Professor Starcrunch's Playstation Plats 101

[starcrunch061]

Hi all! I've been a member here for a while (longer than some, not as long as others). In real life, I teach math at a large university. It's great, but not as great as talking about video games.

 

So, I've decided to do my own checklist. It will be a work in progress for some time, but my hope is to give each plat and 100% a small blurb, where I can give some details on the game, as well as a grade for the game itself and the trophies for the game, before averaging them together with a very complicated formula to give an overall grade. It's all very scientific, I assure you.

 

(Note that there might actually be REAL spoilers in some of my game grades, so open those tags with that caveat.)

 

Plus, it gives me an opportunity to learn more about all of the awesome posting features provided by psnprofiles, my favorite time-waster on the net! (I'm actually at work right now, so thank the taxpayers of Iowa for this checklist!)

 

In any case, I hope that someone enjoys my nonsense. Certainly, it has to be better than my calc classes.

 

Also, as you peruse the game list, feel free to enjoy Motoi Sakuraba's contributed soundtrack, courtesy of Youtube.

 

PLATS 1-25

 

 

FALLOUT 3

 

 

First Trophy: February 16th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: March 24th, 2009

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Obviously, tons of people have played this game (and this seems to be the cherry-pop platinum for lots of people as well). I love the mix of 1st-person shooter and RPG here. A lot of people complain about the VATS system, but I think it's just fine. This would definitely be an A-grade game, except for the myriad glitches and freezes which I had to endure. About the only thing I can say is it worked better than Fallout: New Vegas.

Trophy Grade: A-

I really like the trophies in this one. There are plenty of plot-driven trophies (and in an RPG, I like that the trophies remind me of the game I played, as opposed to the crap I collected). The karma trophies can be annoying, although you can get them all in one playthrough. The designs of these trophies are among my favorite of any game. It's not the best trophy list I've seen, but it's a fine one.

Final Grade: B+

Obviously, this is a well-known game, so I can't add much to the collective knowledge here. What I will say is that this was my first experience (though not my last) with a console game that should have flunked a ton of QC tests. It's a fun game, no doubt, and the trophies help, but the freezes are what I remember most, so definitely not A-grade.

 

 

 

  DYNASTY WARRIORS 6: EMPIRES

 

First Trophy: July 17th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: July 22, 2009

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I have been a Dynasty Warriors fan since purchasing the original on the PS1 (which was a pretty crappy 2-D fighter). I've read and re-read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so even bad games still find their way onto my shelf. And I'm one of the few people who liked the button-mashing nonsense of Dynasty Warriors VI.

 

This isn't a bad game, but it's not particularly good, either. It was certainly the worst of the Empires game I had played to date, and probably the worst Warriors title since the PS1. Even for rinse-and-repeat masters KOEI, this is a pretty mediocre offering.

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies are very easy, but do nothing to add to the game. One never has to play on higher difficulties, or really do anything other than the bare minimum to get the plat. Of course, there are tons of games like this, but they don't generally come from my favorite series. Warriors games should do better (and they do with later offerings).

Final Grade: B-

No matter how you slice it, this is a forgettable chunk of a franchise that has mostly been forgotten in the West. It's too bad - I always thought the Empires games had amazing potential, but I gave up on them after this offering.

 

 

 

  DISGAEA 3

 

First Trophy: July 26th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: August 20th, 2009

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: #49 (as of September 10th, 2015)

Game Grade: A-

Now we're talking. Disgaea 3 is a great game, and a great addition to the series. No, it doesn't do anything revolutionary, but it offers the same solid gameplay as previous outings, with a fun story to boot. Of course, cameos of past characters appear in the postgame madness (and it is madness), and this was the first Disgaea where I went all out to create an uber character (a female ninja with attack hovering at 100,000,000). I wasted a good chunk of time on this game, and I don't regret it in the least.

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies were obviously an afterthought here, patched after the release of the game. I suppose they designed the trophies not to make people start over, but it just feels weird that a game with multiple endings doesn't have a single trophy attached to the plot. Moreover, the luck-based trophies involving the pirates were more annoying than anything (and I'm thankful that I actually beat each set of pirates on the first encounter - I might have gone crazy waiting for Prinny Pirates to appear again had I lost). While I personally enjoyed the reverse-pirating trophies, the "throw this person so far" trophies were just inane, to say nothing of the silly "10,000,000,000 damage" trophy. All in all, a disappointing outing for trophies. And don't even get me started on the trophy images.

Final Grade: B+

At the end of the day, I enjoyed much of Disgaea 3, but the trophies did diminish the experience.

 

 

 

  CABELA'S OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

First Trophy: September 10th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: September 12th, 2009

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: #22 (as of September 10th, 2015)

Game Grade: D

While I can only speak to this game, I can't understand how this series stays around. Cabela's Outdoor Adventure was a snoozefest, with some of the most ridiculously contrived hunts I could imagine. I think I shot two grizzly bears with a single shot muzzle loader at one point. Did I catch 10 fish in a five minute period? Could I really see the stink trail of deer crap? I thought these games sold themselves on their authenticity? Still, it was a relatively relaxing plat. I think only a fishing challenge and a duck hunting challenge gave me any trouble. But there were times I wanted to riddle my guide's body with bullet holes when he complained that I wasn't following close enough.

Trophy Grade: C

The trophies aren't much better. A lot of them depend on your ability to hunt particular animals in a "challenge" scenario. Of course, that challenge was nullified once I could create a giant albino version of the animal in question. Easy trophies, sure, but not particularly good ones.

Final Grade: C-

There are many games for which I cannot fathom the appeal to...anyone. Cabela's is one of them. I can understand trophy whores like me playing it, but other gamers? Actual hunters? I just don't see it. Avoid.

 

 

 

  ROCK BAND 2

 

First Trophy: August 3rd, 2009

Platinum Achieved: September 13th, 2009

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

I am a major fan of music games. I'm no superstar at them, but I can hold my own fairly well. I personally like Guitar Hero games best, but Rock Band 2 definitely was satisfactory. My only real gripe was the amount of repetition necessary just to get through the main game. Obviously, a player will have to hear certain songs over and over, but it seemed like I always heard the crappy songs. Also, some of the tracks weren't particularly good recordings (Battery immediately comes to mind). Finally, some of the songs were total crap (I never want to hear Visions again). But all in all, a nice, varied set list together with solid play mechanics made for a great game.

Trophy Grade: B+

The Bladder of Steel is the most annoying trophy, by far. I'm so thankful I was able to knock out all of the Endless Setlist trophies simultaneously. Also, there was an odd trophy that required a player to win an online challenge, but the majority of the time, the challenge required DLC. Lame. Still, despite these flaws, I generally enjoyed the trophies. Not the hardest music game trophies out there (and certainly not the hardest Rock Band trophies out there), but a perfectly fine challenge that I was happy to overcome.

Final Grade: A-

I don't play music games as much as I used to, because the GH instruments just seemed to break down on me. That's too bad, because Rock Band 2 brings back pleasant memories. It's not GH: Metallica, but it's still fun to play. I recommend it if it's cheap.

 

 

 

  MINI NINJAS

 

First Trophy: September 14th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: September 16th, 2009

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

The first of many, MANY kid's games was a good one. Mini Ninjas reminded me of some of the simpler fare of the past (not so much in its content, but in its spirit). It doesn't get too bogged down in collectibles, the characters are likable, the bosses are cute (except maybe the one that farts all the time), and the game enhances this through simple but effective art direction. An easy, pleasant game.

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies. They're there, and that's that. It's pretty much what you would expect. Some plot-related ones. Some collectible ones. Some sidequest ones. Some "get X kills doing this" ones. Nothing particularly original, but it works OK for the game. 

Final Grade: B

This is a great game for trophy whores, because you actually enjoy the whoring. I would not have minded this game being even longer to play. It's a nice, pleasant game in the fat part of the curve (not showing off, not falling behind).

 

 

 

  BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM

 

First Trophy: August 25th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: October 11th, 2009

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

I admit - I had reservations about this one. You just can never tell with licensed products (particularly superhero games). But of course, history has borne out that Arkham Asylum is one of the top-flight games on the system. Batman has never been better (or, at least, he hasn't been better since the days of the NES). Grabbing the voice actors from the Bruce Timm animated series (which I own in its entirety) only further engrossed me in the universe. And that fighting system! How a system that basically has you pressing one button could be so cool, I'll never know. But it is. Great game.

Trophy Grade: A

I'm not going to lie - I didn't like these trophies for a long time. While I enjoyed combat, I didn't much enjoy combat challenges (particularly timed ones). But, with a little advice from a friend, I got better, and finally put this to rest. Still, I think the trophies relied on too many of these challenges. It created an artificial difficulty - people gave up not because they were unable to do the challenges, but because they were getting tiresome. I know I did for a long time. But outside of that, trophies are nice. There are some great surprises in there (one of my favorites was Party Pooper, which I got quite randomly because I just wanted to beat the hell out of bad guys, Batman-style). 

Final Grade: A

A fringe candidate for my top 5. I don't think it quite makes the cut, but it's a great game nonetheless. Of course, everyone already knows this, but if you haven't played, I highly recommend that you do. 

 

 

 

  DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS

 

First Trophy: November 3rd, 2009

Platinum Achieved: November 18th, 2009

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: #5 (as of September 10th, 2015)

Game Grade: A-

Dragon Age rode an amazing hype machine to a rousing success, but that success was well earned. A robust character customization, coupled with story lines where choices are remarkably relevant makes this RPG offering a joy to play (even for the three times I needed for the plat). Each story ends roughly the same way, granted, but the twists and turns made each playthrough feel unique (so much so that I ended up playing through it one more time after the plat). I loved that I was able to become the king of Ferelden, a kingmaker dwarf, and a jilted lover that consigns her love to death. Good stuff. I would normally make this an A+ game, but...Bioware. Although I didn't know it at the time, Bioware is another of those studios whose QC standards are less than satisfactory. Freezes, glitches - you name it, it's here. Thankfully, I didn't glitch out on the traveler trophy like so many others. But it's more than enough to drop the grade to A-.

Trophy Grade: A-

Even though I enjoyed the game immensely, three separate playthroughs (as a warrior, rogue and mage) is a lot to ask. Further, when one of your trophies (which only unlocks at the end of the game) is glitched as well, you have issues. I generally liked the trophies, as they allowed me to explore choices and plot lines I might otherwise have missed (notably the werewolf plot line, which would simply have gone unnoticed). But you need your trophies to unlock properly.

Final Grade: A-

This is another of those well-known games that I won't add much to existing knowledge. Dragon Age: Origins, despite its problems, is a fine title worthy of a playthrough. Whether it's worthy of a platinum hunt, though, is a question only each player can answer.

 

 

 

  DEMON'S SOULS

 

First Trophy: December 3rd, 2009

Platinum Achieved: January 10th, 2010

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

While Dark Souls (to be reviewed later) is my favorite game on the PS3, I might never have given it a try were it not for the spiritual predecessor of Demon's Souls. Demon's Souls does so very little wrong, and so very much right. Gameplay that might be tough, but is always fair. Art design that actually works within the universe created. God - I played this game long after getting the platinum (and in fact, I platted it again on my account, and plat it twice more on my wife's account).

 

The game keeps so much of the feel of earlier King's Field games, but improves on them so much. I would have never believed that FROM Software would kick the crap out of other Japanese big boys like Square and Capcom, but playing this, it's not hard to see why they rose so quickly. I strongly recommend it to anyone.

Trophy Grade: A

I love the look of the trophies. I love the fact that the trophies remind me so much of the game. But I did NOT like the "wait for random drops of stones" in multiple places. Further, since I played as a mage character, many of these stones (such as Pure Bladestone) held no interest to me beyond getting a trophy. Unfortunately, trophies for trophy sake might be fine as a collector's dogma, but should never be used by a designer.

Final Grade: A+

I would say that Demon's Souls is one of the 5 best games I've played on the PS3, and one of my favorite games of all time. If you haven't played it, I strongly recommend it.

 

 

 

  BAKUGAN BATTLE BRAWLERS

 

First Trophy: January 31, 2010

Platinum Achieved: February 2nd, 2010

Rarity: RARE (surprising!)

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I don't dislike Bakugan, and at times I genuinely enjoyed it. But man - do they combine a ton of weird stuff! The whole "throw your Bakugan, roll it through tons of bonuses, and land it on a playboard" thing was just strange, and so unlike the actual point, which was to fight Pokemon-style with little beasties. I was disappointed in the lack of any real travel in the game (you only "travel" through about 5 or 6 screens, total, throughout the game). But still, while this kid ain't graduating at the head of the class, he's still getting out in the middle of the pack.

Trophy Grade: B-

Like the game, the trophies don't offend, but they often annoy. If you need proof, look at the strangely low plat percentage of a relatively easy game. There are lots of trophies that involve exploiting various aspects of the battle system. However, you never really need to exploit these aspects in order to win the battles in the game. You just do it to get the trophy. Again, trophies for trophies' sake doesn't cut it as a designer mantra. 

Final Grade: B-

There are worse ways to spend your time, and it is a quick plat. But there are also many other great games out there. I can't really recommend to anyone unless they want trophies (or if they want to see a strange mash-up of different genres that don't work very well together).

 

 

 

  CARS: RACE-O-RAMA

 

First Trophy: February 3rd, 2010

Platinum Achieved: February 4th, 2010

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: F

Cars is that game. You know the one. The one that slaps a brand name on a shoddy product, in hopes of suckering parents into buying it for their kids. When I was young, this didn't happen - kid's games had names like Super Mario Brothers 3 and The Legend of Zelda. But nowadays, that's too hard for kids (supposedly), so shoddy developers and shady publishers have filled the void with this crap. To be fair, licensed games have actually been a bit better than usual this generation. But not Cars. Even for a one day plat, this isn't worth your time. Atrocious racing mechanics, coupled with annoying so-called "plot sequences" makes for a lousy day-long experience.

Trophy Grade: C-

Probably overrated, but the trophies are at least very easy to obtain. They are your standard dreck. Score this random number of points in this race. Collect random items during races. I'm sick of thinking about this game.

Final Grade: D-

This game passes the course with a gentleman's D-. It offered me an easy plat as a bribe. I'm not made of stone.

 

 

 

  BAND HERO

 

First Trophy: February 2nd, 2010

Platinum Achieved: February 9th, 2010

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I feel like I should have liked Band Hero more. After all, I love music games. But I didn't. The mediocre set list didn't help. Pop works well with singing games, but not so much with full-plastic-instrument games. It plays well enough, but it feels so inferior to its contemporary Guitar Hero 5 that I'm actually ashamed to put the two games in the same sentence.

Trophy Grade: B-

Music game trophies are often a mess because they require either outlandish online devotion (with lousy servers to boot), or random scores on songs (with trophies that are often hidden). Thankfully, many of Band Hero's trophies which were nominally online could be done offline (I actually discovered this trick while playing Guitar Hero 5). However, this game had one set of 19 remarkably strange trophies. Called "Secret Notes N", these trophies apparently required you to play certain notes on certain songs perfectly. I say "apparently" because honestly, I never figured out what was going on when I actually played it. I would play some songs, and a trophy would randomly pop with a description that looked like a failed Hangman game. All in all, I didn't really enjoy platting this as much as I should have, which is the reason for the lowered score.

Final Grade: B-

Band Hero is that forgotten music game. It's still an ultra-rare plat, but it's nowhere near as difficult as other games in the genre. It's OK for what it is, but it's better as a singing party game, preferably after enough drinks to make the songs less annoying.

 

 

 

  HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE

 

First Trophy: February 13th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: February 14th, 2010

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C+

Why, here we are! Probably THE most notorious trophy whoring game. It's not great, but I didn't offend me. The rhythm game sections were hilarious (and hilariously easy), and if this was the whole game, I would easily give it a B. However, I was forced to do other stupid stuff like ride a horse and...shop. So, it's getting a C+.

Trophy Grade: B+

How can you not like a game that spits out a trophy every five minutes? And I'm not even kidding - 42 trophies in around 200 minutes of play for me (and ACTUALLY, when I played this, I got delayed for thirty minutes because my wife needed help with laundry). Further, I think the first trophy that popped was a gold trophy. Cha-CHING!

 

The trophies also explore every aspect of the game (for better or worse). Still, I just feel dirty rating anything about this game as an A- or better. So, it gets a B+.

Final Grade: B-

Make fun all you want (and my wife still gives me crap about this game to this very day), but Hannah Montana is FAR from the worst game on the system, and is surprisingly playable. Or, I've deluded myself into thinking so.

 

 

 

  HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

 

First Trophy: February 13th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: February 17th, 2010

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

Now, here's a nice B-grade game from a B-grade movie. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince doesn't do much very well, but it doesn't do much poorly, either. There's a nice mix of tasks (which is what I would expect of a game that is supposed to be about a kid in a magic school). The world (in this case, Hogwart's) is worth exploring. There are silly collectibles, but they have nothing to do with the game. All in all, this was a pretty fun experience.

Trophy Grade: C

The trophies, on the other hand, are a disappointment. At first, they seem perfect. Plot-driven trophies, together with trophies requiring mastery of the many tasks in the school (Quidditch, potion making, etc.) - this is what trophies should be about, right? But then, the collectibles. Fifteen trophies are tied to collectibles. And of course, I missed one. Somewhere. Had I not been exceedingly lucky, I probably would rate this even worse. God - I HATE POINTLESS COLLECTIBLES.

Final Grade: B-

The slight downturn is due to trophies, but Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is an otherwise-fine game. If only the next game could say that...but that's for later. 

 

 

 

  MONSTERS VS. ALIENS

First Trophy: February 22nd, 2010

Platinum Achieved: February 27th, 2010

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

Everyone always has those games that they really like, but no one else can understand. For me, that game is Monsters Vs. Aliens. I don't know what it is, but I really, REALLY enjoyed playing the game. The banter is every bit as annoying as you would expect. The gameplay isn't bad, but is hardly noteworthy. But somehow, it just all came together for me. I would play it again right now, without a moment's hesitation. I would even suffer through one of the most annoying trophies ever. I just like it...

