BY DIRTYSOUTIE: My status as a casual gamer is only such because of the restricted time frames my life allows for gaming. Every spare moment that I can garner I spend in the wonderful world that my PS4 can create, be it an FPS, RPG, or horror/survival game.
My beautiful 2 savages keeping me busy, the full-time job keeps my passion a reality and ensuring my wife is not overly embarrassed by me can keep one slightly game deprived, I generally only get Friday nights and an hour or 2 on Saturday for my gaming time. My gaming time is precious, and therefore my latest crusade to venture into the PLATINUM adventure of the PS4 has been a challenge.
Now, striving for a game’s Platinum might not seem a challenge to most, but to myself, it’s akin to putting a 3-year-old to bed who is wide awake, tired, grumpy, thirsty, needs the toilet but refuses to go all while savage No. 2 requires assistance in untangling her hair from the nightstand that’s fallen over onto the heap of toys that no one cleaned up.
I have never been overly concerned with Trophies and not one bit interested in achieving the Platinum on any game I’ve played prior to starting my challenge. Sure, I saw the odd trophies pop during general gameplay but that was it; it was just something that happened organically while I played.
This grand idea to try for this self-made Platinum challenge came after scrolling the wide, interesting and sometimes disturbing world of YouTube and discovering a video titled “What is your next Platinum Trophy going to be?” This got me thinking, and after a little research noted that it is rather a big thing getting Platinum trophies. YouTubers have videos and streams dedicated to trophy hunting along with descriptive trophy walk-through guides all over the big interweb. The idea seed was planted and for the first time I actively started perusing the trophy section of my current games checking trophies required and such – this was going to take some doing.
My game plan was easy: start with the game I was playing, have a few beers and a good time and it will come naturally. The game I was playing was Rage 2 and was in effect not the most complicated game to achieve Platinum in other than the mind-numbing and hour sucking trophy called “Mata Hari Manners” – this trophy required you to destroy 30 spy drones. Simple in the explanation, however these little yellow belly, quick fleeing, and random massive map spawning flying headaches made my first Platinum a grind! I spent endless of my sparse and hard-fought gaming hours roaming the open-world map hoping to find a little developer laughing, gamer nightmare intrusion so I could blow it to all types of gaming hell. Getting 30 of these little delights was “wonderful” and I can clearly remember blasting one that almost got away, and the trophy popped, that sound was like hearing the microwave timer bell “ting” indicating your hangover breakfast pizza was ready for consumption. As heavenly as that sound was, the following “ting” was even sweeter: “Post-Post-Apocalyptic Poster Child” achieved, grade: PLATINUM.
I ran around the house arms raised in triumph and basking in my screen glow glory – my savages pretended I was cool and my wife was probably thinking what a gaming stud she had married!
I have since achieved 4 more Platinum’s with 2 more notoriously close – I just need a little multiplayer help (oh happy days).
My experiences have been mostly positive with the trophy hunting generally feeding into my normal gaming time with research in-between gaming sessions, i.e. when hiding from savages or pretending to do the garden, housework, etc. The Platinum hunt has added in an extra dimension to my gaming and enabled me to take a little extra away from each game that I play. Most experiences are good, the grind and often at times mind-numbing achievements are rewarded with a good on you, well-done ting on tings, Trophy earned, grade: PLATINUM.
There is a dark side to Platinums. There are those trophies that suck you in, chew you up like a teething sleep-deprived toddler and spits you out crying and sobbing in remorse and self-loathing. This might sound rather extreme but was my exact experience with Titanfall 2. The game was great, the gameplay and achieving trophies were a blast and everything was running as smoothly as a South African rugby Scrum until I tried for the ”…Becomes the Master” trophy. This trophy literally screamed NOOB in my face while laughing off into the never achieving platinum distance. I had all the trophies gathered and only required this last one to achieve the platinum with the required action being to simply finishing the gauntlet in the top 3 positions. The Gauntlet is part of the game intro in which the game dynamics of shooting, running, jumping, sliding and most importantly wall running are practiced. After about an hour of cutting my time down by 2 seconds, I realised I was never going to do it, I needed a further 5 seconds and all the forums and such noted just to practice practice, and practice. Took me an hour to cut 2 seconds off, PLATINUM dream shattered, I was a broken man. I have not as of yet returned to those evil gauntlet walls, it’s just too distressing.
Moving from that negative is a massive positive I got from playing the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. I love the COD series and other than adding to other online players kills count, I decided to go for my first COD Platinum. This Platinum, to me, added an extra dimension to the game. The trophies required you to play missions in different scenarios, i.e. playing with only a handgun or one shot one kill with no damage taken which in effect made you change you play style and enjoy the game differently from how you normally play it. I had an absolute blast getting this Platinum and continue to play multiplayer to this day by graciously helping other players increase the K/D ratio.
In conclusion, I would note the following points regarding Platinums – please note that these are my opinions and to be taken as such:
- Don’t let trophies be the deciding factor if you are going to get a game or not. Trophies are an added bonus and rather enjoy the game, and if the Platinum seems achievable then go for it!
- Don’t get hung up by not achieving a trophy and the Platinum – move on, there are plenty of experiences out there better than frustrating yourself on the bloody walls of the Gauntlet.
- Revel in the satisfaction of achieving that Platinum – post that glorious achievement on all platforms and bask in the awe and wonder that it attracts – you DESERVE it!
- Have a blast.
To end, my favourite Platinum to date is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and my most satisfying is Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Let’s get the chat flowing and let me know if you go for Platinums, your experiences, favourites, tips, etc.
Till next we game.
