PlayStation 4 Must be Compatible With PlayStation 5

Sony has told developers that new games coming out for the PlayStation 4 must be compatible with the upcoming PlayStation 5 console. The new rule this compatibility will be from the 13th of June on wards.  However all PS4 games released or submitted before this period have been advised to be patched or remastered for the PS5.

Hopefully the PS5 announcement event on the 4th of June will shed more light on the subject.

The PS5 is still set to launch in the 2020 holidays and Sony have reassured gamers that despite Covid 19 there will be no price changes. 

Plat Runner 03: Resident Evil HD Remake

Today we have our first guest post from a fellow Plat Runner and Trophy Hunter Garav. Having been driven by lockdown he has been crushing games and taking names in the aim of those sweet platinum rewards. Today he is speaking to us about his efforts in Resident Evil the HD Remake. Far from an easy trophy to obtain, Garav reassures us that it is not too hard so long as you take into account a bundle of tips and tricks. Now I hand over to Garav.

Resident Evil shot by Garav

Personally I played the original, the HD version on the Gamecube, Xbox360, PC and Deadly Silence on the DS. Therefore I am unlikely to attempt the platinum having run it into the ground. But this account almost tempted me to buy it all over again on the store. Hopefully some of you will also be struck by temptation and add this gem of a platinum to your cabinet.

The first time I played Resident Evil was maybe around 4-5 years ago, back on Xbox 360. When i got my PS4 I decided to get this game here as well since i really enjoyed it on the last gen.

Resident Evil shot by Garav

When I first played this on PS4 I wasn't planning on getting the platinum. At the time I thought most of the trophies are impossible.

But ever since the quarantine started I've been getting huge motivation for platinum hunting thanks to VPVibrancy, and so i decided to try for this platinum until I eventually got it.  This platinum for me was not too hard but can take a very long time if not done right. So to help everyone who are planning to get this, here's some tips.

Resident Evil shot by Garav

Tips and Tricks

• Always save your game in the same slot. This is important for the "Passion for Fashion" trophy

• Ideally you should go for the speed run trophies as soon as possible so you can get the infinite rocket launcher. You get this from finishing the game under 3 hours on normal/hard.

• Speed run in this game are quite hard, since there's no way to pause the in-game timer. I recommend watching a speed run video and making notes before attempting this.

• During the speed run you can check your notes during the door loading screens

• Once you get the rocket launcher, attempt the trophies "Every Nook and Cranny" and "Ink is for Squid" in one Hard play through

• "Every Nook and Cranny" trophy description is misleading. You have to get EVERY ITEM in EVERY ROOM.

Resident Evil shot by Garav

• Do every new play through from the "Once Again" option so you can select the difficulty

• You can do the knife only run in invisible enemy mode on very easy as Chris. You're ignoring most of the enemy in this mode anyway so this shouldn't be too hard.

• For invisible enemy, don't save Richard. This will make the Plant 42 boss a little easier.

• To get the "CQC FTW" trophy, don't save anyone or you'll risk failing the trophy

• Save Real Survival mode for the last. In this mode, the enemy setting is on hard, auto aim is off, and the item boxes are not connected with each other.

• Real Survival tips. Play as Jill. Put most of your items in the Eastwing Storeroom box. I recommend getting the shotgun as soon as possible. As soon as you have it, don't bother bringing the handgun. Use the grenade shell for crimson head boss and acid shell for the second Yawn boss fight. After these two boss fight you don't need the grenade launcher anymore. Don't pick up the magnum. Don't save Barry (so you can have his gun). Barry's gun is over powered and should be saved for the tyrant. Only bring the shotgun (& ammo), Barry's gun, and whatever health items you have to the lab.

• You don't have access to the rocket launcher in invisible enemy and real survival.

