Achievements have been in video games for many years, though not in the way we know them now. Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 rewarded players who completed goals with guns, cheats & special modes, while Spyro 2 on the original PlayStation rewarded players who unlocked 'Skill Points' with extra lives.

However, these achievements really created the foundation that PlayStation's Trophies and Xbox 360's Achievements and Gamerscore were based upon, although they were arguably not as rewarding or satisfying to achieve. As the months go by since the introduction of Trophies to the PS3 on July 2nd 2008, to compete with rival Xbox 360's Achievements and Gamerscore system, the challenges set by developers for Trophies have changed drastically.
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Nofi from TheSixthAxis writes that developers Housemarque still have at least "one specific idea that would certainly add a new dimension" to Super Stardust HD...
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Daimion Pinnock, Producer at SCEA, writes:

"Hello, all PS.blog readers. I'm fortunate to get to work on a lot of PSN titles, such as Wipeout HD, Crash Commando, and Savage Moon. But I'm back on the blog today to talk about one of my titles from way back, Super Stardust HD. It's one of the most popular games on PSN, and the big news today is that it's celebrating its 2 year anniversary this week. It was developed by the fine gents and gals at Housemarque, located in Finland. As you may have noticed, my name isn't too typical for an American name - yes, I'm from England, so it's great to be working on all of these strong titles coming from great developers across the pond."
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You may not know Ari Pulkkinen, but PS3 fans certainly know his work. Pulkkinen is a Finnish musician who has worked on Shadowgrounds and PSN fan-favorite Super Stardust HD. He's working on the upcoming Trine for PSN and PC.
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Housemarque revealed today that the Finnish Stardust HD developer is making three new IPs for various systems.

"They're both in matters we haven't dealt with before," said CEO and co-founder Ilari Kuittinen. "One of the games is a PSN exclusive for Sony again, continuing our good relationship with them. And that's gonna be as far as we know, announced at Cologne."

"We are doing also currently our first multiplatform game, for a leading publisher," he continued. "Again, something different from the past. We haven't done this kind of a game genre before."
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According to a Sony Europe PSN release schedule obtain by videogaming247.com, Sony is to release the Super Stardust HD soundtrack on PSN on 19th Febraury.
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While Microsoft Europe seem intent on releasing a bundle to coincide with every single game released on the console over the next two months, Sony Europe are playing things a little more casual. Not so many bundles from them. Here's one they are releasing, though, and it's one that takes a slightly different approach to the standard throw-in-a-free-game deal. Seemingly destined for the Scandinavian market - having turned up unannounced on Norwegian online store Komplett, and having only Scandinavian languages on the box - this pack includes a 160GB PS3, a DualShock 3 and vouchers for four PSN games (GT5: Prologue, Quest for Booty, Last Guy & Super Stardust HD). You get all that for 4500 Krone, which is around USD$675.
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The Super Stardust HD Team Expansion is now live. The Team Co-Op trophy can now be unlocked for those that didn't get the expansion the first time the expansion went live.
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As rumoured on the US Playstation Blog, the Super Stardust HD 4.00 patch is back online. This patch will allow users who didn't download the patch before it was removed from the servers shortly after 2.40 to get trophy support and start racking up those gamer levels.
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The v4.0 update for Super Stardust HD is once again available for download. This patch introduces the highly anticipated trophy system into the game.
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SCEE's told VG247 that the Super Stardust HD Team Expansion has been pulled from PSN because it includes Trophy support.
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The Co-op DLC for the PSN game, Super Stardust: HD, has been removed from the PSN. It is not available on the Playstation Store nor the in-game store. No news on why it was pulled but we'll keep you updated.
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PS3 Fanboy: "We finally unlocked all the Trophies for Super Stardust HD. As the first game available with Trophy support, many are jumping online to boost their PlayStation level. With 9 Bronze, 6 Silver and 2 Gold Trophies, we're sure this is going to keep many occupied for quite some time. Here's our guide to unlock all the Trophies. Good luck!

Hero of Lave - Complete planet Lave
Bronze | Difficulty: Very Easy
All Arcade mode Trophies can be earned in Easy mode. We recommend that you play on that difficulty to make it easier to get the Trophies you want. For this Trophy, simply beat the first level. Having trouble with the boss? Make sure you focus on only one weak point at a time. You should be able to destroy one weak point before he does his spin attack. His spin will vacuum space debris, so you may want to keep your distance in the early parts of this battle. The Trophy will unlock once you start the next level.

