We find out more about who decides what titles make the Platinum grade.
How a game is received determines whether it will go Platinum. You and your peers are in effect the governing body, putting an official stamp of approval on the games that capture your interest and imagination, and that leaves plenty of room for different tastes and opinions.
Some of you are fans of action adventures, while others can't resist beat 'em ups or RPGs. In short the games that go Platinum are as diverse as the PlayStation audience, meaning there really is something for everyone.
Over the years games from WipEout and Pandemonium, on PS one, to Killzone and EyeToy Play 3 on PS2 have received the Platinum burnish, these four titles alone covering the racing, platform, party game and shoot 'em up genres.
Even within a broadly similar genre such as racing, the breadth of Platinum games available is staggering...
Gran Turismo 4
Gran Turismo 4 offers an incredibly realistic driving experience. Over 700 vehicles from 80 manufacturers are on offer, each one being photographed at least 500 times to make sure that even the finest details are perfect.
Spanning over a century of driving, from the world's first petrol car (the 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen) to the Audi TT, these cars have been lovingly recreated to look and behave exactly like the real thing.
Alongside the phenomenal photo-realistic detail and driving experience, GT4 introduces B-spec mode to the series. This new management feature puts you in charge of calling the shots, training drivers and controlling race tactics.
Rounding off the new features is a photography mode. Stop the replay of a race at any point, decide on angle, distance and zoom before saving your new creation to Memory Card or USB Flash Memory Stick. Filter options let you touch up your shots and if you have a USB compatible printer you can run off copies in colour, black and white or nostalgic sepia.
Jak X: Combat Racing
Krew, the obese villain from Jak II, has set up a posthumous trap for Jak and his friends, tricking them into drinking a deadly poison during the playing of his video will. The only means of securing an antidote is to fulfil his dream of becoming a racing champion and win the Kras City Grand Championship.
Faced with 120 tasks, spread across 20 tracks and eight deadly combat arenas, Jak X takes racing to a deadly new level reminiscent of something straight out of the Mel Gibson Mad Max films.
Rugged all-terrain buggies are the weapon of choice in this exhilarating action racer, tricked out with a deadly arsenal of weapons. Split-screen play lets two players battle it out, while the online features pit six players against each other in a frantic, destructive derby.
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