Resident Evil Platinum earned by Garav

Ghost Runner: Threshold Kid

"In the ashes of a broken and chaotic world, life is cheap and death is always around the corner. It’s here, in this bleak and miserable existence, that a cyber-warrior must struggle to avoid a bloody end and navigate through the remains of a once-great civilization. A massive tower houses the survivors of the apocalypse and it’s up to you to reveal the mystery…" - From the games Steam description

Despite being a blogger, I am not too up with new releases. My domain is the virtual photography community. The Threshold Kid came to me a long time ago with his excitement of Ghost Runner. Not only did he follow its updates and the demo's release but also took a huge amount of shots from it. 

Aimar's greatest skill in his virtual photography is his tenacity to persist despite the hurdles in his path. Ghost Runner like so many other games Aimar shoots from, has no photo mode. Yet this did not stop him persisting. 

It is this rich persistence that has led to these beautiful gritty, dystopian shots. They showcase the game wonderfully and just from a glance, you get a feel for the environment and world the protagonist inhabits. 

While his work is always vibrant, expressive and colourful this handful of shots really showcases his editing and brings both light and dark into a perfect homogeneity. 

For more of Threshold Kid's work check out his Instagram here.

The Witcher Sells 50 Million Copies

CD Prokekt Red seems to be going from strength to strength. Following the announcement that they are now Europe's most valuable games company, now their flagship property, The Witcher series, has sold 50 million copies worldwide. 

This is without a doubt a big thanks to the series being made into a Netflix show, causing new fans to grab the latest instalment of the game series.  

DOOM Eternal Twitch Prime

Those lucky enough to have a Twitch Prime account are used to reaping the rewards in a huge host of games. Cosmetics and boosters tend to be the style of giveaways that come with the subscription. 

DOOM Eternal previously had the DOOMicorn and now there is the Mullet Slayer. 

To most these will be pointless but to those of us in the VP community it gives a nice little extra for us to play around with. When I finally get Eternal, expect to see some shots of these bad boys over on my Instagram account. 

Plat Runner 02: Devious Dungeon

Ratalaika Games S.L. are seen by many as the perfect company for trophy hunters worldwide. With most of their games sold as a double feature (PS4 & PS Vita), they have two trophy lists per title. Most casual gamers will not even give these games a glance. I’ve seen them referred to on forums as “trash” and only used by “trophy cheaters”. Both terms are inaccurate and unjust.

                           
Every Ratalaika game I’ve played has been enjoyable, most also go way beyond the scope of the platinum trophy. Daggerhood for instance you can pick up the Platinum in 12 levels, which takes between 15 and 30 minutes depending on your skill set. But if platform gaming is your thing it’s stretches way beyond that. 

My shiny Daggerhood pop moment.

As part of Plat Runners I am going to feature their games along with others that are enjoyable and worth a play, perhaps not just to snag that easy platinum trophy.

The first is Devious Dungeon, a light fantasy set platform romp. So far out of all the easy plat games I have played it has been my favourite. Through 68 levels of hack and slash platforming you take your burly adventurer across randomised levels to cull as many of the dungeons inhabitants as possible.

Rogue Legacy is my favourite rogue-like platformer of its genre and Devious Dungeon is a very paired down version of this. Rogue Legacy I spent 68 hours playing and still was nowhere near getting the hundred percent mark, whereas Devious Dungeon is a 2-4 hour jog. 

Charming to look at, the levels as well as the sprites are delightful. The monsters you meet at the start of the game also still crop up on occasion in the later levels, which is a touch I’ve never seen in this genre before. There are no pallet swaps for stronger versions of the dungeons denizens, but stronger, larger enemies that often display a slightly different attack pattern to their smaller counterpart.

Despite being more simplistic than other titles, for a light arcade game it is perfect. I bought the game on sale for £2 and played it over the course of a week on and off. It made for the perfect light filler between pressing on with Uncharted 2. 

The bosses are challenging enough that you often won’t defeat them on first try and may require some light grinding if you’re not a seasoned platformer, but never fear, as due to the random level design it’s painless. For one trophy you also have to find 100 keys, which is essentially 100 levels. I snagged this right at the end of the game, just before the final few levels.

