PS3 Trophies and how they underachieve

[krazey2k]

Beware Very Long but interesting read IMO.

Destructoid Exclusive! One of the few good things Microsoft did for the games industry was introduce the concept of Achievements. Some of you may disagree with me, especially as it's considered quite hip to hate Achievements and claim they ruined videogames, but the extra level of interest and longevity they add to a game has certainly had an impact on my own game playing habits, and a great deal many others.
It was only a matter of time before Sony tried to follow Microsoft's lead and introduce its own take on Achievements. As of this year, PlayStation Trophies are now a mandatory part of all PS3 titles, working very much in the same way as MS' Achievements, with a few structural differences. However, unlike MS' Achievements, Trophies have so far failed to really add much of anything to my gameplay experience.
A rather underwhelming addition, marred by some key problems, Trophies have underachieved, proving that perhaps it's not always best to just try and copy someone else's successful idea and expect the same level of success (*coughmotioncontrolscough*). Read on as we explain the problem with PS3 Trophies.

The major issue with Trophies, as it stands, is the fact that the PlayStation Network has not succeeded in creating the feeling of a true online identity for its players. The rather alienating XMB and awkwardness of communication with other players makes it far more difficult for gamers to feel connected to their PSN handles than they do their Gamertags. A Gamertag, from the very start, has set out to feel like an identity, something that is tied into every Xbox 360 game they play, every Achievement they unlock, and every success they have in a multiplayer environment. It feels like something that is theirs. A PSN handle is simply what it is -- just a handle.
I've never felt any sort of attachment to my PSN handle, not like I do with the Xbox 360 Gamertag. Even visually, the Gamertag sets itself up as a more tangible object, resembling a card with your name, motto, Gamerscore and recently played games. Your PSN handle doesn't have that same tangibility, at least not one as clearly defined and visible to others as the Gamertag. On the Xbox 360, you can easily show off what you've been playing and what Achievements you've unlocked. With the PSN, there's no sense of personal investment and no real platform to show off your Trophy progress at an easy glance. The lack of identity makes Trophies far less important than Achievements.
Another major issue is the cumbersome PS3 interface and ridiculous load times. For such a magnificent, sleek and well-produced machine, its sluggish XMB feels archaic and inconvenient to use. For example, when unlocking an Achievement during a 360 game, all the player has to do is press the guide button on the Xbox 360 controller and instantly see the Achievement details. On the PS3, one has to press the guide button, navigate to the Trophy section, wait for the Trophies to load, then find the right Trophy through the list of small, barely legible text. The very act of looking at Trophies feels like a waste of time.

When a game is loading on the Xbox 360, I'll often fill the seconds by quickly glancing over some Achievements to check my progress, or look at some messages, which can instantly be done with a quick tap of the controller's Guide Button to bring up a useful mini dashboard. You can easily bring up the dashboard and pass time in there while waiting for the next level to load. Not so on the PS3. Usually, by the time you've actually navigated to the Trophies and waited for the information itself to load up, the game is ready to be played. There is no checking out other peoples' PSN IDs in a pre-match lobby either, not with the same ease and swiftness of an Xbox 360 lobby.
Even worse, and completely inexcusable to boot, is the fact that Trophies need to "sync" before you can view them on the XMB. I don't quite get how the Xbox 360 can have your Achievements all ready for you to glance over at any time, while you need to sit through a loading screen in order to look at anything PS3-related. On the 360, it's incredibly easy to compare your Achievements to others on your friends list. On the PS3, you have to spend your time watching little rotating circles as the PS3 sluggishly fires up the Trophies.
Another glaring fault is the fact that, unlike Achievements, very few Trophies actually carry with them a sense of value, arbitrary or otherwise. Every single Achievement feels like it's adding to this colossal E-Peen that grows with every Achievement you unlock. It's thoroughly meaningless, I fully admit that, but so is a lot of things in the world of gaming, and the mindless collection factor is addictive and adds to the fun of unlocking Achievements. Even the smallest and most insignificant of Achievements feels like it carries a "value" of sorts. 5G is still 5G, and those small Achievements all contribute to increasing that E-Peen's all-crucial size.
The Gamerscore, while accomplishing nothing of true value, at least stands as a testament to your history with the Xbox 360's game library, and quickly gives people a rough idea of how much quality time you've spent with the system. Every Achivement collected adds to that.
Not so with Trophies, that are split between Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Straight away, we are taught that only a few Trophies actually matter. Who cares about common Bronze Trophies? The way in which different values are assigned to the Trophies practically admits that a huge amount of them are worthless. Nearly all my Trophies so far are Bronze, and I struggle to give a **** about any of them, because we all know that Bronze is for losers. Unlike Achievements, which have an "every little helps" aura about them, the PlayStation Trophies don't feel like they work towards anything. Don't get me wrong, both Achievements and Trophies are, at the end of the day, meaningless tokens. Trophies, however, make it far too obvious to inspire anything but apathy.

