Treasure, trailblazing and trophies combine in the outstanding adventure of 2011. Here’s how to max out your trophy list.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception puts you on the trail of mystery, glory and some of the most challenging trophies on PlayStation 3. Luckily, the PlayStation Community are on hand with expert advice to help you unlock every trophy and achieve platinum status.

For the next Trophy Cabinet instalment, we’d like you to think about the explosive Battlefield 3. Head to community.eu.playstation.com and tell your fellow PS3 gamers how you tackled the action-packed shooter’s trophy list. The best advice will be published right here on eu.playstation.com.

In the meantime, your path to platinum in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is mapped out below.

“I spent about 18 hours chasing down the platinum trophy. When I bought the game I played it at my own pace to experience the story. After completing that, I played through again on the Crushing difficulty setting, where it takes more skill to kill enemies and stay alive.” (Zamunda, Portugal)

“Playing about two hours per afternoon, I managed to obtain the platinum trophy roughly 11 days after buying the game. Finding solid cover was crucial to my success – I did this 1,000 times, according to the in-game stats.” (Netweb, Portugal)

“Unlike many of my friends, I hunted for my platinum trophy backwards. I played the Hard and Crushing settings first, and then started all over again on Easy so I could explore all the nooks and crannies. I found it a phenomenal game.” (Aluai, Portugal)

“The hardest trophy to get is Dyno-Might Master, where you have to kill two enemies by returning a grenade. It’s impossible to earn it on the Easy difficulty setting because the enemies don’t throw grenades. In the harder modes the enemies do lob bombs, so it’s easier to find the right moment.” (Ghri, Italy)

“The Crushing difficulty setting will give you a hard time, so you cannot play as Rambo. Eliminate your opponents, take care of your ammo and be prepared to restart from checkpoints until you get the right result.” (Pioterek2010, Poland)

“Finishing some sections in Crushing mode took me up to ten attempts, and ultimately I survived these with lots of patience. You won’t have to try many sections too often if you remember to choose the best possible weapons in difficult shoot-outs, and stay behind cover as much as possible.” (Jyyste, Finland)

“Complete the game on any difficulty level to unlock the Crushing setting. Just enjoy the process and don’t pay attention to the trophies for this run-through. Don’t rush straight into gun battles and you’ll eventually succeed. You will also need to collect the treasures in at least one level and take part in at least one match in two different online modes. I recommend Chapter 19: The Settlement for earning the trophies. Good luck!” (Unostar, Russia)

“Some treasures are placed in very obscure locations. For example, some are located not on the floor, but in the ceiling. Shoot to dislodge them, and watch carefully to see where they fall.” (totAntoxaxa, Russia)

Need a little friendly advice about trophy hunting? Then put your questions to the experts of the official PlayStation Forums at community.eu.playstation.com. Don’t forget to come back next month to find out how to strike platinum in Battlefield 3 on PS3.

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Dana Jan, game director at Ready at Dawn Studios, answers questions from the PlayStation community about the sequel to the 2008 award-winning smash hit PSP game, God of War: Chains of Olympus.

Where does God of War: Ghost of Sparta sit in the God of War series timeline on PlayStation? (Blink2662, United Kingdom)

The story is set after God of War and before God of War II on PlayStation 2.

In God of War on PlayStation 2 there is a cutscene called The Birth of the Beast that focuses on Kratos´ younger brother. Some people thought that this new character would appear in God of War II. If God of War: Ghost of Sparta takes place before God of War II could it be possible we’ll see him? (victoruzumaki, United Kingdom)

Yes. We’ve released some information, including a recent Origins trailer for the game that shows Kratos’ younger brother, Deimos. Fans that unlocked and watched that movie from God of War on PlayStation 2 will finally learn what happened to Kratos’ brother.

Do you plan on integrating the game with God of War III on PlayStation 3? (addyjones1234, United Kingdom)

We recently announced a Deimos costume [Kratos' brother featured in God of War: Ghost of Sparta] for God of War III when you pre-order the PSP game.

What inspired you as an individual developer to return to the God of War series on PSP? (balpares, France)

For me it was Kratos first and foremost. His ability to destroy anything and everything in his path to get to a singular goal is inspiring. The saga as a whole has great characters and a powerful story of revenge that was set in motion even before the events of God of War on PlayStation 2. We knew that there was one more important piece of Kratos’ story that was left untold.

