The addition of trophies for the PlayStation 3 has sparked quite a bit of debate whether they are worth the effort and why they are so sought after. I've been accused of being a trophy whore because I have two Demon's Souls platinum trophies (hey, my brother likes that game), accused of not being a "true" gamer because I didn't get those plats myself, and losing some gamer cred for plat-ing a kiddy game like Mini Ninjas. Though I don't consider myself a "whore" I do know that type of gamer, the one who rents every game they can get their hands on from movie games like Up to Hannah Montana - yes, they stoop that low and for what? A few digital trophies that only prove you have no life. But there is a plus side to trophies as well. I'm very proud of my $1 billion earned trophy from Mercenaries 2 not just because it took a long time to get but because I was one of the few who wasn't affected by the trophy glitch. Then there's finding all of the 350 Blast Shards in inFamous and I did that all without a guide. While I haven't quite made up my mind about trophies and there affect on games and gamers alike, I can give you some thoughts on two games that I have plat-ed and how earning those trophies affected the overall game experience.
How Trophies Ruin A Great Game: Heavy Rain - David Cage stated to G4TV that, "I would like people to play it once…because that’s life. Life you can only play once…I would like people to have this experience that way." Boy was he right, not only can you play through life once, you really should only play through Heavy Rain once because any more than that and it kills the magic of the game. That quote is exactly why I was surprised that the gold trophy "All Endings" was included in the requirements to earn the platinum for Heavy Rain. Going through all of the endings really poked a bunch of holes in what I considered a great story when I first played through the game. After my third playthrough I found that Heavy Rain wasn't nearly as great at storytelling than I thought and overall the "All Endings" trophy really destroyed my like for this game.Then there's the hidden trophy "Perfect Crime". I won't tell you what you have to do to get this trophy because it spoils so much of the story and once again ruins a generally great game. Unfortunately, many of the so called trophy whores that I know used an endings guide before they even played the game through once. Most guides recommended getting this trophy first and doing so results in spoiling what should have been a surprising twist to the game's ending.
Overall the Heavy Rain trophies have destroyed what was an interesting and unique game. I'm actually really disappointed that I got the platinum for Heavy Rain because a little virtual trophy is not worth losing all of the good things I felt about the game. Now Heavy Rain has turned into another generic game for me, holding nothing special except a 100% on my trophy list.
Some other games whose trophies ruin the experience are: Buzz: Quiz TV and Prince of Persia.
How Trophies Help A Great Game: Assassin's Creed 2 - Discovering the Assassins' Tombs, upgrading your Stronghold, intercepting a Borgia Courier, or pickpocketing the citizens of Italy - none of these are part of the main quest in Assassin's Creed 2 and most don't even have any benefit yet all are part of the trophies that you need to platinum Assassin's Creed 2 and all of them help to add to this great game. All of the trophies in Assassin's Creed 2 seem to serve a purpose whether it be introducing you to a new style of assassination or having you explore the various weapons that are available. What ever the case, I found myself enjoying the tasks I had to complete to earn the trophy and some even introduced me to techniques that I would not have otherwise known about. Then there are the 100 feathers scattered around the various districts of Italy. At first I dreaded the search for these feathers but I soon found that the search and the feathers themselves brought you to some of the best sights in the city. From the tall buildings that overlooked canals to exploring every inch of the massive church roof - as I searched for the feathers I was able to explore and experience so much of the detailed world in Assassin's Creed 2.
Overall the Assassin's Creed 2 trophies helped to introduce you to sights, techniques, and areas that you might have missed if you had just played through the game. The Assassin's Creed 2 platinum is one that I truly enjoyed getting as it added to the experience of the game and gave it new depth.
Some other games whose trophies help the experience are: Fallout 3 and inFamous.
Whether you love or hate trophies, the fact is that they are here to stay. Hopefully more developers and publishers will take a cue from Assassin's Creed 2 and make the trophies more meaningful and use them as a way to introduce the little details in a game that might be overlooked and avoid trophies like Heavy Rain's which only hindered the game's flow. As the hunt for trophies continues, hopefully games and gamers alike won't lose the purpose in why we play games - to have fun exploring a new world.
