Big news today from Nintendo's E3 press conference at the Nokia Theater -- Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime announced that their new console Wii U will arrive in 2012. more ›

Malls across America are locking down Cinnabons in heightened anticipation of tomorrow's "Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience" debut. Now in season, the hands-on Wii demonstrations and Nintendo DSi sampling stations will be abloom in mall ecosystems everywhere, set up to show would-be present-buyers and would-be-present-openers about their need for Nintendo. more ›

The demo room at Nintendo's Redwood City offices got a charmingly patchwork makeover by Los Angeles video game artists i am 8-bit last week. Decorated in cloth and burlap, felt and buttons, iconic mushrooms and, of course, yarn, the anticipated Kirby's Epic Yarn for Wii was on display with gush-worthy cuteness, pleasing musical tinklings, shape-shifting transformations, and all the precision textiles of Patch Land you can expect on Oct. 17 when the game is released. more ›

For those who are handier with a Wiimote than a spatula, the Food Network and Namco Bandai have an upcoming release for the Wii that might be of interest. "Cook or Be Cooked!" is a game designed to closely mimic real-life cooking actions (minus the tasty results...we're not that Jetsons yet!) using Food Network-approved recipes you can duplicate in your kitchen once you've mastered the game. more ›

A rainbow over Burbank/ Photo by Julie Wolfson/LAist more ›

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Hasbro and Universal have announced a new collaboration, "Monolpoly", the movie. The project will be produced and possibly directed by Ridley Scott. In a time when foreclosures are on the front page of every newspaper, it will be fascinating to see how screenwriter Scott and Pamela Pettler adapt the iconic real-estate board game into a big screen extravaganza. "Monopoly" has also found a new home in video games with the EA's recent release of "Monopoly" for Wii, PS2, PS3, and Xbox. Several other board game to the big screen projects are in development. We'd like to see "Candyland" the musical. more ›

what with all the booth babes and swag bags and throngs of gamers huddled outside the LA Convention Center chomping at the bit for a taste of the next Soul Calibur or Resident Evil or Final Fantasy. But that isn’t to say that the entire industry is at a loss for its bespectacled past. In fact, the reinvented, invite-only E3 (as of 2007) and the creation of E for All (which welcomes the public) is highly indicative of the scope of the gaming world. So its hard to argue that the industry is more popular now than it ever was. That being said, read on to find out the highlights of this year’s E3.
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Last Wednesday, LAist headed over to Childrens Hospital to see the presentation of new Nintendo and Starlight Fun Centers featuring Wii and to meet Mario. Watching the patients swing around their new Wii remotes put a big smile on the face of everyone in the room. more ›

This past week, LAist got a chance to travel up to San Francisco to check out the Game Developers Conference. GDC is universally known as one of the most fun and exciting of the industry's gatherings, where publishers, press, and lecture attendees convene to discover the latest in gaming technology. This year we got to see a ton of kickass stuff, including an exclusive look at the new Street Fighter title from Capcom and a drunken jaunt on the Wii Fit. Check out more photos from GDC after the jump. more ›

Just in time for the release one of the most anticipated titles for the Wii this year, the folks over at Nintendo are staging a regional tournament for fans of Super Smash Brothers Brawl, the game that just recently shattered Wii sales records in Japan. According to our sources, the first 256 people who show up at the Orpheum theater downtown will have a chance to fight to the finish in an attempt to claim the regional championship title. All regional winners will face off in a championship tournament in New York wherein the finalists will battle for a crystal-coated Wii and a home theater system from Best Buy. So if you've ever wanted to chance to see Pikachu kick the simultaneous asses of Mario and Luigi, head downtown this Saturday. Doors open at 3pm. more ›

Another week in February, another Q1 with not many greatly anticipated games. But at least there's always news. This week around the internets, we've learned a few cool things that may pique some interest out there. Check out some news, game releases, and other info for this week after the jump. more ›

As you might have guessed, we're pretty big into gaming over at my house -- our console set-up includes the both generations of the Xbox, not one but TWO PS2's (one for the living room, one for the bedroom), a Dell XPS with a wide-screen monitor (for PC gaming), a Nintendo Gamecube, a Nintendo 64, an SNES, and a Gameboy -- oh, and possibly a Sony PSP floating around somewhere. Our 50" big-screen is optimized for the best gaming experience, with surround-sound Bose speakers and wireless networking. more ›

