Carmakers look to video games for new routes to market

COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) – The spoiler popped up automatically when the speedometer of the new Audi RS7 Sportback moved past 130 kilometers an hour on Charles Bridge in central Prague, creating just enough downforce to ensure the tires gripped the road around the next turn.

Racing through the city’s scenic old quarter in the “Forza Motorsport 5” videogame is unnervingly realistic – not least thanks to the force-feedback steering wheel that makes the speeding driver struggle to keep control.

The upcoming Microsoft Xbox One game is also just one example of an increasingly symbiotic relationship between software developers and the auto industry. Together they get games fans behind the wheel and carmakers in pole position to woo today’s younger consumers as tomorrow’s car buyers.

Even if many of the players may not be able to afford to buy a car now, Volkswagen’s Audi sponsors the game since it can start winning brand loyalty for the future. It is also well aware that driving games are not just enjoyed by the young.

“It’s not just about reaching the youth – an Audi in a video game also reaches our core target group. Unlike in a movie where there is a straight narrative, a video game is interactive and the storyline is not defined in advance,” said Kai Mensing, head of International Product Placement at the company.

Meanwhile Nissan competes on screens as a partner in Sony’s rival PlayStation game “Gran Turismo”, giving gamers the chance to enter a competition which starts with driving a Leaf electric car in their living rooms and could lead to actually racing a real 370Z sports car on Britain’s Silverstone circuit.

“We take you all the way through to being a racing driver,” said Gareth Dunsmore, general manager for marketing in Europe, adding that its “GT Academy” finalist Lucas Ordonez went on to a real world podium finish at the Le Mans 24 hour race in 2011.

Nissan’s digital advertising spend has trebled in the last five years and is expected to top $500 million this year, roughly 25 percent of Nissan’s overall advertising outlay.

“GT Academy is a great way for us to attract the gaming community to the brand. A million people have experienced this year driving an electric vehicle in a game,” Dunsmore said.

PRODUCT PLACEMENT

Consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates in-game advertising will be a $2.8 billion industry worldwide this year. Carmakers say it is cheaper than product placement in films and they can even collect licensing fees for handing over their vehicle specifications to game developers.

Games industry analyst Brian Blau of Gartner, who once worked on licensing deals with carmakers, said auto companies are willing to pay as much as a million dollars if one of their cars is deeply integrated into the storyline of a video game, all the way down to appearing on the cover of the box.

“Advertisers are very keen on these kinds of immersive technologies,” he said.

And carmakers need to stimulate demand amongst younger drivers.

In Germany, Europe’s largest auto market and home to major car companies like VW, sales of vehicles to younger people have been in decline, with official data showing the share of new cars sold to people aged between 21 and 39 dropping each year since 2009 from 19.8 percent to 16.2 percent currently.

Whereas car sales have stagnated at around 3 million vehicles for years, video game sales in Germany rose for a third straight year in 2012 to a record 73.7 million. More importantly, over a quarter of the 26 million Germans that regularly played video games last year earn above-average incomes, taking home over 3,000 euros after tax every month.

For carmakers this means an audience expanding in size, increasing in affluence and diversifying in its base, and experts agree that product placement in video games can be an extremely effective tool to promote a brand.

“Gaming is a very engaging and captive environment that requires your full concentration. When people watch the Super Bowl on TV, however, they’re multitasking – tweeting and commenting on their Facebook page throughout the game,” said Dave Madden, senior vice-president of global media sales at games developer Electronic Arts.

German psychotherapist Bert te Wildt knows first-hand just how powerful, and even addictive, video games can be compared to other mediums having researched gaming dependency.

“The feeling of being behind the wheel of a fast car is far more intense when you drive it yourself in a digital world than when you watch it in a film, for instance,” said te Wildt, a physician at Ruhr University’s LWL Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy in Bochum.

“And now that these cyberspace vehicles are nearly photo-realistic, product placement in video games has become that much more attractive for carmakers,” he added.

CROSS-MARKETING

And product placement is also attractive to videogames publishers.

Microsoft’s “Forza Motorsport 5” and Sony’s “Gran Turismo 6” have been nominated for the best titles for the Xbox and PlayStation consoles at this week’s Gamescom convention in Cologne and Daimler had its gull-winged Mercedes-Benz SLS parked in front of Sony’s press hall this week to promote the upcoming PlayStation 4 title “DriveClub”.

