Welcome to the Lasombra Files, PSU’s weekly hit program. Follow the story of Lasombra and V as they try to stay alive in Shadow City, unraveling its secrets, while at the same time shining the spotlight on Trophy hunters around the world and in our community.
I wake up in a cell, in pain and unable to see anything. Am I blind from the torture or just buried alive like the Bride? I don’t know how long I was under the sadistic care of Captain Li, or whoever she really is, as it is becoming apparent she was the one who had fun with V when we were captured in Peru. She must not be a cop, or is a double agent or something, but I don’t care right now in episode 20: Brave New World. A door creaks open, letting a blade of light in to slice the darkness. My head is aching, my body has no energy, and my mind feels like something chewed through it, but despite that, I crawl towards the light. Emerging from the darkness, only awe and trepidation course through my ravaged body, as we are not in Shadow City anymore.
Name: Tryfonas (Or in Greek Τρυφωνας)
Age: 14
Gender: Male
Occupation: Student (Videogames Designer/Producer)
Country: Greece
Disclaimer: This interview is reproduced as written by the interviewee. Pictures copyright of their artist/photographer/owner. All likenesses used are for parody and/or satirical purposes.
Lasombra: When did you start gaming?
Brave: I started gaming when I was 3 years old with the classic Super Mario Bros on the NES. When I was 5 i started playing games like Yakuza, GTA San Andreas, Just Cause and a "hidden gem" called Herdy Gerdy.
Lasombra: How did you choose your PSN name?
Brave: This was my second PSN because I panicked when I formatted my PS3 by mistake and made a new account.
I put a movie I love (Braveheart) with Mel Gibson then DC at the end from DC Universe. Some letters are with caps lock and they all have special names. LOL
A= Attitude
E=Eternal
E="Et tu brute"
R=Return
Lasombra: What motivated you to become a trophy hunter? What was your initial spark?
Brave: I was a normal gamer at the start of my account, playing games just to finish the campaign and play some multiplayer .Then I tried Terminator Salvation because I am a fan of terminator. When the first platinum popped I got addicted to trophies and here I am.
Lasombra: Are you a trophy hunter, platinum hunter, or a specific hunter? (Example: All GoW game hunter)
Brave: Hmm…I am all. I hunt platinums and if the platinum is too hard or long or unachievable I just get trophies. Also I am an all Assassin’s Creed Platinum hunter. If I hate a game i just put it off and gain nothing.
Lasombra: How many hours do you dedicate to trophy hunting?
Brave: Once school is on I play about 2-5 hours on Sunday and 2-4 hours on Saturday. Once there is a holiday I hunt about 1-5 hours every day.
Lasombra: What motivates you to go for that next trophy? How do you stay motivated after a long gaming session, particularly with grinding trophies?
Brave: I always think how good i will feel after getting the platinum and that after grinding a hard trophy the platinum will be easier and the platinum closer. But most of the time I don’t think like that.
I play games I like so I enjoy playing them. After playing games that I "think” aren’t good for a while I actually start to enjoy them.
Ex. Alpha Protocol, Darksiders, Crysis 2, God of War 3
Lasombra: Have you ever gone through any burnout from your sessions?
Brave: I always play about 2-3 hours and my longest has to be 5 hours, so no
Lasombra: What is your proudest platinum? Why? Was it your hardest?
Brave: My proudest has to be WipEout HD. The reason shall be obvious. This game is from hell, really, Al on Legendary is unforgiving and the tracks are so hard to learn (Cough Sol 1 Cough Chenghou Project) I almost cried beating Sebenco Climb, let alone Chenghou project and Sol 1! After all this hardness, damn Zico did a flawless time and for the 50 zones I had to replay Syncopia 100 times -_-
After some help for the last trophy, (Bling Brigade) the happiness I felt after the trophy popped was unforgiving. All the screams and a broken controller are displayed on this platinum! I still cannot believe I have earned it.
Lasombra: Do you have a trophy goal for the year? If so, how far are you along in it?
