Tag: Bethesda Game Studios

Fallout 4 Trophy Guide

Editorial Team

Fallout 4 Trophy Guide. Difficulty: ***  An action-RPG set in an open-world, post-apocalyptic version of Boston, and part of the Fallout series. Like other games in the series, the Platinum is not difficult, only time-consuming.

Game Name Difficulty Trophies Developer Country Bronze Silver Gold Online DLC
Fallout 4 *** 51 Bethesda Game Studios U.S. 34 15 1 0 34

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 is an action RPG taking place in a post-apocalyptic world, and is the fifth major installment in the Fallout series, though the first to be released on eighth generation consoles. Players explore the open-world environment of Boston city and its surrounding area of Massachusetts, battling against both human enemies as well as mutants and robots. The game adds a crafting aspect known as base-building, and returns the feature of playing in either first or third-person.

Taking place in the year 2287, ten years following the events of Fallout 3, and two centuries after the Great War between the United States and China which ended in a nuclear holocaust, the player-character is tricked into entering cryogenic tubes and frozen alive in Vault 111, along with his wife and son. After being reawakened by two strangers, he learns that his wife has been murdered and son is kidnapped. After returning to cryogenic sleep, he is awakened again following a malfunction in the support system. Discovering he is the sole survivor of Vault 111, he sets out to avenge his spouse's death and find his son.

Fallout 4 received positive reviews with an average score of 88%, praised for its story, vast amount of content, and improved combat system, though criticized by some for its visuals and bugs.

I've you've played gotten the Platinum on either Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas on the PS3, then you should have a good idea of what to expect. The game is not particularly difficult, only time-consuming. There are a vast number of missions to complete, enemies to defeat, collectibles to find, and a few other miscellaneous challenges, on your road to the Platinum. The Platinum can be earned after one playthrough with some mopping-up afterwards, if a few strategic saves are made.

Expect around 70-80 hours minimum for the Platinum, though more if you are taking your time exploring and performing more side-missions than necessary.

The faction-related trophies follow a similar fashion to Fallout: New Vegas, in that siding with one faction will eliminate the chances of siding with another. This means that not all the trophies can be unlocked in a single, straight-forward playthrough. However, like Fallout: New Vegas, the issue with missable trophies can easily be avoided by making some strategic saves.

With that in mind, we recommend beginning with simply playing through and enjoying the story. As you start working through the faction quests, you'll eventually receive a warning that your next decision will make another faction hostile to you. It is here where you'll want to make an extra save. Then, continue playing through and unlocking all the trophies related to that faction. Once completed, reload your previous save and head on to another faction.

Aside from the faction-related trophies, there are no other missable trophies in the game. As you play however, you'll want to hack every terminal you come across to work towards the RoboCo's Worst Nightmare trophy, and pick every lock for the What's Yours Is Mine trophy.

Once you've completed the main story and gotten all the faction-related trophies, it's time to mop-up. You'll need to find a total of 20 bobbleheads for the They're Action Figures trophy, find and read 20 magazines for the Print's Not Dead trophy, discover 100 locations for the Ranger Corps trophy, and a number of other miscellaneous ones which you may or may not have unlocked during your playthrough. Be sure to check out the Fallout 4 trophy guide links under our Links tab to see what you still need and their requirements.

First, IGN has a Walkthrough here:
http://www.ign.com/wikis/fallout-4/Walkthrough_and_Quest_Guide

And a text-based Walkthrough by SeniorBill:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/164592-fallout-4/faqs/74585

And a Walkthrough by Redemption:
http://www.neoseeker.com/fallout-4/walkthrough

Harry94 has a great Trophy Guide here, which includes the DLC by Sellers et al:
https://www.playstationtrophies.org/game/fallout-4/guide/

A detailed Trophy Guide by DaveyHasselhoff and Luckay:
http://ps3trophies.com/forums/showwiki.php?title=PS4-Trophy-Guides:Fallout-4-Trophy-Guide

A great Trophy Guide by Hazanberg, omegarevan, spazza136, and NCSFan001:
https://psnprofiles.com/guide/3638-fallout-4-trophy-guide

And PowerPyx has a useful Trophy Guide here:
http://www.powerpyx.com/guides/fallout-4-trophy-guide.html

And an Achievement Guide (same as the trophies on PS4) by BiggD and The Deadly Dog:
https://www.xboxachievements.com/game/fallout-4/guide/

A video demonstrating the Mercenary trophy, by HarryNinetyFour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuezDefO6iY

And a video demonstration of the Future Retro trophy, by HarryNinetyFour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppacXMazVr4

And HarryNinetyFour's video demonstration of The Harder They Fall trophy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZlSIOsAT7A

And a video demonstration of the Pranksters Return trophy, also by HarryNinetyFour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6umhPQrEUA

An interactive Map:
http://www.fallout4map.com/

Finally, here's a basic Trophy List:
https://www.truetrophies.com/game/Fallout-4/trophies

Could a Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition Be Coming To PS4?