But the automaker’s interest goes well beyond racing games.

Caroline Pilz, head of product placement at Mercedes, said a campaign last year with SimCity Social, a form of Electronic Arts citybuilding game that was played on Facebook until recently, far exceeded its expectations in boosting the awareness and image of its A-Class car ahead of a crucial relaunch.

“Social gaming is a fantastic platform to go beyond the normal male audience that play racing games and instead reach females between 25-45 that don’t read car magazines, who are in the perfect age to purchase compact cars like the A-Class,” the head of product placement at Mercedes told Reuters.

Apart from allowing gamers to share achievements with friends and other players, online connectivity offers carmakers the added ability to tout their latest models in software updates that include exclusive downloadable content.

Just don’t expect carmakers to have their vehicles driven around in September’s hotly-anticipated “Grand Theft Auto V” game, since running over people with a BMW or Mercedes is not what the carmakers want to see.

One developer who asked not to be named said his car game did not feature any pedestrians or bystanders at all.

Even portraying vehicle crashes of the kind portrayed in Electronic Arts’ “Need for Speed” is controversial, because it could spark safety concerns.

“We have very specific understandings of how we would show damage to a car,” he said.

 

[source]

DuckTales: Remastered Review (PSN)

DuckTales: Remastered is nostalgia made into a videogame. Nostalgia’s etymology is something close to “the ache to return home”, and fulfills an apt description for DuckTales: Remastered. The core of the game is a good 8-bit platformer, returning to the roots or “home” of that particular genre. However, the game delivers just enough “ache” to players as well.

DuckTales: Remastered’s presentation is excellent. All of the characters are sprites that look like they stepped out of the DuckTales cartoon, and the hand-drawn sprites work great against the 3D background of the game. Movement is fluid, there are a lot of background events, stages are beautiful, and the colors are bright and bold. It really feels like the player is guiding Scrooge McDuck through an episode of DuckTales. The plot isn’t anything fancy. The story has been updated with lots of little voiced scenes to reinforce the feeling of participating in an adventure. Overall, the visual package is just short of stunning.

The audio is where the game really brings both the feel of playing through an episode and deep sense of nostalgia. Numerous voice actors from the TV show lend their talents to the game, bringing spot-on performances which can take fans back to their childhoods with a few words. The music – great updated renditions of already remarkable tunes – will most likely beckon fans of the original game back to their younger selves in a few beats. Sound effects are crisp, clear and distinct. Really, the sound team went all out for the title.

Additionally, any money earned in the game can go to towards unlocking a very impressive gallery of game artwork, music, and even TV art. One of the galleries features nothing but the characters and their in-game art with a corner devoted to the original game’s sprite work. It’s all very in-depth and well done, and would probably take around two runs of the game to purchase everything.

Level design is very much like the original as well. The levels are long enough to be a challenge, and thankfully short enough to not be a nuisance to the posterior regions during the inevitable replay after dying. Except the last level. For the most part, players will fly through the varied locations once the levels are memorized. And, as stated above, the levels are beautiful.

Gameplay is very much like the original. Players take Scrooge McDuck through seven levels, five of which can be played in any order. Scrooge is armed with his almighty cane, which he can use like a golf club to hit objects, or as a pogo stick to reach high places and jump on enemies for a takedown. Most of the time, the game plays pretty well and is enjoyable.

But now we’ve run out of pure nostalgia. And while DuckTales: Remastered has excellent presentation targeted at fans of both the TV show and original game, the question remains to be asked what does the game offer people who don’t care about either?

Players who lose all of their lives in a level must redo the entire levels. There are no checkpoints to continue from once all lives have been lost. This is a questionable design since the boss fights have had a major overhaul and are really fun while putting up a decent challenge. So while the levels may fall to rote memorization, a stage boss might wipe out a player and now the whole damn thing has to be tackled again. A continue function – even a limited one – would have been a much better implementation. The final level is especially bad, since after defeating the end boss two more timed and fairly difficult platforming segments await the player. Dying at these segments means the player has to start the last level all over again, and quite frankly this was a frustrating stain on an otherwise enjoyable game. At least all of the cutscenes can be skipped by pausing the game and hitting ‘X’ real quick.

