PSN Platinum Trophy Thoughts No.171 - No.180

Original post:
https://forum.psnprofiles.com/topic/81083-astray404s-trophy-shelf/

#171 - Ratchet & Clank (2016)

Difficulty: 2/10

Forgot where I got this for free, maybe the COVID play-from-home event? Have to admit that this game is a little bit mediocre and boring. Every planet is an almost linear stage, and all I did was to turn Mr. Zurkon on, run to the end while shooting every enemy. Puzzle-solving parts are fun to play though… Besides, the control during rail riding is weird. Sometimes Ratchet won’t switch to the left or right rail even if I push the joystick in the corresponding direction. Can’t say I enjoy this game, but at least it’s not bad.

#172 - Idolm@ster Must Songs (Red / Blue Disc)

Difficulty: 4/10 (With the Red Disc), 6/10 (With the Blue Disc)

The best “collabo” game I’ve ever played: The rhythm game system of Taiko no Tatsujin fits well with Idolm@ster. Besides, there are also some Idolm@ster features such as performing a live- medley. The red disc has more old songs, while the blue disc contains songs from the anime and later titles. Both discs are worth playing, although I would prefer songs on the Blue disc. Most songs are not that difficult to clear, even on Oni difficulty. However, not many songs have 600+ combos, making コンボ６００ a little bit challenging, especially on blue disc. Other trophies are pretty player-friendly, except for some end-game money grinding.

Only one thing: players could use the touch feature to interact with their customizable taiko (idol), but there is no touchscreen control to use while playing the rhythm game, which will definitely make the game easier.

#173 - IDOLM@STER Stella Stage

Difficulty: 3/10

I’ve heard that this is much less grindy than the previous one. Haven’t played that one yet but somehow I could feel it. Without buying DLC mails (though I usually do), the story content seems not sufficient. Since it’s defined as an Idol Simulator, the game has a repetitive weekly routine of taking class, performing a live concert, or taking a rest. Allocate the stamina for everyone is necessary for the trophy レジェンドプロダクション that requires clearing all contests in one year. I would rate it as a decent IDOLM@STER game but if there are more Commu events it could be better.

#174 - Gris

Difficulty: 2/10

Being an eye candy won’t change my impression of this game as a tedious “walking simulator”. Most puzzles are not thinking inspiring – just try every direction on the screen… The gravity stage is the best stage with complex route design compared to previous stages, but that’s almost the end of the game. Speaking of its sound design, the music is bland but sometimes it fits the stage well. Overall, it’s mediocre and barely acceptable, as a game.

#175 IDOLM@STER Starlit Season (w/ leaderboard #10)

Difficulty: 3/10

After Platinum Stars and Stella Stage, now we have a real IDOLM@STER game on PS4 finally.

+ The story attracts me more than the previous ones. It took me around 40 hours to beat the main story on my 1st playthrough. Then on NG+, new Commu events are added, making the 2nd playthrough more grindy but much more fun to play. After all, I buy the game just for those Commu events. :popcorn:

+ Better character models, which makes me wanna buy the Steam version also.

+ Better costume design, with more varieties of styles to choose from.

+ The Pre-order version has BGM music from the IDOLM@STER Arcade. Nostalgic.

- Not everyone can sing all songs, which is sort of… unusual on a console im@s game. Although you can use everyone to “perform” every song on NG+, there’s no corresponding vocal. Besides, this makes the 1st playthrough a little bit challenging.

- Frequent CE-34878-0 crash on the Daily Check menu. Not sure why this happens, but there’s a high probability that the savefile of this game has some issues during reading and writing.

Overall I would highly recommend this game if you are fluent in Japanese or Chinese or Korean. Now I can take a break and back to my real life.

_:(´ཀ`」 ∠):_

#176 - Alien Destroyer & #177 - Funny Truck

Difficulty: 1/10

Cannot quite complain about those indie games that look like someone’s final assignment since they only cost 5 HKD each. Hmmmmmmm…

#178 - The Sexy Brutale

Difficulty: 1/10 (With video guide)

Got this from PSN+ this month, and somehow it’s better than I expected.

+ Story. At first, I thought it was Resident Evil without battles, but after I went deep through the game, I started to enjoy those conversations with NPCs;

+ Music. This game has some jazz and chilling music that is definitely worth listening to, although sometimes they suddenly stop upon conversation starts;

- Tutorial. It has a whole prologue as a tutorial, but it’s still hard for me to understand what I was supposed to do when I started to play this game. After I got used to the system, the time reversing system makes the game fun to play though;

- Without a guide, collecting cards and invites could be frustrating.

#179 - Daedalus: The Awakening of Golden Jazz

Difficulty: 1/10

I’ve heard the Jake Hunter series before, but haven’t tried it. Unlike other visual novels that I’ve played, the story of this one sounds bland and somehow tedious to me. As a mystery adventure game, it is even less fun to play than the Sherlock Holmes series made by Frogwares.

+ Fantastic background artworks with panoramic views, which is the most attractive thing in the game, ironically;

+ Soothing music, but a little bit repetitive;

- Unrealistic character design. The story took place in New York, and all the main characters are grown-ups. However, characters such as Abbie and Ben act like they are typical high school students in Japan, which does not match the story’s background.

#180 - Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2

Difficulty: 2/10

A great 2d side-scroll shooter game. Looks like that it’s inspired by the Metal Slug series, although there is definitely something weird in this game.

+ Great visual effects and sound effects that bring excitement during battles;

+ Jazz music;

+ Challenging boss battles that encourage players to remember the pattern;

- Character’s facing could be only turned by using the right stick, which is also the aiming button. Besides, it is also difficult to aim at the head;

- Switching weapons by the weapon wheel won’t pause the game. This is a little bit annoying since there are too many weapons.