MeteorHawk's Museum

[MeteorHawk]

WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO MY GLORIOUS LIST OF PLATINUM TROPHIES

THIS EVER-GROWING COLLECTION WILL DETAIL MY JOURNEY AS A TROPHY HUNTER

I WILL INCLUDE SOME INFO ABOUT EACH ONE

IT WILL ALSO STAND AS AN INTERESTING STUDY OF MY GAMING JOURNEY OVER THE LAST 8 YEARS

SINCE ACQUIRING A PLAYSTATION 3 AT THE AGE OF 18, THREE YEARS AGO, I HAVE BEEN EARNING PLATS

SOME YEARS WERE MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN OTHERS, BUT NEVER DID I REGRET THIS UNDERTAKING

SO SCROLL DOWN AND ENJOY!

 

 #1- RESIDENT EVIL 5 (PS3)

 

 

 RESIDENT EVIL 5 Platinum Trophy  

 

 

First Trophy: 8th November 2009

Platinum Achieved: 8th January 2010

 

Enjoyment: 7.5/10

Diffciulty: 4/10

 

One of the games I bought with my PS3 Console. Having played most- but not all- of the previous Resident Evil games, I was a great fan of the series, especially of Resident Evil 4 on PS2. I didn't find this game to be quite as good overall but didn't really mind the increased emphasis on action gameplay over survival as much as some other fans did- it seemed like a natural progression from 4. It was great to finally put Wesker in his place and get some clsure (for now) on Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine's story. Not a particularly hard game although Professional difficulty really showed the shortcomings of your AI partner, almost as if they intended that mode for co-op play. Resi 5 also had a multiplayer which I never bothered with as well as two bonus scenarios which I have yet to get around to. Overall, a good first plat to have.

 

 

 

 #2- PRINCE OF PERSIA (PS3)

 

 

 Master  

 

 

First Trophy: 18th May 2010

Platinum Achieved: 6th June 2010

 

Enjoyment: 7/10

Difficulty: 2/10

 

I loved the Prince of Persia trilogy on PS2 so I was unimpressed when I saw that Unisoft were scrapping it in favour of a reboot (dude isn't even a Prince for crying out loud) playing as a cel-shaded Nolan North. However, my friend gave me a lend and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't terrible. In fact, I found getting around quite fun and I liked the developing relationship between Nolan and Elika. That said, combat was dull and you couldn't even fail until the final battle so it was a pretty hand-held experience compared to previous titles. There was a dlc add-on that continued the story but I never bothered. A sequel came out on the DS I think but it looked rubbish. Probably for the best that they abandoned this storyline but it had some good ideas going for it.

 

 

 

 #3- UNCHARTED: DRAKE'S FORTUNE (PS3)

 

 

 Platinum  

 

 

First Trophy: 22nd November 2009

Platinum Achieved: 1st July 2010

 

Enjoyment: 8/10

Difficulty: 5/10

 

The first entry for Nathan Drake but not the first one I played (I got the sequel bundled with my PS3) was a great title that blended climbing with cover-based shooting in a linear cinematic story with interesting characters and a serviceable plot. Most notable for introducing the character of Nathan Drake, it wasn't the best game in the series but still a very, very good one. Crushing difficulty was exactly that, a genuine challenge that was sometimes quite frustrating but I powered through and finally got my third lovely shiny. Also, correct me if I am wrong, I also believe this was the very first game to implement trophies on the PS3, doing so with a patch the year after release. In fact, the developers designed the in-game medal system to tie into the trophies as they thought it would be a feature from launch on the PS3.

 

 

 

 #4- GOD OF WAR (PS3)

 Trophy of Zeus  

 

First Trophy: 25th December 2010

Platinum Achieved: 29th December 2010

 

Enjoyment: 9/10

Difficulty: 3.5/10

 

I was a huge fan of the two games released on PS2 so of course I got onto the HD collection- the first of its kind released on PS3, I believe. A Christmas present, it was also my fastest platinum at the time as well. It was just as great and bloody as I remembered it. Such a satisfying experience letting loose those slashy combos and ripping foes in two, harvesting those red orbs from their eviscerated corpses the make myself even more vicious. Everything was great except for the post-game challenge gauntlet- some of those were a real pain in the ass! A really fun game that I would highly recommend to anyone who has still yet to get aboard the Kratos train!