What makes restarting worse is sometimes, Scrooge doesn’t deploy his pogo stick for whatever reason. After a transition from a previous screen, Scrooge occasionally stops for a split second – just enough time to muck up those last platforming bits or a timed jump elsewhere. And hit detection for enemies and environmental dangers is rather awkward and, though uncommon, inconsistent. For instance, pogo stomping a downed bat may cause Scrooge damage because more of the wing was targeted this time than a previous time. However, this most likely will not kill anyone until it happens in a boss fight or during the last two platforming segments; where the problem can become atrocious.

The game is short. An afternoon or evening is more than enough time for experienced players; a day at maximum for anybody new to the genre. And while the game promotes replay value through unlocking the gallery and giving players the ability to replay any stage after beating the game; there really is no need to do so. Once through, any player not hit with nostalgia will probably move on to the next game. And like the nostalgia value, the $15 price tag may seem a little high for what new players may see as a fairly basic game.

So what does DuckTales: Remastered offer players who do not succumb to nostalgia? A fairly solid day of experiencing an above average platformer with awesome presentation. The game will most likely go by too quickly before any of the control problems impact enjoyment too much, and in fact may only become truly noticeable during the game’s final moments. Fans of the cartoon and original game will love all of the improvements and visuals, and will most likely embrace the nostalgia. Everyone else will have fun and then move on.

 

[source]

Saints Row IV Trophy Guide (PS3)

Welcome to the PlayStation Lifestyle Trophy Guide for Saints Row IV.  We want to help you save humanity in the most ridiculous way possible and, with this trophy guide, you can prove that you did just that by earning the platinum trophy. There is one missable trophy that you will need to pay attention to or you will have to replay the story up until this point. Otherwise, everything can be unlocked in the post-game, though many trophies will be easier to get if focused on during the campaign. If you are looking for our Challenge Guide, click here.

Spoiler Warning: While we try to remain as spoiler free as possible, trophy guides will often contain spoilers for different gameplay aspects and story points or locations where necessary. Read through the guide at your own risk.

Kingpin –Platinum
-Unlock all Trophies in Saints Row IV.

C’mon, you should know the drill by now! Earn all of the other trophies in Saints Row IV to get the Platinum trophy.

Destroyer-In-Chief –Bronze
-Complete ‘The Saints Wing’.

Story related. You will get this after the mission ‘The Saints Wing’.

There Is No Pancakes –Bronze
-Complete ‘A Pleasant Day’.

Story related. You will get this after the mission ‘A Pleasant Day’.

Woah. –Bronze
-Get your first Super Powers.

Story Related. You will get this after you obtain your first super power in the simulation.

Don’t Panic –Bronze
-Complete ‘The Real World’.

Story Related. You will get this after the mission ‘The Real World’.

Ghost in the Machine –Bronze
-Download a new ally into a robotic body.

Story Related. You will get this after you download the AI into the C.I.D.

Didn’t Need to See Him Naked –Bronze
-Complete ‘Matt’s Back’.

Story Related. You will get this after the mission ‘Matt’s Back’.

Blast from the Past –Bronze
-Complete ‘A Game of Clones’.

Story Related. You will get this after the mission ‘A Game of Clones’.

About Time! –Bronze
-Complete ‘Welcome Back’.

Story Related. You will get this after the mission ‘Welcome Back’.

Betrayed –Bronze
-Complete ‘All Hands On Deck’.

Story Related. You will get this after the mission ‘All Hands On Deck’.

Poodle Skirt –Bronze
-Complete ‘Hello Teacup’.

Story Related. You will get this after the mission ‘Hello Teacup’.

Keymaster –Bronze
-Complete ‘Batteries Not Included’.

Story Related. You will get this after the mission ‘Batteries Not Included’.

Imperator –Silver
-Complete ‘Grand Finale’.

Story Related. You will get this after the final mission ‘Grand Finale’.

Saints & Sensibility –Gold
-Complete ‘Grand Finale’ after completing all Homie missions.

After you rescue all of the homies, they will each give you a variety of side missions that require you to complete the open world activities, as well as a single loyalty mission for each one of them. For the sake of time, if you have been completing all available missions as you go, this should unlock alongside Imperator. If not, you will not get the good ending and will need to go back and finish all side missions given by each character before playing the final mission again.

