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The News - 05.20.11 - The Parent's Guide to Video Games

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by The Game Store Guy on May 20, 2011 at 02:58 AM
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Hello again, Parents and Gamers!

We have a couple of interesting pieces today, some being new developments, some being updates on previous matters. So, first off we will be looking at a special offer from Microsoft that will reward college kids for their computer purchase with a free Xbox 360. From there, we will move on to a recent development involving concerning system problems with the PlayStation 3 and the recently released L.A. Noire. Finally, we will reveal the proposed date that PlayStation Store will be turning back on! Let's get started.

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One thing that many of us know is that College students tend to have far too much time on their hands, often leaving them to delve heartily into their studies and dedicate their time fully to their educations.

Sarcasm aside, Microsoft is looking to reward students who purchase a new Windows PC with a free Xbox 360 video-game console. Starting on May 22 and going through September 3, college students that purchase any Windows PC/Home Computer with a value exceeding $699.99 USD will be provided a 4 GB Xbox 360 Slim model for Free. Potential-Gamers need only to purchase from a participating retailer (including the Microsoft Store, Dell.com, and HP.com) and prove that they are a student by using a .edu e-mail address to order the computer. This refers to an e-mail address provided by the student's school of origin; an example being thegamestoreguy@ucla.edu or something of that nature.

Something to keep in mind is that, while the deal is going through Sep. 3, retailers will only be receiving a limited amount of consoles to give out for free. Therefore, it wouldn't be a bad idea to do it sooner rather than later. Secondly, this offer is currently only available in the United States, although Microsoft is currently working on programs for Canada and France.

If any other offers or deals pop up, we will let you know.

Referring Articles:

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If the recent PlayStation Network problems weren't quite enough, we now have a double-hitter of a dilemma concerning the PlayStation 3 consoles and the new investigative game L.A. Noire.

Reports have been leaking into news-sites that a number of PlayStation 3 consoles have been beginning to overheat and malfunction. Initially, players were claiming that it was the new game L.A. Noire that is causing this problem, as it had not occurred until they attempted to play the game. Developers Rockstar Games passed the buck claiming that it had to be the PlayStation 3 console and the most recent security firmware update provided because of the April 20th attack. Sony in turn responded that it could not possibly be their firmware causing the problem.

So what exactly is going on with this? We have no idea. Both companies released a bizarre joint statement today, saying:

"We have received a very small number of customer support questions about PS3’s overheating or shutting down while playing L.A. Noire. At this time, Rockstar Games and Sony can confirm that neither L.A. Noire or firmware update 3.61 are causing the PS3 hardware to overheat. We are both committed to working hard to find solutions to this and any issues that may arise."

So, our best recommendation for now is simple. If you or your loved ones are experiencing issues with your PlayStation 3 console; whether it is freezing, console malfunctions, or crashes, we recommend contacting technical support for assistance. The number or means of contact for technical support should be found in your PlayStation 3's console manual, which should be located in the original box.

If you have any troubles locating customer service information, please let us know and we will provide you with a full list. If any further news on this subject crops up, you will be the first to know.

Referring Articles:

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Last but not least, we have a very quick update concerning the re-launching of the PlayStation 3's internet-based services.

According to a report from Gamesutra.com, citing an e-mail from the PlayStation Network Content manager Jack Osorno, the internet-based PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 console should be starting up again on May 24th. Likewise, Sony will be making two updates a week to the Store in order to make up for loss time from the month of downtime caused by the April 20th attack.

If previous reports are to be believed in congruence with this most recent one, all PlayStation Network updates should be completed by May 31st. Likewise, based on the information concerning the aforementioned "Welcome Back" program, players will most likely be getting their free games sometime within the next week or two.

If any further information pops up, we'll let you know.

Referring Articles:

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We would like to apologize to all of our GameInformer readers, we had a pretty severe error crop up with the GameInformer.com that restricted our ability to post yesterday's article of The News; we would encourage you that, should you be a regular reader and not see it posted, check the main site. 

And that's it for the day! We would like to thank you for stopping by and invite you to join us again on Sunday for another exciting article of The News. As always, should you have any questions, we encourage you to simply shoot us an e-mail at the address provided or simply leave it in the comment section below; we will get back to everyone as quickly as we can. Thanks again and we hope that you have a wonderful day!

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  • by Friday, May 20, 2011 at 05:42 AM
    I would think that the most important news-tip with regards to L.A. Noire and parenting is that the game is NOT FOR KIDS!!!

    The other story lacks the confirmation necessary to be useful consumer information for the otherwise uninformed (which generally describes parents when it comes to video games).

    In some of these cases it seems unclear whether this is a guide specifically for parents, or, as with some of these stories in particular, if they are more generally focused consumer reports.
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    by Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    That HALO commercial was hilarious! It sucks to follow up the Spartan to appease the crowd!