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A game that sold itself on the chance to earn a Platinum Trophy in record time has been removed from sale on the PS4 store.
The game, which was called ‘????? 1000 Top Rated’, appeared on PSN earlier this week but lasted less than two days before it was pulled. It worked by having players rearrange a series of 1,000 sliding image puzzles. It also linked users back to a site that sold PS4 themes.
Unsurprisingly the criticism soon started piling up, and outspoken YouTuber Jim Sterling chipped in with a video that, as you’d expect, pulled no punches. It was titled You Can Just Buy PS4 Trophies Now”.
The developer, however, has claimed that the game was pulled due to a bug, and insinuated that it will return.
Sony has pulled the game temporarily and asked me to change the game’s name and not mention trophies in the Store trailer. I am happy to comply,” Best Themes said. I don’t know when it will be released again, but I’ll update this page as soon as I know.
Another post added: Sony is currently patching a bug affecting 3 trophies.
However, you can still win Platinum by winning progressively faster through all five games you’re instructed to win in the Walkthrough (Hard, Medium, Easy, Easy, Easy). I know this isn’t ideal, but I can confirm it’s still possible to win in under an hour. I did it in under 20 minutes just now. If you’re really frustrated, message us and we’ll send you a cheat sheet to help you win as fast as I do.”
The debate now turns to whether such sales tactics are shameless, or if instead gamers should be free to choose what they do and don’t purchase. However you look at it, for years consoles have distinguished themselves with their supposed quality control and curation – releases such as this do nothing to help that image.