Half Way Home –Silver
-Complete all open world gameplay in two districts of the Simulated city of Steelport.

Completion of open world gameplay is tallied on the map screen. This refers to each of the open world activities (both ranked and non-ranked) that you can find around the simulation. If you are doing all activities that you come across while playing and completing each of the side missions given by other characters, this should come naturally. Get 100% in two of the districts to get this trophy. Note that co-op activities found on the map are not required for this.

How It Should Be –Gold
-Complete all open world gameplay in the entire Simulated city of Steelport.

This one should come naturally if you are completing side missions given by the other characters and playing all activities that you come across. If you are missing any, check the map for any activities that are still colored in. Grayed out icons are ones that have been completed. Once all activities have been completed, you will get this trophy. Note that gold medals are not required for this trophy. If you simply complete the ranked activities with a bronze, it will still count as completed.

The Full Kinzie –Bronze
-Do everything you can for Kinzie — Quests, Loyalty Missions… everything.

If you return to the ship, your homies will give you side missions that require you to complete open world activities. If all activities for a particular mission have already been completed it will consider the mission complete. There will also be a unique loyalty mission available upon rescuing each character. The exception to this is Kinzie’s loyalty mission, which doesn’t become available until a little bit later in the game. Complete all of these activities for Kinzie to unlock this trophy. (Note: If the trophy does not unlock, it may require you to romance that character as well. Simply press square instead of X when talking to each character to romance them).

Paranormal Bromance -Bronze
-Do everything you can for Matt — Quests, Loyalty Missions… everything.

If you return to the ship, your homies will give you side missions that require you to complete open world activities. If all activities for a particular mission have already been completed it will consider the mission complete. There will also be a unique loyalty mission available upon rescuing each character. Complete all of these activities for Matt to unlock this trophy. (Note: If the trophy does not unlock, it may require you to romance that character as well. Simply press square instead of X when talking to each character to romance them).

The Face of the Saints –Bronze
-Do everything you can for Pierce — Quests, Loyalty Missions… everything.

If you return to the ship, your homies will give you side missions that require you to complete open world activities. If all activities for a particular mission have already been completed it will consider the mission complete. There will also be a unique loyalty mission available upon rescuing each character. Complete all of these activities for Pierce to unlock this trophy. (Note: If the trophy does not unlock, it may require you to romance that character as well. Simply press square instead of X when talking to each character to romance them).

The Two Shaundis -Bronze
-Do everything you can for Shaundi — Quests, Loyalty Missions… everything.

If you return to the ship, your homies will give you side missions that require you to complete open world activities. If all activities for a particular mission have already been completed it will consider the mission complete. There will also be a unique loyalty mission available upon rescuing each character. Complete all of these activities for both Real Shaundi and Fun Shaundi to unlock this trophy. There is only a single loyalty mission for both Shaundis. (Note: If the trophy does not unlock, it may require you to romance that character as well. Simply press square instead of X when talking to each character to romance them. You can only romance the Real Shaundi).

Machine Man –Bronze
-Do everything you can for CID — Quests and… everything.

If you return to the ship, your homies will give you side missions that require you to complete open world activities. If all activities for a particular mission have already been completed it will consider the mission complete. CID does not have a loyalty mission. Complete all of these activities for CID to unlock this trophy. (Note: If the trophy does not unlock, it may require you to romance that character as well. Simply press square instead of X when talking to each character to romance them).

On Her Saint’s Secret Service –Bronze
-Do everything you can for Asha — Quests, Loyalty Missions… everything.

If you return to the ship, your homies will give you side missions that require you to complete open world activities. If all activities for a particular mission have already been completed it will consider the mission complete. There will also be a unique loyalty mission available upon rescuing each character. Complete all of these activities for Asha to unlock this trophy. (Note: If the trophy does not unlock, it may require you to romance that character as well. Simply press square instead of X when talking to each character to romance them).

Benjamin [CENSORED] King –Bronze
-Do everything you can for Ben — Quests, Loyalty Missions… everything.

If you return to the ship, your homies will give you side missions that require you to complete open world activities. If all activities for a particular mission have already been completed it will consider the mission complete. There will also be a unique loyalty mission available upon rescuing each character. Complete all of these activities for Ben to unlock this trophy. (Note: If the trophy does not unlock, it may require you to romance that character as well. Simply press square instead of X when talking to each character to romance them).

