needing 10 completed vanguard or support deployments per character +plus+ 10 (can be concurrent) matches cleared with each lass set as the base’s secretary, for a total of 630 minimum sorties across story mode and Extreme Battles. You’re looking at, mmm, 300, 360, maaaybe 400 of those to clear the story mode and pre-affection grinds? Grab a book, YouTube, the mobile Azur Lane - *some*thing, as you cycle through waves of 10 clears of the approx. 25-second Extreme Battle #001. I truly do wish that this platinum postgame tidied more neatly and less vapidly, since it weighs down the nice finale otherwise.

 

Azur Lane brought me increasing joy the more I played it and endeared to my favorite shipgirls, and Crosswave subsequently delighted me in multiple ways. Budgets and simplicity ensure that Compa games can’t compete with Final Fantasy or Tales of… for scale of grandeur, but they positively -can- warm the interested heart. I would earnestly welcome an enhanced, improved sequel: not sacrificing any crunchy dialogue, but tuning and rounding the general flow and structure of the video game, probably ditching AL’s grading stipulations for a more expansive operation on the crystal blue water. I am *definitely* gladdened that it delivered on my measured expectation, and I’ll see Clevebro and the other 65 shipfu off with a cheery smile. Tally ho~!

 

[juakofoo94]

#56  





 The N. Vincible Crash Bandicoot!  
Collect all the Crash Bandicoot: Warped trophies.

I think this platinum is the easiest of the three games (being the first one the hardest by far). I'm really happy of having obtained the 3 platinum trophies and I've had enough of Crash for a while, this game is quite challenging in some parts lol.