Editorial Team

Earlier today, a leaked document from Nintendo that was uncovered by Powerup revealed a list of upcoming games for the Nintendo Switch that were soon to be revealed at this year’s E3. One of these titles turned out to be a new version of Fallout 3, named the Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition, by Bethesda.

Fallout 3 was first released on seventh generation consoles and the PC in October 2008. If this leaked information is true, than it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to speculate that the Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition may also be planned to be ported onto the PlayStation 4.

Considering both the time and resources Bethesda puts into their games, it’s no wonder they hope to extend the lives of their products. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, for example, was first released for seventh generation consoles in 2011, then ported onto eighth generation consoles five years later, then again in November 2017 for the Nintendo Switch, and again for the PlayStation VR. Bethesda may be planning the same revamping with their Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition.

With DLC trophies included, the original Fallout 3 on the PS3 has a total of 73 trophies. Trophy hunters may rejoice with the chance to double that number should the Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition release a separate list on their PS4, as Bethesda had done with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

For those of you who never played the original Fallout 3, or are in need of a refresher of its storyline and contents, check out our Fallout 3 Review.

Fallout 3 Trophy Guide

Editorial Team

Fallout 3 Trophy Guide. Difficulty: ***  An action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. More time-consuming than difficult, which can be completed in one playthrough with a few strategic saves made.

Game Name Difficulty Trophies Developer Country Bronze Silver Gold Online DLC
Fallout 3 *** 51 Bethesda Game Studios U.S. 38 10 2 0 22

Fallout 3

Fallout 3 is a post-apocalyptic, first-person action-RPG. After living safely in Vault 101 while the world outside suffers from the aftermath of a nuclear war, your father and scientist does the unthinkable - leaves the vault! Armed with a stick and pellet gun, you decide to venture off after him. While making your way along the main storyline, you'll take on a vast number of side-quests, battle against robots, mutants and raiders (oh, my!) and get involved in an ongoing battle between the Brotherhood of Steel and remnants of the American government, known as the Enclave.

War...war never changes.

For more information, check out our Fallout 3 Review.

This game does not require the amount of skill used in other games, such as Dead Space or the Uncharted series, where you are constantly running, jumping, dodging bullets while keeping an eye on your ammo and health level during a playthrough on hard or crushing modes. In fact, the game tends to become easier as your character levels-up, your weapons grow stronger, and you've mastered using the V.A.T.S. mode.

What this game does require, however, is a fair amount of time. Though not nearly as many hours will be spent as compared to Dragon Age: Origins, in Fallout 3 you can obtain the platinum in one, long playthrough. A hundred percent of these trophies are certainly doable, provided you have a lot of free time on your hands.

Specifically, often make new saves!! Do not overwrite the same single save over and over, because there will be times when you've made a mistake, and need to go back. Once, I accidentally met a character I wasn't supposed to meet yet, which jumped the main story forward - I received the next trophy for completing the umped mission, but missed the one before.

Keeping a number of saves will also help you when encountering glitches. A popular one is during Kicking Up the Trail, in which you're escorting Dr. Li. At the Citadel, she is supposed to use the intercom to allow you inside, but some people have reported that she just stands there, doing nothing. In this case, reload a past save, shoot your way out of the sewers again, and the glitch should be rectified.

The majority of the trophies are story-based, which include side-quests. Once found, they are easy to do even without a walkthrough (though we provided several in the Links page). After a mission has been selected, simply follow the arrow on your compass to where you need to go.

Slayer of Beats, which requires you to kill 300 creatures, is easily done during the course of the game. But Doesn't Play Well With Others is a bit more challenging, since you won't encounter 300 people simply by going through the story. Our advice: go out of your way to kill people, particularly later on when your character grows strong. If you're near the end of the game and still have not acquired this trophy, then head to areas and campsites where you remember seeing thieves and bandits, and wipe them out.