Trophy Grade: C+

...but I do NOT like these trophies. Plot trophies are fine. Those "do well in this challenge" trophies? Perfect. But the trophy for beating the game while failing less than 10 times is so utterly out of place here, and so, SO annoying. I can't remember how often I had to exit to the XMB, but once was too much. That kind of trophy just doesn't make sense in a kid's game (and this is certainly a kid's game - you can actually enter the game as player 2, and shoot enemies before they attack your kid playing the game). 

Final Grade: B+

Again, I fully understand if people take me to task for it, but this game was quite good to me.

 

 

 

  WWE LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA

 

First Trophy: February 27th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: March 4th, 2010

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

I sought this game out because I wanted something that paid homage to the wrestlers I remembered as a kid (I actually own The Wrestling Album, on vinyl). This game wasn't bad, but it left me wanting more. I did enjoy revisiting the memories of Wrestlemanias past, though I did NOT enjoy trying to act them out in the game.

Trophy Grade: B-

Not offensive, but certainly not stellar. The trophies are quite easy. But I had a hard time doing some of the "relive" moments, because the control seemed to betray me at the worst times.

Final Grade: B-

Having grown up on basic wrestling games like Mat Mania and Pro Wrestling, I was happy to revisit the genre for the first time since the NES days. And it wasn't a bad vacation. But sometimes, nostalgia is best left in the past.

 

 

 

  UP

 

First Trophy: March 4th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: March 4th, 2010

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I'm not going to lie - I have no real memories of this game outside of finding pointless badges and, at some point, having a dogfight(?) in a plane. But I don't remember being particularly fond of this one, nor particularly hateful towards it. Basically, Up is the guy that sits in the back of the lecture hall, does his work, and gets out of the class without anyone ever knowing his name. I'm sure more of these will follow.

Trophy Grade: B-

See above

Final Grade: B-

Obviously, I got the plat in a day, so I didn't rage quit. But again, meh.

 

 

 

 

  HEAVY RAIN

 

First Trophy: March 21st, 2010

Platinum Achieved: March 22nd, 2010

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

A friend of mine (Cauchy-Schwarz, another math prof at a college who is a far greater trophy hunter than I) came up with an idea that I and my wife and he and his wife should play Heavy Rain together, in one evening, with each of us taking over one character's actions. It was remarkably fun. Unfortunately, as a single player game, it never came CLOSE to being that fun. Seriously - this might be the most overrated game of the generation. A story that mashes up scenes from disparate movies like Minority Report, Saw, 2001, etc. (and doesn't mash them up particularly well), coupled with gameplay that might have been more at home in Don Bluth's Dragon's Lair? It just doesn't add up to the success that it was. I guess it had tits in it, though.

Trophy Grade: F

Compared to the trophies, however, the game is Shakespeare. I HATE the trophies in this game. They are the most contrived nonsense imaginable. If my choices are meant to drive the game, for God's sake, HAVE THE TROPHIES RECOGNIZE THIS. Thank God Telltale got this right with The Walking Dead. But no - here, we have to reach the end of the game with all the characters, and fail with every one of them. 'Cuz that's a perfectly natural choice to make when playing a game. 

 

Again, I am so thankful for Cauchy-Schwarz, who created an efficiency guide on ps3trophies.org which allowed one to get the plat in a little less than 12 hours. Of course, he was reviled for doing this, because HOW DARE ANYONE PLAY THE GAME THE WAY THEY WANT? YOU RUINED IT! BLAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!

...

...

...sorry - thinking of the trophies in this game again gives me nightmares. Do I even need to tell you that I stayed far away from Beyond: Two Souls?

Final Grade: D

Say it with me - OVERRATED.

 

 

 

  ICE AGE 3

 

First Trophy: April 11th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: April 13, 2010

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

Yet another of those games I have few memories of. I remember disliking portions of this (notably, rolling on an egg) for the sake of trophies. But I can't really comment much more on gameplay. A friend and I each had gamefly. We traded easy games. We platted them quickly.

Trophy Grade: C

I do remember just enough about the trophies...to knock them down a letter grade. Egg roll challenges sucked.

Final Grade: C+

There are better kid's games. There are much better trophy lists. But there are few easier trophy lists. Trophy whores, come one come all!

 

 

 

 

  LAST REBELLION

 

First Trophy: April 17th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: April 19, 2010

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: F

Well, here's a game that's best left forgotten. This game is atrocious. If you haven't played it, don't. Seriously. There are few games to which I would give an F, but this is one of them. The graphics are offensive. The gameplay is absurdly bland. And the battle system is reminiscent to one which a friend and I created for our own homebrew RPG...back in 1993. I'm not even kidding (and actually, I think ours was better, as it at least made some logical sense what body part you should attack and when).

 

Stay far, far away from this game. Even in a generation where the JRPG has plunged in popularity and quality, this game is just awful

Trophy Grade: C

The trophies mostly do what you expect. They are based on plot for the most part, although there are some given for defeating optional bosses. All are very easy with appropriate guides, so trophy whores can get a plat in around a devoted day. I don't think it's worth it, looking back, so caveat <Latin word for "player">.

 

The trophy images do look good, however.

Final Grade: D-

Make no mistake - this game is not worth your time. It is one of the "sucky games" you can create on Neptunia: Victory (at least, according to fan sites). The only reason it gets the slight bump is because I like the trophy images. Seriously, that's it.

 

 

 

  WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

 

First Trophy: April 20th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: April 22, 2010

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

Sorry - if you sit in the back of the class and say nothing, you'll get your grade, but I won't remember you.

Trophy Grade: C

For whatever reason, this is when I remember starting to hate collectible trophies. Previous games on my plat list have collectibles, but this game really sent it into overdrive. The collectibles existed solely to make you do stuff. No rewards outside of trophies. BORING.

Final Grade: C+

Ahem - trophy whores, you know the drill. The rest of you, continue forgetting it.

 

 

 

  3-D DOT GAME HEROES

 

First Trophy: May 11th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: May 20th, 2010

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: #11 (as of September 10th, 2015)

Game Grade: A+

I won't lie - while this game might have flown under the radar for most, I knew about it months before release, and eagerly anticipated its arrival. And I was not disappointed. A loving tribute (and, at times, blatant rip-off) of top-down action RPGs of the past (most notably, A Link to the Past), 3-D Dot Game Heroes starts strong and never lets up. From the acquisition of tools necessary to open new portions of the world map, to the random denizens of caves throughout the countryside, the Zelda influence is obvious (and, did I mention that there is a 2nd quest, in the guise of FROM mode?). And instead of having swords that shoot blades, you have gigantic swords that take up the whole screen when you attack! Also, there is a Spelunker mode, where a single hit from any enemy means immediate death (and this mode is opened through a hilarious "cut scene" during play). While the game sends up many games of the past, it doesn't fall into the trap of, say, Hyperdimension Neptunia, and get TOO wrapped up in its satire. I highly recommend this game.

Trophy Grade: A-

The trophies have a lot of good, mixed with a little bad. There are easily-missable trophies that require almost slavish devotion to guides. But, to balance that out, there are awesome trophies that require you to get bosses in your bestiary (by literally beating them with the bestiary), or beating bosses without getting hit. And of course, who can forget the minigames? Well, most people would, were it not for the trophies. I like them much, but I hate those missable ones (not least because I had to do a lot of them on FROM mode, which was a pain).

Final Grade: A

One of my favorite games on the system, a fringe top-5 candidate. I think this game is cheap now, so if you have any hint of nostalgia, but haven't played this one, I highly recommend it.

 

 

  HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

First Trophy: June 28th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: July 1st, 2010

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C+

How did such a good movie turn into such a bland, tasteless game? How to Train Your Dragon gets boring fast. Basically, you train dragons. To fight in tournaments. It's all very easy, but very annoying.

Trophy Grade: B-

Final Grade: C+

Not really worth your time. 

 

 

 

  TERMINATOR: SALVATION

 

First Trophy: May 26th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: July 4th, 2010

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

People really hate this game. I don't. It's not my favorite - plenty of 3rd person shooters are significantly better. But I just don't know why people hate it so much. It did freeze on me a couple of times, so it doesn't get a B grade or anything. Still, not great, but it's not The Deathly Hallows, pt. 1...sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself.

 

By the way, a little trivia: you'll notice that it took me an abnormally long amount of time to beat this game. This is because I was stuck on a vehicle section for a long time. I could not figure out how to kill the machines before my poor vehicle was massacred. Thankfully, my wife stepped in and told that I could fire using both L1 and R1 simultaneously. 

Trophy Grade: B

I won't lie - I love the fact that this game has only gold trophies. But they're so bland. Finish this chapter. Now, finish this chapter. This game isn't selling itself on story or anything - why not a little variety?

Final Grade: C+

A very divisive game, Salvation won't win any awards, but it's not unplayable.

 

 

 

  GUITAR HERO 5

 

First Trophy: September 1st, 2009

Platinum Achieved: July 7th, 2010

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No (though I am first 50 on a bunch of the individual trophies)

Game Grade: A

Another game that's often unfairly beaten on. Guitar Hero 5 had a solid, if not spectacular, setlist. It has a great set of challenges for the songs present (an idea that would be perfected in Warriors of Rock). Every instrument gets its day here. The drop-in party play was useless to me, but it seems like a cool feature. Again, it's not GH: Metallica (but what is?), but I think this game is quite good. I gladly paid to download the track list into Warriors of Rock when I got the opportunity, and I played this game a ton back in its own day.

Trophy Grade: C

The same, however, cannot be said for the trophies, which are a joke. 4 drummers on a song. 4 DRUMMERS?!? The whole point of nonstandard bands was to allow people to play with the instruments they had, and you make a trophy with 4 drummers? Add to this myriad glitches (e.g. when playing all the game modes), some pretty unnecessary grinds (300 songs in quickplay?), and it just adds up to a slog. I'm all over the first 50 for many of the trophies, but as you see, it took me almost a year to put down the plat. It just got boring.

Final Grade: B+

Guitar Hero 5 remains a fine game today. Just don't expect to get the plat without jumping through numerous silly hoops. I still can't get over 4 drummers...

 

 

 

PLATS 26-50

 

 

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS

First Trophy: July 6th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: July 8th, 2010

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

It was inevitable. At some point, my trophy whoring instincts began to wane, and I started realizing, "Holy crap - I've played a lot of lousy games!" I mean, it used to be about the games, man! Cloudy is a pretty mediocre game. I usually enjoy mindless "run around and kill everything" types, but somehow, it just didn't work for me here. The graphics are nice enough, I guess?

Trophy Grade: C

The trophies have some of the strangest descriptions ever. I think they were written by a non-English speaker. They have nice images. That's about all I can say. The rest is just, "Kill this enemy with this attack" stuff. I'll grant that I've given other games a pass on this. But Cloudy finally pushed me over the edge.

Final Grade: C

Say it with me: "Trophy whores only!"

 

 

 

 

  SEGA ULTIMATE GENESIS COLLECTION

 

First Trophy: July 24th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: July 17th, 2010

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

Man, is this game awesome, or is this game awesome? As someone who owned the SNES (and didn't have the wherewithal at the time to own both systems), I was stoked when the genesis collection was released on the PS2. It's amazing how much it improved to the PS3. First - cleaned up visuals! And instead of Sword of the Vermillion, I get...PHANTASY STAR!!! I have played and replayed this collection. It is one of my favorite games to play, and all would be right in the world, except...

Trophy Grade: D

...ugh. I know with so many games, it's impossible to give appropriate trophies, but is this really the best you can do? Get one Chaos Emerald? Complete level 1 with all three characters? The hardest trophies are of COURSE attached to the games I dislike the most. And nothing (NOTHING) for Phantasy Star, my favorite franchise from Sega? This. Will. Not. Do. Thankfully, Sony did correct this error a bit with their "Vintage" collection (given to PS+ members some time ago), but all in all, a major disappointment.

Final Grade: B+

Nonetheless, trophies or not, this is some of the best value on the system. Sadly, we didn't see too many other titles like this. I was hoping for a Capcom collection, or a Konami collection of games from the NES and SNES generation.

 

 

 

 

  SAW

 

First Trophy: July 18th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: July 19th, 2010

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I'm gonna be straight with you - I'm surprised this is how Saw was made. Were I the developer, I would create a game reminiscent of Tecmo's "Deception", where the player acts as Jigsaw, trapping people and making them kill themselves and each other. Maybe they thought it was too dark? Anyway, this game is pretty bland. Control is loose, and in general, I was just bored to play it. The puzzles held promise, but failed to deliver. All in all, this game never made me feel like I was in the movie or anything.

Trophy Grade: C

Really? The best you can do with Saw is...make me use each weapon one time? I just feel like so much is lost here.

Final Grade: C+

Even the biggest Saw fans might find this to be a chore. It is easy to plat, however.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  TOY STORY 3

 

First Trophy: July 17th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: July 25th, 2010

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Toy Story was a shining light among kid's games. The sandbox structure really helped the proceedings here. I enjoyed most of my stay in the world of Woody, Buzz and the rest. I can forgive the "find stars" stuff, because the rest of the game is quite fun.

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies take a bit of a hit because I actually had to collect all of those stars to get the plat, and it wasn't really that fun. But for the most part, I thought the trophies hit the spot.

Final Grade: B+

It's not the best kid's game, but it's a good one.

 

 

 

 

 

  SHREK FOREVER

 

First Trophy: July 25th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: August 8th, 2010

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: D

Do you ever look back at your games, not really remembering why you hated one, but knowing you did? That's Shrek Forever for me. At this point, I was fed up with lousy licensed games for kids (even though I had just played a pretty good one). It wouldn't be the last that I'd play, though it would be a while. I have nothing but bad memories for Shrek. As you can see from the dates of my trophies, I stopped playing it for some reason. I don't really know why, so it passes the class, but with a D.

Trophy Grade: C-

Even reading the trophy descriptions, I don't remember much about this. Cooperative puzzles? WTF? Well, whatever - I'll give it a slight bump to C-.

Final Grade: D+

Don't bother with this one. I can't really tell you why, but I know it sucks.

 

 

 

 

  DYNASTY WARRIORS: STRIKEFORCE

 

First Trophy: March 18th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: August 10th, 2010

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

Now we're talking! Strikeforce added some much needed "oomph" to an old and decaying franchise. I really dug the flying enemies in this one, and the new techno sound of the music (replacing the equally awesome wailing guitars of ancient China). The graphics aren't anything to write home about (I think this was a PSP or Vita port), but the action is fast-paced, and the bosses are cool. I played through the game almost entirely solo, and the only weapon with which I could make any headway was the bow, which was too bad (the range was pretty much necessary for a single player to tackle the bosses). But I really liked this one.

Trophy Grade: D+

I wish I could say the same for the trophies. The game very nearly has an ultra-rare plat, and you wouldn't think it would...until you start collecting the cards. I almost pulled out my hair waiting for the final card (which, for me, was Guan Ping). It literally took hours to materialize. I only have scorn for this type of luck-based nonsense.

Final Grade: B

Despite that, I would still recommend the game, particularly to old fans of Dynasty Warriors who might have become bored with the same offerings. However, if you go for the plat, know that you will be in for one long, boring grind (and nothing saves you from it).

 

 

 

 

  NIER

 

First Trophy: September 3rd, 2010

Platinum Achieved: November 25th, 2010

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A

Now here's a game that was a massive surprise. I had played Drakengard 2 on the PS2, and deplored it. I knew that Nier was from the same people. But I still purchased it. And what a great purchase it was. Nier is one of the hidden gems on the system. A good battle system. A good story with interesting twists. Multiple endings. Lots of minigames. It really hit the spot, and I'm glad I took a chance on it.

Trophy Grade: C+

The trophies, on the other hand, are less exciting. There are some good ones here. Obviously, you have trophies for each of the endings. In addition, there are trophies for beating bosses quickly. There are trophies for the various minigames. (Incidentally, did anyone grow the flower legit, or did they all reset the dates on their PS3 over and over? I can tell you which one I did.)

 

But grinding out materials to build mostly useless weapons? That crap has to go. I was fortunate - I got the necessary materials pretty regularly. But again - stop making me a slave to the number generator! Or at least give me a reason to get all of these weapons!

Final Grade: B+

If you can put up with the grind, Nier is worth your time. it's the surprise Action RPG on the system.

 

 

 

 

  GUITAR HERO: WARRIORS OF ROCK

 

First Trophy: September 28rd, 2010

Platinum Achieved: December 3rd, 2010

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

So many hours have been put into this game. I even recently broke it out again to get a few more stars. This game has a great track list. It has tons of challenges (each instrument gets its own challenges, plural, for every single song - even those you download or import). It has a solid trophy list. And I won't like - I loved unlocking the Lich King as a character. I've probably put 1000 hours into this game, and I still love it.

Trophy Grade: A-

A fine list, with only a couple of missteps. The list is more challenging than GH5, but not nearly as annoying. It's not perfect ("score 133,337 points on a song" seems like a lousy excuse to download homebrew tracks), but it's good.

Final Grade: A+

A top 5 game for me, for sure. Having imported GH5, GH: World Tour, GH: Metallica and GH: Smash Hits into the game, I had the track list of the ages at my disposal for years, and I made use of it. Great game, great fun.

 

 

 

 

  MASS EFFECT 2

 

First Trophy: January 23rd, 2011

Platinum Achieved: February 3rd, 2011

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

Mass Effect 2 was the game that convinced me of the validity of 3rd-person shooters. By this time, I had played Uncharted 2 (not particularly well, mind you), and it was fun, but it didn't really make me want to play it again or anything (and even 6 years later, I haven't brought myself to finish the game one last time for the plat), and it certainly didn't make me want to buy more games like it. But Bioware really had an idea mixing action-packed shooting with choice-driven narrative and player-controlled growth. ME2 was a blast to play and replay, and would be an easy A+...were it not made by Bioware. But it was, and you know what that means. Glitches. Freezes. The works. It wasn't as bad as Dragon Age, but it still was mighty annoying.

