My New Obsession with Trophies - ASB37's Blog

ASB37's Blog

My New Obsession with Trophies

Posted on January 4, 2009 at 07:17 PM.

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Ok so it's not so much an obsession because I only have two games with trophy support (GTA IV and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune) but count me among those who love trophies/achievements. Now up until a few months ago the PS3 did not have any form of achievement system like the X-Box 360. So I really didn't really know what I was missing because I was a PS3 only gamer. I heard mixed reviews, some people loving the achievement system and the way it could extend the life of some games, others seeing it as pointless and a waste of time, or not rewarding. I never really payed attention, I saw people mention getting achievements and I just kind of wrote it off, it didn't really concern me so I never paid attention.

Well fast forward to firmware 2.40 and YAY! the PS3 has trophies. Well big whoop there were hardly any games with trophy support and most of these games were not retroactive, meaning if you wanted to experience this new trophy system you would have to go back and replay the game from square one. Not exactly the most appealing or enticing way to jump into the achievement system. So again I kinda wrote it off and didn't mess with the trophy system for a few months.

Then a few weeks ago I decided Madden, NCAA, and Head Coach are kinda done for me, I don't play many video games so there was nothing I was going to pick up and play. I decided to go back and play through 2 games I had a blast playing, GTA IV and Uncharted. Turns out both of these games now currently support trophies so I said 'What the heck let's see if this is for me'. So I started with GTA IV because I want to re-play Uncharted close to the release of its sequel. Needless to say I am now obsessed with trophies.

Because I have so much spare time now for winter break from college I find myself glued to GTA IV like I was when it first came out. I'm looking up guides trying to find the most effective way to get all the various trophies. I am most definitely hooked. For me the trophy system is working like a charm, it's giving a game that I probably would not have played ever again a second life. Not only that but it gives me a motivation to play this game to the end and maybe even get 100% for the trophies. This is something I have never even thought about doing with other GTA's.

All in all the trophy system gives me that sense of accomplishment that is comparable to having your name on the high scores list in the arcade. It makes the satisfaction of going through and beating a game even better because it gives you extra rewards. Add in the ability to compare your trophies with your friends on your buddy list and the trophy/achievement system is something I am excited about for the future. The only thing that is a bummer right now is there are still a limited number of games with trophy support. Luckily for me and all those who love the system, that list is growing and will get even larger with Sony making all games released from here on out have mandatory trophy support.

The future for the trophy system in the PS3 is very bright, and I for one look forward to the future of my gaming experience on the PS3. What about you guys...any thoughts on the PS3 Trophy system or the X-Box 360 Achievement system?

Comments

# 1 rspencer86 @ Jan 4

I agree with you completely. They may be trivial in the grand scheme of things, but trophies are a good way to keep you interested in games long after you would have if there weren't such a thing. I'm actually going back through GTA IV right now as well trying to pick up as many trophies as I can. Even though I beat the main story mode months ago, I'm still having a blast.

I'm thinking about starting an OS Trophy Fanatics thread that us trophy whores could use to see where we stack up against OS'ers through weekly standings, organize ways to help each other out (such as games that have trophies that require multi-player co-ops), etc. Would you be interested in something like that?

# 2 mastershake88 @ Jan 4

I believe it's only human nature to want some sort of visual achievement. Whether in games or most importantly sports games..Good blog.

# 3 Acedeck @ Jan 5

I've recently turned into a trophy whore myself. I just bought Burnout Paradise for the sole purpose of getting the trophies. I kind of wanted it but I decided that with limited trophy opportunities with other games, I'd give it a shot. I wish there were more games that offered trophies. I've been playing a of NHL 09, wishing the entire time I could be earning trophies.