How Hard Is Too Hard Where Trophies Are Involved? – “Twiggy” The PushSquare Opinionator

Nov 21, 2009

How Hard Is Too Hard Where Trophies Are Involved? – “Twiggy” The PushSquare Opinionator

Category: Columns, Playstation 3, Playstation Network

Tags: dead space, modern warfare 2, trophies, twiggy, uncharted drakes fortune

Crushing On Drake's Fortune Drove Me Mad But, Hey, I Still Played It.

I hate “Hard” modes. I appreciate some people love them and want to challenge themselves. Me personally – nuh-uh. I want to play my games at a reasonable difficulty. I want to have fun above all else. I don’t want to sit weeping into my DualShock replaying the same section over and over just to reach a checkpoint. Thing is – I don’t want to do it, but I do. Damn you trophies.

I don’t think I’d ever even touched a “Hard” difficulty setting until trophies came around. But the first real game I tortured myself with was Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Trophies were new at the time I played the game, and addiction was setting in. I knew I had to brave the infamous “Crushing” difficulty to earn my platinum.

In all honesty, I think I was moments away from being put in a straight-jacket. I’m not particularly terrible at games, but I’m honestly not all that great either. I’m happy to admit that. So haplessly fumbling my way through levels in order to get a checkpoint can be rather stress inducing. I remember one particular part in Drake’s Fortune where you’re in a church. There are snipers up top and soldiers rushing you from all angles. My DualShock slammed the wall a few times. It probably took me an hour or so just to get past that section. But I did it. I earned my Platinum and all was ok again.

Upon completing Crushing on Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, I promised myself never to go to such lengths again in the name of trophies. But a month or so later, I was sitting tearing my hair out over Dead Space’s hardest difficulty level. I must have improved at playing game’s on hard difficulty because Dead Space didn’t quite drive me mad. Until the last level. I remember distinctly my DualShock crashing against the wall ahead of me. Again I beat it – with a semblance of luck this time. But I earned my platinum and vowed never to play on “Hard” again.

Fast forward a year, and here I am, taking a break from Veteran difficulty on Modern Warfare 2. I’m not sure whether I’ve become a better gamer or it’s just kudos to Modern Warfare 2’s design, but I’m not having too much difficulty. I like to hope, that all those frustrating sessions crafting out platinum trophies have made me a better gamer. Maybe my patience has improved. Or maybe, developer’s are just making hard difficulties less unfair.

Either way, I can promise myself all I like. Trophies are making me play these hard difficulties, and I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not. The bruises on my thigh tend to suggest not.

“Twiggy” is an anonymous PushSquare columnist who has been spotted in three major cities across the globe. It’s rumoured he’s on the run from the British monarchy who accused him of treason.

Previous entries in the “Twiggy” range:

Joshua Ingram

Uncharted 2's Crushing mode was very hard and frustrating, but I still made it through and earned my Platinum trophy.

ace3000

those who come on here to comment on ppls life got no life keep that in mind

crossed23

I actaully enjoy the hardest difficulty setting on games that have good design and engine for it to play right. The trophies that really just tick me off is the new COLLECTION trophies. Find 100 hidden whatever in the game to get a nice shiny new gold trophy. Yep, screw that crap. Uncharted made it fun and its fits the elements of the game but like for Bionic Commando, well its just stupid. I just pushed over a 1000 trophies and Ive got several games Im playing and Christmas will add more so I really close to MANY Platinum trophies but its fun to play new games and not dumb aggrivations for trophies in games Ive already beaten, I always start games with the hardest difficulty anyways as I like the challange, but hours of tiresome crap for trophies.... those days might be over for this gamer. Hardcore isn't running around looking for hidden crap.

ace3000

Kz2 elite was not hard that game was an Ez plat

cameronlourenco

this, coming from someone who likely has no life and never will lmao

ace3000

im trying to get mirror's Edge plat and the speedruns are crazy hard im sitting here for 2 hr on one speedrun chapter doing it ova and ova this is one of those hard games

name

platinum should be given on skill not on how long you play.
i dont care if i cant get a particular trophy as long as it does not count towards the plat.
trophies that contribute to you getting the plat should be based on skill not on how long you have played the game.
for example a trophy for completing the game on the hardest difficulty is ok BUT not for every difficulty setting.
who has enough time to play games on the 3 or 4 difficulty settings available?
sorry but i have a life, i work, i go out, i go to tafe.
im lucky if i get 2 hours per day to play games, finishing 1 game on all settings would take weeks.
games should only be allowed to have a trophy contributing to the plat for the hardest difficulty available on start up so uncharteds crushing should be out.
or just like killzone 2s get into the top 1% for the week trophy.
i remember playing a game with this guy he completley sucked and died like every minute but was really friendly so i added him and talked to him.
that week every second i looked he was online in KZ2 and he got the trophy.
as i said trophies should be awarded for skill, not for having no life.
but meh, i wont hold my breath on anything changing because this is a cheap gimmick to keep people playing your game.
O and crushing on uncharted is not hard, try elite on KZ2 now thats hard.
though i normally like playing games on the highest setting because
1 it improves your skill
2 its more fun because you cant run and gun, you have to think about your actions and plan ahead.
3 it keeps you on your toes, you cant just sit behind cover and pop and shoot.
keeps the tension high.

cameronlourenco

the only problem with hard difficulty settings for certain games is they are only hard due to archaic game design ala Killzone 2, Demon's Souls, God of War 1. Uncharted 1 had cheap moments but it was still possible, same with Modern Warfare 2. Uncharted 2 has its share of dick moments too where the game gets impossible, and I'm only playing on Hard (stupid that you need to play the game twice through just to get the platinum trophy).
and the whole point of a platinum trophy is that you have every other trophy at the game's startup (dlc not included))

cameronlourenco

Dead Space? hard? that was one of the easiest games I played all year. I can't play on any other difficulty on dead space other than "impossible", and that's without any upgrades to any weapons whatsoever - and sometimes using only the crap weapons to make it harder - there's literally no survival horror elements to that game at all, you never ever need to conserve ammo or even be a brilliant shot. YOU JUST NEED TO PLAY SMART TO WIN ON HARD!
Same with the entire Metal Gear Solid series. I can't play on anything other than the hardest extreme difficulty because otherwise smart players find it too easy.
Here's what makes games hard - bad game design. Games of yesteryear are harder because they have archaic design that has been improved on since then, as developers make games better they get easier by design.
Go play God of War 2 (part 1 has a few issues on the hardest difficulty that are bad game design related). GOW2 has such perfect design that you won't feel like you're being cheated on Titan difficulty (well, perhaps in a few parts you will).

Julien-Carl Dubois-Lafaille

Try out Demon's Souls, :D it does not have a "hard" difficulty mode. this function is already enabled once you insert the disc.

lazyeye79

at least you can beat these games on hard and you get something for it (besides the satisfaction). i remember playing games when easy was crushing and normal was literally impossible. so be thankful developers aren't like they use to be.

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How Hard Is Too Hard Where Trophies Are Involved? – “Twiggy” The PushSquare Opinionator

Category: Columns, Playstation 3, Playstation Network

Tags: dead space, modern warfare 2, trophies, twiggy, uncharted drakes fortune

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