With God of War: Chains of Olympus you set new standards for PSP games. I once read in an interview that Ready at Dawn Studios didn’t plan on making another PSP game in the God of War series canon, regardless of success. What made the team change its mind? (CaptainCortez, United Kingdom)

We did a lot of work to make God of War: Chains of Olympus for PSP. We also thought that we had it in us to improve upon it if given the chance. So, it made sense for us to leverage that work and make another God of War game. You, the fans, also wanted more Kratos on PSP, so we were very pleased to get the opportunity to create God of War: Ghost of Sparta.

How did you find it developing on PSP? Were there any difficulties and did you manage to achieve what you wanted to? (Chepunator, Russia)

We have enjoyed our time with PSP. It’s certainly challenging to make big games like God of War on a handheld. But, we like a challenge. With God of War: Ghost of Sparta, we’ve been able to achieve what we wanted to in the God of War universe, and we feel confident to say that we’ve realized the full potential of the hardware.

How did you manage to create a game with such truly amazing graphics for PSP? (reinaldo90, Portugal)

A ton of hard work from the team is required to make a game shine this bright on PSP. I think that’s the secret. Having a series that puts the main character in fantastic settings helps, and having a team of individuals dedicated to delivering the most amazing looking handheld game doesn’t hurt either.

How long will it take for someone to play through God of War: Ghost of Sparta from start to finish? (Spurvugle, Norway)

It varies from person to person based on playing style and skill. Overall, we can assure you that the game is longer than God of War: Chains of Olympus.

Will there be more boss battles compared to God of War: Chains of Olympus? (Xx-Beno57-xX, France)

There are more, and better, bosses than God of War: Chains of Olympus. The fights are bigger, some of them are physically bigger, and the way Kratos finishes off each of them is much bigger than anything we did in Chains of Olympus.

Are you able to give us any hints as to which Greek legends we’ll meet over the course of the story? (Tobi1989, Poland)

I think listing them out here would spoil the experience, so I’d prefer to let people meet the characters while they’re playing the game.

Will the game include additional challenges, such as the Challenge of Hades in God of War: Chains of Olympus? (Uncharted90, Poland)

Yes. There are a lot more challenges in this game than our last offering. We also enjoy them. Beat the game to start your path to unlocking all the treasures we’ve packed into God of War: Ghost of Sparta.

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Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary is celebrated with a playable Google doodle – the first of its kind

Google has become famous for changing its logo for special events, but it has never converted it into a playable game before. Today, it is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man’s launch in Japan with a version that lets you steer your pizza-shaped protagonist* around a maze that spells out Google’s name – at least for as long as you can evade the ghosts Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde

To play, simply click the button that usually says “I’m feeling lucky” but now has the legend “Insert Coin”. However, if you don’t do anything, the game will start by itself.

If you click twice on “Insert Coin” then two people can play. Ms Pac-Man joins the game, with the second person controlling her movements using the WASD keys.

Marcin Wichary, Google programmer and senior user interface designer, says: “When I was growing up, my dad had the best job I could possibly imagine: he was an arcade game and pinball technician. For me, that meant summer trips through Poland’s coastal cities with their seasonal arcade parlors; peeking inside cabinets to learn programming and engineering secrets; and – of course – free games!”

Although Tōru Iwatani’s Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man are now free “casual” games, they were state-of-the-art in the early 1980s, and they harvested billions of dollars in loose change. The games soon appeared on home computers, too, though a Pac-Man cartridge for an Atari 800 cost more than £30.

Ms Pac-Man was also one of the first video games to attract a female following at a time when most players were (at least reputedly) spotty boys.

Wichary says Pac-Man “seems like a natural fit for the Google homepage. They’re both deceptively straightforward, carefully hiding their complexity under the hood. There’s a light-hearted, human touch to both of them. And we can only hope you find using Google at least a quarter as enjoyable as eating dots and chasing ghosts. You know, without actually needing any quarters.”

Incidentally, Google is not alone in celebrating Pac-Man’s birthday. The Museum of Computing in Swindon is marking the milestone on Saturday when “a specially constructed maze in Swindon Town centre’s Wharf Green will be the venue for a unique ‘Human Pac-Man’ event.” Visitors to the museum will also be able to play the game on various retro machines, without the need to stock up on 50p pieces.

Charles Arthur adds: interestingly, as Apple, Google and Adobe war with each other over the importance of Adobe’s Flash system, the doodle is written entirely in HTML, CSS and Javascript – Flash isn’t required. That means it works on iPhones too…** Although the sound is in Flash – so that doesn’t work on the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad. (To move, swipe the way you want to go.) This, as a Guardian colleague points out, is the first time that Flash has made it onto the front page of Google…

* Pac-Man was based on the Japanese character for ‘mouth’.