Tips and Tricks:

• If you get stuck go back to the start of the most recent area and farm kills.

• Only buy one ring and one necklace, the stat increments are not worth the money. Focus your money on weapons, armour and the odd potion.

• If this breed of gaming is something you enjoy and you like to gain some easy trophies it is a more respectable choice than a lot of others out there. It’s a good game, it takes a few hours to finish and you have to get to the end to obtain every trophy. 

The Plat Pop!

Woblyware aren’t known for much in terms of game development but I am glad they designed this little gem. I’ve already started on the sequel and Random Heroes is on my list to get soon after.
Happy hunting Plat Runners!

Plat Runner 01: Resident Evil 6

So far in my delve into trophy hunting I haven’t tackled anything at the elite levels of difficulty and I’m not sure if I will. Resident Evil 5 had a couple of really nasty moments on Professional difficulty and Uncharted 2 almost made me cry on Crushing mode, but it was doable.

Uncharted 2 shot by me

I’m pretty sure 5/10 is the hardest difficulty platinum trophy I’ve collected so far (judged by PSN Profiles). I’m not afraid to admit that I am more of a casual gamer. Gone are those days in my early gaming ventures where I could slam myself into the brick wall of a games hardest settings over and over until I came through the victor. Nowadays I prefer to focus on enjoyment over pain, a rewarding and expansive narrative over damaged control sticks and rage quits. 

One of our many deaths during Professional mode.

Today I’m going to discuss the journey of Resident Evil 6, a game sidelined by a lot of Resident Evil purists and the reason we now have Resident Evil 7, followed by a glut of remakes. 

Initially my venture into the world of PSN gaming started out as a casual affair. I was enjoying exploring the exclusives and playing Read Dead Redemption 2 online, then I lusted for a decent couch gaming style co-op adventure. After finishing Boarderlands 3 I suggested to LeonardoxAngel that we play Resident Evil 5. We ended up finishing it in just over a week and hungry for more we dived into 6.

Having already finished the game to 100% (yes including the online multiplayer) on the Xbox, this was my fifth play through of the game. We tackled it on Normal and then Professional. Unbeknown to us the game didn’t change the second players difficulty in line with the first player. Therefore on our second playthrough Leo was still on normal while I was on professional, meaning he got an easier ride. Regretfully we did not realise this until we finished it and he did not get the trophy. 

Leon's Chapter feels much more like the classic Resident Evil compared to the other chapters.

Being suckers for punishment we did it again for a third time. In total to get the platinum took me 84 hours, far longer than the predicted plat time, also the longest it’s taken me to get any platinum so far.

As far as two player co-op gaming goes I really don’t think it gets much better than Resident Evil 5 and 6. They are challenging, achievable and beautifully cinematic. Resident Evil 6 will take roughly 30 hours to complete in a first play though. It is the longest and most ambitious Resident Evil to date. It has a wide scope and is wonderfully entertaining. 

Jake admiring a rather lavish fountain.

Tips and tricks for the Platinum

• Get all of Leon’s medals first try in Chapter 1. It’s the slowest and most painful chapter in the game to replay, with a lot of unskippable scenes. The rest are fine to do in chapter select if you miss them. 

• Your first skill should be Item Drop Increase. 

• Focus on Defence and Firepower in terms of skills, they make professional a walk in the park. 

• Don’t waste skill points on lots of infinite weapons, just purchase the infinite machine gun. It’s more than enough and every character has one. 

• Don’t be too concerned about medals, they are quickly farmed in Mercenaries No Mercy. Don’t pick up the timer and you should be able to chain a 70 kill streak within two minutes easily, granting you an S rank. 

• Quick time events have been made easier in the re-release and a lot you can even fail in some instances and you continue regardless. 

• If you don’t care for the experience find someone who loves the game and has done it all. Get them to run you through on professional while they play on easy. It saves you replaying the game and allows you to just clean up the rest of the trophies. 

