Monday, September 22, 2014

The News - 09.22.14

Hello again, Parents and Gamers!

Another week and another fresh batch of The News! Today we are going to be taking a look at three things of note. The first one will have to do with Sony and their new PlayStation TV product which will be released this October. After that, we will stay with Sony as we have good news regarding your chance to check out the online function for PlayStation 4 for free. Finally, we will end on a game-focused note with a new reveal in the Assassin's Creed franchise. Let's take a look!

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Sony has announced the release of a new product called PlayStation TV which will be released this coming October 14th.

For those that don't know, PlayStation TV is a new idea that will rival current video game system technology by providing its owners access to nearly 700 games from the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. The unit itself is designed to act as a "remote system" meaning that it will function using "Remote Play". You can plug the PlayStation TV into any television (with an HDMI port) and than access your PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, and/or PlayStation 4 via the internet, essentially making it ACT like it was one of those systems.

To provide another example, imagine if the PlayStation TV acted like a DVD player. Through the Remote Play capability, you could use the internet to connect to your actual DVD player in another room (which happened to have the movie you wanted to watch in it) and WATCH that movie on the TV you're AT without ever needing to grab the DVD or the DVD player from the other room. Or, if you don't own he other systems, you can utilize the internet connection to access the previously mentioned PlayStation Now and stream the game to your television like Netflix might stream a movie.

When PlayStation TV comes out this October 14th, there will be two versions. The standalone version will go for $100, however, the $140 bundle version will come with PlayStation TV, and 8gb Memory Card to store games and saved data, a DualShock 3 controller (for PlayStation 3 games and below), and The LEGO Movie Videogame.

References
PlayStation TV: Nearly 700 Games to Play Starting Octobert 14th - PlayStation.blog
PlayStation TV launches in North America next month - Destructoid.com
Sony Confirms PlayStation TV's Release Line-Up - IGN.com
PlayStation TV Launching in October with almost 700 Games on Day One - GameSpot.com
PlayStation TV arrives Mid-October, over 700 Compatible Games at Launch - GameInformer.com
PS TV hits US on October 14 with 'nearly 700' compatible games - Joystiq.com
PlayStation TV is out in October - Kotaku.com

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Along with everything else, Sony has decided that it wants to show players not utilizing the Internet capabilities for PlayStation 4 what they could have this weekend.

From Friday, September 26, starting at 12:01am Pacific through Sunday, September 28 at 11:59 Pacific, Sony is giving ALL PLAYSTATION 4 PLAYERS access to their PlayStation Plus multiplayer access. Among other things, this means that players will be able to access the online component for games like Destiny, Madden 15, and Diablo 3 absolutely free. While PlayStation Plus also gives access to things like Free Games every month, discounts all over the place, and more, Sony will only be providing access to multiplayer for the time being.

So, if you own a PlayStation 4 and haven't checked out the Internet functions of the system, give it a shot! It's totally free all weekend.

References:
Free Access to Online Multiplayer for all PS4 Players this Weekend - PlayStation.blog
PS4 Online Multiplayer will be Free this Weekend - Destructoid.com
Online Multiplayer Free for all PS4 Players this Weekend - IGN.com
Free PS4 Multiplayer this Weekend - GameSpot.com
PlayStation 4 Multiplayer is Free this Weekend - GameInformer.com

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As we have mentioned it before, Assassin's Creed is one of the biggest titles to come out every year. This time, however, Assassin's Creed Unity is going to offer something very different in their "Season Pass".

Among the usual fare of downloadable content, extra missions, gameplay, and equipment that players will receive from purchasing the "Season Pass" for the upcoming Assassin's Creed Unit, players will receive something called Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China.

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China will be a stand-alone game, separate from the story and gameplay available in Assassin's Creed Unity with a new character and a new gaming style. Whereas Assassin's Creed is normally 3D, focused with the camera following behind the character, China will be "2.5D", meaning that the game will work more similarly to Super Mario Bros. with the character running from left to right across the screen. On top of this, players will control a female assassin named Shao Jun in 16th Century China free running across the Great Wall of China.

While Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China has not been rated, please note that most Assassin's Creed titles are rated M for Mature by the ESRB of America. The game is recommended only for players over the age of 17. Most often, this is due to intense blood and gore, violence, and language.

References:
Assassin's Creed Unity's DLC will take you to China with a Female Protagonist - Destructoid.com
Assassin's Creed Unity DLC includes New Story in China - IGN.com
Assassin's Creed Unity DLC Pass includes a New 2.5D game Set in China - GameSpot.com
Assassin's Creed Unity Season Pass includes Newly Announced 2.5D Downloadable Title - GameInformer.com
Assassin's Creed Unity's Season Pass includes game set in China - Joystiq.com

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And that's it for today! As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about our article today or just Video Games in general, feel free to reach out to us at our e-mail at theparentsguidetovideogames@gmail.com or simply by clicking on my name below. Make sure to follow us at Facebook and Twitter to get up to the moment updates! See you soon!





2 comments:

  1. I used to be big on assassins creed now I'm kinda ignorant to it, it's lost my interest
    as to playstation TV I liked the idea at first but having hands on with it I find it sorely lacking
    the remote play is often too laggy resulting in glitchy frames and a 2 to 3 second delay on actions and button presses, unless you're literally playing it within wifi range of the source system, in which case it almost renders it moot as there's dozens of other ways to accomplish the same task of playing on a different screen in the same house.
    Then when it comes to ps3 the remote play doesn't work at all for over half the titles, while ps4 is perfect due to incorporated gaikai where you're just streaming pre rendered video output and not raw data
    the memory is unbelievably small considering this has no disc drive and is meant to just use an internal drive and streaming for services like PSNow, there's a huge waste in badwidth redownloading elements of the same titles over and over again when you switch between them which also results in wasted time

    I told sony they had some changes to make and I doubt they'll listen
    I suppose for some it'll be just what they wanted/needed but for the average gamer it'll be a waste, this is the one they're going to have to sell hard to the casual gamers and grandparents

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