Rebuttal: PS3 Trophies and how they achieve
- Posted May 12th, 2009 at 17:11 EDT by Eric Blattberg
- 53 Comments
One week ago, Destructoid published an editorial entitled "PS3 Trophies and how they underachieve." We thought that it brought up some great points, though we also felt it entirely ignored several key factors that make Sony's Trophies successful. In the spirit of balance, we thought we'd write up a friendly rebuttal. Here's why we believe that PS3 Trophies do achieve.
The Destructoid writer mentioned that he "never felt any sort of attachment to [his] PSN handle," at least "not like [he does] with the Xbox 360 Gamertag." In fact, he thought that one of the service's primary problems "is the fact that the PlayStation Network has not succeeded in creating the feeling of a true online identity for its players." We would have completely agreed with him a year ago, but not anymore. Within the last few months, Sony integrated PlayStation.com with the PlayStation Network, allowing users to manage their settings, check their friends list, comment on the PlayStation Blog, and most importantly, view their Trophies from absolutely anywhere with Internet. Plus, with the advent of Sony's official Portable ID and the emergence of several customizable Trophycards, it's easier than ever to showcase your PlayStation Network ID in the online arena. Those 'cards' are massively popular on our forum -- check out the signatures in any recent thread for proof -- putting a solid dent in the "lack of online identity" argument.
What about the user experience while on the PlayStation Network itself? That is integral to one's attachment to those hard-earned Trophies. While we do agree that Xbox Live currently trumps the PlayStation Network in ease of use, PSN is now in close pursuit. Early adopters will remember the pre-'In-game XMB' era, the clunky original iteration of the PlayStation Store, and of course, the PlayStation Network sans PlayStation Trophies. The network has come a very long way, and it looks like that evolution is far from over.
Now, let's talk specific logistics. Destructoid argues that Xbox Achievements "have an 'every little [bit] helps' aura about them," while "only a few Trophies actually matter." That's just it, though; PS3 Trophies are designed to reward difficulty and completion (a true test of gamer skill) through the use of Silver, Gold, and Platinum values, whereas a high Xbox Live GameScore can be accrued through repetition of simplistic low value achievements. If you tried to do this on PSN and simply went after the Bronze Trophies, your overall Trophy level would barely budge. Why should clicking the start button on The Simpsons Game "matter"? Moreover, why should gamers be equally rewarded for playing Avatar: The Last Airbender for two minutes as they are for trekking through Oblivion for dozens upon dozens of hours? The distribution and values of achievements are so inconsistent that an overall score -- compared to a Trophy level composed of heavily different, scaled values -- means nothing.
And, unfortunately, while nice, Achievements are ultimately worthless. Trophies, meanwhile, can actually provide access to other (digital) items. With benchmarks from games like Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV, SingStar and others netting users various rewards in PlayStation Home, the whole system acquires increased sense of value.
So, do we disagree with Destructoid? Not entirely. Trophies, like most other things, are not perfect. We agree that the required syncing is irritating, the 'level up' system could be expanded, and Sony should absolutely bring Trophies over to the PSP. Still, the Trophy system has been a great addition to the PlayStation Network, and we felt it should be recognized for its achievements.
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Comments
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fleinn
- 12:26pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 1
Yeah.. you know, I agree with Destructoid. I'm about four phantom race- box races and a bling- brigade trophy from platinuming WipeoutHD (I beat Zico - Zico with the eminently punchable face! Gold Legend - easy! Zone Zeus - Supersonic, yess!).
And I am thinking right now that I'm only putting down an insane amount of play- time on this game, in order to be able to go back and play the game just for fun again. And then go online. I mean, those sadists - keeping me playing the game again and again like that.
Frankly - I want more instant gratification, and no sense of achievement, like on the xbox. And ice- cream. Free ice- cream to encourage me to play the game.
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2_GoOd_2_Be_TrU3
- 12:35pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 4
i think sony should give you free stuff of the PSN store when you get a platinum trophy.
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Tomthegreat
- 12:42pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 5
thats not a bad idea but nott sony would give u a reward but for exemple capcom or sega , u know what i mean :p and of course trophies are good but in some ways worse then achievments and in some ways better
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bravo9zero
- 12:53pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 6
"PlayStation Network has not succeeded in creating the feeling of a true online identity for its players"
I agree with that.
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Smithy2306
- 12:54pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 7
I couldn't care less about PSN trophies or Xbox Live achievements!
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BlueSteel18
- 1:25pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 10
I used to love achievements but then trophies came out which make achievements look seriously weak in comparison . Still wish they would integrate them into PSP games though.
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joeymetalgear7
- 1:33pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 11
the massive flaw with trophies, and i mean massive, is that the platnium is worth a lot more than the other trophies so if theres one bronze trophy or even any other trophy thats impossible to get then whats the point of tryin to get the other trophies for the game? theres no achievement that says 'get all other achievements' its just stupid
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joeymetalgear7
- 1:33pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 12
the massive flaw with trophies, and i mean massive, is that the platnium is worth a lot more than the other trophies so if theres one bronze trophy or even any other trophy thats impossible to get then whats the point of tryin to get the other trophies for the game? theres no achievement that says 'get all other achievements' its just stupid
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Alpha2
- 1:42pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 13
Giving you a platinum for getting all the trophies isnt a flaw, the act of getting all of the trophies in a single game is an acheivment all in itself worth recognizing. Besides, not every game even has a platinum trophy which still makes it an especially note worthy thing to ccomplish when you DO get a plat.
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jakster123x
- 3:06pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 17
I've just read that Destructoid article and its made me really angry! how biased is this guy? and when he talks about some trophies being practically useless i feel brilliant when i hear that twinkly noise and get a sense of achievement with EVERY trophy i get easy or hard i really wish people wouldn't post articles like these which just show how biased people really are towards certain cnsoles
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marcindpol
- 3:14pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 18
i am no trophy whore but i must say i like them, they give some more replayabilty to games:)
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bluesuedeshoes
- 3:30pm EDT - May 12th, 2009
- 20
to be honest I felt the Destructoid article was a complete fanboi rant and didn't need mush of a rebuttal given the huge gaping holes in much of the argument. For me the fact that I've got the full 1000 points for loads of games on the 360 and a game average of 800 points per full comercial release means nothing at all, one of my mates has an average of 260 per game but has a way higher score because he reants loads of new games for the easy achievements (whore!!!) lol. Thats why I prefer trophies and in particular platinums, nothing says I've owned a game like a platinum!!! I invest way more time in my trophies now because of that over my achievements. Ultimately though its just a way of showing your mates how Godlike you are :)
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