Trophy Grade: A

I love when trophies get it right. Plot-driven trophies? Check. Trophies that make you play on the highest difficulty? Check. Trophies that respect your decisions as a player, and reward you regardless of the choices made? Check. Trophies that introduce the battle system, but aren't so intrusive that you get bored of them? Check. In fact, only this last one drops it (slightly) to an A-, since you can't use all abilities with a single character type, so you need to start over and find a good place to spam. But all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed collecting the trophies in this one.

Final Grade: A-

Great game, great concept, as Bioware is known for. Poor execution, however, drops this to A-, and out of the top 5.

 

 

 

 

  FIST OF THE NORTH STAR: KEN'S RAGE

 

First Trophy: February 21st, 2011

Platinum Achieved: February 26rd, 2011

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: A

OMGTHISGAMEISSOCOOOOOOOLLLLL!!!!

 

I don't really know what else to say. You play as burly thugs (and a couple of girls), beating the crap out of people before making them explode with finishers. Dynasty Warriors meets Peter Jackson. Ken's Rage mostly made me happy playing through its many characters, killing gleefully. If you hear me say, "Hokuto", you better get the hell out of the way!

Trophy Grade: B+

The trophies are solid as well. I absolutely love the designs and the names ("Fustigate Rao" is my personal favorite). The trophies make sense - play through story modes, beat down enemies, get trophies. My only issue was with the grind at the end. Killing 5000 enemies with one of your special "Hokuto" moves gets old. But still, it's great fun, and I often look back at these trophies and smile.

Final Grade: A-

Want to mindlessly beat the crap out of people? This is your game. Want to complain about repetitive combat and button mashing? All I have to say to you is..."Hokuto". <prepares for finishing move>

 

 

 

 

  DYNASTY WARRIORS 7

 

First Trophy: March 29th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: April 9th, 2011

Rarity: RARE

First 50: #18 (as of September 11th, 2015)

Game Grade: A

Dynasty Warriors 7 was the first main series game to get trophies (as DW6 had none), but as a game, it delivered a great experience. A large roster of characters with varying weapons (though not always varying styles), coupled with the great backdrop of the san guo (of which I never tire) and the ridiculous art style of the Japanese (of which...I often tire). I didn't quite like the game as much as Strikeforce in theory, although the fact that I could go through it without a bow was a huge plus. If you like DW (and I do), this was a great addition to the series. I particularly liked the quizzes (I answered every question without a guide). If you don't like the series, you won't like this one, either.

Trophy Grade: B+

The trophies are mostly OK (and mostly what you expect). I knock this a bit because of the odd "Kill 3000 soldiers in a single battle" trophy. I don't really like using guides unless I feel it is necessary, and I didn't feel it was necessary here...until I failed at it, time and again. It's just a dumb trophy. Further, there are no surprise trophies. They do the job, they (mostly) don't offend, but that's the best I can say.

Final Grade: A-

If you like Dynasty Warriors, you already bought this. If you've somehow never played, this is a pretty good place to start. Achievable trophies, a fast-paced game - why not give it a try?

 

 

 

 

  DANTE'S INFERNO

 

First Trophy: April 9th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: April 10th, 2011

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

This game might be more remembered for EA's incredibly stupid promo gag than for its actual gameplay, which is too bad, because it's very solid. Dante's Inferno is clearly inspired by the (superior) God of War, but it holds its own as a game nicely. Of course, the epic of the Divine Comedy serves as a perfect backdrop for a creepy game like this (has anyone ever given a more fascinating picture of Hell than Dante Alighieri?). The game itself controls well, and is as difficult as you want it to be (much like GoW), with great, creepy enemies inspired by mythology. 

Trophy Grade: B+

Like many other games, the trophies don't inspire, but neither do they infuriate. In fact, these trophies are remarkably easy, and that's the biggest detraction - where is the trophy for beating the game on the hardest mode? At least God of War always has a trophy for the Challenge of the Gods/Titans. Here? That challenge is a joke. Still, it's great for trophy whores.

Final Grade: B+

If you like God of War, there is no reason not to play this game. It's not as good, but it's still good to play.

 

 

 

 

  HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PT. 1

 

First Trophy: April 11th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: April 15th, 2011

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: F-

Worst game on the PS3. No, really. WORST GAME ON THE PS3. I can't say it's the worst game ever (I once rented Taboo for NES), but God - this game is so bad. Harry Potter as a 3rd-person cover shooter? Logical. I dare you to count the number of unique enemies appearing. I think there's something like five. Some kid with glasses. Some dude with crazy hair. Those are the only two I remember, and in the nightmare recesses of my mind, those guys just keep running back and forth in front of me, firing spells that never hit me, but their non-strategical actions are causing me to miss them as well. <shudder>

 

Spells traveling through walls? We got it. Attacks that somehow miss enemies directly in front of you? Doxicide's got you covered! Collectibles that do absolutely nothing? Yup. Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 even manages to screw up the one spell that might make your journey faster (if not better). Supposedly, there was a spell used to illuminate the most efficient path to your goal at any time. Assuming it fired (which was around a 50/50 proposition, at best), the spell almost exclusively gave you the worst path to your goal, often circling around irrelevant buildings and trees. Thanks for the tour, guys. 

Trophy Grade: F-

Somehow, the trophies manage to be as bad as the game itself. I've already complained about trophies for collectibles that serve no purpose. But literally every trophy, outside of plot, is for some action that serves no purpose in the game. Stealthy stuns? You probably did few to none during your playthroughs. Wingarsium Leviosa? I challenge you to find a single person here who needed to cast that during gameplay (and of course, the spell is predictably terrible anyway). You literally only need to cast it ONE TIME for the trophy, and yet only 39% of players here did so.

 

Oh, and I did say playthroughs. Yes - difficulty trophies do not stack, so you will have to play this abomination three separate times.

Final Grade: Just die already

Sometimes, a student fails because she's lazy. Smart, but lazy. Sometimes, she fails because she's out of her depth. But in all my years of teaching (going into my 11th year since finishing grad school), I have never met the student who was both simultaneously. Why? Because that person isn't in college. She's on Maury Povich, trying to find for the 13th time the father of her 6th baby.

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the Maury girl, forcing another poor schlub to take a paternity test, because unlike the previous 12, she KNOWS that this one is the father. And like the Maury show, the fascination with the abomination is too much to bear, despite the fact that we know we should just turn away. So, do yourself a favor. Ignore this title. Or better yet, burn any remaining copies. Let. It. Die.

 

 

 

 

  SAW II

 

First Trophy: February 26th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: May 2nd, 2011

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C+

If Saw was a pretty perfunctory title, so too is Saw II. Again eschewing what I think to be the perfect backdrop, Saw II is...pretty much the same game as Saw. However, unlike Saw, where both endings were easily achieved by saving at the right spot at the end, Saw II pretty much forces two playthroughs on you. And unfortunately, this game doesn't hold up for two playthroughs. For that reason, I drop it below its predecessor, although it's still not an awful game.

Trophy Grade: C

The trophies in Saw II make no sense. There are multiple trophies for playing the game on particular days (Halloween and Christmas, e.g.), even though the game doesn't support that kind of devotion (unlike, say, Arkham City, which actually has plot points devoted to the various holidays). Also, tons of collectibles are required (at least the collectibles have a purpose within the game). I must confess, though - I did like the fact that there was a trophy for entering the code of my youth.

Final Grade: C+

Again, Saw fans only need apply.

 

 

 

 

  DRAGON AGE II

 

 

First Trophy: May 8th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: June 3rd , 2011

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

An odd twist - I actually like the gameplay and game story of Dragon Age II over Dragon Age. I never could get into the archaic battle system in Origins, and focusing on a single character gave far more chance for the developers to expand the story universe. Unfortunately, so much else is lazy about Dragon Age II that I would be remiss in giving it a better grade than the original. For one, every single person in the world seems to live in exactly the same house. Same paintings. Same furniture. Same everything. Every cave looks exactly the same. And of course, this is Bioware, and by now, you know what that means. I think this game froze within 5 minutes of opening it and playing it.

Trophy Grade: A-

Where is the trophy for the highest difficulty? Other than that, these trophies are solid. While they require multiple playthroughs (or epic save states), I didn't mind, because the game had so many twists and turns that a replay was basically required. But come on - no difficulty trophy?

Final Grade: A-

Dragon Age II is unfairly savaged by fanboys. That's too bad - it's a fine RPG that deserves your attention.

 

 

 

 

  FAIRYTALE FIGHTS

 

First Trophy: June 1st, 2010

Platinum Achieved: June 8th , 2011

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

Now, here's a game that should be better, but still works well enough within its universe. You play as one of four fairy tale characters, hacking and slashing your way through generic versions of fairy tale characters. I've missed the Streets of Rage/Final Fight-type games this generation, but this is pretty close to the idea. It's not great - attacking with your character is often awkward, and the color scheme of the game will make you want to vomit. But I enjoyed the massively violent fun of this game for a playthrough...

Trophy Grade: F

...but not for SIX playthroughs. And yeah - you'll have to play through the game six times for your platinum (yes - three of the playthroughs are shortened, but still). And it's not like the game changes overmuch as you play. Different difficulties, sure, but it's really just the same thing.

 

Add to that some of the most annoying collection trophies in history (finding all the weapons, in particular, was a nightmare), another trophy for drinking 1000 potions (despite having 6 playthroughs, you'll be nowhere near 1000 potions at this point), and another requiring pure luck (go to a wishing well, and hope you get a trophy), and it's not hard to see why this game has an ultra rare plat (hint: it isn't because of difficulty).

Final Grade: C

Fairytale Fights had potential, but there's just too much to overlook here. It passes with a C, but hopefully, it won't try to take later classes (or, in this instance, force a sequel on us on another system).

 

 

 

 

  MEGAMIND

 

First Trophy: June 21st, 2011

Platinum Achieved: June 21st , 2011 (roughly two hours and thirty five minutes later)

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

Megamind is a strange one. As you can see, I played it for roughly two-and-a-half hours, and did literally everything the trophies required (and without a guide, at that). Nothing about the game is offensive, but how you give anything other than a C for such little effort?

Trophy Grade: B+

Theoretically, these trophies are solid for the most part. I mean, there are multiple trophies requiring the player to beat a boss without dying. Of course, Megamind is notoriously easy, so don't expect any challenge. Further, I've seen few games with trophies for simply unlocking mini-games.

Final Grade: C+

Megamind is the perfect game for the trophy whore. It's action is fine, and the game is so short as to be easily platted. I can't imagine anyone playing it for any other reason.

 

 

 

 

  BORDERLANDS

 

First Trophy: January 13th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: July 1st , 2011

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

Borderlands (and its sequel) are probably my favorite 1st-person shooters of all time. That's not a hugely controversial statement since, with the exception of Golden Eye, I've never really liked 1st-person shooters. But Borderlands delivers the goods on almost all fronts. Great shooter action, with tight controls that never betrayed me. A fantastic graphical style that prefers cartoon-y characters to realistic ones. An over-the-top storyline that's fun and well-done. And of course, a number of upgrade options and character classes that allow you to play to your strengths (except, of course, for the fact that the Siren is the most overpowered character in the world). I might even play this again on PS4 when I pick it up, and that's the highest praise I can offer a game.

Trophy Grade: A-

The trophies get it right. While I'm not a fan of the online stuff (most notably, the viral trophy, cool as it sounds, is an idea I hope dies out), I really enjoyed the rest of these. The Level 50 trophy gave me the opportunity to explore the "2nd quest", as it were. And forgettable memes like "I'm on a Boat!" live on...in trophy form!

 

All in all, I'm quite happy when people put a little thought into their trophies.

Final Grade: A

What are you waiting on? Give Borderlands a go! It's a fringe top 5, although it doesn't quite make my list.

 

 

 

 

  SACRED 2 - FALLEN ANGEL

 

First Trophy: March 13th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: July 24th , 2011

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

When I bought Sacred 2, everyone always talked about Diablo. At the time, I had no idea what Diablo was. I've still never played it. But Sacred II's combination of light story, lots of killing, and even more loot hits the spot. It's not the greatest game I've played, but when I wanted some mindless action reminiscent of Gauntlet, together with something to curb my appetite for treasure and loot, Sacred II hit the spot.

Trophy Grade: B-

 Sacred II was the opening salvo in my first "plat cleanup", where I went back and played old, forgotten games to finish them. In this particular clean-up, I got six plats in seven days, which isn't bad!

 

The trophies in this game can be really annoying. I had no idea it would be so hard to put on a matching set of armor! Trophies awarded for not dying, or for buying no items are just dumb - while the former (kind of) rewards skill, what about the latter? Scroogery? And who would have guessed that opening 50% of a map would be a rare occurrence? There's a reason this plat is just north of ultra rare, and it ain't difficulty.

Final Grade: B

This is a game best played with friends. It's OK alone, but it is repetitious, so be prepared. However, the trophies are a drag.

 

 

 

 

  TWO WORLDS II

 

First Trophy: February 4th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: July 26th , 2011

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

Two Worlds II is the game that should've been. The marketing campaign leading to its release was hilarious. I particularly liked the commercial where the enemy of the game listens to phone complaints by customers of the original Two Worlds (which I never played). The single-player campaign is OK, though nothing special. The strange dialogue script (peppered with, e.g., Monty Python references) doesn't fit at all the action of the game. But it never crashed. Many times, I watched the world create itself, block by block, on my screen, but it never crashed. The online town and adventure is actually pretty fun, if you can get into it. I couldn't until the very end, however.

Trophy Grade: B-

The trophies are perfunctory. Not much to say, except that the pickpocketing is one of the worst pickpocket minigames I've ever seen, and it was a chore doing it 25 times. The majority of trophies require the player to perform some action X number of times, but the characters classes are different enough that this is remarkably annoying. And the online trophies are a drag. I've heard rumors of people going through online completely on their own. I have no idea how they were able to do the last mission this way. In any case, this is ultra-rare, and like so many others, it isn't because of difficulty.

 

One last note: one trophy is called "slight of hand". Spell check doesn't save you when the wrong word sounds exactly the same as the right one (in this case, "sleight"). As a little trivia, Strong Bad had a similarly (though worse) misspelling (using "loose" instead of "lose"), and they actually went back and corrected it after the fact.

Final Grade: B

I like RPGs, which probably inflates the grade here. Two Worlds II is mostly forgettable, but it isn't offensive. It falls in that same category as games like Risen II or Arcania. It's like your ugly one-night stand. It's fun enough, but you want to forget about it soon afterward.

 

 

 

 

  MARVEL: ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 2

 

First Trophy: September 16th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: July 27th , 2011

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Now here's a game that's pretty fun. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance II doesn't do anything super well, but it is more than serviceable. A fun story mode that (barely) entertains the two playthroughs necessary for the plat. A decent set of challenges outside of the game, with medals to reward your acumen. This is another Gauntlet-type game, and it's fun for what it is. 

Trophy Grade: B+

Much like the game, the trophies get the job done. Two sets of plot trophies, so the player can see both sides of the Civil War-inspired story. Trophies for getting all of the gold medals on all of the challenges. The only low point is a trophy requiring the player to perform every "fusion" (i.e. double-tech attack). Given that there are 24 characters, that's a whole lot of attacks (well over 200). Also, the player is forced to collect 200 boost medals. These medals are important in gameplay, as they add stats and other perks to your players. But if you have the best boost medal in a bunch, why would you go back and pick up the lesser ones?

Final Grade: B+

This game never offended me, but it didn't wow me, either. I'm a comic guy, which works in its favor. I would heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a beat-em-up with Marvel skins.

 

 

 

 

  LEGO INDIANA JONES 2: THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

 

First Trophy: November 25th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: July 28th , 2011

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I don't know why I buy these Lego games. I mean, they're fun, but they're not that fun or anything. Lego Indiana Jones is...like every other Lego game you've ever played. It's not as good as, say, Star Wars, because there aren't as many memorable characters. But if you like this stuff, you'll like this (I guess?). A little more originality for a series that already had whiskers might have given this a higher grade.

Trophy Grade: C-

The trophies, on the other hand, are pretty bad. If you're going to sell multiplayer, make sure it doesn't glitch your trophies. I failed to plat this for months simply because my race trophies wouldn't pop. Finally, I sat down one day, and just played races over and over. And by a miracle, the trophy popped on my third go around.

Final Grade: C

Even for Lego fans, this is light fare. Only the biggest of them need apply.

 

 

 

 

  ASSASSIN'S CREED II

 

First Trophy: January 6th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: July 29th , 2011

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

Assassin's Creed II is such a good game. Such a good game. So much effort and energy was put into this, and it shows. Ignoring the stupid stuff about the sun being the worst enemy of humanity, or the machine that puts the consciousness of a modern person into a renaissance assassin, Assassin's Creed II gives a beautiful view of medieval Italy on the dawn of progress. I love the historical figures appearing throughout. The controls are smooth as silk. The platforming, while not particularly hard to perform, is as graceful as a swan. And the combat is to die for. This game was so good that I retired from the Assassin's Creed series immediately after (and I don't regret it in the least).

Trophy Grade: B

I found everything in this game early on...except for the feathers. God - I hated those feathers. In the end, they weren't even that hard, and they did give you something in-game. But I HATE THOSE FEATHERS. So...you get a B.

Final Grade: A-

Yet another of the best games on the system, but not in my top 5. I doubt I need to say anything else - Assassin's Creed II is one of the most famous games of the PS3 generation.