 

 

 

 #5- DEAD SPACE (PS3)

 

 

 Concodrance Officer  

 

 

First Trophy: 5th January 2010

Platinum Achieved: 30th January 2011

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 4/10

 

At a time when it seemed that decent survival horror games were a thing of the past, along came this beauty. Dead Space was the scariest game I had played since Resident Evil 2 and certainly drew upon that series for inspiration. You spend most of the game wandering the derelict mining spaceship, the USG Ishimura, which is full of mutant freaks that could burst out at you from anywhere (or so it seemed, you could give a good guess by the halfway point) while you try to figure out what the hell was going on and find your missing girlfriend who was stationed on board. The horrors you witness were truly incredible, amplified even more so by the fact that you are a simple engineer, Isaac Clark, not a soldier, a cop or anyone even remotely trained to deal with this crazy situation. The main plot takes a twist towards then end that actually sets up a sequel and a universe very well and I hope it continues. The highest difficulty could have posed a bigger challenge but I exploited a glitch that let you start with the most advanced suit- so sue me, I'd played it twice already and the suit really only let like one more hit before dying anyway! As a side note, is the title of the trophy spelled incorrectly? It should be Concordance, no?

 

 

 

 #6- GOD OF WAR II (PS3)

 Trophy of Gaia  

 

 

First Trophy: 29th December 2010

Platinum Achieved: 11th February 2011

 

Enjoyment: 9.5/10

Difficulty: 3.5/10

 

As if I wasn't going to tear into the second entry as soon as I was done with the first. Improving on many aspects of the first game, God of War II continues Kratos' story but the real interest lies in the simple but satisfying combat. Took me a little while to get around to the highest difficulty and completing the post-game challenges but another home run for the series, just as awesome as I remembered from the PS2 days!

 

 

 #7- ASSASSIN'S CREED II (PS3)

 

 

 Master Assassin  

 

 

First Trophy: 11th January 2011

Platinum Achieved: 11th March 2011

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 2/10

 

The series that has made Ubisoft abandon Prince of Persia really got started here. I hadn't played the previous game when I got this and when I did it was a decidedly average gaming experience. This game is an improvement on the original in every single way. It introduced us to arguably one of the greatest characters of the previous generation in Ezio Auditore da Firenze and gave us much better insight into the Assassins' conflict with the Templars. Even though some aspects would be refined in later titles, it still stands as my favourite game in the series to date. No serious challenge except for finding those damned feathers!

 

 

 

 #8- GOD OF WAR III (PS3)

 King of the Hill  

 

 

First Trophy: 22nd August 2011

Platinum Achieved: 1st October 2011

 

Enjoyment: 9/10

Difficulty: 4/10

 

The conclusion (for now) of Kratos' story was a very satisfying one. Gorgeously gruesome, the progression onto the PS3 was a brilliant step forward. I did find the highest difficulty very frustrating on occasion but that made the ending all the more satisfying. Not really a whole lot more to say about this one. Something really cool was how achieving the plat got you a link to an announcement of the PSP game Ghost of Sparta, and interquel set between the first two games, but more on that later...

 

 

 

 #9- PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (PS3)

 Prince of Persia  

 

 

First Trophy: 7th October 2011

Platinum Achieved: 15th October 2011

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 3/10

 

People moaned about the HD Collections but I for one was very much in favour of them. Bringing older games to newer hardware is a great way to preserve them. One could argue that they should make the systems backwards-compatible instead but my knackered PS2 discs are useless for the most part anyway. In any case, it is great to have a means of playing the awesome trilogy on a newer system. This reboot of the classic puzzle-platformers brought the series into 3D and was a damned good foray at that. The cocky but likable Prince was a joy to control, with his wallrunning, acrobatic combat maneuvers and his ability to rewind time using the special Dagger of Time. A very engaging title from start to finish. I haven't really gotten around to the other games in the trilogy yet because I played them to death on PS2 and you have to beat them three times on different difficulties. Perhaps once I've achieved my 100th platinum I'll factor them into my schedule.

