Those who bought a Nintendo 3DS may wonder why their system — which perfectly allows for online gaming — hasn’t got any online games. Crucially, they may wonder why a multiplayer-focused release likeStar Fox 64 3Dis local only. Well, apparently the most profitable company of this generation didn’t have time and couldn’tafforda multiplayer feature. As is typical of a Nintendo rep, Yusuke Amano tried to make it look like analtruisticdecision, claiming they wanted it to be far too amazing, thus too expensive: “… Just making multiplayer parts of existing games playable online isn’t enough to create a satisfying experience for users....

Good timing, tinyBuildGAMES. Very good timing. On this groggiest of groggy Mondays, I’ve been given a quick shot of adrenaline in the form of a new video forNo Time To Explain. The PC and Mac platformer still looks as if it’ll tear our souls apart, but it’s become increasingly clear to me that the game will do checkpoints appropriately. At least, that’s the vibe I’ve been getting from these trailers thus far....

As expected, there’s a ridiculous amount of panels planned for PAX Prime 2010 and all of the usual companies have a presence at the show. Basically, you’ll need mad planning skills and an army of clones to see everything that’s even mildly worth checking out. First,the full schedule. Notice how even though you’re scrolling furiously, the page continues to go on and on almost endlessly. Now, take a look at the exhibitor list/exhibition floor map,viewable herein ....

[As originally posted onJapanator] So Namco is going to be introducing a lot of new features inSoulcalibur IV. They know there’s going to be some information overload, so the good folks at Namco have releasedthis very helpful manga guidethat details how the game works and some of the new features that will be introduced into the game. The manga stars newcomer, andgood lookin’ gal, Princess Hilde Wolfkrone along with veteran, and also good lookin’ gal, Cassandra Alexandra....

Sad news forStar Foxfans — in an interview with G4, the original creator ofStar Fox, Dylan Cuthbert, says that he’s not interested in making a newStar Foxgame for at least 10 years. The reason he gives is that it would be too big of a project and would require a huge staff, and it’s just not something that his company Q-Games really wants to do. What’s far more interesting about the interview is what he has to say about Miyamoto and Nintendo....

Alex, global PR forMad Catz, is PR incarnate. The man is brilliant to interview with more energy and enthusiasm than you’re able to shake a stick at. Once I saw him at theMad Catzbooth here at PAX Prime, I knew we needed to do another interview. Alex takes some time to tell us all about the new limited editionCall of Duty: Black OpsTRITTON headsets with a run down of everything from pricing to specifications while Alex and I do our very best hostess impressions complete with ‘Oos’ and ‘ahhhs’....

[Update: Since it was unclear, the article has been slightly altered to reflect the fact thatBarnacle Bayis not a full expansion likeThe Sims 3 Late Night.] Just yesterday whenwe posted about TheSims4.com(and TheSims7.com…), a few of you wondered how it was possible Electronic Arts could be thinking about a sequel. I mean, there’s been less than 10 expansion packs forThe Sims 3, right? Don’t worry, they’re working on it. Today,The Sims 3 Barnacle Baydownloadable content was announced....

Podtoid 161 records tomorrow, and I promise that I will try and keep more of a balance between videogames and bullshit this week. Yes, Max and I spent far too long talking about having sex with wheels and putting eggs up our arses. We’ll try and be better behaved this week. Or will we? In any case, we’ll need listener questions to keep us ticking, so ask away!

Since ournormal chick countis down by one (Colette is off doing girl things), tonight’s recording of Podtoid 17 will be an all-out sausage fest. It’s raining men y’all! That’s right, it’s Nex, Aaron, Ron and myself changing the face of video game podcasts one episode at a time and swinging our man sword around like we just don’t care. As usual, we want your questions and comments. So please, leave us a bunch of good questions that we can answer on thePodtoidand make you Internet famous....

GameStop is offering in-game item bonuses with pre-orders forDragon Age: Origins. According to GameStop’sofficial Web site, people who pre-order the upcoming BioWare RPG will receive two in-game items: The Memory Ring and The Feral Wolf Charm. The ring, as it’s described, will net players experience points bonuses. The charm — considered a GameStop exclusive — will give armor a statistical boost and increase health regeneration. It is not known if the items will be useful for the entirety of the game....

The nextSpider-Manadventure will see Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 working together through time in order to fix a timestream gone awry. When Spider-Man 2099 is fighting an evil scientist, the madman somehow gets sent back through time where he proceeds to ensure a better and brighter future for himself. As a result, the future of New York is completely changed and no one knows any better except for Spider-Man 2099....

If you turn on your Xbox 360 today, be warned that you’ll need to sit patiently through a dashboard update for five minutes. You have now been warned. The biggest feature of the updateis PayPal, which has been added as a new billing option. Now it’s never been easy to buy the hot new indie game that everybody’s talking about,Spanker’s Army. If you’re not a PayPal fan, then the most significant change for you is the fact that the fonts will look a little big smoother....

GameStop has come out declaring that 2008 is the year that they start to appeal more to the casual gamer. To quote Daniel DeMatteo, Chief Operating Officer of GameStop, “Honestly, we are having to retool the way we think of things in our stores in terms of merchandising, layout and also customer service because it is no longer only the hardcore gamer walking in who knows exactly what he wants.”...