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You want more positive 3DS stories? Here’s one for you, plucked fresh from the baking tray! WhileNubageddonscours the land and reaps the souls of children, evil publisher Activision has come out in support of Nintendo’scircle pad add-on, calling it a great move. “It does make the hardware more relevant and compatible to the style of games we make,” said publishing boss Eric Hirshberg. “I don’t have anything to announce in relation to that, but I think it was a great move and it opens up that platform to more styles of games....

The “Horse Armor” downloadable content forThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivionhas become notorious as the premier example of bad DLC. It’s a pointless waste of money that gives something totally useful to a non-character you’ll barely use. And amazingly … people arestillfalling for it in the year 2011. “In one respect everything we’ve done has done well, including the much maligned horse armor,” revealed Pete Hines. “I swear to you — I don’t have the report in front of me, but multiple people bought horse armour yesterday!...

Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter predicts that Nintendo’s Q1 sales were $3.91 billion, just ahead of the second quarter financial results expected July 30th. His predictions are even higher that Nintendo’s own. He says that Nintendo’s “performance has been spectacular,” and believes that the Wii and DS will sell even better in 2009 than they will this year. There’s no stopping them! Pachter also had a bit to say about Nintendo’s lack of core game announcements at their E3 press conference this year, according toGamasutra....

Proving that parents trulydohave their priorities sorted out,a recent surveyhas shown that child spawners are more concerned aboutGrand Theft Autothan alcohol or pornography. It seems that, when given a single choice of what they’d least like their children to experience at a sleepover,GTAtook precedence over porn and booze. Marijuana topped the poll, conducted by What They Play, with 49% of parents choosing it as their object of fear. 19% picked videogames, while 16% answered with pornography, and a mere 14% went with one that can cause family-destroying chemical dependency, liver damage and arguably more deaths than pot, porn and videogames combined....

After a few confusing twists and turns, Tara Long and I finally got to take a crack atBattleBlock Theater. The game has a very classic feel to it. In days of old, developers couldn’t make games that included 2D platforming, first-person shooter segments, and massive cut scenes. Instead, they had to take one central gameplay mechanic, and attempt to use in as many ways possible to keep things interesting. That’sBattleBlock Theaterin a nutshell....

I’m still a little unsure about the Scott Pilgrim movie. I love the creative team behind it, but seeing the comic’s characters in live action just looks wrong. Just as a live-action Charlie Brown movie probably wouldn’t work, this live-action Scott Pilgrim thing may not sit 100% well with me. The Scott Pilgrim videogame, on the other hand? That’s a lock, on basis of the creative team alone. The game will follow the storyline of the comics, and will retain the same iconic character designs found there as well....

[Peripherally Speaking is a new series of reviews in which we take a look at hardware and peripherals designed to improve the gaming experience, from handheld accessories to home console enhancements.] We all know the story with handheld gaming platforms. They look sleek, they look stylish, but they also look about as fragile as an eggshell in a nest of newspaper. Portable gaming systems inevitably suffer from scuffs, scratches and worse over time, which is why many companies have stepped in like chivalrous knights to provide a protective answer to our woes and, of course, cash in on our paranoia....

Now here is a damn good idea. Usually, if a girl wants to come over to your house, you have to put her off for at least a little while to find a place to hide your dirty underwear, plates of uneaten food, issues ofBarely Legaland stacks of scrap articles compiling the history ofStar Trekfrom Shatner to Bakula. But with this helpful article fromRacketboy, you can make even your most shameful fanboy love into a slick piece of not so humiliating art....

[Editor’s note: NihonTiger90 talks about howplaying as himselfin videogames help keep his dreams alive. — CTZ] Dreams, we all have them. Some are way far out there and some are very realistic. Over time, they can kind of get lost or shot down, mostly because situations change and expectations change along with them. I’m no different; many of my childhood dreams have either come true (going to Japan, for example) while others have not (still not the bestMario Kartplayer on planet Earth or even close)....

This new Pokemon’s name is Yanappu. He looks to me like a broccoli-flavored palette swap forDiamond and Pearl‘s Chimchar. Fine by me. Chimchar kicks ass, and I love broccoli. It’s a win-win. It could get eve n better though. If there’ a new chicken Pokemon, I’m totally pairing it with Yanappu for a delicious tag team. They may not win every match, but their tastiness will be undeniable. OK, now I’m hungry....

GameStop has just announced that pre-orderingMadden NFL 10for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 will net its customers an exclusive demo of the title. The demo will features four five-minute quarters, with the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers as the playable teams. Codes for the pre-order demo will hit stores by July 15, and the demo is slated to go live by the end of July. Not surprisingly, Electronic Art’sMadden NFLis one of GameStop’s biggest seller, year after year....

If you’re like me, then you’ll probably find most extreme sports to be, well, boring. I’m in no way saying that the people that perform in these sports are talentless, as it takes a lot of skill to do what they do. It just doesn’t interest me. So I wasn’t looking too forward to trying outSnowboard Riotat Hudson’s offices last week. That is, until I found out you’re able to blow people up in this game....

A new puzzling adventure featuring everyone’s favorite top hat-wearing sleuth comes out this weekend on the Nintendo DS. Above, you’ll find the launch trailer forProfessor Layton and the Unwound Future. I still haven’t finishedDiabolical Box, so I’m way behind on these. But I’m still going to wind up gettingUnwound Futurein spite of this because it isLaytonand I can’t refuse. Damn that charming Brit! I wish we had one of those on our staff to be smugly intellectual and make me feel dumb....