 

 

 

 #10- SLY COOPER AND THE THIEVIUS RACCOONUS (PS3)

 

 

 True Thievius Raccoonus  

 

 

First Trophy: 7th October 2011

Platinum Achieved: 30th October 2011

 

Enjoyment: 8/10

Difficulty: 2/10

 

Another great thing about the HD Collections is that not only did the games look as great as I remembered them, but I could also play older titles I'd never gotten around to on older systems as well. Yes, I had never touched a Sly game until I picked up the Sly Cooper HD Collection. For shame, I know, but better late than never! And indeed, the trilogy is a set of brilliant platformers putting me in the shoes of Sly Cooper, master thief. A bit simple compared to later titles but no less enjoyable. Not very taxing either, though finding all the clue bottles had you combing over each level a bit, especially when there was just one left and you were despairing of ever finding it!

 

 

 

 #11- GOD OF WAR: CHAINS OF OLYMPUS (PS3)

 Above and Beyond  

 

First Trophy: 30th September 2011

Platinum Achieved: 5th November 2011

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 3/10

 

Two God of War titles were released on the PlayStation Portable and I played neither of them on that system despite owning one- two, in fact since my first was stolen. So when another God of War HD collection dropped, this time bundled both of those games, I jumped at the chance to slice through more hapless foes and earn some more trophies. I have to say, even though it is probably the weakest title in the franchise, it's still bloody brilliant and suffered very, very little for originally being a handheld title. This revamped edition was still tons of fun and gave us some great development for Kratos and better details his motivations for his actions in previous titles, this being a prequel to the originals. 

 

 

 

 #12- TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY (PS3)

 

 

 Master of Tomb Raider: Anniversary  

 

 

First Trophy: 30th August 2011

Platinum Achieved: 25th November 2011

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 3/10

 

First off, I don't really know why I went for this platinum first instead of Tomb Raider: Legend which was also bundled in the Tomb Raider HD Collection, seeing as it was the first one made by Crystal Dynamics. Perhaps it was my nostalgia for Lara Croft's first original outing- of which this game is a remake- that made me want to utterly complete this one. Whatever my reasoning, they are both great games and I will get around to Legend and  Underworld sometime. As I have said above, this is an enhanced remake of the original title and does a damn good job of updating Lara's first adventure. Great new mechanics such as the QTEs in boss fights (yes, I actually liked how they were implemented, shoot me!) but it always perplexed me how there was no blood in the game, especially considering the importance of one key scene late in the game that just comes off as a little bit weird without it! 

 

 

 

 #13- SLY 2: BAND OF THIEVES

 

 

 Unlikely Bandit  

 

 

First Trophy: 30th October 2011

Platinum Achieved: 30th November 2011

 

Enjoyment: 9/10

Difficulty: 3/10

 

The next outing for the Cooper gang ditched the linear level design in favour of a quasi-open world approach and it made for a very interesting shift in gameplay dynamics. Other members of the Cooper gang were now playable in their own missions and every heist was exciting to plan and execute. Another great game I was glad to get a chance to play since I didn't on PS2.

 

 

 

 #14- GOD OF WAR: GHOST OF SPARTA (PS3)

 The Ghost with the Most  

 

 

First Trophy: 7th October 2011

Platinum Achieved: 7th December 2011

 

Enjoyment: 9.5/10

Difficulty: 3/10

 

The second of the PSP games remastered in the GoW Origins HD Collection and holy hell it is one of the stronger titles in the series. An interquel set between the first two games, Ghost of Sparta details some of Kratos' exploits as the new God of War and how he became disillusioned with Olympus. Gory, visceral, engaging. Beefs up Kratos' character, just like the previous PSP game also did. Essential playing.