 

 

 

 

  STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED

 

First Trophy: August 29th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: July 30th , 2011

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

Another game with a massive hype machine, Star Wars: TFU never lives up to its press or its name (not that much from Lucas has lived up to the name in the last 15 years or so). There's nothing particularly wrong with this game other than the fact that, a lot of the time, it's really stock. You have all these great force powers, but they are never used in any meaningful way. A good dose of Zelda-like dungeons might have helped the proceedings here. One thing that particularly annoyed me was the dedication to details like the color and light-consistency of your light saber. Really? That's what you're spending your time on, while I can't get the controls to do what I want?

 

I bitch a lot, but honestly, this game isn't that bad. Unfortunately, we've grown far to accustomed with "isn't that bad" when it comes to Star Wars these days.

Trophy Grade: A+

Despite the mediocrity of the game, THESE TROPHIES ARE AWESOME. Some of the best looking tiles I have, and the names are just hilarious. I particularly like the DLC names, but "World's Worst Day Shift Manager" is just a trip. Other than that, the trophies do little wrong. All in all, earning the trophies made this game much more palatable. I mean, ACTUAL IMAGES OF CHARACTERS! It's a shame that the game was mediocre enough that I shelved it for about two years.

Final Grade: B+

For trophy hunters, it's worth it just for the tiles themselves. For Star Wars fans, it might be OK, although honestly, it just gives Lucas more chance to blow up his universe. A secret apprentice? Who cares?

 

 

 

 

  TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD

 

First Trophy: July 26th, 2009

Platinum Achieved: August 20th, 2011

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: D

Boy - did Lara Croft fall hard or what? Tomb Raider was such a great game on the PS1, and its sequel wasn't bad at all. But from there, a steady decline took over. By the time of this game, people didn't really think that highly of Lara and company any more. And wow - this game didn't help at all. Boring gameplay. Mind-boggling controls (in a bad way, of course). Lousy graphics. The one thing I can say: this game had an enjoyable soundtrack...when it bothered to play. All in all, I would avoid this.

Trophy Grade: C

The trophies aren't much better. Lara is a treasure hunter, so naturally, collectible trophies are front and center. But 179 treasures?!? That's pushing the bounds of good taste. There are a lot of trophies devoted to silly activities that have no in-game purpose (other than seeing the graceful Lara perform a dive). The trophies are mostly easy, but are they really worth it? As you can see, it took me over two years to put this game out of its misery.

Final Grade: D+

Avoid. I mean, it isn't Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows bad, but in a world where Uncharted 2 exists, this game shouldn't.

 

 

 

 

PLATS 51-75

  FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS

 

First Trophy: November 3rd, 2010

Platinum Achieved: August 27th, 2011

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

No game has thrilled and infuriated me more than Fallout: New Vegas. NV has great gameplay. I absolutely love the fact that I can quite literally talk down the final bosses in the game. In fact, this game is probably the most role-playing-like game I played on the system. Add to that the solid shooter action, the great backdrop of post-nuclear-war Vegas (including awesome factions - my favorite was Caesar's Legion), as well as plenty of non-essential extras (such as casinos), and you should have the making of an A-grade game...

...

...but of COURSE, we also get the lousy QC we've come to know and loathe from Fallout 3. And here? It's much, MUCH worse. I can't even tell you how many times this game crashed on me. And I mean the hard crash variety, where you have to completely turn off the system (one time, I even had to pull the power cord on the system). Unacceptable. For that reason, I drop it to a B, but honestly, it probably should be dropped further.

Trophy Grade: B+

Solid trophies here, but the collectable trophy is just a nuisance. Also, healing 10,000 points of damage...with food? Unnecessary. And finally, if you don't play the game a certain way, you will have trouble getting some trophies. Luck is generally a pretty useless stat in the Fallout games (IMHO), but try to get banned from three different casinos without maxing it out. As usual, the trophy tiles look great.

Final Grade: B

If a game doesn't work, it doesn't matter if it's good or not. Obsidian and Bethesda should be ashamed of themselves for letting this come to consoles in this condition.

 

 

 

 

  CATHERINE

 

 

First Trophy: July 28th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: September 3rd, 2011

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

Catherine isn't my type of game. A puzzle game painted over by a weird, Japanese-inspired story? Generally, I would pass. But this game held some interest for me (enough to plat it, actually). I enjoyed hunting for the various endings, and given that I didn't love the game, I didn't mind using guides. The Babel levels were pretty brutal. The 3rd one was pretty much impossible until I enlisted my wife (who is much better at these games), to direct me in a 2-player game. A great game for people who like puzzle games, and don't mind a little weirdness in their stories. Not for me, though.

Trophy Grade: A-

The trophies in this game were quite good. Exploring the endings was a worthwhile endeavor. The Babel levels give the trophies a sharp difficulty (the plat is ultra rare, after all). My only gripe was the meta puzzle game Rapunzel, which was mostly a chore (and trivial, assuming you used guides).

Final Grade: B+

Again, this game would be top flight for the section of people who like its quirky story and its solid puzzle mechanics. But even for those who don't, this is a well-made game worth a view, though probably not a plat run.

 

 

 

 

  DARKSIDERS

 

First Trophy: May 19th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: September 9th, 2011

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

Here's a game that deserved better. Zelda-inspired games have been few and far between already, and those inspired by Ocarina of time (or later) models are remarkably rare. The fact is, it's not easy to copy a game like that. But Darksiders does an admirable job. It isn't always perfect, but it certainly hits its high notes (and come on - the portal gun!).

 

Add to that exceptional voice work (including Mark Hamill doing his best impersonation of his own Joker in one role), a great concept, and fun gameplay, and you've got a winner.

Trophy Grade: A

Like the game, the trophies are strong. There are collectables here, but they have purpose within the game. The rest of the trophies explore aspects of the game itself (including plot, combat, etc.). There are trophies for difficulties here as well. All in all, a good list.

Final Grade: A-

This game is an underrated gem on the system.

 

 

 

 

  WARRIORS: LEGENDS OF TROY

 

 

First Trophy: March 26th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: September 18th, 2011

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Warriors is beautifully done. Setting the DW universe into mythical Troy was quite interesting. The developers clearly paid attention to their classical training; Ajax death is the one described by Sophocles, if memory serves. My complaint is that there is no free mode here, and the character selection is remarkably limited (further so, since Patroclus and Achilles are, in the game, the exact same character).

Trophy Grade: A-

The trophies mostly get the job done. Difficulty trophies are well-received. Obviously, there are plot trophies. I really enjoyed the "Do this action on this boss" trophies as well (my favorite was "getting kicked down there"). But that stupid trophy requiring me to buy all the items, or to fill up my grip completely ruins it a bit.

Final Grade: B+

A good game (particularly for DW fans), but not a great one.

 

 

 

 

 

  DARK SOULS

 

First Trophy: October 4th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: October 31, 2011

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: S (for SUPERIOR!!!!)

For me, the PS3 generation is defined by Dark Souls. More than any other (modern) game, Dark Souls takes me back to my NES roots (there's actually a great essay by James Margaris explaining in grueling detail this statement). While there have certainly been games that have mimicked NES (or SNES) games (with Rogue Legacy being the most well-done, IMHO), Dark Souls really does represent am "alternate evolutionary path" that older gamers like myself would like to see explored in the future.

 

Of course, everyone knows Dark Souls by now. But I do want to mention some of the great things this game has. First, improving on Demon's Souls, the world is open. It may be restricted for a time, but by the end, you can travel to one point to the other without ever passing through a hub. The larger-than-life bosses are thrilling to fight, and the combat has never been copied as well (even by its own sequel). The graphics and art direction are incredible (hacks like Motomu Toriyama could learn much by looking at the cohesion and coherence of theme, tone, and graphics found here). And the soundtrack (by the inimitable Motoi Sakuraba) is just amazing. Did you ever think that the music for the final boss (of a Japanese game, no less!) could sound like this?

 

I could go on all day about just the SP of this game, and it has an incredible MP mode to boot! Needless to say, Dark Souls is my favorite game of this generation, and one of my three favorites of any generation.

Trophy Grade: A

The trophies almost get it right. They improve over Demon's Souls in a big way (most notably, the "grindy" trophies can often be done in online MP or offline SP). The one thing that really chapped me was the need to collect all of the weapons in the game. Again, for the vast majority of weapons, my mage just kind of carried them around, showing them off to the hollows before blasting them in the face with a soul arrow.

Final Grade: S

The best of the generation, it plays as well in 2015 as it did in 2011. I've probably played through it 15 times (including a level one game, a no-death game, as well as with numerous character builds). You owe it to yourself to play it at least once.

 

 

 

 

  POWER GIG

 

First Trophy: November 10th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: November 12th, 2011

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: #6 (as of September 14th, 2015)

Game Grade: C-

Power Gig is...not a good game. Even as a fan of music games, I can't really get behind this half-assed attempt to create a game with a "real guitar". I found this game, new, with all equipment, for $19.99 at Gamestop, and picked it up. I couldn't play for crap with their guitar, but thankfully, it supports the GH variety. The game drops notes constantly, which is anathema to anyone who plays music games. The soundtrack is actually better than you might thing - it's low on hits, but high on interesting tracks that you've likely never heard. Sabbath of the RJD variety shows up here, and you almost NEVER hear that.

 

Ultimately, the game plays like a GH game. There is a pointless story mode (this one is stupider than most). But one thing that just annoyed me: at every load screen (and there are a bunch of them), you'll hear some guy say, "Headliner? I call him Captain Braindead!" I must have heard this 100 times, and it's not funny in the least. Needless to say, that colored an already-mediocre experience a darker shade of black.

Trophy Grade: C+

This is the rarest plat (according to percentage) that I own. This is amazing to me, because this game is REALLY EASY. As you can see, I got the plat in two days. There are some good trophies here (I particularly like the one that requires you to finish the story mode playing only 80 songs, since anyone can just play forever and get through it). But since the game drops so many notes, you'll pretty much have to play on very easy to get the majority of your trophies. You'll need their crappy equipment as well. And sometimes, the trophy descriptions are so vague that it's hard to figure out what you need to do.

Final Grade: C-

Avoid, for the most part. If you're a good music gamer, however, and you can find this cheap, this is a very easy ultra rare plat.

 

 

 

 

  ATELIER RORONA: THE ALCHEMIST OF ARLAND

 

First Trophy: September 29th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: November 19th, 2011

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

It's amazing to me that my first JRPG plat was Atelier Rorona. The PS3 generation hasn't been kind to the JRPG in general, but these lower-budget niche titles have certainly well.

 

Atelier Rorona is a fun game with an unfortunate handicap. I was a big fan of the "Atelier Iris" and "Mana Khemia" games of the PS2 generation, and I was excited to get Atelier Rorona. Unfortunately, the (totally unnecessary) time limit kind of ruins the proceedings. This isn't a new thing or anything, but it really just doesn't play well here. If you can get past that, though, this is a pretty charming game with great looking graphics and fun music.

Trophy Grade: D

The trophies, though, are terrible. The problem with them is that you either have to play the game many times, or you have to slavishly follow a guide. Neither is particularly appealing to me. I get that if multiple endings are present, the developers want you to see them. But why not take a page from Qoga, and give the player the ability to start over from different points in the game? I mean, in the end, endings are just a screen. Make it reasonable to see these screens without the use of guides.

Final Grade: B-

Atelier Rorona was the game that should have been. I tried to get into Atelier Totori, but apparently, once was enough. It's not a bad game. It's just a tedious trophy set.

 

 

 

 

 

  SKYRIM

 

First Trophy: November 20th, 2011

Platinum Achieved: December 4th, 2011

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

Skyrim is a masterpiece that would be A+, except that I bought the game early on, and had to suffer through massive bugs and performance issues. The Elder Scrolls is a role-playing masterpiece. While the game isn't choice driven, the ability to go where you want and do what you want is exactly what I want from an RPG. The first-person perspective doesn't lend itself particularly well to hand-to-hand combat, but it's great for stealth and ranged combat. But man - those early performance issues. Thankfully, subsequent patches have fixed most of the issues, but I still have to knock it a star, since most of my plat run was during the dark times.

Trophy Grade: A

Trophies that get it right. Skyrim is solid in this department. My only gripe was the trophy that required you to have a huge bounty in each region. It added nothing to the game, it wasn't really fun to do (particularly since regions, unlike towns, are so poorly defined), and ultimately, I did it without saving, and subsequently ignored it.

Final Grade: A-

A solid game, and I'm sure for many, this is the best game of the generation. Unfortunately, I remember too much bad in the early going to give it those accolades.

 

 

 

  TRINITY: SOULS OF ZILL O'LL

 

First Trophy: January 14th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: January 18th, 2012

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Here's a no-frills crossover between simple RPG and DW, and it works well. Trinity basically has you beating the hell out of tons of people. There's a story, but I dare you to recall it. However, there is a good bit of customization. Not flashy, but it gets the job done.

Trophy Grade: B+

The trophies, in the same way, are decent to hunt. Again, there's nothing flashy here, but it works well. My only gripe was the level 99 trophy, which is well beyond the level needed to do anything (including the optional dungeons). I hate that kind of grinding

Final Grade: B+

It won't win any awards, but Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll is a perfectly fine time-waster.

 

 

 

 

  DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION

 

First Trophy: January 18th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: January 31th, 2012

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

Here's the dirty secret - the best stealth action game on the system ain't Metal Gear Solid 4. It's Deus Ex. Preferring a first-person experience, Deus Ex removes the unnecessary cut scenes and general talkiness that plagues the otherwise-great MGS4, letting the story develop within the game itself. And the story is excellent. Add to that a remarkably good stealth system, the ability to change your experience (though not really your story) through personal interactions and dialogue choices, and Deus Ex was a huge surprise (particularly given that it was published by Square, which has had a...spotty reputation this generation). My only complaint was the fact that, ultimately, my actions had zero impact on the ending of my tale (which, as far as I could tell, was dependent on a single decision at the end of the game).

Trophy Grade: A+

Few games get trophies as right as Deus Ex. Difficulty trophies? We got 'em. Metal Gear-style trophies? Yup. Trophies that explore the game? You bet. Collectable trophies? What the heck are collectables?

Final Grade: A+

A top 5 pick for me, Deus Ex hits all the high notes. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

  HYPERDIMENSION NEPTUNIA

 

First Trophy: February 3rd, 2012

Platinum Achieved: February 10th, 2012

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Well, who would have thought that this game would spawn 157,324 sequels? Hyperdimension Neptunia is a very basic RPG with poor dungeon design, mediocre combat, but fast-paced leveling. Oh, and it actually has some humor mixed in. Most Japanese humor (or, at least, its localization) leaves me groaning in agony. But HDN had some genuinely funny moments (enough to overcome the mediocre gameplay).

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies are OK, but many disappointments are present. I enjoyed the ending trophies (although a guide is probably necessary to get them all with little trouble), but the time challenges were ultimately pure filler (they are trivial with a good character). And trophies that reward incompetence? Really? I have to die 20 times to get a trophy? Another trophy rewards...switching characters from the front row to the back row. I don't think I did that a single time in the game.

Final Grade: B+

Obviously, fans know about this game, and non-fans are sick of hearing about it. However, it's not a bad RPG. It's also not a great one, but in a generation where the JRPG has fallen so low, you can do much worse.

 

 

 

 

  GREEN LANTERN: RISE OF THE MANHUNTERS

 

First Trophy: March 20th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: March 22, 2012

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

Another "back of the class" candidate. Green Lantern does nothing memorable, but also nothing egregious.

Trophy Grade: B-

The same is true for the trophies, although I do remember being stunned at how hard the final boss was.

Final Grade: B-

Fat part of the curve.

 

 

 

 

  CAPTAIN AMERICA: SUPER SOLDIER

 

First Trophy: March 22th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: March 24, 2012

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

An easy copy of Arkham Asylum? I can think of worse things. Captain America is mostly forgettable, but it's fun while it lasts.

Trophy Grade: B

They're there, and that's that. I don't remember much, although the challenges were significantly easier than those found (e.g.) in Arkham Asylum, and there were a number of pointless collectibles, if memory serves.

Final Grade: B

Another mostly forgettable title, but more fun than many of them. A little trivia - this was one of many titles I "borrowed" from Gamestop as a used game, only to return soon thereafter. That's right - even old guys aren't above cheating the man.

 

 

  AR TONELICO QOGA: KNELL OF AR CIEL

First Trophy: February 17th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: March 26th, 2012

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

One of the surprise titles in my collection, Qoga does most things right. A fun soundtrack (except for the annoying digitized choir sounds). A nice graphical design. Mostly likable characters. An incomprehensible backstory. Multiple endings. And the awesome (if under-utilized) "dive" mechanic.

 

But, perhaps, the best thing of all was their NG+ format, where you could not only start a new game, but even start a game at various points throughout the story. It's an idea that I hope is used again in other JRPGs that might otherwise require massive grinding.

Trophy Grade: C

For the most part, trophies are fine. But then, I realized that there was a trophy for playing the game for 100 hours. Unfortunately, I had only utilized about 60-65 hours doing literally everything else. Are you kidding? I have to leave my machine on for multiple days, just to get this stupid trophy? If you're going to force me to play for 100 hours, at least provide the content. I mean, it ain't Wizardry, but still.

Final Grade: B

A decent game that doesn't go too overboard, Ar Tonelico Qoga might be worth a looksie if you need a quick JRPG fix. It's very easy, and pretty accessible.

 

 

 

 

  SLY COOPER AND THE THIEVIUS RACCOONUS

 

First Trophy: March 28th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: March 29th, 2012

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I don't get the love for this series. Sly Cooper does nothing wrong, but this is one of the easiest games I've ever played. And yet, it spawned multiple sequels, and even got Sly a position on the roster of PS All Stars? I don't get it.

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies are really easy. But they're mostly forgettable.

Final Grade: B

Not a bad way to spend a lazy day, but there is much better stuff out there.

 

 

 

 

  TRINE 2

 

First Trophy: May 1st, 2012

Platinum Achieved: May 2nd, 2012

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

Trine 2 is actually pretty fun. It reminds me of the Lost Vikings from the SNES days. Decent puzzle mechanics, and mostly fun.

