With a price cut confirmed, the 3DS’ real test begins now

Nintendo’s decision to cut the price of the 3DS from $250 to $170, effective immediately, took a lot of us by surprise, but to damn them immediately as consigning the console to the landfill would be to misinterpret what they’re doing. If you recall, the 3DS’ premium price point was our own fault in the first place, because we’d received the console so warmly at E3 in 2010. Perhaps Nintendo were stretching our fondness of the console a bit much, but in cutting the price to what was probably the originally planned price point they’ve shown a lot of humility, especially in what they’ve given their early adopters as means of an apology.

SG Flix: Cars 2

Where did it all go wrong? In their second toe-dip into the tricky currents of the sequel, Pixar have successfully sent Cars headlong into the nearest crash barrier. Appetising looks and sumptuous attention to detail can’t hide the wafer-thin storytelling and beyond-necessary expansion of the pre-existing universe. Want to know just what they got wrong? Read on, fellow disappointed filmgoers.

SG Flix: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Ten years, eight films, $1 billion of expenditure and $7 billion of revenue after it all began, the Harry Potter movie series brings itself to a close with this most final of final films, The Deathly Hallows Part 2… HP7.5 (as it shall not be known, at all, by anyone, ever) completes the mother of all wrap-ups as J.K. Rowling’s famed wizard takes on his greatest enemy to save wizards and ordinary folk alike once and for all.

Note: This review will contain some spoilers from the end of Part One.

“News of the World” scandal deepens as two US detectives arrested

The News Corporation hacking scandal currently rocking the world’s media and social networks took a turn for the worst today when two private investigators were arrested for links to British newspaper The News of the World. The tabloid newspaper was shut down last weekend in response to allegations of the hacking of voicemails belonging to celebrities and ordinary folk alike. Oddly, the two investigators are located not only on a different continent from the NotW‘s home, but at opposite ends of the country they share.

SG Hands-On: Journey

When was the last time you played a game just for the journey? There’s always another star to get in LA Noire, another skillshot to master in Bulletstorm and one last treasure to find in Uncharted. These are three games that, certainly, have a journey to them but ultimately still feel tied into the realm of gaming through one constraint or another.

Journey, from flOw and Flower developers thatgamecompany, is attempting to buck that trend with a game that offers no HUD, no points, no waypoint markers and no online multiplayer with a party of friends. Join me for a little journey of our own as I tackle the European beta.

SG Hands-On: F1 2011

Fresh from Wednesday’s F1 2011 preview event in London, Captain Average and I have dug up the dirt and talked the talk with the team at Codemasters responsible for creating what they’re calling the most complete Formula 1 game yet produced: something not easily disputed when F1 2010 sold over 2 million copies and won a BAFTA gong here in good old Blighty. Cap’s covering everything that’s new to the game’s structure in a separate article, from new modes and features to how the multiplayer works, but I’m here to tell you about how the thing drives. Hint: terrifyingly well.

SG Flix: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Shall we start with the good news? Transformers: Dark of the Moon is probably the least offensive movie of the franchise. There’s no overtly racist stereotypes – some Scottish and English transforming NASCARs are about as much as Michael Bay dares to stretch it this time around – fewer puerile sex jokes and absolutely zero robot wrecking ball testicles. The other good news? The plot’s okay, the cars are still very shiny and things blow up as per usual.

That there is the Transformers-style review of DotM. If you want the full-fat treatment, skip on over and have a read of a review that frankly gives the film far more credit than it probably deserves.

PSN Extended Network Instareward Service enhances Welcome Back package

PlayStation 3 and PSP owners, you’d best be quick if you want to grab your free stuff from the PlayStation Network Welcome Back pack! The complimentary offers of games and free PlayStation Plus were rolled out by Sony following the now-infamous hack of the PSN earlier this year. Offerings included WipEout HD, Infamous, LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty, a collection of games of admirable quality. Despite the excellency of the available games, you wouldn’t be alone in questioning the age of some of these games, some of which are older than time itself.

You’d be right to question it too, because Sony’s been holding off on the real Welcome Back pack for ages and will roll it out following the closure of the current Welcome Back service this Sunday.