Last year at PixlBIt, I wrote up a quick last-minute gift guide. You may have seen it. If you didn't, just click here.

Nintendo didn’t have the most even release schedule in 2011.  A year that could be characterized as lacking in terms of software releases was capped off by a small barrage of marquee releases in the form of Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. 

It's the holiday season and as such, more and more deals are being released. Sony announced that the PSP will get a new bundle, set to be released on November 15, and Nintendo revealed new DSi XL bundles that will be available on November 6.

The second South Park game for XBLA has finally been revealed. This will be the final part of the exclusive deal between Microsoft and South Park Digital Studios that was unveiled two years ago. The first game, South Park: Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! had a decent showing among reviewers, with a Metacritic of 72. While that game featured Stan, Kenny, Cartman, and Kyle in a tower defense setting, the new game is something much, much different.

It’s been a while since Nintendo has given 3DS owners a good reason to visit the Nintendo eShop, but that looks to change this week with a couple of fantastic releases this week.

Nintendo has made an official announcement, revealing a major price drop to their latest platform, the Nintendo 3DS. Beginning August 12, Nintendo's 3D handheld will be marked down from $249.99 to $169.99. Alongside the change in price, Nintendo revealed plans to reward those who buy the 3DS and use the Nintendo eShop once before August 11, 11:59 pm EST.

A concert series celebrating the 25-year legacy of the Legend of Zelda series was announced at E3 2011, and today Nintendo announced the first one will be held on October 21 at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. Starting at $35, tickets for the L.A. concert are being sold through Ticketmaster beginning August 1.

In a brief NIS press release today, the company confirmed that Cave Story 3D has been officially delayed. The game will no longer make its late summer release date, instead it will be available in North America on the 3DS on November 8, 2011. Additional game improvements "to enhance gameplay" are currently holding up the release, but according to Jack Nilda of NIS America, the "changes are in the small details ... but [they] need to make sure the game is done right."

Now appearing each Thursday, the weekly Nintendo Download update now includes entries to the new eShop found on the 3DS. Being the first week of the new format, Nintendo has made some tweaks to their format and have released some significant titles to make a big splash this week. Donkey Kong, originally released on the Gameboy has made its way to the 3DS Virtual Console for $3.99, while Mega Man 5 from the NES is now available on the Wii's Virtual Console. Gaijin Games' final Bit.Trip game, Bit.Trip Flux, can be demoed on WiiWare for a limited time. For more information on Bit.Trip Flux, be sure to read our review on the game.

Nintendo announced today that their weekly release updates to the Virtual Console, WiiWare, and DSiWare services will no longer be done on Mondays, but instead on Thursdays. The update will now include 3DS Virtual Console games, 3D classics, and original downloadable titles for the Nintendo 3DS. According to Nintendo, this coming Thursday, June 16, will be the first update that includes this new eShop content.

With the eShop coming in just a few days, Nintendo has provided a list of games that won't be transferable to the 3DS from the DSi. According to Nintendo's official support page, there will be eleven titles that won't make the cut.

This week's Nintendo Download brings the brand new title Fast - Racing League from Shin'en Multimedia, known for their work on the Nanostray series from the DS and the well-received Jett Rocket WiiWare title. The racing game is in the vein of the F-Zero and Wipeout series from Nintendo and Sony respectively and is available for 1,000 Wii Points ($10). Bit.Trip Void is this week's featured demo and third entry in the now complete Bit.Trip series.

This week from Nintendo you have the option to either pretend to fish, play a word search, lead a pack of meerkats or dance along with a bunch of monsters.

While things have been slow as of late on the weekly Monday Nintendo Download, this week shakes things up, bringing two titles of interest on two different platforms.

This week in the Download, Nintendo delivers the first adventure of Mega Man X alongside several new titles.

Today, Iwata keynoted the Game Developer's Conference on the challenges of development and producing social experiences that are "Must Have." While the speech was largely intended for developers, Reggie Fils-Aime took the stage to reveal various bits of information about the 3DS.

Seemingly "getting the memo" from fans, Nintendo has continued to provide WiiWare demos in this week's Nintendo Download. Players can sample both Lit from Wayforward Technologies and Urbanix from Nordcurrent.