Actor-Turned-Politician –Bronze
-Do everything you can for your Veep — Quests, Loyalty Missions… everything.

If you return to the ship, your homies will give you side missions that require you to complete open world activities. If all activities for a particular mission have already been completed it will consider the mission complete. There will also be a unique loyalty mission available upon rescuing each character. Complete all of these activities for Keith David to unlock this trophy. (Note: If the trophy does not unlock, it may require you to romance that character as well. Simply press square instead of X when talking to each character to romance them).

And I Ran… –Bronze
-Super Sprint for 250,000 meters.

Honestly, if you don’t have this by the end of the game, you are missing out on a key factor of the gameplay. Sprinting is actually faster than using vehicles to get anywhere, especially after the upgrades. Simply make sure that you are using Super Sprint when you travel and you’ll easily get this trophy.

Don’t Look Down –Bronze
-Be airborne during Super Jumps for a combined 10 minutes of gameplay.

Another one that will come very naturally if you are utilizing the super powers at all times for transportation around the city. Use your Super Jump a lot and after ten minutes of airtime you will nab this trophy.

Chill Out -Bronze
-Freeze and Shatter Kill 100 Aliens with the Freeze Blast Super Power.

After you unlock the freeze blast, make sure that you are using this power on every alien enemy that you come across. As this is one of the first powers that you get, you will likely get this naturally if you are using powers during combat. Remember that you need to shatter the enemy for it to count. If  you are in the post-game, enter a shop and shoot a shopkeeper. You will gain instant notoriety and aliens will begin spawning for you to kill.

Pounding the Pavement –Bronze
-Kill 150 Aliens with the Stomp Super Power.

I didn’t get this one until the post game, as I rarely used the Super Stomp in combat. Make sure that you are stomping in combat and note that it is not a one hit kill, so you will need to make sure that your stomp does actually kill the aliens. Utilize the different elements and you should have this trophy in the bag.  If  you are in the post-game, enter a shop and shoot a shopkeeper. You will gain instant notoriety and aliens will begin spawning for you to kill.

Here! Catch! –Bronze
-Kill 100 Aliens with the Telekinesis Super Power.

Telekinesis is one of the more fun powers in the game, and as such, you will probably be using it a lot. Just pick up and throw enemies while in combat and you should see this one shortly.  If  you are in the post-game, enter a shop and shoot a shopkeeper. You will gain instant notoriety and aliens will begin spawning for you to kill.

Bringin’ the Heat –Bronze
-Kill 100 Aliens using the Fire Buff Super Power.

Fire buff puts a fiery aura around you and imbues your weapons with additional fire damage. If you enter combat intending to use weapons, use the fire buff in conjunction to them to go for this trophy. I found this power plus the dual pistols or shotgun to be an extremely effective combination. The fire aura will also damage and kill enemies.  If  you are in the post-game, enter a shop and shoot a shopkeeper. You will gain instant notoriety and aliens will begin spawning for you to kill.

Fist Meet Ground –Bronze
-Kill 100 Aliens with the Death From Above Super Power.

Death from above is one of the more difficult to use and ineffective super powers in the game. While you may gain the upgrade that allows it to create a nuclear explosion, those kills don’t count for this trophy. The only kills that count are the ones caused by the direct shockwave of the ground punch. You will know you’ve gotten one when your combo meter says ‘Death From Above’ and the number of kills that you got using it. Try to get this as quickly as possible after obtaining this power to avoid having to farm in the post-game.  If  you are in the post-game, enter a shop and shoot a shopkeeper. You will gain instant notoriety and aliens will begin spawning for you to kill.

Experimental Tech –Bronze
-Kill 25 Aliens with each: Dubstep, InflatoRay, Bounce Gun, Disintegrator, Abduction, and Black Hole.

As you obtain each of these focus on getting the required number of kills. As soon as you are sure you have 25, begin using the next one until you have gotten 25 kills with each. As each of these are very fun to use, you will likely be playing with each of them a lot and get the trophy pretty naturally.  If  you are in the post-game, enter a shop and shoot a shopkeeper. You will gain instant notoriety and aliens will begin spawning for you to kill.

Maximum Stopping Power –Bronze
-Upgrade one weapon to the max.

