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Let's get one thing straight: Trophies are the least important thing when it comes to appraising a game. We'd recommend an amazing title even if it had no pots, because the act of actually playing a release is more important than the system-wide meta-game that surrounds it. Having said that, Trophies are an essential part of the PlayStation experience, and Sony's doing its best to eff up the format.

A few years ago, we wrote an article asking whether all PlayStation games should include a Platinum Trophy. Over 50 per cent of you agreed that they should. And yet, we're still in a situation where that's not the case. In fact, many major releases are actually lacking a prized pot for reasons that we simply can't fathom. One example is Firewatch.

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Campo Santa's outback adventure is one of the most anticipated PlayStation 4 games of the year, and it's appeared during Sony press conferences as well as on the front of gaming magazines. It has five PlayStation Network gongsfive. Now, listen: we still reckon that the release is going to be amazing – but how can such a high-profile game like this end up with so few Trophies?

It could well be a developer choice: maybe the studio didn't want to interrupt the story with immersion-breaking blings. But it's not the only major digital release to go without a Platinum: the likes of SOMA, Child of Light, and Valiant Hearts all spring to mind. Exactly what makes The Bit.Trip more deserving of a Platinum than, say, Burn the Rope?

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And this is the problem: the rules for what's worthy of a top pot and what's not seem to change on the fly. It used to be that a game had to ship in a box, but Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders is launching on Blu-ray and that's got a measly 15 cups to its name. Goat Simulator, meanwhile, has 31 – including a silvery-blue statue.

Enough! It's time that Sony completely overhauled the system, and either forced every game to come with a Platinum or imposed some hard rules. A great game is a great game irrespective of its Trophies, but we're sick of not knowing where we stand. There are more pressing issues in the PlayStation Nation, for sure – but this isn't something that the Japanese giant should just ignore.

Sort it out.


Are you sick of the inconsistencies between Trophy sets? Do you think that all games should come with a Platinum Trophy? Go for the top gong in the comments section below.

Should all games come with a Platinum Trophy? (144 votes)

  1. Yes, the inconsistency between releases is beyond irritating42%
  2. Hmm, I'm not really bothered to be honest46%
  3. No, I like the distinction between different types of games12%

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