Trophy Grade: F

Lazy, lazy trophies. I think I had the plat before I finished half the game.

Final Grade: C

If you don't care about trophies, or are a total whore, you're in luck. But really - stop being so lazy, game makers.

 

 

 

 

  NCIS GAME

 

First Trophy: May 9th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: May 9th, 2012

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: D

What I remember of this game (which took around 3.5 hours to plat) was terrible. A game that does nothing but show (horribly rendered) versions of a lousy (if popular) TV show, and forces you through multiple trivial minigames.

Trophy Grade: C-

Well, they're really easy, and they're really fast. That's about all I can say.

Final Grade: D+

Trophy whores only.

 

 

 

 

  FINAL FANTASY XIII

 

First Trophy: March 9th, 2010

Platinum Achieved: May 16th, 2012

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

Final Fantasy XIII was the first FF title that I only played once, and I never regretted the decision. I remember when this first came out that you could see the fanboys trying their best to rationalize the disappointment. First, why are we so stuck on rails? Why is the music so stock and boring? Why are the creatures so unappealing? Why are the bosses so uninspired? Why is there a cut scene every 5 minutes? And finally, why is this game so damn pretentious? The Fabula Nova Crystallis? Give me a break already!

 

Time has tempered my view of this game (mostly because the sequels to XIII make it look like Dark Souls in comparison), but make no mistake - at the time, this was easily the worst FF game ever made. It's amazing that Square-Enix has fallen as far as they have.

Trophy Grade: D

Compared to the trophies, the game looks like a gem. First off, the trophy descriptions are every bit as pretentious as the game. "Resolved to be more than a victim of circumstance". "Carried the burden of guilt to the end of the line". "Triumphed over undying lower-world souls in seven fierce battles". To this day, I think that the translations found in the guild primer of FFXII are among some of the best localizations I've ever seen in a game. Obviously, they didn't write this slop.

 

Add to that the fact that the trophies are just annoying (collect every accessory doesn't sound bad...until you realize that many accessories are created through decidedly non-intuitive ways from other accessories), and this game becomes much more of a slog than it already is.

Final Grade: C+

If memory serves, over 6 million people bought this game across the systems, and around 4 million didn't bother to stick around for the sequels (I did, unfortunately). FFXIII will only wow you if you are looking for light RPG elements with a cool-looking paintjob. Otherwise, continue avoiding.

 

 

 

 

  FINAL FANTASY XIII-2

 

First Trophy: May 16th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: May 27th, 2012

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: D

Final Fantasy XIII was definitely not my favorite game. But at least it was true to its vision. That vision was flawed, pretentious and unappealing, but it was a singular vision. On the other hand, XIII-2 is what happens when developers turn to focus groups and market research to create a game. What, people didn't like the lack of side quests? Let's throw some unnecessary fetch errands into the mix! Oh, people thought the game was too linear? Let's completely abandon both story and plot. BUT, people can go where they want!

 

This felt like a game where someone just wanted to say, "See - you said you wanted this, but you didn't!" The thing is, though, I STILL want side quests in FFXIII. I still want freedom. I just want a good game, too, and XIII-2 fails to deliver. At all. My greatest fear is that this game cannibalized the concept of a Chrono Trigger sequel, which is too bad.

Trophy Grade: F

The trophies here are atrocious, with one reason shining over all others: the casino minigame might be the worst casino minigame in history. Is there anyone who actually sat there and played the casino games? I know I didn't - I just pried down one of the buttons on my controller (was it R1?), hoping that by leaving the game on all night, I would get the necessary coinage. It took three nights to get it to work. Screw you, Toriyama...

Final Grade: D-

If you avoided FFXIII, you should REALLY avoid this. In a world without Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or Man vs. Wild, this might be a candidate for worst experience on the system.

 

 

 

 

  RESONANCE OF FATE

 

First Trophy: May 28th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: June 13th, 2012

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Although you might think that I played this game (relatively) fast, in fact, I started this game much earlier. However, I got ambushed by enemies before getting to the tutorial (which, amazingly, might not be the first battle). I couldn't figure out anything, and gave up.

 

Nonetheless, this is a really solid JRPG. Tri-Ace was probably my favorite developer in the PS1 and PS2 generation. This game doesn't live up to those days (mostly due to an incomprehensible story, which develops at the most glacial pace imaginable), but the battles in this game are great.

Trophy Grade: C+

The trophies are often a slog. The arena, in particular, is a nuisance, as you have to beat each round over and over again. And when you finish the game, you get to play it again. Why? Because...look over there, a squirrel!

Final Grade: B

Worth your while to play, but be prepared for grinding if you want the plat. Not Star Ocean grinding, mind you, but grinding nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

  PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME

 

First Trophy: July 5th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: July 9th, 2012

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C-

I will never understand the appeal of this series. The Sands of Time is a bland game with insipid combat and mediocre platforming, mostly due to controls that constantly betray you. It's not hard. It's just annoying. And boring.

Trophy Grade: C+

The trophies are easy, but any Prince of Persia trophy that requires me NOT to use my powers is a joke. The only fun part of the game is using the powers!

Final Grade: C

Why do people like this game?

 

 

 

 

  CSI: FATAL CONSPIRACY

 

First Trophy: August 10th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: August 11th, 2012

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C+

I have little to no memory of this game. I keep confusing it in my head with NCIS, which was worse, I remember. But I know I didn't love this game.

Trophy Grade: C+

Sit in the back of the room, blah blah blah.

Final Grade: C+

You passed the class. That's the best I can say.

 

 

 

 

  BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE GAME

 

First Trophy: August 11th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: August 12th, 2012

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: D

I don't get the love for this game. The control is abysmally bad. The graphics are cute enough, but the game stutters often. This wasn't a port from a better system (like, e.g., The Wolf Among Us). I like Back to the Future as much as anybody (I saw it in the theater when it was released), and I like the story here. But the execution of the game is terrible.

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies, for the most part, are good. You'll need guides (probably) for some of them, but that's OK. But again, control rears its ugly head, making some of them more annoying than they should be.

Final Grade: C-

Skip this game unless you are a die-hard BTTF fan. There are MUCH better Telltale games out there.

 

 

 

 

  WARHAMMER 40K: SPACE MARINE

 

First Trophy: June 14th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: August 15th, 2012

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

Warhammer hits the spot for mindless violence. You go around and kill Orcs. You regain health by killing Orcs in cool ways. In addition to a solid single player campaign, Warhammer has a great multiplayer mode. My only gripe was that the game just kind of...ended, and I wish there had been more stuff.

Trophy Grade: B-

The trophies are generally OK, with two notable exceptions. The first is the worst - you have to unlock everything in multiplayer. I can't imagine that anyone has ever done this "legit" (i.e. without some sort of goal-based "boosting"). Even when multiplayer was bustling, the sheer amount of stuff you have to do is epic.

 

The second trophy (kill 40000 enemies) is surprisingly long-winded. I mean, I've easily killed 100,000+ in DW games, but it takes forever to do this.

Final Grade: B+

I was happy that PS+ gave me this one as a "free" game. I thoroughly enjoyed it. But be prepared for one hell of a slog if you're thinking platinum.

 

 

 

 

  METAL GEAR SOLID 4

First Trophy: August 15th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: September 3rd, 2012

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

For many, this is the defining game of the generation. Not me. I've been a fan of Metal Gear since the days of the NES (I've played Snake's Revenge - it's actually pretty good!). MGS4 is a great game...when I actually get to play it. Unfortunately, the only way Kojima saw to give story was via long cutscenes, many of which are hampered by poor art direction and needlessly wordy slogs. Let's listen to some out of tune singing while an egg fries...again and again! I know that Metal Gear came out pretty early in the life of the system (long before trophies, e.g.), and so I give it a pass that I won't later give Lightning Returns. But let's face it - no matter how great graphics are, it's an egg frying. Not so interesting.

 

I loved fighting robots. I loved hiding from special forces under a bed. I loved...shooting half-naked girls with a sunlight gun? Whatever. But I did NOT like watching these interminable cut scenes.

Trophy Grade: B+

The trophies are generally great, but any trophy set that requires me to play through a game 8 separate times needs to screw its head on straight. Why not have a single trophy devoted to finding the Big Boss emblem? Why do I have to do silly number crunches between deaths, kills and alerts in order to find other (pointless) badges I'll never use, for a single IPod track I'll never hear?

 

It's too bad, too - many of the trophies really get it right. Seeing Snake rip the dong off of a statue? I would have never witnessed that were it not for the trophy. Also, the tiles look great. But again - 8 playthroughs is pushing the bounds of even slightly good taste.

Final Grade: B+

A good game that has a lot of offer a player, but unless you are a massive fan of long cutscenes, you might find this to be far less than advertised.

Edited October 5, 2015 by starcrunch061

[starcrunch061]

PLATS 76-100

  KUNG FU PANDA 2

 

First Trophy: November 20th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: November 20th, 2012

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I enjoyed the movie, and have no real bad memories of the game. So, fat part of the curve.

Trophy Grade: B-

It's a one-day plat. It can't be all bad, right?

Final Grade: B-

Not showing off, not falling behind.

 

 

 

 

  WIPEOUT 2

 

First Trophy: November 29th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: December 1, 2012

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: F

God, I hate this game. Horrible controls don't mix well with genuinely difficult challenges. I hated pretty much every minute of this game.

Trophy Grade: C

If the game were of greater quality, these would be pretty nice trophies. But when control is as bad as it is with this game, time challenges are just a nightmare. 

Final Grade: D-

Avoid. One of the worst games I've played.

 

 

 

 

  RANGO

 

First Trophy: December 5th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: December 8, 2012

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

Another trophy whoring game for me. I can't remember much at all about this. It wasn't that fun, though, and the fake Johnny Depp voice really grated on my nerves.

Trophy Grade: C

All I can remember is the number 200,000, and that number seems WAY too big for a game like this. What a pointless grind.

Final Grade: C

Not worth your time, even for the easy plat.

 

 

 

 

  HEAVY FIRE: AFGHANISTAN

 

First Trophy: December 13th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: December 15, 2012

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

This game gets crapped on, but it was actually pretty fun. Nothing special, but it reminded me far more of the rail shooters I would play in the arcade back in the day. 

Trophy Grade: C+

The trophies, however, are a disappointment. Making me play through the game twice is just annoying. I know the difficulty is supposed to change, but I never felt it. A very easy list, however.

Final Grade: B-

There are worst ways to spend your time. I enjoyed getting this (easy) plat.

 

 

 

 

  CARTOON NETWORK PUNCH TIME EXPLOSION XL

 

First Trophy: December 21th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: December 22, 2012

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

It must be hard to make a game like Smash Brothers. This is one of two games I've played like this, and both are mediocre. Punch Time Explosion doesn't really do anything wrong, per se, and the graphics are quite cute. I enjoyed seeing old and new CN characters slug it out. But it's just not very fun to play. Maybe it's because of...

Trophy Grade: C+

...the trophies? God, these things were a slog. How in the world would you figure out this stuff, anyway. A pretty lousy list, to be sure.

Final Grade: B-

Again, it's not a terrible game, but when comparing it to the glory of Smash Brothers, it falls hard.

 

 

 

 

  RISEN 2: DARK WATERS

 

First Trophy: December 29th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: January 8th, 2013

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

I really liked a lot of this game. Combat was totally broken, but that's OK - once I found an infinite source of gold, I just stocked up on rum and button-mashed. I enjoyed the pirate theme, and having multiple plot paths was pretty cool, too, although I wouldn't say this game supported multiple playthroughs. The QTEs made absolutely no sense, though.

Trophy Grade: C

The trophy list would have been fine, except for the grinding out of kills. I liked how the game saved all of your progress at all times, even when you didn't bother saving the game yourself. But there was no easy way to grind kills, and the game froze often on me when I did. Add to that the fact that you have to make mid-game saves (or risk playing through it again), and this became a real slog.

Final Grade: B

Again, not a bad game. Germans seem to like this low-budget crap (just look at the sales of Two Worlds II). This game is decent enough for a low price.

 

 

 

 

  MAN VS. WILD

 

First Trophy: January 11th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: January 12th, 2013

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: F

A candidate for worst game on the system, to be sure. I have no idea what the developers were thinking. They probably weren't. I particularly loathed the GH-style QTE to defrost yourself after falling in ice water. And hunting down trash in the Everglades? Pure flippin' genius. And to top it off, you would be surprised how much of a struggle it is to...get on a horse at the end of the game. Avoid.

Trophy Grade: D

The one perk is that the list is very easy (with guides). But random collectables (including some that I never saw, but still got credit for, thankfully)? A no-death run? Even for an easy list, this was an annoyance.

Final Grade: F

Avoid. Like the plague.

 

 

 

 

  INFAMOUS

First Trophy: December 21st, 2011

Platinum Achieved: January 21th, 2013

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

I'm surprised that this game became a huge franchise. It's OK, but nothing special. An OK 3rd-person shooter with a wobbly time-travel plot. Not bad, but not great. I hated the fact that, although you were presented with choices, they had absolutely no effect on the game (I particularly liked the one where, regardless of what you did, you couldn't save your girlfriend). Maybe this series got better, but I saw no reason to replay it.

Trophy Grade: D

This list gets knocked for one reason: pointless collectables. Collecting those stupid shards kept me from getting this plat for a full year. Honestly, I just got lucky when I found the last one. 

Final Grade: C+

Again, I don't get the love for this. It's OK, but nothing special.

 

 

 

 

  GAME OF THRONES

First Trophy: January 21st, 2011

Platinum Achieved: February 7th, 2013

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: F

What a bad game. Game of Thrones takes everything you hate about licensed games, and puts it in an RPG. It's an unfinished mess of a game that makes no sense, and can't possibly appeal to anyone outside of the most blind of GoT fanboys. Combat is broken; it's quite difficult until you understand how it works, and then it's a joke. The game is ugly as sin. The one perk is that the voice work is competent. But as a game ostensibly meant to compete against the likes of Dragon Age, this is a disaster, made worse due to numerous glitches and design flaws.

Trophy Grade: C-

The trophies are generally OK, but are hurt by the fact that you actually have to play the game TWICE to get them all. It's hard enough to get through it once.

Final Grade: D-

Yet another avoid game. Is it any wonder that I would soon give up plats (and even trophies) for an extended period?

 

 

 

 

  HYPERDIMENSION NEPTUNIA MK2

 

First Trophy: February 13th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: February 24th, 2013

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: D

Everything that I liked about Hyperdimension Neptunia is spoiled in this fanboy-driven sequel. The humor of the first title is replaced with lousy self-parody and tasteless imagery. The combat in the game was somehow made worse here. While the dungeons are more detailed, the colors looked like something vomited by a rainbow unicorn. The game has a ton of endings, and one of them makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. What a letdown.

Trophy Grade: C

The ending trophies spoil the fun. There are TONS of endings here, many with flags that are unknown. Without a guide, you would be playing this over, and over, and over. 

Final Grade: D+

D for disappointed. Plus for decent trophies. Hardcore fans only.

 

 

 

 

  VENETICA

 

First Trophy: March 2nd, 2013

Platinum Achieved: March 12th, 2013

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: D

Boy - what a bad spell of games! Venetica is another poor RPG. Lousy writing. Lousy voicework. Lousy graphics. Lousy gameplay. Honestly, this only gets a D because of the dreck I played a couple of games back.

Trophy Grade: D

Again, completely opaque trophies. Three separate guild trophies, despite the fact that you can only join one guild per playthrough. Two playthroughs required, despite the fact that the game hardly supports 1. Some trophies are glitchy as well. 

Final Grade: D

Yet ANOTHER "avoid" game!

 

 

 

 

  NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE!

 

First Trophy: March 16th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: March 17th, 2013

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

Although I remember little of this game, I definitely hated the puzzles. 

Trophy Grade: C

God, those puzzles.

Final Grade: C

Very easy to plat, but is it worth it?

 

 

 

 

  THE TESTAMENT OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

 

First Trophy: April 9th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: April 12th, 2013

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

After a spate of mediocre-to-terrible games, Sherlock Holmes finally gave me an enjoyable experience. Nothing special, but I enjoyed its puzzles, and I loved the writing (Sherlock Holmes disdain for everything around him was particularly nice). However, travel (and the basic act of walking) was clunky, and you'll be doing a lot of it.

Trophy Grade: B+

Solid trophies with some of the oddest descriptions out there. Most can be obtained with a careful eye, but some are quite tough without a guide.

Final Grade: B

I enjoy this game more than most of the point-and-click from Telltale (like Sam and Max or The Wolf Among Us). Recommended, though not highly.

 

 

 

 

  KINGDOMS OF AMALUR: RECKONING

 

First Trophy: March 21st, 2013

Platinum Achieved: April 16th, 2013

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

FINALLY! An RPG that doesn't suck! Reckoning didn't get a ton of love from customers, and that's too bad. While I think the lore of the game suffers from too many cooks spoiling the broth, I had genuine fun playing through this. I loved the fact that you could re-spec, and by doing so, could make use of the numerous teachers that gave bonus points to your skills, but only at lower levels. My character was a real powerhouse by the end. The story is pretty standard stuff, but the gameplay rescues it. Recommended, and pretty highly at that.

Trophy Grade: B+

A decent list. Nothing special. I like the difficulty trophy, and the collectables were not offensive, since you actually unlocked real stuff in-game. Defeating an enemy who is 5 levels greater than you can be a pain, though, and I don't like missables.

Final Grade: A-

I dunno - I really enjoyed this game. I'm not sure why it didn't hit bigger than it did.

 

 

 

 

  MEN IN BLACK: ALIEN CRISIS

 

First Trophy: April 19th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: April 23th, 2013

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C+

This game was a pretty big letdown, even for a licensed game. I just felt like this could be a lot better. The voice work, in particular, was really annoying. You created a new character for the game - could you at least get a good voice actor? Other than that, basic shooter action with some pointless racing segments (I think - I have a hard time remembering this one).

