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Nintendo has announced that they will be changing the manufacturer suggested retail price for theirNintendo 3DShandheld worldwide. The gaming system which launched less than five months ago at $249 will be available for a mere $169.99 come August 12. Similar cuts are occurring in Japan, Europe and Australia. Did you catch that? It’s an $80 price cut. That’s almost 30% off of the original asking price for a product that fans and loyalists bought on the promise that great things were coming when nothing has come....

Japanese ragFamitsuhas detailed Nintendo’s May update to the Nintendo 3DS, which will finally bring the3DS eShop— well over a month after the system’s launch. How nice of Nintendo to grant us this favor. As well as the eShop, the 3DS will be able to transfer DSiWare from older systems, so those of you who worried that you’ll lose yourAnimal Crossing Clockcan rest easy! As far as the games go, here’s what’ll be available, at least in Japan, at launch:...

Director Hironobu Sakaguchi and composer Nobuo Uematsu haven’t worked together since (I believe) the rather excellentLost Odyssey, but it has today been confirmed that the two men who made their name with Final Fantasy are once again paired up forThe Last Story. Fans had begun to suspect that the legendary composer was behind the music for this Wii-exclusive RPG, and such instincts have proven correct. We are more or less guaranteed an excellent soundtrack to go along with what’s starting to look like a very promising game....

Strictly console-based,NYCLANaims to redefine what the social, gaming experience is, helping you take your game as far as possible at the same time. If you like LAN parties and a casual atmosphere, there’s something for you. If you’re already a pro, or are looking to become one, you can train here, keep your fingers agile and your skills crazy awesome. The variety of events they offer covers multiple approaches to gaming, and personally reminds me of the best birthday parties I had as a kid:Super Bomberman 2and aMultitapwere all you and your friends needed back in the day....

According toCVG,Media Moleculeand the guys atOfficial PlayStation Magazinein the UK have teamed up to offer a fairly exciting download code to be used withLittleBigPlanet.Included in the packaging of issue 24 will be a code to download a limited-edition Kratos SackBoy, complete with funny face paint, mini-Blades of Chaos (Athena?), and a wicked snarl. If the Kratos SackBoy looks familiar, then you’re one step from being as excited aboutLittleBigPlanetas I am. Kratosis also being offered as DLCfor pre-ordering the game at GameStop in North America....

Industry analyst Michael “slick flesh” Pachter has made perhaps his boldest, most outrageous claim yet. He has suggested that the nextGrand Theft Auto, of all games, has a chance at being the biggest seller in history when it releases. He also believes the next installment will be ready sometime next year. “We fully expect the next installment ofGrand Theft Autoto be released by Q4:12 at the latest, as the company’s contracts with the three employees most instrumental in the game’s development (Les Benzies, Sam and Dan Houser) expire in January 2012,” he states....

I have always been a little bit fussy with Xbox Live Arcade games, and for a long time nothing has really knockedCastle Crashersoff that top spot on my hard drive. But now a challenger appears. I bring youRaskulls,an utterly addictive title for XBLA, complete with Mr. Destructoid as a playable character! Phil Larsen, CMO of Halfbrick, finds some time to chat to us aboutRaskulls, its gameplay, and the challenges of creating a great title with a small development team....

At E3, Sega stated that a trilogy ofAliensgames was coming, withAliens vs. Predatorbeing the first. Despite the fact that we already know the two other games —Aliens: Colonial Marinesand the freshly revealedAliensDS game —IGNandJoystiqsomehow has reason to believe that Obsidian is once again working on the canceledAliensRPG that never saw the light of day. Is this rudderless guesswork on the part of excitable writers, or do they have arealreason to believe Obsidian — the studio currently hard at work onAlpha Protocol— is resurrecting the roleplaying Xenomorph title?...

There’s a new “Greatest Show on Earth” and it ain’t the big top show you’re thinking of. No, the newcircusfeatures PETA and Take-Two Interactive. PETA has called out Take-Two’s CEO Ben Feder, and now they’re working on getting the developer to cease and desist development theirupcomingRingling Bros.titlefor Wii and DS, saysJoystiq. You see, PETA is not a fan of the circus and how this specific one allegedly treats animals. PETA’s blog post points to a “lengthy history of animal abuse and neglect,” and now they’re asking supporters to send their own personal message to Feder viathis handy mail form....

In an interview withGamasutraduring the throes of E3, Peter Moore had a few words about Microsoft’s plan to garner Japan’s interest in the Xbox 360,andmade a surprising comment concerning MS’s stance on handheld gaming. We’ll get to the handheld part later, so first things first. When asked about how Microsoft planned on keeping Japanese interest in the Xbox brand, he had this to say: We’re spending a lot of time with the developers over there, and we’ve got publishing partners working with them to globalize their content to make sure that games likeResident EvilandDevil May Cryfind their home on the platform....

How many times has this happened to you? Publishers Clearing House pulls up to your door with a big check. They come up and ring the doorbell, but as you answer they look down and see your doormat is simply too boring. They turn around and walk away with your big check shaking there heads in dismay. Plenty of times, right? Well, don’t let it happen again withthese badicalPitfalldoormatsfeaturing either a crocodile or scorpion from the game....

Podtoid 152 records tomorrow and as usual, I’m far too busy listening to Peter Gabriel to come up with any content myself. That’s why we need you to give us some topics, otherwise we’ll devolve into singing and talking about cats again. What do you want to ask, for crying out loud? Make use of our handy comment system to make your thoughts known.

When we last leftPortal: Still Alive, we were very unsure as to what the XBLA title would contain. Valve was cool enough to tell us that Achievements were confirmed, but not much else.GameSetWatchwas able to corner Valve’s Doug Lombardi and get a few answers. The game is indeed a standalone version of thePortalsold with theOrange Boxset, with several new levels. These newer levels will not feature any sort of story elements associated with the original game, including GLaDOS’ murmurings....