Trophies also carry with them some "level up" system which I suppose is meant to rival the Gamerscore except it ... doesn't. It's rather senseless and just sits there, proving very little. While the idea of leveling up your PSN actually has potential, until it does more than simply sit buried in your profile with its thumb up its arse, it won't beat the Gamerscore.
Even the visual aspect of Trophies are unappealing. The "Achievement Unlocked" image has become almost iconic this generation, with its distinct sound and look becoming a welcome occurrence during the course of any 360 game. Sony's small, whimpering little gray box that announces, in tiny text, that "You've earned a Trophy" brings with it all the fanfare of an old lady's wet fart.
The interesting thing is, Sony has just as much opportunity, if not more so, the make Trophies stand out, thanks in part to the PSP, and this may be where Trophies might eventually justify their existence. There has been talk in the past about PSP games having their own Trophies, and if your PSN ID remains linked between both your PS3 and PSP, then we're definitely looking at something interesting. The ability to unlock these extra rewards across multiple platforms as well as multiple games is something that Microsoft simply does not have right now, and it's something Sony could definitely capitalize on in order to start steering the direction of a gamer's identity, rather than just follow in the footsteps of a rival.

Of course, the first thing Sony needs to do is make the that aforementioned identity something to identify with. Until that happens, Trophies will always mean very little compared to Achievements and the Gamerscore. Sony has a lot of games, several consoles and even social experiments like Home and LittleBigPlanet. However, everything right now feels disconnected from one another. The PlayStation brand has an incredibly amount of tools to make Trophy support something worth bragging about, but until it pulls the drawstrings and brings all of its separate parts together, the PSN experience is always going to feel like a step behind what the Xbox brand currently offers.
A greater sense of personality, a more convenient way to interact with your gaming rewards and a feeling, however false, that Trophies actually mean something. Sony could do all that and really go toe-to-toe with the idea of Gamertags. Unfortunately, until Sony realizes that just trying to mimic Achievements with the bare minimum of effort doesn't make for much competition, Trophies will remain quite the underachievement

Destructiod

[nickjd331]

I agree with a few points, such as the syncing to trophies, but overall he just complains a lot about nothing

[no1kevlin]

A lot of his comparisons don't add up and he just comes across as someone wanting to hate on Trophies whilst cuddling up to MS.

He does make a valid point when he talks about the time taken synching and loading trophy lists as htis does take too long and should be slicker but when he says that 5point achievements are worth it as they all add up and then goes on to say that Bronze trophies are worthless as they are the lowest ranking trophy he pretty much seals his fate as Captain FAIL!

