Having spent the best part of the early years of the Xbox vs PlayStation battle on an Xbox 360 and owning the Xbox One when they first came to fruition, I have always been a fan of Xbox consoles. With that being said, it was Sony’s offering to the wars of the last generation that pulled me in and snatched victory from Microsoft. The reason for this was never the exclusives, the ergonomics of the control pad, or even the dashboard that swung it for me. It was far more simple than that.
The reason my Xbox One was gathering dust while my PlayStation 4 was audibly in a constant state of readiness for a launch into orbit was solely down to the platinum trophies.
Having grown impatient for a PlayStation 5 to become available and with the money burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to bite the bullet and switch back to my earlier stomping grounds of Xbox Live and bought myself a Series S. As much as I love the leaps and bounds this generation has progressed and as much as I enjoy the noticeably smoother FPS; I can’t shake the feeling that it’s seriously lacking on the game rewards side of things.
How Platinum Trophies Changed the Way I Play
Since I started accumulating platinum trophies, I felt an extra sense of accomplishment when truly finishing a game. Not only did I have another platinum trophy to add to my ever-growing collection, I also knew I had seen just about all the game had to offer. The trophy lists were usually designed to take you to the four corners of the game and discover things you wouldn’t normally have seen on a straight playthrough. Aside from this, they encourage a player to play games multiple times and on the harder difficulty levels (as games should be played).
Even now I have switched back to the Xbox, I find myself going for 100% on every game I play. I still strive to be the completionist that Sony made me, but I always fail to feel that same level of accomplishment that I did on obtaining a platinum trophy. Sadly, there no signs of indication of your accomplishments. Even a list somewhere of your 100% conquests would be a step in the right direction, but alas, here Microsoft sadly fall short.
How a Numerical Gamerscore isn’t the same
Yes, it could be argued that Microsoft has the Gamerscore system in place and, as great as this is, it’s little indication of a player’s skill or dedication in their actual gaming. A high Gamerscore usually says to me the player has played a lot of different games, as opposed to actually beating them. The tenure of the account also comes into question, making it very hard to judge any abilities based on the score alone.
It’s a constant enigma to me as to why there exists no sort of acknowledgement as a reward for many hours of gaming and tireless dedication to our favorite titles. I strongly feel that with something in place I would be far more inclined to stay with the Series S, or maybe even upgrade to the X. As it stands, however, I will be looking for a PlayStation 5 as soon as finances again allow.
Summary
While this sounds like a rant, it’s simply a readable (I hope) manifestation of my thoughts. I love my Series S and Game Pass is a real game-changer. I just feel the achievement system would strongly benefit from a platinum equivalent. Surely, I can’t be the only one thinking this? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
