This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
BT The P: I think this should be called the RPG No Prize.
Andrew Leprich: I strongly disagree. Bragging Rights Reward seems like a far more catchier name, and this is by no means limited to RPGs. Furthermore, receiving no prize is only a small part of this trope, its main focus is the illogical tendency for video games to reward you with the best items/weapons only when you've already done the hardest things and don't need them anymore.
BT The P: I meant it as a parallel to the Marvel No-Prize
. But, I guess you're right after all.
Seth: I like this as it is, Also having a no prize is considered a great honour for some comic book collectors.
BT The P: Exactly, it's useless except as bragging rights. The titles would mean the same thing, I just like mine more.
Seth: This title is descriptive and short enough so I don't see a reason to change it. RPG No Prize relies on someone knowing what the marvel no prize is which not everyone does plus i hate using RPG in a wiki word. Combined with everything Andrew said (The main reward is bragging rights, it isn't a prize to start off with but they usually do give you some pithy reward so no prize fails on both counts)
Ununnilium: Took out some of the negative tone, since only having a Bragging Rights Reward isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Sabin Marcus: I disagree with Neo Shinryu from Final Fantasy V Advance being listed here. Defeating him nets the player the best sword in the game, and is required to open another bonus dungeon (if a rather small one). The player almost certainly doesn't need the Ultima Weapon to clear the Cloister of the Dead, but the sword isn't strictly useless, and actually comes in handy deeper in the Cloister.
Enlong: Oh, well then by all means, I'll get rid of it. I haven't beaten him in the actual game for obvious reasons, so I didn't know about that.
Mightysamurai: Is there a page for the opposite of the bragging rights award? The one where the game taunts you for having lost/died? I'm thinking along the lines of "You Are Dead" in Resident Evil, which I always thought was a little sadistic.
Ununnilium: Editing this to make it more distinct from Cosmetic Award, and moving over examples.
Also, pulling these out, since they don't seem to fit in either: Accomplishments where you receive literally nothing as a reward, save for bragging rights:
- Completing all of the MAX Tours in Ridge Racer for the PSP. Each of these ridiculously-hard tours is described as having no prizes and as a race for "your honor."
- Collecting all 150 of the original Pokemon is a long and arduous task, advertised as the main goal of the game. Catching them all gets you... nothing; if you go to a certain house, you'll get a congratulatory message, and that's it. In the Japanese version, you apparently got a Mew.
- Nintendo of America has done this not only that one time, but *three* times in total. In Gold/Silver/Crystal, if you caught them all, Celebi would appear at the forest shrine in the japanese version. In Pokemon Colleseum, if you captured and uncorrupted all the shadow pokemon, Celebi would appear as well. Nintendo of America chose to remove all *three* of these methods of getting the super-rare pokemon legally in-game, rather only distributing them via rare events which 90% of the fans could not attend. Adding insult to injury, this robs the player of the chance to have their own name listed as the Original Trainer, or getting a shiny version of said pokemon. Later games no longer do this, areas containing super-rare pokemon are now built into the game for both America and Japan- but are not reachable by in-game means, rather their areas unlock via getting an item (and an event flag), once again only given out at events- meaning fans the world over are now equally screwed.
- The Celebi in GSC involved another thing that was removed in the US, namely a mobile phone adaptor that allowed pokemon to be traded over the phone network. The item that triggered the event, the GS Ball, could be downloaded from the mobile system.
- Nintendo of America has done this not only that one time, but *three* times in total. In Gold/Silver/Crystal, if you caught them all, Celebi would appear at the forest shrine in the japanese version. In Pokemon Colleseum, if you captured and uncorrupted all the shadow pokemon, Celebi would appear as well. Nintendo of America chose to remove all *three* of these methods of getting the super-rare pokemon legally in-game, rather only distributing them via rare events which 90% of the fans could not attend. Adding insult to injury, this robs the player of the chance to have their own name listed as the Original Trainer, or getting a shiny version of said pokemon. Later games no longer do this, areas containing super-rare pokemon are now built into the game for both America and Japan- but are not reachable by in-game means, rather their areas unlock via getting an item (and an event flag), once again only given out at events- meaning fans the world over are now equally screwed.
- In Yoshi's Island, getting 100% Completion in a World unlocks a difficult bonus level for that world. However, getting 100% in that level gets you nothing.
- Getting 100% Completion in the Baten Kaitos series: Nothing.
- Getting 100% Completion in the Donkey Kong Country series (actually 101, 102, or 103 percent, depending on which game): Nothing, except a slightly improved ending.
- Defeating the Dark Aeons and the ridiculously powerful and difficult Penance in Final Fantasy X: International earns you...nothing but an ulcer.
- In Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, to gain 100% on your recipe list, you have to create the four Suns (Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall). Spring isn't so bad (You simply have to gather five different types of flowers, including the rare, but not that valuable, Red Magic Flower). However, the other three Suns require you to ante up some EXTREMELY valuable and rare items (including mythic stones, treasure chests, sand roses, and pink diamonds). So what do you get when you assemble all 108 recipes (Suns included)? Nada. Not even a congratulations message. You can't even sell them. (You can use them as gifts, but they're not that great). At least in the For Girl/More Friends versions, you can sell the Suns to Won for decent coin.
- Getting Hundred Percent Completion in the Subspace Emmisary mode of Super Smash Bros Brawl: Nothing. You'd think it'd be one of the Challenges, or that you'd at least get one of those notices that pops up when you accomplish something, but noooooooo.
Should we move these into another trope?
Romanticide: Does Chrono Trigger counts as a subversion or aversion?
Ununnilium: ...for what?
Ununnilium: I just don't like to use "use" twice in the same paragraph, if I can avoid it.
Later:
- Super Smash Bros Melee had tons of trophies for you to collect, but getting all of them earned you nothing but this trope. Brawl repeats this again, but with stickers as well.
Nope, this is a Cosmetic Award.
Count Dorku: Removed and rewritten:
- Defeating the Final Boss of Jak II earns you invincibility when in your dark eco power mode.