In the ‘Friendly Fire’ stores you can upgrade your weapons. All you have to do is buy all upgrades for a single weapon and you have this trophy. Don’t worry about getting this early in the game. Funds become fairly unlimited by the end, so if you haven’t gotten it by the post-game, it will be very easy to do at that time.

Where’s My Cape? –Bronze
-Purchase all Super Power upgrades.

Super power upgrades can be both purchased using the collectible data clusters and earned by completing challenges. This trophy only applies to the upgrades that use data clusters. As you travel around the simulation, collect all of the data clusters that you come across to be able to obtain this more quickly. Certain upgrades will require you to be a certain level to purchase them. Once you purchase all of these upgrades for all six powers, you’ll get this trophy.

I Am Become Death –Bronze
-Kill 1000 Aliens with any combination of Super Powers.

I didn’t get this one until the post-game. This will largely depend on your preference of using weapons or super powers to kill aliens during the game. Weapon kills do not count for this. The kill must come from the effects of one of your super powers.  If  you are in the post-game, enter a shop and shoot a shopkeeper. You will gain instant notoriety and aliens will begin spawning for you to kill.

The Challenge King –Silver
-Complete ALL of the Challenges.

There are 66 challenges to complete in the game. Many of these are the same as trophies, so you will get a lot of them while following this guide. While some are pretty easy and you will get without even thinking about them, some will require a bit of effort. For a breakdown of the challenges, visit our Saints Row IV Challenge Guide here.

The Whole Story –Bronze
-Find ALL Audio Logs.

Audio logs are placed on the map after rescuing each character. By completing a side mission for Matt Miller, you can unlock an ability to have collectibles show up on the world map. If you can’t see any more audio logs on the map, but you have not collected them all, then you have not progressed far enough in the story to have them all show up yet.

Better This Way –Bronze
-Customize the style of all the weapons on your radial.

When you visit the Friendly Fire weapons shop, you can customize the appearance of each of your guns with a variety of skins. Use a unique skin (not the default one) for every weapon in your radial menu and you will have this one.

Back in the Day –Bronze
-Spend 2 hours outside of missions with past Saints Row characters as your homies

The easiest way to get this is to call in one of your homies while you are traveling in between missions or going collectible hunting. Anytime you are outside of a mission, use the phone to call a character from a prior Saints Row (Shaundi, Pierce, Johnny, Kinzie, Ben King, Matt Miller, etc.). To ensure that I got this, I always just called in Shaundi, Pierce, or Johnny.

Switch Hitter –Bronze
-Play for at least 2 hours as a male character AND 2 hours as a female character.

Mid way through the game, go to an Image as Designed store an change your gender to the opposite of the one that you started out as. After two hours playing once you change, you will get this trophy. For added enjoyment, use Nolan North for both voices.

First of Many –Bronze
-Buy your first Upgrade from the Upgrade Store.

You can purchase upgrades to your character in the menu. Buy your first one to get this trophy.

Zoo Keeper –Bronze
-Kill 25 Wardens.

You will not fight 25 wardens naturally through the course of the game. In fact, you will likely fight a lot fewer than this. To get a warden to spawn, you must increase your notoriety to the maximum level. I recommend not purchasing the faster notoriety decay upgrade in order to make this a bit easier. For easy notoriety, go into a shop and shoot the shopkeeper. Notoriety will instantly increase and aliens will begin to spawn. Continue to kill them and cause havoc and it will continue to rise. Once it’s at max, a warden will appear.

Ooo A Piece of Candy! –Bronze
-Find 100 Data Clusters.

There are over 1000 data clusters spread throughout the simulation and you will probably collect a lot of these just traversing the map. Get 100 and this trophy is yours.

A Real Cluster…. –Silver
-Find 100% of all Data Clusters.

There are over 1000 data clusters spread throughout the simulation.  I recommend picking up as many as you can as you travel between missions to make the post-game cleanup easier on yourself. You will gain an ability after completing a side mission to be able to see collectibles on the map, so this really isn’t too difficult to do, just a little time consuming if you have a lot left over.

Elementary –Bronze
-Choose a new element for all of your superpowers.

Even though I had used all of the elements for each power, this trophy did not unlock for me. I had to manually change the elements for each of the four powers from the powers menu. As soon as I did this, the trophy popped up for me.