For Psychotic Prankster, in which you have to slip a grenade or mine into someone's pocket, we recommend either having a high stealth skill, or use a Stealth Boy. You must be in a sneaking position to pull this off. Also, make sure you've saved just before performing this prank, for you will lose karma. Once the trophy is acquired, reload, and continue with the game.

For Weaponsmith, we recommend that once you have a home (most likely in Megaton) you'll now have access to several lockers, in which you can store an infinite amount of stuff. Reserve one of these lockers for only equipment necessary in making custom weapons. Then, using the list provided in our Links page, keep an eye out for these items as you play. Once you have them all, and the necessary schematics, simply build one of each, and the trophy is yours!

Same goes for The Nuka-Cola Challenge. If you come across any bottles of brightly glowing blue Nuka-Cola, DO NOT DRINK OR SELL THEM! Instead, toss them in a locker. You'll need to collect 30 in order to acquire the trophy.

For Data Miner and Keys Are For Cowards, make sure you have every computer you come across, and pick every lock you find. Overall, there should be plenty of locks to work out, but the computers are a bit more rare, so keep your eyes peeled. Also, you may come across a safe which can either be picked or its computer hacked. In this case, pick the lock first, then even though it's open, hack the computer anyway. Since you only have 4 tries to hack before the computer shuts you out, save the game just before trying - this way, you'll have four chances to score the password instead of three.

You may notice there are trophies for reaching levels 8, 14 and 20, with each for the three karmas. Does this mean you have to play the game three times? Hell, no! Here's the trick: Once you get the trophy for reaching one of these levels, save the game, then load up a past game. Head into Megaton, duck into the hospital, shop and/or church, kill people inside (make sure they don't escape and sound the alarm) and start stealing things. Continue doing this until your karma is down to Neutral, then head out of Megaton and start killing random enemies until you get the trophy. After that, load up the same game, and repeat until your karma is down to bad. This works, of course, if you maintain Good karma. It's always easier to become bad than it is to become good (in life, and Fallout 3).

On a final note, make sure you've acquired every other trophy before embarking on the final battle. Once you beat the game, there's no going back.

Since most of the trophies are story-based, here is a Walkthrough by IGN, which includes all Side Quests and DLC:
http://guides.ign.com/guides/901269/page_3.html

And if you don't find what you're looking for there, try this Walkthrough by Wikia: http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_3_walkthrough

Mahalo also has a rather detailed Walkthrough, though is text-based and lacks pictures:
http://www.mahalo.com/fallout-3-walkthrough

Here is a Map of the area, useful for the One-Man Scouting Party trophy:
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_3_map

And just in case, here's another Map:
http://fallout3tips.blogspot.com/2008/11/most-complete-fallout-3-map.html

Here is a forum which lists the parts needed for making Custom Weapons. Keep scrolling down, and you'll learn the location of the schematics, as well:
http://www.achieve360points.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99189

This is a list of the locations for the Nuka-Cola Quantum bottles, necessary for The Nuka-Cola Challenge trophy. (Tip - give the bottles to Sierra rather than Ronalds, because Ronald is a jerk!)
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Nuka_Cola_Quantum

Here is a list of the Bobblehead Locations:
http://planetfallout.gamespy.com/wiki/Fallout_3_Bobblehead

As an added bonus, this is a useful Youtube video which demonstrates the Psychotic Prankster trophy, provided by andrews1022:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f22uYOJ4_50

Finally, here's a basic Trophy List:
http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/fallout-3/trophies/

Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Review

Editorial Team

10/10 Banzai!s

The Game:

Skyrim continues the Elder Scrolls series with their latest open-world, action RPG title released almost worldwide in November and December in 2011. The game was highly anticipated, an instant hit upon release, and is famed for being the very first non-Japanese game to receive a perfect 40/40 by Famitsu magazine. Wow.

The style of gameplay hasn’t changed much from Oblivion (the only other Elder Scrolls game I’ve played) with the player’s choice of first or third-person view, swinging your sword or blasting fireballs at your targets while exploring the land of Skyrim and picking-up quests along the way. There are a few alterations, which I’ll discuss in the “What I Liked” portion of this review (and that’s a good sign, right?)

Reminiscent of the previous installment, your character begins as a prisoner, tied and bound, being carried to a small town to await the execution for a crime you – the player – aren’t aware of. Just as your head’s about to be disconnected from your body with the assistance of a giant ax, a dragon swoops down and belches fire over everything. You manage to escape, and follow a new comrade to safety.

From there, you’re free to do as you please.