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies are OK, although a couple annoyed me (dodging mines, mostly - I got that trophy 3 days after getting the others).

Final Grade: B-

It's not worth playing unless you are hunting trophies.

 

 

 

 

  TRIVIAL PURSUIT

 

First Trophy: May 8th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: May 23rd, 2013

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

Slumming for this one, Trivial Pursuit does what it's supposed to. You play Trivial Pursuit. No frills here, however; while there are a few extra game modes, they aren't particularly fun or anything.

Trophy Grade: C+

Trophies that reward total incompetence. Great. But it's pretty easy. I'm stunned I took 15 days to get it.

Final Grade: B-

Trophy whores only. If you're buying this actually to play Trivial Pursuit, I would recommend instead the old physical version. Less annoying and cumbersome.

 

 

 

 

  PUSS IN BOOTS

 

First Trophy: May 31st, 2013

Platinum Achieved: June 1st, 2013

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I'm sure I remember nothing about this game...

Trophy Grade: B-

...or its trophy list...

Final Grade: B-

...but it's easy enough to play and plat.

 

 

 

 

  THE WALKING DEAD

 

First Trophy: August 7th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: June 18th, 2013 (100% achieved on August 4th, 2015)

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

I've always thought the Telltale games were a bit overrated, but Walking Dead starts to convert me a bit. I really dug the story (a must for point-and-click), and the random zombie attacks spiced things up. I still wish that more was done with character choices (my feeling was that, although I made choices with various characters, most would have met their respective fates no matter WHAT I did), but the dynamic between the characters made this adventure worth taking. Game of the Year? I don't think so, but a great game nonetheless.

Trophy Grade: B+

One of the easiest lists on the system - you just need to play through the game. But it felt pretty lazy. There should be SOMETHING for exploring other routes.

Final Grade: B+

A great game that was pretty overrated by the community, but still shouldn't be missed.

 

 

 

 

   SLEEPING DOGS

 

First Trophy: June 12th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: June 19th, 2013 

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

I had zero expectations when Sleeping Dogs was given away by PS+. However, this is a nice little GTA-type diversion. Nothing special, but I enjoyed the setting, and I liked the combat (which seemed as inspired by Yakuza as anything). Sleeping Dogs isn't a reason to buy the system, but it's a fine game once you have it.

Trophy Grade: B+

Good, solid trophies that do what they're supposed to do. Killing enemies with all weapon types got old, and I got REALLY lucky on the cock-fighting game (I won every time I played), but I was never really annoyed in hunting the trophies.

Final Grade: B+

There are far worse ways to spend your time.

 

 

 

 

  SOUND SHAPES

First Trophy: June 13th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: June 22th, 2013 

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

This game gets crapped on because it's so easy to whore the trophies, but Sound Shapes is a pretty fun rhythm platformer. I enjoyed my time with it (short as it was). Beat School was a letdown, but Death Mode was a nice change of pace as well. All in all, well worth the price for which I got it (which might be free - I don't actually remember).

Trophy Grade: C+

The Beat School trophies are just stupid. Is this really what should be loaded on your DLC?

Final Grade: B

Most people know of this game, since playing it once allows you pop multiple plats, provided you own the respective systems. But it's not a bad game.

 

 

 

 

  SAINT'S ROW 3

 

First Trophy: June 19th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: June 30th, 2013 

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

I've always liked Saint's Row games, and this is no exception. While not as strong as Saint's Row 2, this game brings the goods. I've enjoyed the general silliness of this series for a while now, and this was a solid entry.

Trophy Grade: B+

A slight knock because I don't like trophies that reward you simply for playing for a long time, and I didn't much care for the choice trophy. It seemed random. Other than that, a good list

Final Grade: A-

If you liked Saint's Row 2, you'll like this, but just a little less. However, it has trophies.

 

 

 

 

  DRAGON'S DOGMA

 

First Trophy: April 24th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: August 13th, 2013 

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

Unfulfilled potential. Dragon's Dogma should be so much better than it is. Despite what you might think, it's actually a short game - the vast, VAST majority of your time will be spent traveling the overworld (if you play multiple times, so that you can keep the teleport crystals, you can beat the entire game easily under 5 hours). Quests (and their time frames) are completely opaque, and often, you'll have to backtrack multiple cities to go through a quest, which has an amazingly small time window in the game. The pawn system is a pretty cool idea that isn't utilized well at all. And the stat boosts on leveling are actually non-linear, and there is NOTHING that would tell you this within the game.

Trophy Grade: B-

What kills the trophy list is the quest trophy, and the ridiculous time frames for completing them. You have to be pretty devoted to a guide to get these (I took 4 playthroughs, because I kept missing crap). Also, the "Find 350 items" trophy turns into an unnecessary grind; you can only outfit a couple of characters anyway. I did like that you had to kill the uber dragon, though.

Final Grade: B

An OK game, but it's totally obvious why this game didn't light up the sales charts like, say, Dark Souls.

 

 

 

 

  DARK SOULS II

 

First Trophy: March 11th, 2014

Platinum Achieved: August 22th, 2014 

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

Wow - I guess I had finally had it after Dragon's Dogma. I would go a full YEAR before platting a game again! But anyway, Dark Souls II is flipping great. Don't listen to the haters - Dark Souls II does so much right that it is perfectly reasonable to overlook its few (small) flaws. If I had one gripe, it's the torch system. What was the point of the plethora of torch sconces in the game? I only remember two ever mattering. My guess is that a design idea was dropped. One other thing: this game is the first Souls game in which the level 1 character is actually a wimp. A level 1 run is great in this game.

Trophy Grade: S

Trophies done right. Dark Souls II might have my favorite trophy list in a game. Gone are collectable trophies (unless you count the spell trophies, which I don't). Trophies explore various aspects of the game. Online makes some easier, but online isn't necessary for the plat. All in all, I REALLY dug the trophies in this one.

Final Grade: A+

Fantastic game which I highly recommend. One of my top 5 PS3 games.

 

 

 

 

  YAKUZA: DEAD SOULS

First Trophy: March 20th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: January 23rd, 2015 

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

Again, I went months before getting a plat. That would change in 2015, as I will have a LOT of plats to follow here. But I decided to go on another clean up, and the first plat was Dead Souls. I don't know why people beat up on this game. I know that the shooter has evolved a lot, but Dead Souls has the feel of an old top-down shooter (like Robotron 2084), where you just fired like crazy at the swath of enemies coming at you. Auto-tracking makes things easier, but all in all, I liked the throwback feel. Also, seeing Kiryu in action against the final boss makes everything better.

Trophy Grade: C+

Are you kidding me? I have to play this game 3 separate times? There is no good reason to force me to play a LOWER difficulty after I've beaten the HIGHEST difficulty. And oh God - pachinko?

Final Grade: B+

A really fun game slightly spoiled by a lazy trophy list.

 

 

 

 

  MIDWAY ARCADE ORIGINS

 

First Trophy: January 13th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: January 24th, 2015 

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

The clean-up continued! I remembered these games being...more fun. Many of Midway's collected games don't even work with the Dualshock. 720 is absolutely unplayable, and Tubin' is a mess, too. Spy Hunter II should be inhabiting a landfill somewhere, and the racing game contingent is too heavy (particularly since those games played with a steering wheel back in the day). Thankfully, games like Smash TV and Joust remind me of why I love these collections.

Trophy Grade: B+

They do what they should. Each game has an associated trophy, and many of the trophies are sensible (unlike, say, Sonic Genesis Collection). Destroy the pterodactyl in Joust? Of course that's the trophy. 

Final Grade: B

A fun game for arcade fans, but modern fans might not understand what the big deal is (or was). 

 

 

 

 

PLATS 101-125

  AKIBA'S TRIP: UNDEAD & UNDRESSED

 

First Trophy: November 14th, 2014

Platinum Achieved: January 24th, 2015 

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

If Nier was a surprise game of 2011, then Akiba's Trip is the surprise game of the century. I walked into this with zero expectations, other than the chance to see digital ladies in their skivvies. But Akiba's Trip is actually a pretty darn good game! Arcade-style combat hits the spot, and difficulty levels actually change the experience. But the best part? The localization is great! I never thought I'd live in a world where the English version of a small-budget Japanese niche title would far surpass that of Final Fantasy. The main gripes here are some strange design decisions in combat (which are hard to describe), and multiple freezes while fast-traveling.

Trophy Grade: B+

The trophies also get it right. While I'm not a huge fan of collectible trophies, for whatever reason, it doesn't bother me as much if I'm collecting...clothes from people I've stripped. Still, I had trouble finding enough pants to satisfy the trophy makers, so I knock it a bit.

Final Grade: B+

 This game won't win any awards, but if you're looking for some mindless beat 'em up action, this is pretty good. Plus...boobies! 

 

 

 

 

  TALES OF GRACES F

 

First Trophy: January 7th, 2014

Platinum Achieved: January 27th, 2015 

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

Tales of Graces f, despite it's incredibly stupid title, reminds me of why I liked the Tales series in the first place. I love the outrageous title system (100+ titles for each character? Awesome!). I enjoyed the banter between characters (some of the comments after battle really cracked me up). I really liked all of the post-game battles. In short, this is one of the best JRPGs on the system. The big gripe here was the terrible errand system. It had no effect on the main game, really, but...

Trophy Grade: B-

...it made the trophies atrocious! But first, POINTLESS COLLECTIBLES. I hated gathering all of those stupid Tales cards (some of the minigames required were just awful). Also, why in the world did I have to bring that stupid Eleth Mixer up to 9999? At no point in the game was this even desirable. But nothing was as bad as trying to get through all of those errands in hopes of fighting the Gentleman. It was a chore just unlocking them! And the traits on weapons? God - I hate remembering that.

Final Grade: B+

Ignoring the stupid trophies, Tales of Graces f is a real winner. 

 

 

 

 

  TALES OF XILLIA

 

First Trophy: February 9th, 2014

Platinum Achieved: January 28th, 2015 

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: C-

Unfortunately, this second-rate game garnered more attention. I'll never understand why people like this game, to say nothing of loving it. Cliched characters. Cliched plot. Insipid battle. Repeated environments (hey everybody - our tundra has trees!). The graphics were nice, but nothing special. They even managed to screw up the title system in this one. All in all, this is a game that barely passes muster. 

Trophy Grade: C+

Trophies are better, but not much. Ostensibly, the trophies seek to show aspects of the game. But in the end? Lots of pointless grinding out of skills and abilities that have no real use in the game. I don't think I used the auto-food thing at all in my first playthrough. 

Final Grade: C

 Again, I don't get the love for this. Mostly, this is a soulless RPG hiding behind the Tales name. 

 

 

 

 

  DRAGON FANTASY BOOK II

 

 

First Trophy: December 9th, 2014

Platinum Achieved: January 30th, 2015 

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: D

What a massive disappointment. After the excellent Dragon Fantasy Book I, I was eagerly anticipating the follow-up, which would utilize the goodness of the SNES-era of RPGs (the Golden Age, and the single best time for JRPGs in history). Unfortunately, the developers were not up to the task, and this shell of a game does nothing to call up the nostalgic goodness of the bygone days of Enix and Square. The form is right, but the heart just isn't there. Pointless story. Poor combat. Extras that have no purpose outside of trophies. And to top it off, design flaws (including one which could cause you to start the entire game over...at the END OF THE GAME). Do yourself a favor: play Book I and skip Book II.

Trophy Grade: A-

The trophies, in and of themselves, are fine. In fact, many trophies serve as the only motivation for features that should be a lot cooler than they are (such as capturing monsters).

Final Grade: D+

 As sad as I am to say it, avoid this game. I love 16-bit RPGs, but this one just doesn't make the grade.

 

 

 

 

  GOD OF WAR: CHAINS OF OLYMPUS

First Trophy: September 19th, 2014

Platinum Achieved: January 31th, 2015 

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I have to say, if I bought this at full price, as a standalone game, I would probably kick myself. Chains of Olympus does nothing really wrong. It's just too short. You can finish the main game in around 2 hours, without really trying. It's also very easy. Even on the hardest difficulties, players will probably have trouble only with the final boss, if anything at all. Not a bad game, but it feels kind of lazy.

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies are good, but not great. Watch a movie three times? Break out of stone status 5 times in a row? Rewarding pointlessness and incompetence - that's the best you can do?

Final Grade: B

 This game is fine as part of the 5 game GoW collection, which is why it gets the grade it does. Had I bought this even for $20 new, I would be sadly disappointed.

 

 

 

 

  GOD OF WAR: GHOST OF SPARTA

 

First Trophy: September 17th, 2014

Platinum Achieved: February 3rd, 2015 

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

Slightly better than Chains of Olympus, but only because it's longer. Ghost of Sparta is even easier than its counterpart. And what's up with this story? What happened to the cool story of Kratos' brother from GoW? In any case, more of the same = less interested than ever.

Trophy Grade: B-

The trophies are a disappointment as well. Pointless grinding to get all of the Godly Possessions. Opaque descriptions such as "Make a titan scream for over a minute". Am I supposed to know what that means? Try to open a chest for 30 seconds? OK - that one was pretty funny. But all in all, a disappointment.

Final Grade: B

 I'm sure fans just eat this stuff up, but like Chains of Olympus, this feels lazy. Good as part of a collection, but not much more.

 

 

 

 

  YAKUZA 4

 

First Trophy: April 11th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: February 7th, 2015 

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A

Now we're talking! I really dig Yakuza 4. I enjoy the 4 different characters, each with unique fighting styles. I like the old school beat-em up action that's been sorely missed since the golden days of Final Fight and Streets of Rage. I even like the Japanese voices, which don't sound like the squealing brats often heard in anime and JRPGs. And I like the stuff which was cut from Yakuza 3. The hostess clubs are great. That dice game from Suikoden? Awesome. And of course, who can forget...

Trophy Grade: B-

PACHINKO?!?! ARRRRRRRGGGHHHH! God - if I never have to play that crap again, it will be too soon. STOP MAKING ME PLAY PACHINKO! Also, was there really a need to force the player to play through the game three times, including an obligatory playthrough on normal difficulty?

Final Grade: A-

 Despite the trophies, Yakuza 4 is a great game, and shouldn't be skipped by anyone.

 

 

 

 

  MASS EFFECT

 

First Trophy: December 9th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: February 20th, 2015 

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

I was so happy to get a chance to play Mass Effect when it was released in 2012, and eagerly flew through it. I like the different style of the game. While combat is a little rough, social interaction is quite good, and the exploration aspect is stellar. The graphics are rough today, but still perfectly fine. The difficulties are a problem, but not if you play as a soldier. Obviously, there are some QC issues, but not as many as I expected, given that this is by Bioware. All in all, I really dug this game, but...

Trophy Grade: D+

...man, the trophies are terrible. There are numerous easily-missed trophies which require you to play through an ENTIRE NEW PLAYTHROUGH. Moreover, trophies glitch often - I almost lost hope when I didn't get the trophy for beating the game on Insanity. Thankfully, there was a workaround, but man - would that have been a pain. The one bright spot is that earning trophies actually has benefits within the game. For example, gaining a partner trophy will increase the power of that partner by 5%. It's an idea that I wish others would implement.

Final Grade: B

 The trophies really marred what should have been a great experience. Still a solid game, but not as good as I would have hoped.

 

 

 

 

  LIGHTNING RETURNS

 

 

First Trophy: October 26th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: February 23rd, 2015 

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: D-

So, it's come to this? Lightning Returns is a stain on JRPGs, and Square in general. Part of me thinks that Square released this simply to screw with us. Thankfully, this crapstorm was not exactly a best-seller, and was heavily discounted mere weeks after release (I bought this for less than twenty bucks only a few months after its release). A whole lot of elements come together in one of the worst ways possible. Incomprehensibly bad storyline? We've got it! Bland, boring NPCs and environments? Look no further! A pointless time limit that is easily gotten around, and serves as little more than an annoyance? Come one, come all! The only reason I don't give this the F-hammer is that there was one great idea here: the NG+, with accessories that powered up over time. But that's not NEARLY enough to save this abomination.

Trophy Grade: B

Despite the terrible game, the trophies are quite workable for me. Most notably, I actually enjoyed the trophy which required me to upgrade accessories; without it, I would never have known about this great idea. Other trophies explore post-game, the armor and weapon system, etc. It's not flashy, but it gets the job done.

Final Grade: D+

 However, no amount of decent trophies saves this. Please, Square - fire Motomu Toriyama. Or better yet, make him work in a fitness club somewhere, like Konami does to its employees.

 

 

 

 

  GOD OF WAR

First Trophy: December 17th, 2009(!)

Platinum Achieved: March 10th, 2015 

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: A

This was a great game when it was released, and it's a great game now. God of War is easily the best of the series. Who recalls when Kratos actually seemed multi-dimensional as a character? Also, this game feels far less linear than any of its sequels. Combat is solid as always. I liked this game then, and I like it now.

Trophy Grade: A

Trophies done smart and done right. Some of them even have clever names: "Zero - health = bronze trophy" and "getting my ass kicked" are two of my favorites. The speed run trophy feels almost perfect here. Also, the massive delay in platting this shouldn't be seen as a knock - I didn't own the game until 2014 (having borrowed it for a few hours back in 2009).

Final Grade: A

The best of the GoW games, IMHO. You would be sorry to miss it.

 

 

 

 

  GOD OF WAR II

First Trophy: December 19th, 2009(!)

Platinum Achieved: March 12th, 2015 

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

In describing Shaquille O'Neal, a friend of mine once said that he had a decision to become great, or become fat. He chose fat. I feel the same way about God of War II. While this is still a fun arcade-like experience, it does little to build on the greatness of its predecessor, and set the tone for the clones which followed. Still a good game, but this could have been so much more. The story, in particular, takes a massive nosedive, with plot coupons that would buy out chain stores.