[aptget]

and somehow ps3 still is going to come out on top

[edward_moffet]

I agree with a few points, such as the syncing to trophies, but overall he just complains a lot about nothing

Agreed the syncing thing was a valid point but everything else is just nitpicking. First of all the XMB is far from sluggish it's probably one of the most elegant UI's i've used, second of all when i owned a 360 (im not sure if it's the same now because of NXE) that mini dashboard was very sluggish and would actually cause my console to freeze sometimes but whatever. I don't get his whole argument about the PSN ID's being detached where as with Gamertags you feel a connection that's BS they're essentially the same thing and how is it "Buried" you click on your friends icon and there ya go. The whole article really is a complaint about nothing, he's making a mountain out of a mole hill.

[Gtek500]

It's true they mean nothing. I play a game and never look at the trophies so when I beat the game or mid game i get that "You received a trophy" rectangle in the corner and fel good that did it all without knowing.

Why not give us a value for it. Maybe a discount on our purchases on the psn or even a currency to use in home. I have so many games with a list of incomplete trophies. I don't play for trophies i play to beat the game and that's it. Sometimes I buy a game and consider it's trophies but it's only because the games in questions offer the same amount of fun to me.

I see bronze as gold, silver and platinum because they all are just an accomplishment of a side quest you go for because you unlock it by doing it.

[aptget]

trophy's are just an add-on anyway. i wouldn't care if they wern't there

[admartian]

Apart from trophy syncing, a very subjective viewpoint. Not necessarily a wrong one, but one that isn't true or should be paraded as fact.

[micromagic]

Well a few valid points, in particular the loading times of trophies especially when comparing. But for the most part sounds like it was written by a 360 fanboy. He says bronzes are useless?!! They all contribute to the gamer level, does he not understand that?!!

[santinomarella]

i also agree with a few points like how long it takes for the XMB and PSN cards to load while playing a game.

but all that takes is one firmware update to speed it up, but it dosnt really bother me that much anyway.

the comparison between trophies and achivements is stupid though, they are pretty much the same, trophy level and gamerscore, there is no real difference.

what would be good to see on PSN is a profile page, similar to the current PSN card thing, but full screen and abit more info, players could also have themes for their profiles to make it look more interesting.

[SixEightSix18]

I agree with a few points, such as the syncing to trophies, but overall he just complains a lot about nothing

Yup. I have to disagree with alot of this because the XMB and PS3 is what im used to. I have never had or will never get an XBox 360. I personally feel like the PSN community is good and I feel like my tag is part of an identity.

But to be fair I agree with a few points. But I will give time to PS3 since they seem to have a long term look for this system.

[Serinous]

i like platinums more than just achievement points.

[Tyrien]

Am I safe to assume "whaaa whaaa it's not XBL's GUI!" without reading a massive amount of textile trophy rant?

[Mopey.]

Most of that about the trophy system was just ranting.

But one point I do agree with is the lack of identity involved with your PSN ID. For us PS3 users, we dont really notice it because we actually play the PS3 all the time and form our own identity associated with the PSN ID.

For newcomers to PS3, there isnt really anything that is linked to your ID. Everything is disconnected, we are just used to it. Even just simply scrolling through the friends list, all we can see is the PSN ID's of our buddies, a comment, and the game being played. What should be displayed in addition to the aforementioned info is our Trophy Level + Total Trophies Earned and Recently Earned Trophies. This would allow us to really show off our Trophies and quickly compare them to our friends, instead of having to manually switch between each person and load their Trophies. This would help associate our Trophies with our PSN ID and make them feel connected.

In short, a Gamercard-like visual structure would really help give us the feeling that all the components of PSN are linked. And I doubt it would be very hard to implement.

[ash91]

He's just complaining about how he feels about Trophies.
"I don't feel attached to my PSN Handle." - So that makes Trophies bad does it?

"The Gamerscore, while accomplishing nothing of true value, at least stands as a testament to your history with the Xbox 360's game library, and quickly gives people a rough idea of how much quality time you've spent with the system. Every Achivement collected adds to that." - So what are Trophies then? When you select a players name, you can see how many Trophies they have. Is it just me or is this EXACLTY the same as what he is saying here?

