My first post will be in regards to one of my proudest achievements in my gaming career. Aquiring the Platinum Trophy in Final Fantasy XIII. It took over 100 hours and a LOT of patience, but I prevailed!
When I picked up the game on it's release date I was so excited that I actually had butterflies in my stomach! And when I got home and picked up the controller, I was stunned by how attractive and colorful everything was. I was not, however, entirely swayed by the story and didn't feel that the soundtrack left as much of an impression as previous titles in the Final Fantasy series have done. In fact, I am embarassed to say, I did not actually beat the game! I made it to the final dungeon and found myself dismayed by the effort needed to achieve my trophies. With so many other exciting titles being released, I put the game down, waiting over a year before picking it up again.
But just this past summer I had a change of heart. While watching my roommate play the game for her first time, I found myself immediately pulled back into the story. So I picked up from where I had left off and started pursuing my marks with a renewed passion. My second time around was much different, the music really started to attract me and I was eager to find out how the story would conclude. After several intense hours of level grinding, I continued to the end boss and beat the game.
That was not, however, when I stopped playing. I was now determined to acquire as many trophies as I had the heart to attempt. It took over 100 hours of gameplay, but I completed something I never thought I could do. And I am proud :P
Now, in the case that you might be wanting to play the game, or even try for a Platinum Trophy yourself, I offer some advice: First off, if you are considering playing the game ... Do it! It is very good. Secondly, if you are considering playing for Platinum, do your research first! I don't usually recommend for somebody to scout the internet for tips and cheats, but this trophy is not a casual goal. It will require many hours of grinding for levels and treasures. You will not succeed if you are not prepared. Now, I am sad to say that there is no one site that will have all the answers you need. PS3trophies.org had some good forums that I found quite helpful, but altogether you will need to look around and read up on several sites.
My personal advise would be to get the Growth Egg as soon as possible (for this and for farming Adamantoises, research Vanille's Death Spam strategy. It will save you more agony than you can imagine), max out your characters BEFORE defeating the final boss (if you wait until after you will need significantly more experience to max each role) and most importantly, keep track of all weapons and accessories you find! You need every single one to acquire the most difficult trophy in the game, "Treasure Hunter". You might think that "L'Cie Paragon" or "Master's Seal" would be more difficult, but you would be wrong. Collecting every weapon and accessory in the game takes more money than you will collect over the course of obtaining both those trophies and more. I would advise making yourself a checklist for each in order to keep track of which you have, and of which you still need. You also must create many more weapons and accessories on top of the ones you have to find. So be prepared. Despite warnings, even I was surprised at how much money it took.
But despite my struggles, Final Fantasy XIII is a fantastic game. It's captivating visuals, unique battle system, and one-of-a-kind story make it a true and welcome addition to the Final Fantasy Series. Whether you are playing for fun, or for a Platinum Trophy and ultimate bragging rights, I would recommend it to anyone. I eagerly await its sequel :D
PSN ID: SuperKaylee
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