Epic Jump Quest –Bronze
-Jump from the roof of 3 Count to the Nuke Plant, without touching the ground or other rooftops.

This is a lot easier than it sounds. 3 Count is the casino in the lower left corner of the map and the Nuke Plant is in the upper left corner. Note the the trophy says that you can’t touch rooftops on the ground, but does not specify walls. I recommend going for this once you have all powers upgraded, as you will need to be able to glide and wall run (and an upgraded jump doesn’t hurt). Jump off of the roof of 3 Count and glide to the tallest building that you can reach. Run up the side of it, jump and glide again, repeating the pattern until you get to the Nuke Plant and the trophy is yours.

Fourth and Forty –Gold
-Spend over 40 hours in the Simulation.

By the time you have finished everything, you will likely still be over 12 hours away from this trophy. The 40 hour time frame is not total gameplay time, but rather time spent inside the simulated city of Steelport. What this means is that sitting on your ship doesn’t count, any missions outside of the simulation don’t count, and you will have a totally gameplay time of well over 40 hours by the time you get this. I ended up leaving it on while I would sleep, go to work, etc. in order to whittle down the hours. Make sure you remember to plug in your controller if you are going to do this method!

Saintified –Bronze
-Create and share a character online.

The game actually prompts you to do this when you are creating a character, but if you don’t get it here, you can just select ‘character gallery’ anytime you are customizing your character, and then select ‘upload character’.

Secret Trophies – Minor spoilers be here! Ye have been warned!

You Chose… Poorly –Bronze
–Surrender when given the chance.

*Missable* During the rescue of Matt Miller you will be given an option to select between two doors. Choose the option of killing yourself and saving humanity to fail the mission and get this trophy. If you choose the door to rescue Matt first, you will need to replay the game up to this mission again to get this trophy.

Bouncin’ with an Old Friend –Silver
–Do everything you can for an old friend — Quests, Loyalty Missions… everything.

If you return to the ship, your homies will give you side missions that require you to complete open world activities. If all activities for a particular mission have already been completed it will consider the mission complete. There will also be a unique loyalty mission available upon rescuing each character. Complete all of these activities for Johnny to unlock this trophy. (Note: If the trophy does not unlock, it may require you to romance that character as well. Simply press square instead of X when talking to each character to romance them).

Zero Saints Thirty -Bronze
–Complete ‘Zero Saints Thirty’.

Story related. You will get this after the mission ‘Zero Saints Thirty’.

 

 

[source]

New Prices for PS VITA Memory Cards

Sony has announced that the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) system is now available for $199.99 MSRP in North America, making it a compelling value for gamers. With some amazing games coming out in the next few months, including Killzone Mercenary and Tearaway, along with connectivity to the PlayStation 4 (PS4) system through “Remote Play,” now is the perfect time to become a PS Vita owner.

The brand new price applies to all PS Vita systems available at retail, including the limited edition PS Vita Walking Dead bundle that launches this week. We’re also dropping the price of the PS Vita memory cards, as you can see in the chart below.

Memory Card Size	Previous Price	New Price
Memory Card for PS Vita 4GB	$19.99	$14.99
Memory Card for PS Vita 8GB	$29.99	$19.99
Memory Card for PS Vita 16GB	$59.99	$39.99
Memory Card for PS Vita 32GB	$99.99	$79.99 [source]

Emotions Run Wild In The Sims 4

EA’s Sims come to life like never before in the upcoming simulation sequel, but their emotions could get the better of them.

During an EA pre-Gamescom press conference, the studio gave a new demo of the Sims 4. Building homes looks easier than ever in the Sims 4, since you can place rooms and pull on them to expand their size. Sims are also easier to design, since you can push and pull on their features to mold them like clay.

The demo continued as EA showed how the Sim’s emotions effect their daily lives. In the demo, two Sims were fighting for the affections of the same woman. Andre played a violin, which made Allie cry and then Allie used a voodoo doll to make Andrew angry. With their emotions running wild, both men had trouble winning over Sophie. EA also promised that this new “emotional” gameplay would have long-lasting effects on your Sim’s life.

One other big news announcement to come out of the show is the fact that the game will contain one Sim that is created by a Gamescom attendee who demos the game this week during the show. Stay tuned for further details about the game when we go deeper with it later this week.

 

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