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Jack Schofield

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Find out which snackable games the PlayStation community has been filling its spare minutes with.

As February was minis month, the community at the official PlayStation Forums discussed which minis they have most enjoyed. Here are their favourites, in order of popularity, with quotes explaining why their choice is the tastiest morsel in the minis category on PlayStation Store.

1. Hero of Sparta

“This game includes epic boss fights, a lot of monsters and very large levels. The controls are excellent and God of War fans will enjoy this game a lot; they really should give it a go.” (Twilight_Rico, Netherlands)

2. VectorTD

“I love tower defence games and this one in particular is great. Graphics are not the most important thing but what is important is that this game can last for hours. The number of available towers and their prices are perfectly matched and bonuses appearing from time to time can be used in different ways, depending on your strategy. It’s a must-have for any fan of tower defence.” (artur1982, Poland)

3. Tetris

“Once you start, you can’t stop!” (fashion23gta, Portugal)

4. Zombie Tycoon

“It’s impressive how many zombies can fit in one minis title!” (Low_K0, Germany)

5. Mahjongg Artifacts 2

“You want a campaign mode? There is one in the Conquest Mode! You want to play endlessly and you do not want to be bothered by finishing a level? The infinite mode is the one you need. You like Mahjongg in solo mode but you want some more? Bonus pieces will make you happy. In a word, if you like Mahjongg, you will love Mahjongg Artifacts 2!” (Sanzein, France)

6. Fieldrunners

“Fieldrunners makes you try again and again to find the best strategy against various types of enemies. Each level gives you new challenges and even when you have completed a level, you can try again with different weapons and strategies. Fieldrunners give you a lot of play time for the money and it is my favorite minis title for both PSP and PlayStation 3.” (The_Alp, UK)

Thanks to all those who got involved – you will be receiving a PlayStation Network Voucher Code to download a copy of Tetris – and look out for another installment of Obsession Confessions, coming soon.

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Discover which PlayStation Network games have most impressed the PlayStation community.

After two weeks of discussion over which games have proved the most addictive, the official PlayStation Forum regulars moved onto the next Obssession Confessions topic – their favourite PlayStation Store downloads. Here are their picks in order of popularity, with quotes from contributors across Europe.

1. Flower

“Flower is not just a game: it’s a story. The story of flowers telling their dreams in a universe of beauty and enchanting melodies. With exceptional SIXAXIS handling, it transports you to an adventure with no equal.” (aat08, France)

2. WipEout HD

“It has to be one of the most breathtaking games – it looks amazing in full HD and for the price it’s one heck of a bargain. Nothing out there can beat it for pure enjoyment. The visuals should be the benchmark for any game.” (Chris_D, UK)

3. Burnout Paradise

“Challenge your limits with stunning speed!” (fashion23gta, Portugal)

4. Fat Princess

“It’s a cool game… I liked it!” (TUHTA_1994, Russia)

5. Battlefield 1943

“Epic battles in Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal or the Wake Island; team game, tanks, jeeps, boats, planes, bombers and destruction. There’s nowhere for the enemy to hide!” (tabunet, Spain)

6. Warhawk

“Warhawk was number one when I bought my PS3. It’s a great game which everyone should play at least once. It may not be realistic but it’s loads of fun… I’ve spent many hours playing and they were all worth it.” (patrick1991groot, Netherlands)

7. Metal Gear Solid

“Simply because it is THE PS one Classic game par excellence and shouldn’t be missed. Since it is now available from PlayStation Store, it is a must-have.” (gamer4online, Germany)

8. Trine

“This game’s beauty, playability and originality make it one of the most attractive of the last year.” (elmosca, Spain)

9. Zen Pinball

“The file size makes it easy to download and it’s a well made game. It takes you back to the past when we used to play real pinball, and everybody in my house likes it.” (AlexTheStampede, Italy)

10. Bomberman Ultra

“There are many delicious downloads in PlayStation Store and, like in life, one candy is never enough. The one that nobody appreciates is Bomberman Ultra. That game is great and provides a lot of laughter.” (rabsonek, Poland)

Thanks to everyone that participated in the discussion. There will be more Obsession Confessions threads in the coming weeks; in the meantime, join the hundreds of conversations happening right now at the official PlayStation Forums.

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