The main quest centres around the dragons that have mysteriously returned to Skyrim – and the strange connection your character has with them. Each time you slay one of these beasts, a whirlwind of power explodes around you, and the dragon’s soul is absorbed. What’s up with that? Well, you have many hours of game-playing to figure it out.

Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Review

Aside from the main quest, you’ve also got the usual guilds to have fun with – the Thieves Guild, the Dark Brotherhood, and the Mage’s Guild. There’s also the Champions, who are an elite group of, well, champions who reside in the city of Whiterun. And of course, what fantasy world would be complete without a civil war? You have the choice of siding with the Stormcloaks for the Imperial Army, vanquishing the opposite group of which you’ve chosen, and either putting a new king on the throne or keeping the old one.

There’s a lot to do, here. The main quest, side quests, mini side quests, and super mini side quests, as well as farming to improve your skills, exploring the vast number of caves and dungeons, and searching for Words of Power to add to your arsenal for kicking-butt. And if you simply feel like reading a book, Skyrim has plenty of those, too.

 

What I Liked:

It’s hard to be specific here, since I gave the game a perfect 10. Bethesda Game Studios has a great system of free-play as an action RPG, allowing you to select either a post-apocalyptic genre (Fallout) or high fantasy (Elder Scrolls). They put an incredible amount of detail into their games, which are loaded with backstory and even books which you can pick off the shelves and read. It’s a system that works, and as long as they don’t screw it up, I see no reason to award such games with high ratings. In the case of Skyrim, they didn’t screw it up.

The level-up system has changed to a simpler, but better system. As in Oblivion, you don’t gain experience points in the normal sense, but from using your skills. If you’re constantly being attacked while wearing light armor, then your light armor skill levels up. If you’re always flinging arrows at your targets, then your archery skills levels up. Once enough of these skills have increased, then your overall level is ready to rise. There, you have the option of improving your Magica, Health, or Stamina. Afterwards, you can add a “park” to one of your skills, much in the style of Fallout 3. Personally, I prefer this sytem more than that of Oblivion.

They’ve also tossed out the whole repairing-your-armor-and-weapons thing, as Bethesda felt this only slowed down the gameplay – which I agree. In Skyrim, if you pick up a sword or piece of armor, its quality never degrades through constant use. Maybe it’s unrealistic, but there’s plenty of micro-managing throughout the game that you don’t need to worry about the condition of your weapons. That’s a big plus.

The graphics’ quality is a big improvement from Oblivion. Rivers and waterfalls seem alive, rather than flat digital surfaces that have been rendered to appear as though moving. Trees and rocks appear better rendered, wind blows snow about, and the sky lights up at twilight, revealing the two majestic moons in the sky. It may not be Final Fantasy XIII quality, but it’s probably, thus far, better than any Bethesda game.

 

What I Didn’t Like:

Now, I’ve given this game a perfect score of 10 Banzai!s. So while there are still a few complaints here, consider this merely nitpicking. Afterall, no game out there is perfect – regardless of the rating. To me, a perfect 10 means it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played. And Skyrim is one of the best games I’ve ever played. It’s not perfect, but I don’t believe in perfection. To me, it just doesn’t exist. So with that in mind, on with the nitpicking!

Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Review

First, let’s talk about the bugs – and yes, there are bugs. What would a Bethesda game be without game freezes? But to be fair, playing this on the PlayStation 3, I didn’t experience too many problems. I logged in well over 100 hours into the game, playing all its quests and side-quests from start to finish. In those 100 hours, the game froze on me 6 times. That’s not too bad, especially compared with, say, Fallout: New Vegas.

The world of Skyrim is much smaller than Cyrodiil, and perhaps to make up for it, Bethesda threw in a bunch of mountains to add some struggle to your destination. And boy, do I hate mountains – even more than broccoli! Either you end up having to run around the damn thing looking for a path, or you attempt climbing by continuously hitting the jump button while wiggling the movement controls left and right. Less mountains and more land would have been nice.

Also, I found the map more difficult to navigate than in Oblivion. Everything’s basically black and white, but three-dimensional. The arrow which points in your destination is white, which basically means it’s hard to see. And if it’s hiding below the faded legend at the bottom of the screen, you can barely see it at all. It’s a simple thing, but coloring the arrow in blue, red, or tickled pink would have vastly improved the map.

