Trophy support is a big surprise for some of us
Classic PlayStation games are coming to PS4 and PS5 in June with the new $120-per-year PlayStation Plus Premium tier, and as it turns out, they’ll have trophies — at least, some of the games will. In a tweet this afternoon, Bend Studio shared a surprise clip featuring an all-new trophy, “An Explosive Start,” for the PS1 classic Syphon Filter.
In a response to a fan on Twitter, Bend Studio design manager Eric Jensen said he “helped out with a few of [the trophies], mostly naming.”
Incoming From Bend Studio:
Agency intel reports that Syphon Filter will include Trophies when it arrives on the all-new PlayStation Plus. pic.twitter.com/YVdMixZxBR
— Bend Studio (@BendStudio) May 19, 2022
In a follow-up tweet, the studio confirmed that there’s even a Platinum trophy: “Excellent work, Agent!” Imagine the possibilities for your all-time faves.
Do classic trophies help incentivize PlayStation Plus Premium at all, or are they meaningless to you? I feel like a lot of people have been into achievements and/or trophies at one point or another in their life, but their importance can easily shift.
For me, yeah, trophies make me more interested — especially knowing that “some” classics will be available for individual purchase on PS4 and PS5, per Sony. Better yet, “select games from the original PlayStation and PSP generation” won’t require a new purchase if you previously bought a digital version. I’ll definitely qualify for some of ’em.
While we’re on the topic, circling back to March 2021, Sony actually has a patent for its way of awarding trophies in emulated games.
The PS1 and PSP games we know about so far
When Sony shared an “early look” at the classic games list for PlayStation Plus Premium, I did a double-take. The list seemed so bare-bones! On the PS1 and PSP front, we’ve got Ape Escape, Hot Shots Golf, I.Q. Intelligent Qube, Jumping Flash, Syphon Filter, Super Stardust Portable, Mr. Driller, Tekken 2, Worms World Party, and Worms Armageddon. Now, presumably, this is only a starting point, but if all (or even most) classic PlayStation games support trophies, this highly curated list makes more sense. I fear a drip-feed, though.
Worth reiterating: at least some classics will have better frame rates and resolutions, and “select” PS1 and PSP games will have “a new user interface with menus that allow you to save your game at any time, or even rewind the game if you want a do-over.”
I kind of wish all the cards were out on the table, but we’ll see how the launch lineup lands and how it might grow over time. Hopefully the inclusion of trophies isn’t any sort of trade-off, and lots of good old games find their way onto PS4 and PS5 either way.