• Lastly the Skill point grind is hideously long. You can farm mercenaries if you are good. I used the first level and the catacombs, but if you don’t mind a tedious run, replaying Chris and Piers final chapter is ideal. Clear the big conveyor belt room get to the checkpoint and repeat.

That sweet pop moment!

Having just finished my eighth play though of the game with Enthusiast Gamer I can safely say I enjoy the game a lot. It is a large time commitment but also a very respectable trophy. Rare and shiny it sits on the virtual top shelf of my collection. 

Happy hunting Plat Runners!

Silent Hill Comes to Dead by Daylight

Silent Hill for now is pretty much a dead franchise. The last instalments were lacklustre and after the P.T. debacle we are unlikely to see anything soon. 

Fans of Dead by Daylight and the series will be pleased to see Pyramid Head aka "The Executioner" along with Silent Hill 3's protagonist Cheryl Mason. Midwich Elementary School from Silent Hill is also a new featured map. It scared the hell out of me back when I first played it, so let us hope the halls are still haunted with those creepy collapsing child shadows. Players can already see it in the public test build but the official launch is next month.  

Plat Runner: My Path into Trophy Hunting

Assassins Creed Origins shot by me
Aim high, the hardest Platinums give the greatest satisfaction.

I was a late adopter to gaming. I did not enter the hobby until I was 15. But my entry was strong. I was handed down to me a Gameboy Colour and a N64 by a friend and then began my journey. At first games were a distraction from the pains and hardship of my reality, but as time went on they became more of a casual hobby. 

Choosing to knuckle down on a career my gaming took a backseat. I chased responsibility and financial gain and worked my way up the ladder. My work ethic is strong and I tend to work at an alarming rate making myself an asset to any company I work for, however such dedication comes at a cost. At the end of last year in November I snapped somewhere inside and probably never will recover fully, January things got worse and then it was a steady downward spiral. 

Resident Evil 5 shot by me
A wonderful and underrated Co-op platinum experience.

However, it was during the end of October I bought my first non-hand me down console. The PS4 pro. I traded in my Xbox One, a ton of games and sold a few rare Pokemon games on ebay, netting me enough not only for the Pro but a wide selection of games. This choice really was one of the best choices I have made without knowing it at the time. 

Gaming for me comes with feelings of guilt. If I game for more than an hour or two I and hit hit with shame and self hate, knowing I am doing anything productive with my time. If I am not earning or benefiting my life in some way I considered it a waste of time. 

Uncharted: Drakes Fortune shot by me
It was free for all PS Plus members and briefly for all PSN Users
An attainable and rewarding plat.

Thanks to the encouragement of my girlfriend and also being on home care for two weeks after my breakdown point, I had little option but to press on with the PS4 gaming. Eventually the guilt subsided and I was gaming like a 14 year old with no concern for life pressures and responsibilities. Of course this only lasted a few days but it is what I needed at the time. 

It was during this time the Playstation Trophy System caught my eye. No longer did I have to get every achievement in a game to "complete" the entry in my achievements list. The addition of DLC, especially multiplayer DLC to single player games on the Xbox killed my love of achievement hunting. Resident Evil 5 and 6 were probably the last two games I 100%, after the slap dash multiplayer aims, I vowed never to waste my time on a game like game again. 

Control shot by me
An easy and enjoyable 15 hour platinum. Well worth a play even just for the game itself.

At first I was spurred into this by LeonardoxAngel over on Instagram as he had 8 Platinums in his cabinet that he was particularly proud of. I vowed to get four by the end of the year, which I attained. I achieved 6 through 4 easy indie titles Magus on a PS Now 7 day trial and Spider-man.

I found by applying my same work ethic to my gaming I found that it felt less trivial. Not only did I get to play games that I loved but also explore them in depth and do things I would not normally do, such as headshoting two enemies in a set time at a set distance with a sniper rifle, or doing every location objective on the map. 