 

Overall:

If you’re a fan of either the previous Elder Scrolls games, or even the Fallout series, then you won’t want to miss Skyrim. The story is just as good as Oblivion, with fun and interesting side-quests and Guilds to work through (I personally recommend the Dark Brotherhood – great story!). There’s plenty to do in this game, as much micro-managing as you like, and will provide hours and hours of gameplay, making you feel you’ve gotten your money’s worth.

It may not be perfect, but 10 Banzai!s means it’s one of the best titles I’ve played thus far.

written by Damon Finos

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Trophy Guide

Editorial Team

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Trophy Guide. Difficulty: ***  Not a particularly difficult Platinum, but be prepared to invest well over 100 hours of gameplay.

Game Name Difficulty Trophies Developer Country Bronze Silver Gold Online DLC
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim *** 51 Bethesda Game Studios U.S. 36 14 1 0 25

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Like the other games in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim is a first-person (or third) action RPG with an open world. After the initial introduction, players are free to roam from one end of the map to the other, explore mountains and caverns, find locations, chat with townspeople, and partake in numerous quests and side-quests, in addition to the main storyline.

In the world of Skyrim, you are saved from execution after its interruption by a legendary dragon. As it seems, these creatures have sprung up out of nowhere and threaten the fate of the land. But you are the Dragon Born, a being capable of absorbing the dragon's spirit and wielding its power - and destined to face the dragon god, Alduin.

The game received overwhelming praise by nearly all gaming magazines, with an average score of 95% for its outstanding adventure, complex story and overall fun-factor which supply hours and hours of entertainment.

If you've played the Fallout series - or Oblivion on Xbox 360 - then you can imagine what's involved in getting 100%. Skyrim is not particularly difficult - you can even adjust the mode during gameplay to its easiest setting without affecting the trophies - but the 3-star rating is more for the amount of time consumption this platinum requires. Be prepared to sink well over 100 hours into this one.

NOTE: The Trophies on the PS4 version have a separate list than those on the PS3.

Two-thirds of the trophies are story-based, and will come naturally as you progress through the game. Each guild has three trophies - joining, a half-way point, and completion. Plus there are trophies for each stage of the main quest. Avoid selling apparel given to you upon joining a guild, for some of these - such as the Thieves Guild - will be upgraded upon finishing the final quest. If you sold it, the outfit can't be upgraded, and you can't get the trophy.

Then there are trophies for reaching certain levels, and completing a set number of side quests and miscellaneous quests. These can be done anytime during the game.

The remaining are a few challenge-based trophies, such as escaping from jail or acquiring a bounty in every town. Again, these can be done whenever you feel like it.

For the Golden Touch trophy, you must have 100,000 gold total in your possession. This means save, save, save! At the end of the Dark Brotherhood quest, you'll be given 20,000 gold to hand over. Keep it as a jump to the 100,000 before giving it away to complete the quest.

If you're having trouble getting a skill up to 100 for the Skill Master trophy, we recommend sneaking. Find a safe room, such as in an Inn where people are either walking around or sleeping. Then hit the L3 and "sneak" into a corner. Tie an elastic band around the analog stick, wrapping it around the controller to its handle, so that you'll be constantly "sneaking" into the wall. Leave it on while you sleep, watch a movie, or read a book, and soon you'll have your 100 Sneak level.

The most valuable Walkthrough is a wiki guide hosted by IGN:
http://www.ign.com/wikis/the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim

Here's an entire website dedicated to Skyrim, which includes a Walkthrough and other secrets. Though the site is filled with advertisements, it's free and can be useful:
http://skyrimwalkthroughs.com/

Here is another Walkthrough on Game Front, which continues to grow in size:
http://www.gamefront.com/skyrim-walkthrough/

Here's a great Trophy Guide by bigboy989 and king_0_hell:
http://www.yourgamercards.net/index.php/trophyguide.html/_/retail-games/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-r277

This fantastic Trophy Guide was created by olsen77:
http://www.ps3trophies.org/forum/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/134194-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-trophy-guide-road-map.html

Another Trophy Guide, by Dalton "Horror Spooky" Cooper, posted here:
http://www.cheatmasters.com/blog/2012/01/02/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-achievementtrophy-guide/

A great Achievement Guide (same as the trophies on PS3 & PS4) posted here, by Webb:
http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showthread.php?t=341623

Here is a contributing and growing Trophy Guide, posted on PSN Profiles:
http://psnprofiles.com/guide/Skyrim

Finally, here's a basic Trophy List:
http://playstationlifestyle.net/2011/11/06/catch-a-glimpse-of-skyrims-epic-adventure-with-full-trophy-list/