 

 

 

 #15- UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES (PS3)

 Platinum  

 

 

First Trophy: 7th November 2009

Platinum Achieved: 18th December 2011

 

Enjoyment: 10/10

Difficulty: 4.5/10

 

The game that came bundled with my PS3 and the very first PS3 game I played. To this day it is my favourite game from the previous generation and one of my favourites of all time. I seriously can't find much fault with this game- the action is frenetic and pulse-pounding, the characters are all great and the visuals still hold up today they were so good. Even the story is much more intricate and interesting this time around. It took me so long to get the platinum because it was necessary to play a game of both co-op and competitive modes in the new multiplayer, but I couldn't connect at all because the internet where I live was very dodgy at the time! Crushing difficulty was also a considerable challenge but I prevailed once again. Outstanding achievement by Naughty Dog, only The Last of Us matches it.

 

 

 

 #16- PRINCE OF PERSIA:THE FORGOTTEN SANDS (PS3)

 Sand Master  

 

 

First Trophy: 15th October 2011

Platinum Achieved: 20th December 2011

 

Enjoyment: 7.5/10

Difficulty: 3/10

 

While it was good to see Ubisoft revisit the previous continuity of their Prince of Persia series, it didn't quite live up to the older games. That's not to say it wasn't good, it was, and they even brought back the brilliant Yuri Lowenthal to voice the Prince once again, the best VO Actor for the character (although Robin Atkin Downes was a worthy substitute in Warrior Within and Nolan North deserved a better gamer than the one he got). Set between The Sands of Time and Warrior Within, The Forgotten Sands doesn't really do much to advance the series as I had hoped but it was still a solid title. It sold modestly though and Ubisoft seem to have abandoned the series entirely now for the better-selling Assassin's Creed games. Time will tell if they will once again revisit this beloved series.

 

 

 

 #17- SLY 3: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (PS3)

 

 

 Master Thief  

 

 

First Trophy: 1st December 2011

Platinum Achieved: 21st December 2011

 

Enjoyment: 6.5/10

Difficulty: 4.5/10

 

The third entry of Sly's HD Collection is also my least favourite. Keeping the same open world heist approach from the previous game, it just didn't innovate well enough and it became stale towards the end. They tried to do so by means of introducing multiple new characters but it was annoying that each character had a different control scheme and swapping between them, particularly in the final stage, was infuriating. Perhaps many would disagree with me but this game just didn't appeal to me as much as the others did. I do hope Thieves in Time  is better.

 

 

 

 #18- DANTE'S INFERNO (PS3)

 

 

 Master of the Inferno  

 

 

First Trophy: 2nd February 2012

Platinum Achieved: 6th February 2012

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 3/10

 

Many knock this game for being a "rip-off" of God of War and though I see where the influences lie, I still thought this was a really fun, if short, action game. Going through the Nine Circles of Hell was a cool experience even if some of the fights became samey by the end and Lucifer was a pushover. Though a sequel (Dante's Purgatorio, perhaps) was teased, it never came to be. This was also my fastest platinum at the time.

 

 

 

 #19- HEAVY RAIN (PS3)

 

 

 HEAVY RAIN™ Master 

 

 

First Trophy: 4th January 2012

Platinum Achieved: 7th February 2012

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 1.5/10

 

Some people don't even consider this a "game" and more of an interactive film and so dismiss it because of this. Myself, I couldn't care less whether this actually constitutes a game or not. You control a character (several, in fact), you move around, you carry out actions by pressing buttons and some of these actions advance a plot, so to me this certainly qualifies as a game. Using four characters, you try to solve the mystery of the Origami Killer who is abducting and murdering children, leaving cryptic clues. By now we all know the plot twist but it was quite a gripping tale in my opinion. With multiple different endings, you play sections multiple times with different outcomes to see where the story goes each time. I played this at the same time as three of my friends and none of us got the same outcome the first time! A great experience which I look forward to revisiting on PS4 sometime.