Brave: I don’t have a specific goal, I just want to platinum the games I have on my collection so I get a higher completion percentage.
Lasombra: Do you believe gamers should be allowed to make trophy hunting teams? Why or why not?
Brave: I don’t think it is a good thing. People should work alone and not with teams. It is about how much you enjoy the game, not how many ‘trophies’ you have. Isn’t it illegal to share an account with more than person by Sony regulations?
Lasombra: Do you think Sony should create a world database with every user’s PSN trophy info for all to see? Why or why not?
Brave: Many sites already do that. Why should Sony even bother making one.
Lasombra: What tips do you have for someone trying to reach the next level and going after a difficult platinum?
Brave: Well, buy or rent a game you will like. Test it before putting it into your main account. Don’t do the mistake I did. Once you enjoy the game take a look at the excellent guides at PS3Trophies.com. You are ready to plat, Hunter!
Lasombra: Regardless of the system, what pre-trophy game would you auto-buy if it was released on the PS3 with trophy support?
Brave: PS3: Assasins Creed, Soul Caliber IV
Wii: All Super Mario Games + Zelda + Metroid games
Lasombra: As a Terminator fan how do you feel that a triple A Terminator game can’t seem to be made for something that screams to be made into a good game.
Brave: I feel disappointed. Terminator can be an excellent game if the ideas are handled right. It can be a TPS, an FPS or even an open world with missions. It could have multiplayer and many, many game modes. Terminator Salvation is not what I wanted but not the worst game I have ever played. It was somehow good to pass the time when I was bored.
Lasombra: Having the WipEout platinum, one of the hardest platinums out there, did the experience give you the mindset that any other game is a piece of cake?
Brave: For some time, yes, until I encountered Yakuza 3, Clash of the Titans and Blur. Before them I thought I was the king and that i could achieve everything. It was a huge motivation for me to continue trophy hunting!
Lasombra: What is the gaming culture like in Greece? Lots of stores and conventions? Are you classmates just as big into gaming, trophies or otherwise, or has it not been accepted as mainstream yet?
Brave: Greece has no big stores like Gamestop or Gamefly. There are only Greek stores here and they suck. Everything is expensive and many times there aren’t some excellent games like RDR, BF3 or even GTA IV. My classmates are NOT into gaming. Well, they only know games on their android phones.
They play free games that are rip-offs from another epic game that they never played Ex. Cross Fire
Sadly, I am the only one interested in trophies. My bros are interested in gaming and play with me sometimes. In my school, me and my buddy are the only people that talk about anime and videogames.
Lasombra: Having aspirations at being a video game designer what game series would you like to work on if given the chance.
Brave: I would work on Fallout if given a chance. I got so many ideas to make a perfect game even more perfect. Also, I would work on the Just Cause series. I could make this game better than GTA.
Lastly, I would work with a game that has it’s inspiration from Greek culture like Clash of the Titans or God of War.
Lasombra: From an aspiring designer’s point of view, what do you think are the pros and cons of the current generation of games?
Brave: The good things of this generation are the graphics and the gameplay. It is amazing how these two changed from the old times. Bad things are the games lately. There are not many ideas for new IP’s anymore. Also most games focus on the action part (Not speaking of action games/FPS now) and not on the horror (Cough Silent Hill/Dead Space/Resident Evil).
The door I went through disappears as I stand on the sidewalk in front of my home, except it doesn’t look like my home or my city. Giant floating TV screens fly around the sky like birds in a formation, literally pumping the air waves with the daily news. As I walk up the stairs to a more future, tech’ed-out house, a familiar voice echoes through the skyline in episode 21: Ratings Wars. I look up to see The Shadow on the big screens, reporting some kind of crime to the public. My face is plastered on the screen as well as the informant who talked to me. “National hero Captain Saku Selanne murdered by a terrorist. Wanted dead or alive. Provincial funeral to be held next week” I say out loud, reading the headlines. “Seriously? Fu…” I’m dragged into the house by an unseen arm before I can finish my sentence and a familiar sight stares back at me.
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