Trophy Grade: A-

Solid trophies as always, but not as good as the previous installment. In particular, I missed one of the "uber chests", which kept me away from this for many years. Still, I really liked what the GoW people did with trophies in general (and I love the names).

Final Grade: A-

Still worth your time (particularly in HD), but a step down from the greatness of God of War.

 

 

 

 

   SAINT'S ROW IV

 

 

First Trophy: February 28th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: March 14th, 2015 (100% achieved March 14th, 2015)

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

At some point, too much is too much. Saint's Row IV is still a fun game, but this incarnation feels really tired from the outset. Space aliens attack the world, and put everyone into virtual reality? That might have been funny 10 years ago. The action is still solid, but the superpowers negate much of the car chase fun (and further, your character just looks stupid jumping around). It's still a good game, but definitely the worst of the three I played on PS3.

Trophy Grade: B

POINTLESS COLLECTIBLES SHOULD BE BANNED. Even with a map, they are annoying.

Final Grade: B+

 Again, if you liked the other ones, you'll like this one, but less.

 

 

 

 

  KATAMARI FOREVER

First Trophy: September 27th, 2009(!)

Platinum Achieved: March 17th, 2015 

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

Unlike many of my long-run plats, where I just quit out on the game, I actually played Katamari quite a bit (my wife loves it). This game retains the strength of previous entries, although the remixed soundtrack is a major letdown. Still, having the game in HD really helps (the blur back in the day would hurt my eyes). 

Trophy Grade: B

Collect every object in the game? Well, get ready for a LOT of guides. I mean, I found over 4000 of them on my own, and I still needed a guide for over 100! Add to that the stupid punishment minigame, and the trophies were somewhat less than satisfactory. No trophies for shooting starts, but lots of stuff for grinding out? No es bueno. I liked many of the trophies here, but it could have been much better.

Final Grade: A-

 I normally don't fawn over remixed versions of older games, but I got a lot of mileage out of this one. Very enjoyable, although the plat is harder than you would think.

 

 

 

 

  PRINCE OF PERSIA: WARRIOR WITHIN

 

 

First Trophy: March 17th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: March 31th, 2015 

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: F

Who likes this? I don't even know what to say to you. This game is atrocious, and I'm sure it was atrocious upon release. I'll never understand the appeal of the PS2-era PoP games. But this one is just a crap stain on your virtual underwear. They even managed to screw up a metal soundtrack (which is woefully out of place, and even more poorly recorded). And Ubisoft couldn't even be bothered to fix the glitches? I mean, they certainly found the time to remove the old PoP titles from this collection.

Trophy Grade: C-

The trophies would be OK if I didn't have to play this thing 3 separate times. Oh, and if there wasn't a chance of the game glitching out at the end.

Final Grade: D-

 Avoid. Like the plague.

 

 

 

 

  LA NOIRE

 

First Trophy: April 21st, 2012

Platinum Achieved: April 2nd, 2015 (100% achieved August 17th, 2015) 

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

I wanted this game to be better. LA Noire is a good enough game, but has enough annoyance to drop it to a B. I particularly disliked the interview system, which made no sense. Often, you would accuse people of lying on the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence. Searching for clues in the umpteenth crime scene got old, and don't even get me started on the horrendous use of collectibles. But the surface stuff was good, at least (good graphics, good voicework), and control was tight. Not bad, but not great.

Trophy Grade: C

Did the Japanese take over this trophy list? What a bunch of crap. Find randomly placed gold film canisters, which have no purpose in the game? Ugh. Driving by sites was at least OK. But then...I have to unlock all of the cars? Needless to say, it's not hard to see why I gave up on this game for so long (and, even when I got the plat, I still didn't bother with the 100% for months, despite the fact that I had all DLC from the outset).

Final Grade: B-

Some people really love this game. I don't. Honestly, I enjoy this less than many of the one-day kid's games that I played.

 

 

 

 

  SHERLOCK HOLMES: CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS

 

First Trophy: March 10th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: April 4th, 2015  

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

Another solid outing for Sherlock Holmes and company. Again, I enjoyed the voice work and dialogue in this one. Again, I was annoyed by the control. At least I wasn't forced to cross that rope bridge for the plat. 

Trophy Grade: B

Standard trophies. I would have liked more in-game meaning to some of the character profiles. But again - at least I didn't have to cross the rope bridge for the plat.

Final Grade: B

If you liked the first one, you'll like this. It's pretty much the same.

 

 

 

 

  NI NO KUNI

 

First Trophy: June 15th, 2014

Platinum Achieved: April 7th, 2015  

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A

What a great game. Ni No Kuni really takes me back. It's the best throwback-style JRPG on the system (and probably the best in two generations). I love the overworld map with its hidden secrets. I love the "Go to Town A and solve their problem in Dungeon B" mentality. And the icing on the cake? What incredible graphics! Seriously - Square could learn a lot from the art design of Level 5 games. All in all, a joy to play...

Trophy Grade: C+

...but not a joy to plat. It's a JRPG, so of COURSE you'll be grinding pointlessly. Completing the errands becomes a chore of incredible tedium. You'll never need the armor and weapons you create, but God - are they a pain to create! Most require rare drops from rare enemies. I was pretty fortunate that the drops came relatively quickly, and I still got bored with it.

Final Grade: B+

If you played JRPGs in the Golden Age of the SNES, you shouldn't miss this one. However, the plat is a chore.

 

 

 

 

  DEMON'S SOULS (JP)

 

First Trophy: November 8th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: May 10th, 2015  

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

Well, I loved this game before, and I still love it now.

Trophy Grade: B+

I hated grinding out materials for some of the trophies (hence the long delay), but honestly, the trophies here aren't that bad.

Final Grade: A+

Still a great game, even the second time through.

 

 

 

 

  ROGUE LEGACY

 

First Trophy: April 28th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: May 13th, 2015  

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A

Finally! A great throwback platformer! Rogue Legacy really reminded me of playing platformers in the 16-bit era. I enjoyed the random dungeon design, as well as the mansion building (which was really character building). Fantastic challenge from the remix bosses. Probably my favorite game from PS+ this year (although that's certainly damning with faint praise).

Trophy Grade: A-

The trophies would be A+ material, were it not for the collectible trophies. But it was annoying to grab all the blueprints. Still, that "no death" trophy made it all worthwhile.

Final Grade: A

Another solid throwback that should not be missed.

 

 

 

 

  DEADLY PREMONITION: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT

 

 

First Trophy: May 14th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: May 19th, 2015  

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: D

This game sucks. I give it a D because there was potential. But that's it. It isn't actualized in the least. This is Twin Peaks only in the sense that at times, it blatantly rips off lines and scenes from Twin Peaks. Make no mistake - this is lousy Japanese dreck masquerading as art.

Trophy Grade: C

The trophies are better than the game, but still annoying. I liked the fact that you could find descriptions of when to visit to complete the tasks, but the weather conditions just really messed that up for me. And sometime, it just rains for days. Oh, that's a plot point? Well, thanks for letting me know, jackass.

Final Grade: D+

It was free on PS+, and I still didn't get my money's worth. Avoid. 

 

 

 

 

  RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

 

First Trophy: May 31st, 2015

Platinum Achieved: June 1st, 2015  

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

One of the stranger games I've played. Rise of the Guardians is a pretty mundane Gauntlet-style button-masher. Run around, kill enemies, get experience. But what makes it weird is that, out of the blue, the final boss with challenge you, and the game ends. I had still not gone through all of the worlds when this happened. It doesn't make the game bad (although the monotony of the experience doesn't help), but it does make it seem that the developers didn't really pay much attention to it.

Trophy Grade: B

Easy, and decent enough. The only slightly annoying trophy is the one requiring you to kill off all the monsters, as sometimes, they'll hide quite well.

Final Grade: B-

This game began my one week trial of PSNow, and it's perfect for that. Anything else? Only trophy hunters need apply.

 

 

 

 

  THE RAVEN

 

First Trophy: June 1st, 2015

Platinum Achieved: June 2nd, 2015  

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

After enjoying two bouts of Sherlock Holmes, I decided to give The Raven a try (once again, on PSNow). Unfortunately, this one doesn't live up to those expectations. Control is incredibly annoying. Often, it is difficult to figure out what you need to do. And finally, on two occasions, I just got stuck and couldn't progress. Thankfully, I had past saves, and the interwebz explained my "mistake" (i.e. the developer's design flaws), but all in all, this was a pretty mediocre disappointment.

Trophy Grade: C+

Trophies are annoying as well. There are easily missable ones, so you might want to follow a guide. (Note that even with a guide, I still got stuck twice.)

Final Grade: C

Unlike the Sherlock Holmes adventures, this one doesn't really make the grade.

 

 

 

 

  BEN 10 OMNIVERSE 2

 

First Trophy: June 3rd, 2015

Platinum Achieved: June 4th, 2015  

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Wow - I had no expectations for this game, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Omniverse 2 is a "runner" style game, and it was quite fun. Not a whole lot of content, but what's there was more than satisfactory.

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies are OK, but nothing special. I was annoyed at the trophy requiring me to break so many tanks - there weren't nearly enough tanks in a playthrough to do this!

Final Grade: B+

Another perfect PSNow game. 

 

 

 

 

  MADAGASCAR 3

 

First Trophy: June 2nd, 2015

Platinum Achieved: June 6th, 2015  

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

Madagascar 3 is your standard kid's game. Run through a city performing easy, menial tasks, and then follow this with some minigame section. I actually enjoyed the minigames quite a bit, but that enthusiasm was tempered by the lousy city sections.

Trophy Grade: D

Holy smokes - 790 collectibles? Are you kidding me?!?

Final Grade: C

A fun enough game, but the trophies are a real slog. I very nearly failed to plat this because PSNow was down for a day (nice thing you got there, Sony).

 

 

 

 

  BEN 10 GALACTIC RACING

 

First Trophy: June 11th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: June 12th, 2015  

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

Mario Kart is another game that is hard to copy. Galactic Racers does a pretty admirable job. I was generally pleased in playing through the races. No, it isn't Mario Kart, but it's fun enough for a couple of days as a rental.

Trophy Grade: C

The trophies don't do the game justice. While most are reasonable, the ones requiring you to perform various in-race actions are ridiculous, and require an unnecessary (and unfun) grind. 

Final Grade: B-

Not worth a purchase, but this was a game from my local library. It's perfect as a rental.

 

 

 

PLATS 126-150

  MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT

 

First Trophy: June 14th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: June 15th, 2015  

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: F

LOL. Talk about undeveloped potential. Soul Suspect has greatness written all over it. A ghost, trying to solve his own murder? Demons that seek to carry him to hell? Unfortunately, this game is a slog from the outset. There is no detective work in the least. The demons present themselves either as easily avoidable (and very crappy) floor traps, or silly stealth enemies that are simple to dispatch. Instead, you walk from point A to point B, picking up collectibles until you get to one of the most ridiculous endings I've seen in a while.

Trophy Grade: C+

The trophies are bad, but compared to the game, they don't look as bad. They're just a bunch of collectible trophies. That's really it. They have little to nothing to do with the actual game.

Final Grade: D-

Avoid. I don't know if this is developer incompetence, or a publisher rush job (given that Square is the publisher, let's bet on the latter). But this game sucks. 

 

 

 

 

  METAL GEAR SOLID PEACE WALKER HD

 

First Trophy: October 28th, 2012

Platinum Achieved: June 17th, 2015  

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A+

Here's a dirty secret - Peace Walker is the best Metal Gear Title in years. Forgoing the yawn-inducing cut scenes from wannabe auteur Kojima, Peace Walker is a slimmed-down, mission-based masterpiece. Almost everything in the game works well (my only possible gripe would be the QTEs during the minimal cutscenes). I particularly love the fact that you can go in all guns blazing, and not be punished hard for it (in fact, there are many in-game rewards for the Rambo types). Plus, there's a great online as well. 

Trophy Grade: A-

The trophies are mostly great as well. My biggest complaint was the "trade" trophy, because it was so hard to get the game to accept your trade (I finally had to rent another copy, play to the point where I could trade, and trade among myself using two PS3s).

Final Grade: A+

Don't miss this game that truly shows what Metal Gear should be. The fact that this was on a handheld first is astounding.

 

 

 

 

  MARVEL SUPER HERO SQUAD: THE INFINITY GAUNTLET

 

First Trophy: June 17th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: June 19th, 2015  

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: C+

For the most part, this beat 'em up is typical B-grade stuff in the vein of Lego-style games. However, the control often betrays you here, so I have to knock it a point.

Trophy Grade: B+

Wow - the challenges in this game aren't a pushover! 

Final Grade: B-

Great for a rental, but not much else.

 

 

 

 

  DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION

 

First Trophy: June 19th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: July 9th, 2015  

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

While no one will sing the praises of this lousy port, the content is more than satisfactory. I have always liked Dragon Age, but this game takes the cake. While people might not like unlocking the missions in real time, I found that it worked well for the game (and I was never waiting around for missions or wondering if I should set my clock forward). A huge hub with numerous worlds to which I can travel, populated by NPCs that feel real to me. And of course, choices matter! Now, if I didn't have to go through a scare when the game failed to recognize my save files for a time (when I was about 50 hours in), we would have A-grade stuff.

Trophy Grade: S

Arguably the best set of trophies on the system. I love the fact that I got the plat upon completing the game, and that I did this (mostly) without a guide, and still felt challenged! Difficulty trophies (finally!). Completion trophies (but without pointless collectibles!). Inquisition brings the goods. 

Final Grade: B+

Definitely play it on the PS4 if you can, but even on the PS3, Inquisition is worth your time. 

 

 

 

 

  BEN 10 OMNIVERSE

 

First Trophy: July 10th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: July 11th, 2015  

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

I wondered why people were sour on the Ben 10 games. I had enjoyed the two I played. However, if I had played them in order, I might not have bothered. Omniverse is definitely the worst of the lot. It's incredibly easy, and it has some of the most ridiculous QTEs ever. I think I had to do the final boss 14 times, memorizing each step of the QTE in sequence.

Trophy Grade: B-

Nothing offensive, but nothing special, either. 

Final Grade: C+

 Maybe worth a rental, but honestly, trophy hunters only.

 

 

 

 

  ALICE: MADNESS RETURNS

 

First Trophy: July 1st, 2013

Platinum Achieved: July 15th, 2015  

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

I won't lie - I bought this game for around ten bucks (in physical form), began with American McGee's Alice, and shook my head at its awfulness. Putting it on the shelf for a couple of years, I finally returned and decided to ignore the earlier abomination and focus on the game I purchased. Turns out - it's a good game. Not great (camera problems, e.g., mar the proceedings), but solid. I really like the art here, and the voicework is competent. But combat is so much better than in the earlier offering that it's not even funny. How critics liked the former, I'll never know. But even if you hated it (and you probably did), give its sequel a chance, and you won't be sorry.

Trophy Grade: B

Good trophies, but not great. They do what they should, and nothing more.

Final Grade: B

 Again, give it a try. You might be surprised.

 

 

 

 

  BORDERLANDS 2

First Trophy: December 31st, 2013

Platinum Achieved: August 2nd, 2015  

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A

Borderlands 2 improves in so many ways on Borderlands. I really liked the perk system here (although I was sad that they abandoned completely the weapon affinity from Borderlands). The writing is top-notch (as usual), and the voicework is great. Two separate NG+ modes also feels right, and I love the fact that when you begin overleveling, you get REALLY powerful. Control remains tight, and the shooter action is among my favorite in the genre.

Trophy Grade: B+

The trophies vary from fantastic to terrible. I like the double rainbow a lot (although you'd probably never find it on your own). But I hated Jimmy Jenkins. I liked shooting that guy in the face for a trophy. But I hated finding that dude who gave me a free weapon. There is more great than bad here, but the bad is more than enough to reduce the overall score.

Final Grade: A-

If you liked the first, you'll like this one. If not, you probably won't. I did, and this one is great. 

 

 

 

 

  UNDER DEFEAT

 

First Trophy: August 3rd, 2015

Platinum Achieved: August 5th, 2015  

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

Shoot 'em ups (which, inexplicably, go by the stupid name of shmup nowadays) are generally very difficult, but very rewarding. Not Under Defeat. This game is fun enough, but it is way too easy (particularly if you play in co-op). I also don't like the colors here, which seem to go through about 100 shades of brown. Not a bad game (particularly for the price for which I bought it), but just not enough to give it more than an average grade.

Trophy Grade: B

The problem with these trophies is that you have to play through the game over and over again, and there isn't enough challenge to warrant it. They're not hard in the least, but I wanted more out of this.

Final Grade: B-

An OK game for cheap (or a rental), but nothing special.

 

 

 

 

  PIER SOLAR AND THE GREAT ARCHITECTS

 

First Trophy: August 5th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: August 12th, 2015  

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: #12 (as of October 9th, 2015)

Game Grade: B+

I will confess - I was not happy with this game when I initially purchased it. Having hoped for another trip down memory lane, Per Solar just played too strangely (most notably, it's wonky control while hunting through secret passages). But as I progressed, I began to like this game more and more, and as I have distanced myself from it, Pier Solar ends up being a pretty damn good game. The challenge in the game is artificial (once you know which accessory to equip, things get pretty easy, although one of the early bosses is a killer), but the dialogue and the graphics are solid, and the combat is good, too.

Trophy Grade: A-

These trophies are mostly great. I particularly like the trophy tiles here. The one negative is the "buy all items" trophy. Why this isn't a "collect all items" trophy, I'll never know. Also, these trophies are a little glitchy (but in a good way - I got the trophy for finding all treasure chests long before I had opened all treasure chests).

Final Grade: B+

If you like JRPGs from the past, this is worth your while. It's not on par with, say, Final Fantasy VI (what is?), but it is much better than, say, Dragon Fantasy, Book II.