[Sieghardt]

Am I safe to assume "whaaa whaaa it's not XBL's GUI!" without reading a massive amount of textile trophy rant?

You are safe to assume that, yes.

[admartian]

He's just complaining about how he feels about Trophies.
"I don't feel attached to my PSN Handle." - So that makes Trophies bad does it?

"The Gamerscore, while accomplishing nothing of true value, at least stands as a testament to your history with the Xbox 360's game library, and quickly gives people a rough idea of how much quality time you've spent with the system. Every Achivement collected adds to that." - So what are Trophies then? When you select a players name, you can see how many Trophies they have. Is it just me or is this EXACLTY the same as what he is saying here?

No, it's not just you. What the author of this article is displaying, is gaming's version of "othering" - where an opposing/binary set of ideology or discourse stigmatized so that their own version of gaming social heirarchy is secured.

What this author is doing is stigmatizing Trophies (of how they aparrently underachieve) in order to secure their own social, or rather in this case, "gaming identity" (Achievements).

Again, he's not wrong (in saying that Achievements give him a sense of identity), but he's absolutely wrong for saying that Trophies don't.

[aptget]

i learned to not give a **** about people like this a long time ago

[Đipic]

Well a few valid points, in particular the loading times of trophies especially when comparing. But for the most part sounds like it was written by a 360 fanboy. He says bronzes are useless?!! They all contribute to the gamer level, does he not understand that?!!

They're one point dude, they may not be completely useless but they're not their value is pretty small.

Anyway, he has some valid points (while others I don't agree with), but even though people will naturally say so anyway, Jim (the author) is not a 360 fanboy. I guess it's useless to even mention it here, but whatever, as a member of the Destructoid community I figured I'd point it out. Jim makes rants like this all the time, for everything; he doesn't just pick on the PS3.

That said, having never owned or plan on owning a 360 I can't say I know or particularly care about what I might be missing and while I am satisfied with what we have there is always room for improvement. I really agree with his point on the lack of identity and would like to see that change.

i learned to not give a **** about people like this a long time ago

Shame, that's the problem. People can't take criticism and just assume that anyone giving it is a troll or fanboy. Read the article first before you judge.

[AaronSOLDIER]

Loading other peoples trophies has improved, it used to take me about 20 seconds to load a friends trophies, but now it takes about 5.

Also, Sony didnt copy Nintendo for motion controls, there was a motion controller released back in 1998 for the PS1 for Warhawk...

[-Deadpool-]

I agree with a few points, such as the syncing to trophies, but overall he just complains a lot about nothing

First reply and spot on.

Agree with this. Has a few points, but the rest is just rambling about nothing but personal preference.

[Spider]

this guy is an idiot

his points are mostly pointless...

and he left one major MAJOR thing out...

achivments... = random points... which could have people just getting the easy trophies for every game and grabbing a huge gamer score...

trophies = HAVING PLATINUMS... the best thing ever... shows a 100%... shows that people dont just spam easy trophies... but collect all trophies for 100%

i would not be a achievement *****... due to the lack of platinums

[Thorzilla]

I don't have that many trophies, but I love them. I dissagree with the article, since every trophy makes my very own PSN card better and more complete.

[Darth Do'Urden]

trophy's are just an add-on anyway. i wouldn't care if they weren't there

Totally agreed. I agree with the notion that they are pointless, but I feel the same way about Achievement Points. Now if I can use those achievements (Trophies or AP) to purchase exclusive items, or download PSN/XBL games, etc. then rock the freak on--I'd actually have a reason to care. But as it is...I don't.

The only reason I care at all is because I recognize that the Trophy system basically gives you an idea of how to explore all aspects of a game and explore it to the fullest, eeking every drop of goodness from it. In that respect I actually find the Trophy system useful. But for bragging rights or some connection to my PSN identity? That concept is just ignorant high school drama bullcrap.

[aptget]

im starting to go for %100's but thats just because i want to say "i've beat the crap out of ________ game"