 

 

 

 #20- UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE'S DECEPTION (PS3)

 

 

 Platinum  

 

 

First Trophy: 4th November 2011

Platinum Achieved: 4th April 2012

 

Enjoyment: 9.5/10

Difficulty: 4/10

 

It was not going to be an easy task following up the phenomenal Among Thieves and matching its greatness, but in 2011 Naughty Dog came close. So, so close. The third outing for Nathan Drake is also one of his most personal quests. Although the formula was well worn at this time, it was a winning one and the series pulled it off so well. Another excellent adventure for Nathan Drake and I am very glad it didn't turn out to be his final one. Like the previous game, I didn't bother with the multiplayer element as my internet was crappy and I don't really like online multiplayer and don't see why the game needed it in the first place. Thankfully, it didn't take away from the single-player. Tied with Mass Effect for my favourite trilogy on PS3.

 

 

 

 #21- BORDERLANDS (PS3)

 

 

 Borderland Defender  

 

 

First Trophy: 8th June 2010

Platinum Achieved: 7th April 2012

 

Enjoyment: 9/10

Difficulty: 3.5/10

 

A great idea that I never got the most out of yet that did little to spoil my fun. My internet was crap so I wasn't really able to play this game the way the developer intended- 4-player co-op- with my friends much but it is still a fun experience in single player. In fact, I have maxed out all four characters so call me crazy. There's not much in the way of challenge as it is very easy to overlevel, but once you load up the second playthrough for your character then it gets tricky as the enemies are much more powerful. Really cool game, must get back onto the sequel at some point.

 

 

 

 #22- DARK VOID

 

 

 Dark Void 100% Complete  

 

 

First Trophy: 26th January 2012

Platinum Achieved: 8th April 2012

 

Enjoyment: 6.5/10

Difficulty: 2/10

 

Solid. That's really the best word I can describe this game. It has some cool concepts like the vertical cover system and jetpack combat but it just doesn't do enough to make it an absolutely essential purchase. The story also somewhat abruptly ends and is wholly unsatisfying, like they ran out of money or something. It's a good game but not an especially great or memorable one, which is a pity given the stellar voiceover work.

 

 

 

 #23- DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION (PS3)

 

 

 Platinum  

 

 

First Trophy: 5th January 2012

Platinum Achieved: 9th April 2012

 

Enjoyment: 9/10

Difficulty: 5/10

 

Shocking confession coming up: I've never played the original Deus Ex. I know that's a cardinal sin among dedicated gamers (I've committed others too, more on that later) but I was just never all that much of a PC gamer growing up and I hear the console port is vastly inferior. I've also never played Invisible War but most tell me not to bother with it anyway. But it was actually off the reputation of the original that I picked this up and man did I love this game. I'd rate it higher if not for the faults that I really can't ignore- for example, those boss fights... damn, what could have been. However, I still say that Human Revolution is an essential game and one I had no problem replaying fully a second time with the Director's Cut, but more on that later. Protagonist Adam Jensen with his signature gravelly voice makes for one of the most interesting characters to play in recent years. Still haven't gotten around to the sequel and though I hear it's a little disappointing I'm still looking forward to it.

 

 

 

 #24- L.A. NOIRE (PS3)

 Platinum Trophy  

 

 

First Trophy: 3rd January 2012

Platinum Achieved: 3rd May 2012

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 3/10

 

With the best facial animations I had seen at the time, this romp in 1950's Los Angeles was one of the most unique gaming experiences for me ever. Though an open world game by Rockstar, there's less emphasis on combat and driving than their bigger franchise and more on investigating, gathering clues and interrogation. Cole Phelps' story is ultimately a tragedy but it is gripping and a lot of fun. I never got around the to dlc cases but I may do so in the PS4 remaster.

 

 

 

 #25- DARKSIDERS (PS3)

 BFA  

 

 

First Trophy: 26th January 2012

Platinum Achieved: 1st June 2012

 

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Difficulty: 3.5/10

 

Part-God of War, part-The Legend of Zelda, Darksiders is a cool action adventure that sees you playing as War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in a quest to clear his name for a crime he didn't commit, the crime being causing the apocalypse and destroying the Earth. The combat is great, particularly against the bosses and clever level design sees you using your gadgets effectively. Cool storyline too. The sequel is quite different but no less awesome. I'll get to that on this list shortly...

 

 

ALRIGHT, GONNA HAVE TO STOP HERE FOR NOW, CHECK BACK LATER FOR THE REST!

 

Edited January 5, 2018 by MeteorHawk