These Console Classics May Have the Laziest Trophy Lists in PS5 History

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Let’s address a likely concern right away: While trophies are a fun addition, they aren’t the most important part of a game. A truly excellent game can still be amazing even if its trophy list isn’t perfect.

It’s fair to assume that PlayStation 5 games released in 2026 will include Trophies, as earning them is a popular part of the PlayStation experience. Most players have likely unlocked a few Platinum Trophies, and it adds to the enjoyment of gaming.

Hamster, the Japanese developer known for making many classic arcade games available on the PlayStation Store, has discovered over the past few years that including Trophies makes these retro re-releases more appealing to players.

The initial Arcade Archives releases didn’t offer many achievements, but the newer Arcade Archives 2 series includes Platinum trophies that are fairly simple and fun to earn. This is especially true if you really enjoy a particular game, such as The Outfoxies or Ridge Racer.

However, with its new Console Archives collection, things seem to have taken a step back. This week’s releases, Cool Boarders and Ninja Gaiden 2, feature some of the most frustrating and unrewarding Trophy lists available on the PlayStation Store – aside from the clearly low-effort games designed solely for easy Trophies.

Both games have only four Trophies each, and you’ll earn them simply by playing each game for ten minutes on three separate days. If you prefer, you can change your system’s date and time to unlock them all at once.

It’s especially noticeable that Cool Boarders already has a list of PlayStation 5 Trophies, thanks to Sony’s PS Plus Premium service which allows older games to be played on the PS5. This version of the game features 40 Trophies, including a Platinum Trophy.

Okay, so here’s the deal with this re-release. Apparently, Sony handled publishing the game over here in the West, but back in Japan, a company called UEP Systems still owned the original game files. This new version is built using that Japanese build, which is why it’s different from what we had before. It’s kinda cool to be playing the original source code, honestly!

Overall, it’s a little disheartening. We’re still happy Console Archives is around, and we believe it will eventually lead to some fantastic older games becoming available on the PlayStation Store.

We’re hoping Hamster will rethink the Trophy lists. We get that they’re looking for a simple way to add them, and that’s okay, but we’d love to see more carefully considered lists in the future.

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2026-02-16 10:36