Hero of Coventina - Complete planet Coventina
Bronze | Difficulty: Very Easy
You will want to power up your Gold Melter beam. Once you get 100% upgrades for your Rock Crusher in the first level, focus exclusively on getting upgrades for your Gold Melter. A trick for when red bomb enemies drop from the sky: rotate your analog stick so that your ship spins fire all around you. If you're at 100% and you spin quickly enough, this will create a psuedo-shield that will make you nearly invincible against any exploding enemies. The key for the boss is to remember it has two phases. In the first phase, it will shoot bullets. Stay moderately away, so you can dodge the bullets and use your Gold Melter to focus on its weak point. Then, it will turn around. Do not get close yet. Once it stops, it has entered phase two. Go directly in front of its red weak point, and its arms will close around you. Keep on firing at its weak point, and move slightly whenever you see a dotted green line. You will do massive da...
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MCV: Following Monday's clarification of Sony's plans for its new Trophy system, the first games supporting the update have gone live ¿ and more developers have pledged their support for the new rewards scheme.
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Want to see what the available trophies are? Andrew Yoon of PS3Fanboy says,

"The popular PSN arcade shooter now includes trophies. Download the free 4.00 patch and you'll be able to acquire these 17 trophies:

Bronze Trophies

* Hero of Lave - Complete planet Lave
* Hero of Coventina - Complete planet Coventina
* Hero of Nemain - Complete planet Nemain
* Hero of Taranis - Complete planet Taranis
* Hero of Segomo - Complete planet Segomo
* The Tokenizer - Collect 5 tokens with a single boost in Arcade
* Scrooge MacBoom - Get 10 bombs in Arcade
* Extra Ships Optional - Survive 7 minutes without dying in Endless*
* Close Encounters - Survive 45 seconds without shooting or using bombs in Survival*

Silver Trophies

* Token Hoarder - Collect 15 tokens with a single boost in Arcade
* Well Prepared - Get 20 bombs in Arcade
* Shield Blaster - Collect 5 shield tokens while already having a shield
* Scenic Route - Complete a planet without using boost
* Late Boomer - Get 15 bombs in Bomber*
* Shock and Awe - Destroy 10 nukes in Endless*

Gold Trophies

* Multiplier Hero - Get 10x multiplier
* Split screen Co-op - Get 3 minutes of continuous Co-Op weapon boost on Segomo*"
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Update v.4.00 is now live for Super Stardust HD (255mb). This is the first game to support trophies.
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If you click the online store when you are on the selection screen for Super Stardust HD, it will show you the team pack that has been announced for the title. Being the avid fan that I am, I proceeded to click X in an attempt to make the purchase. I am sad to say that it did not work. I was unable to to get the pack. Considering that this was not a part of the last store update, but is now showing up when you use the online store feature in the game, it may just be right around the corner
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The guys at Housemarque have just finished their next Super Stardust HD expansion. The "solo pack" will be followed by the "team pack," which features a number of additions. Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder Housemarque, explained to MTV Multiplayer: "It features a split screen Versus Match and Co-Op, ship editor, a true 5.1 orchestral soundtrack, and trophies."
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TheSixthAxis are reporting that Sony plans to add several new features to the great Super Stardust HD next month. In May there'll be a new split screen co-op mode, versus matches (4 players on the same screen) a music attack mode (generates levels on the fly based on your custom soundtrack), a ship editor and best of all: trophy support for whenever we finally get our hands on Home, assuming that's what they mean.
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Playstation.Blog writes: "Hey, everyone. It's time again for the PLAYSTATION Store weekly update."

Downloadable Games

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue ($39.99)
The best-selling racing franchise returns with the intense precursor to Gran Turismo 5, featuring over 60 cars from worldwide car manufacturers. With an all-new interior dash view, online racing with up to 16 players, Drift mode and more, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue unveils revolutionary advancements that deliver the ultimate racing experience.
ESRB Rated E
File size: 1.78 GB

Add-on Game Content

Warhawk Broken Mirror Pack ($7.99)
Download the "Operation: Broken Mirror" Booster Pack and increase the effectiveness of your team's ground assaults with the new Armored Personnel Carrier and the Vaporfield Glacier Battlefield!
File size: 131 MB

Warhawk Booster Combo ($11.99)
Booster Combo includes the Warhawk "Operation: Omega Dawn" and "Operation: Broken Mirror" Booster Packs.
File size: 274 MB
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