Far Cry 5 shot by me
All Far Cry titles and most Assassin's Creed games are very achievable Platinums and great fun!

Since being more open about my trophy hunting I get asked questions about it daily on Instagram and have inspired others to join in on the journey. NotGarav just secured his Platinum in the Resident Evil Remake, a feat that is no easy task, while others have gone on to chase their first platinums or pressed onto get more. Through this journey I have had the support and encouragement from many in the community that were already Trophy Hunters themselves. Dragngirle Gaming helped me attain the multiplayer trophies in Far Cry 4 and is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement. 

Quiet Wolf84 also spurred me early on with his wise words of encouragement and pointed me towards good more prestigious games to Plat, while TheInnerclick at 961 platinum trophies really inspired me and helped fuel the hunting fire. Most recently I hit it off with Enthusiast Gamer and we have been helping each other attain co-op trophies and trading games. 

My current standing after 7 months of PS gaming.

The sense of community, leader-boards and goals have kept me going over the past few hard months. Due to this along with the VP features I am also going to be running a new feature series under Plat Runners, which will feature posts from trophy hunters on recommended games and how they felt attaining certain prestigious trophies. If you would like to be featured contact me here. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare shot by me.
All trophies are story related, checkpoints are very generous and the plat takes around 10 hours.

Uk Spending Rises

Lockdown for all of us has been a challenge. Thankfully for those in our hobby we have plenty to entertain ourselves. Across all platforms of gaming we have seen flash sales and deals to keep our gaming cheap and plentiful. Last week I snagged ten games on the PSN market place for £20. But I am far from being the only one shelling out on virtual goodness.

Nintendo spending is up by 335% on software and hardware sales, probably due to the overwhelming success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Steam, Valve's platform has seen spending rise by 250%, while the Playstation Network is up at 158% and the Xbox 137%. 

While so many companies around the world are considering bankruptcy or shutting down chains of stores, the computer games industry is raking in the rewards due to people being stuck indoors. 

Boarderlands 3: Bounty of Blood

Boarderlands 3 jumps into the Wild West with its next DLC Bounty of Blood. Vault Hunters will be tasked with defending Vestige, a frontier town, on a new planet. The new world comes with a planet exclusive ride that is part raptor, part motorbike. As the story-driven DLC progresses, you will be able to rebuild vestige and make it rise from its battered roots. 

Games Workshop Worth More than British Gas

Games Workshop has come back with a strength in the last few years. It has been announced that Games Workshop is worth the same as Centrica, the company that own British Gas. Centrica own an array of energy and utility companies across the UK and the US. 

Games Workshops Market cap currently sits at £2.088 billion compared to the Energy giant which sits at £2.096 billion. It is worth baring in mind that GW is but one company whereas Centrica is composed of many. 

Where will this gaming giant head next? Constantly expanding their miniatures lines, board 'games and computer games I don't doubt that they have plenty in store. 

Warframe: Tiny Captura

For this Friday showcase we have the work of Tiny. Their bold and beautiful Warframe Captura really catches the eye. 

The use of light and shadow is divine and leads to striking portraits. The almost comic book colours and intense lighting create an 80's cyberpunk fantasy that I do not want to draw my eye from.  

Of course these are but a handful of a large and impressive gallery. I implore you to check out the rest of their work here. 

Warframe: Lara Craig

The next feature in the Warframe showcase week is Lara Craig. A positive force in the Warframe community, she is a streamer and gamer with heart. 

Today we are looking at her fine Warframe Captura work, however across her profile you can see a wide variety of other games with photo mode from a wide birth of genres. 

Her use of colour, pose, position and framing is wonderful. Within just these handful of shots you can see a hint at the dedication that Lara has put into the game. Each Warframe has been personally customised and tweaked to her liking. Revealing how well the game allows players to make their Warframe experience their own. 

For more of her beautiful work check out her profile here.