 

 

 

 

  DRAGON'S CROWN

 

First Trophy: September 26th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: August 17th, 2015  

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

I don't get the love for this game. Some people swear by it, but I found it to be remarkably tedious. Having purchased this because I loved the beat 'em ups of the past, I was disappointed at how easy this game was (I never lost a single life until the final boss). Then, people told me that once I got to the harder difficulties, it would be better. Nope - same ol' same ol'. After beating it 3 separate times (all solo), including all optional bosses, I felt like I had done enough.

Trophy Grade: C-

The trophies are a mess. How anyone figured out that you had to lead the dragon across multiple screens so that he would fall, in order to get a single ingredient for a meal, I'll never know. For the most part, trophies are either story, grindy, or stupid. 

Final Grade: C+

VanillaWare is the most overrated developer there is. Seriously. Had I known that this game was from the makers of the atrocious Odin's Sphere, I never would have purchased it. This one isn't as bad as that, but it's still pretty mediocre.

 

 

 

 

  PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALE

 

First Trophy: May 25th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: August 18th, 2015  

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B-

Another wannabe Smash Bros, and another so so effort. Battle Royale isn't a stinkfest, but the characters are terribly unbalanced, and the design is horribly flawed. It is hard to believe that normal punches have absolutely no effect on characters, and serve only to build up your own meter. SP mode is an absolute joke, but multiplayer mode is solid enough. And what's with the long load times?

Trophy Grade: C+

Decent enough, but nothing special. Most of the online trophies can be easily boosted now (the only one I didn't boost was the one for killing off three people with a special). But slogging through the boring story mode for each character is enough to bring down any list.

Final Grade: B-

Again, it's not offensive, but it's nothing special. Fair enough as a free game, I guess.  

 

 

 

 

  MAGUS

 

First Trophy: August 23rd, 2015

Platinum Achieved: August 24th, 2015  

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

People hate this game. I don't know why. Magus is a joke to be sure, but it's fun enough to play. I remember that my final stats when I beat the game were around 1000 in every category, and I beat the final enemies with ease. I couldn't believe that I would be able to take these numbers so high! They are currently at over 7000 for each category.

Trophy Grade: B

Are there easier trophies on the system? Even Megamind required you to beat bosses without taking damage.

Final Grade: C+

 Magus is ugly, and short. But like I said - it's fun enough to play.

 

 

 

 

  THE WOLF AMONG US

 

First Trophy: August 29th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: September 1st, 2015  

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C-

Ugh. I've never been a fan of Bill Willingham. His Fables comics would be so much better if written by an auteur like Neil Gaiman. But I had hoped that TellTale would work its magic in this video game. Nope. While the art is to die for, and the music calls up the 80s (in which this game is apparently set), the rest of the game is mind-numbingly stupid. I can't see how anyone would invest emotion in these...things. They may have lived for centuries, but they are every bit as reprehensible as the worst trailer park trash you've seen on Jerry Springer. Oh, and the PS3 version is terrible.

Trophy Grade: B

The trophies are pretty solid. In addition to the standard plot trophies, there are collectible trophies. Normally, I would dislike that, but here, it works. The collectibles open interesting snippets within the game, and getting all collectibles requires you to visit many of the choices you made in the game. 

Final Grade: C

It's easy enough, but multiple crashes coupled with uninspired characters and story make this a forgettable experience.

 

 

 

 

  TESLAGRAD

 

First Trophy: September 2nd, 2015

Platinum Achieved: September 5th, 2015  

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

I disliked Teslagrad immediately upon playing it, and in general, I don't like physics-based games. But Teslagrad really grew on me. I started to dig looking through the scrolls to see what happened in this world (as well as watching the puppet shows). And by the end, I was actually kind of sad to see the game go. Not bad, particularly for a free game.

Trophy Grade: B

I like that many trophies are based on finding the scrolls, as these scrolls are the only way to understand the backdrop of the game. But ALL of the trophies? Not a single trophy for the game itself (and, in particular, for the great final boss fight)? Almost unacceptable.

Final Grade: B

Again, this isn't a bad game in the least. It certainly isn't the A-game that so many critics suggest, but it's worth your time.

 

 

 

 

  MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR

 

First Trophy: September 5th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: September 22nd, 2015  

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: C-

This is probably the single worst port of a game I've ever played. The fact that I still give it a C- is a testament to the excellent source material. Shadow of Mordor is a great game, mired in an atrocious package. Quest-based games just fall on their faces when load times are this bad. But I loved the story, I loved the combat, and I loved the ideas here.

Trophy Grade: A+

Trophies done right. 

Final Grade: C+

Play this on the PS4.

 

 

 

 

  OKAMI HD

 

First Trophy: September 15th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: October 8th, 2015  

Rarity: RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

What a good game. How did I miss this in the PS2 generation? Okami is a solid Legend of Zelda-type adventure. Much of the game is taken from Japanese mythology - expect to see famous characters like (Iza)nagi and (Iza)nami, Susano(-o), Orochi, and of course, the benevolent Amaterasu. In...wolf form. Taking a piss like a male dog. OK - so that didn't work so well, but this game still does. I knock it a bit because the sidekick character was remarkably annoying...pretty much always.

Trophy Grade: A+

Again, solid trophies! And look at those tiles! Probably the nicest trophy tiles of any game on the system.

Final Grade: A

This was a great pickup at a flash sale. I highly recommend it (and again - I don't usually recommend remasters, which I find to be somewhat lazy).

 

 

 

 

 

  HOTLINE MIAMI

 

First Trophy: October 14th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: October 20th, 2015  

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Another hype train indie, but this one manages to deliver the goods. Hotline isn't perfect, but it's solid arcade action with a soundtrack that is just awesome. My only gripes are an idiot story that was obviously ret-conned, and wonky lock-on mechanics. But this is worth your while - I'm glad I looked through my old download list!

Trophy Grade: A

More trophies done right. Yes, there are collectible trophies, but the collectibles have major purpose within the game. And the rest of the trophies are awarded for performing particular actions, or for story stuff, and that's always great. My only complaint is there was no way to track, in game, what weapons you had used. But that's just minor.

Final Grade: A

I've been lucky recently with PSN titles. Hotline Miami was free on PS+ ages ago, and I managed to have the foresight to buy it without downloading it. I would recommend it to anyone who recalls fondly the days of arcades with stand-up machines.

 

 

 

 

  DYNASTY WARRIORS 8

 

First Trophy: July 16th, 2013

Platinum Achieved: October 25th, 2015  

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

I've been a fan of Dynasty Warriors titles since the PS1 era. Dynasty Warriors 8 deleted a couple of things I liked from DW7 (the extra mode allowed you to play as a lot of forgotten characters with different storylines, and the quiz bowl stuff was a lot of fun), and replaces it with a pretty uninspiring Ambition Mode. Also, the Jin kingdom is pretty boring - Lu Bu would have been a much more interesting storyline. But the main gameplay remains solid, and the wailing guitars of ancient China are as awesome as ever. This series is creaky now, but still delivers a decent experience to fans.

Trophy Grade: D-

Ugh. What a pointless, POINTLESS grind for this plat. 1300+ basic battles in Ambition mode, to raise meaningless bonds? 230+ rare weapons, which are crappier than the level 4 weapons I can create? This list would get an F, were it not for the hilariously inept (and often creepy) comments made by male soldiers to female characters while raising bonds. There's a reason this plat is ultra rare, though, and it ain't difficulty.

Final Grade: C+

It's hard for me to separate the trophy experience from the game experience here. I was done with a majority of the trophies within a couple of weeks of purchase. Two full years later, I have the plat. Buyer beware - it's a fun enough game, but a lousy trophy experience.

 

 

 

 

  HUNTED: THE DEMON'S FORGE

 

First Trophy: April 2nd, 2012

Platinum Achieved: November 6th, 2015  

Rarity: VERY RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: B

I bought this game on the cheap back in 2012, played through the prologue, and apparently, hated it. It sat on my shelf for over 3 years. I only just saw it a couple of days ago, and decided to pick it up again. And who knew? It's not bad. Not perfect, but I enjoyed the frenetic arcade-style shooting action (although I hated the cover system). Crucible Mode was a good idea; I'm sorry I didn't get to utilize it, since this game was on the Gamespy servers. But all in all, not a bad buy. A shame it took me years to see why.

Trophy Grade: A-

Remarkably good trophies. I had feared that, with online functions disabled, some of the trophies might be a pain. But honestly, it only added about an extra 30 minutes or so to my game time to create the dungeons necessary. I even enjoyed the collectibles. In fact, the only reason I drop its grade is because of rumors of glitches in the crystal collection. But all in all, these trophies are quite solid.

Final Grade: B+

Again, Hunted isn't a bad way to spend a couple of days, and with a collectible guide, that's all it really takes. I'm glad I played it.

 

 

 

 

 

  THE WALKING DEAD (SEASON 1 - PS4)

 

First Trophy: November 23rd, 2015

Platinum Achieved: November 24th, 2015 (100% - November 24th, 2015)  

Rarity: COMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

I go back and forth on whether I think TWD1 or TWD2 is the better experience, and I think it depends on which one I've played last. I really like the story in this one, and although choices ultimately have little effect on the game, I like the psychological aspect. I drop this to a B+ because this game includes the odious "400 Days". I still can't believe this was ever released as premium DLC. It should be buried in a landfill somewhere.

Trophy Grade: B+

As before, the trophies get the job done, but not much else. Still, it's relaxing to play a game every now and then without worrying about collectibles and the like.

Final Grade: B+

Playing this again felt like visiting a friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 THE ORDER: 1886

 

First Trophy: December 2nd, 2015

Platinum Achieved: December 2nd, 2015   

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: C

What a mess this game is. It drips with potential, but it feels like a rush job. I wish the developers had put as much thought into the concepts here as they did into the graphics. However, technically, it's a masterpiece, with solid shooter action (when you're not sitting through cutscenes, which is about half of the game). The QTEs and collectibles are poorly done, however.

Trophy Grade: C

The trophies are either good or bad. The collectible trophies are an annoyance - it's hard to care about collectibles if the game doesn't even recognize that you found them. Tons of documents are never referenced again in this linear game. The weapon trophies are better, although most will be farmed (it's rare you would ever use the stun ability of your rifle, e.g., since shooting the enemy stuns just as much, but actually causes damage).

Final Grade: C

A disappointment. It's not the pile of feces that Murdered: Soul Suspect was, but it suffers from the same unrealized potential problem.

 

 

 

 

 

  PIER SOLAR AND THE GREAT ARCHITECTS (PS4)

 

 

First Trophy: December 3rd, 2015

Platinum Achieved: December 10th, 2015   

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: #31 (as of December 11th, 2015)

Game Grade: B+

Playing through a game a 2nd time (or, in the case of Pier Solar, a 3rd and 4th time) gives one the opportunity to re-evaluate his position. There are many things to like about Pier Solar. It has a great look, and great music. The battle system is solid. But there are many things to dislike as well. The story is developed incredibly poorly (too bad - it had great potential). A lack of variety in enemies completely overpowers the elemental accessories. There are numerous missable chests and even areas. A good game still, but not a great one.

Trophy Grade: B+

That's Slippery! will test good gamers. But Shopaholic will test only their patience. It's sad that I pumped my fist more when I got the latter than the former. A good list, but not a great one, but again, that's the Pier Solar way. I liked these trophies better the first time.

Final Grade: B+

Once again, I recommend this to anyone who loved the JRPGs of yesteryear, but mostly, Pier Solar made me wish that companies like Square, Enix, Konami and Capcom would re-release their old games with trophies.

 

 

 

 

 

  TALES FROM THE BORDERLANDS

 

First Trophy: October 11th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: December 28th, 2015   

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: B+

Again, Telltale disappoints with its PS3 port, but Tales from the Borderlands manages to capture the humor that has been lost in a lot of Telltale games recently. When it worked, I enjoyed playing it immensely.

Trophy Grade: C-

 I remember a rumor back in the day that Sony would start awarding trophies to people for watching movies and the like. This is pretty much the same thing. Lazy trophies with even lazier images.

Final Grade: B

If you can play it on the PS4, do so, but even if you can't, Tales from the Borderlands offers a fun experience

 

 

 

 

 

  BLOODBORNE

 

First Trophy: November 19th, 2015

Platinum Achieved: December 31st, 2015   

Rarity: UNCOMMON

First 50: No

Game Grade: A

Bloodborne doesn't climb to the heights of Dark Souls, but it still satisfies immensely. It's few flaws can be overlooked, if only for the vision and ambition that developer FROM continues to show. It's nice to see a Japanese company not stoop to the same "rinse/repeat" tactics that completely destroy their businesses. Huge boss fights reminiscent more of those found in Castlevania on the NES and SNES, an eerie Victorian atmosphere, and a great nod to horror make Bloodborne a "can't miss" title on the PS4. 

Trophy Grade: S

It's remarkable to see a Japanese game with good trophies, and this is 3 now! Bloodborne rewards you for exploration (many of the bosses are completely optional, and areas even more so), thoroughness (beating the Pthumerian Queen requires a massive commitment to the Chalice Dungeons), and of course, gumption (because I wanted to use one old man word in this review). Great stuff.

Final Grade: A+

I remain stunned that FROM software continually delivers hit after hit, while mainstays like Capcom, Konami, and Squeenix continue to flounder. 

 

 

 

 

 

  ALPHA PROTOCOL

First Trophy: April 15th, 2011(!)

Platinum Achieved: January 4th, 2016   

Rarity: ULTRA RARE

First 50: No

Game Grade: A-

I don't know why I didn't get into this game. Somehow, it got put on the back burner. It deserved better. Alpha Protocol is my single favorite choice-driven game on the PS3 system. A compelling story mixes with well done characters and a fun arcade-like gaming experience. The game skews too much towards stealth, but that doesn't ruin the fun. Developer Obsidian has always had good ideas, but unfortunate realization (remember the glitch-ridden Fallout: NV?). Alpha Protocol runs (relatively) well. 

Trophy Grade: C

I can't tell you how I would do trophies for a game like Alpha Protocol, where choice changes the experience so much. I can tell you how I wouldn't do them, though. And I wouldn't do them like this. In order to plat this, you are basically fixed to rails. Your choices are so pre-determined that even the slightest change can require another complete playthrough. It's a shame to need to follow a guide this strongly for a game that invites you to play how you want.

Final Grade: B+

Trophies slightly sour this experience, but Alpha Protocol is a game not to be missed by RPG fans.

 

Edited January 4, 2016 by starcrunch061

[AnRoDr]

A varied list, some great games in there! Personally I love to read peoples "2 to 3 sentences summary" of what they think of the game, so if the taxpayers from Iowa don't mind add them to the others games to 

Edited September 10, 2015 by AnRoDr

[Dantes_994]

You have some awesome plats. Dragon Age Origins, Batman AA,  3D dot game heroes etc. Although I have no idea how you got the terminator salvation plat, I despise that game

[Lucas]

Looking good already! I'll keep an eye out for once it's completed.

[starcrunch061]

A varied list, some great games in there! Personally I love to read peoples "2 to 3 sentences summary" of what they think of the game, so if the taxpayers from Iowa don't mind add them to the others games to 

I will. I just had to work for real (and will have to later as well).

You have some awesome plats. Dragon Age Origins, Batman AA,  3D dot game heroes etc. Although I have no idea how you got the terminator salvation plat, I despise that game

So much hate for Salvation!

Looking good already! I'll keep an eye out for once it's completed.

Thanks! It will be a bit still, but I'll get there.

[Condemned09]

Wow so far you have awesome games

[AnRoDr]

Never understood the "hate" for Terminator Salvation, I also liked the game  

[Goekie]

I just stopped by to say thanks to the taxpayers of Iowa for thus checklist and keep up the good work

[Manuelito]

I would love to here my professors saying:" I'm a trophy hunter"

Sadly they are just boring and old lol

OT: Really nice style, I'm definitely going to follow this checklist.

[Crespelio-X12]

Love the originality! "A/B/C" that's just awesome

[starcrunch061]

All right - I've managed to get plats 26-50 up. I also finished all of my comments on plats 1-25, and commented on many of 26-50. Enjoy!

[starcrunch061]

OK - 26-50 now have full comments, and 51-75 are up (with no comments at present).

[starcrunch061]

Finally have the list of plats complete, and added the following two to my collection since then:

    

 

Okami HD and Shadow of Mordor.

 

Also, I had to get Sly to delete two posts in this thread, and I may move the entire thread elsewhere. Finally, I have not completed the 100% list yet, and have not completed grade summaries for plats 101-141, but they'll be up soon.

[starcrunch061]

Added just this morning:

 

  

 

Hotline Miami.

[starcrunch061]

 

Added Dynasty Warriors 8 to my collection yesterday, and to my list this morning.

[Senbon Kaguya]

Congrats on DW8! I need to buy it myself.. I have DW8 XL waiting to be played. D=

[starcrunch061]

Congrats on DW8! I need to buy it myself.. I have DW8 XL waiting to be played. D=

 

I am currently playing DW8:XL, and I find it much more palatable, although it helps that I loaded my DW8 data in. There are annoying trophies, but nothing like the stupid "max out all the bonds with pointless battles against nameless officers" crap of DW8.

 

In any case, good luck on both! I'm still a DW fan after all these years (and that awful plat).

[starcrunch061]

Added today:

 

 

Hunted: The Demon's Forge. Talk about a plat out of left field. I put this game in my machine just three days ago, after a 3.5 year hiatus, and couldn't stop playing it.

[starcrunch061]

Added plats #145 and #146:

 

  

 

The Order: 1886 and The Walking Dead, Season 1 (PS4) (obtained in reverse order).

[starcrunch061]

Added this morning:

 

 

Pier Solar and the Great Architects (PS4)

[starcrunch061]

Added the following this afternoon:

 

 

Tales from the Borderlands (PS3)

 

 

Bloodborne

 

 

Alpha Protocol.

 

Also, I will be moving this entire thread soon, so I can reserve some posts and not have to worry about image limitations.