Photo by Tom Andrews via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
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LA is a gadget kind of town. We’re also, it seems, swiftly becoming quite the literary town. And so, as the year draws nigh and you scramble around the city trying to score the latest whatever for your loved ones this holiday season, it would be wrong of us to ignore Kindle. more ›

Holidays have you indulging a little more than usual? Just in time for those New Year resolutions and post-holiday diets, the Wii Fit is expected to be released in North America in January. Released earlier this month in Japan, Wii Fit sold over a quarter million units in the first week. The game was designed for families to exercise with activities like stretching, yoga, step aerobics, push ups, jogging and much more. The additional system to the Wii console uses a pressure-sensitive platform called the Balance Board which players stand on, hop or press against. The platform can measure an individual's weight, body mass index and tracks the information to show your results over time. The Nintendo site states that activities focus more towards working out the "core," emphasizing slower, controlled motions.
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• Want a Wii this holiday season? Well toooooo fuckin bad. The best you can hope for is a rain check certificate that will entitle you to a console at some point in January. Even the Wii people themselves are now admitting what a mess they've made of manufacturing this thing.
• Two members of a terrorist cell have pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to wage war: the splinter group was "was poised to attack military sites, synagogues and other targets" in Southern California. The two men face 20-25 years in prison.
• Oh noes! The hipsters will be so dry now! The DWP will be draining Elysian Park and Silver Lake reservoirs because of high levels of toxic chemicals in the water.
• Gas prices soar, consumer inflation also goes up: "Consumer Price Index rose 0.8 percent last month, the biggest one-month increase since a 1.2 percent surge in September 2005, when the country was hit by rising energy costs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina."
• It's the PLAGUE!!! Actually, no, it's just the flu, and a child in the Valley is the first to be diagnosed this season. Get your flu shots! Unless you're like me and treat every illness with a few stiff shots of whiskey.
• Rhino Records is open again! Not at their storied Westwood location (sniff sniff), but they're operating a "pop-up" store during the month of December only over at Third and Fairfax.
• A "guns-for-gifts" exchange will be held tomorrow in Compton: "People turning in a gun to sheriff's personnel will receive a $50 gift card to Best Buy, Home Depot, Ralphs or Target. $100 gift cards will be given for each of the first 50 guns turned in. About 400 guns were turned in at a similar exchange in 2005".
• Conan O'Brien and NBC are getting sued...by a bodybuilder...over a Clay Aiken gay joke. Do we live on the moon or something? Oh no, that's right -- Hollywood.
• Midnight Ridazz are doing an all-city Bring-A-Toy-For-Charity bike ride tonight. Check their website for details.

In Which we Discover how the Golden Girls helped make stuff we like Have you ever written anything? I don't mean like a letter or a note, but something long, something good. Sure, you think you could. A lot of people do. But unless you're actually writing something, you're not a writer. Writing is really time consuming. It's not just about fun and ideas. It's about forcing yourself to sit down, get off the phone,... more ›

1. The Obvious- My parents and sister are the most important people in the world to me. They support me in every boneheaded endeavor I partake in, and believe me, there are tons. It's astonishing how many, actually. 2. My friends. Once again, totally obvious. Once again, they're totally awesome. Much love to Porter House, SLC, Shalhevet, AU, and everyone who fits into all, some, or none of those categories. World rockers, each and every... more ›

In a stunning accusation of a crime that in most circles is tantamount to treason, former White House mouthpiece Scott McClellan claims that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Karl Rove and others were all in on outting 20-year CIA agent Valerie Plame. Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan blames President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for efforts to mislead the public about the role of White House aides in leaking the identity... more ›

What do you get when you mix a sponsor (AOL Spinner), a holiday (Halloween), a label (DefJux), and a DJ (Juggaknot's DJ Boo)? Of course, a free mixtape. Peep: DJ Boo - The Definitive Jux Halloween Candy Before Dinner Mixtape [DOWNLOAD] Tracklist: Aesop Rock, 'Citronella' El-P, 'Smithereens' Rob Sonic, 'Rock The Convoy' Junk Science,'Do It Easy' Hangar 18, 'West Wing' Rob Sonic, 'Dead As Disco' Junk Science, 'Hey!' Hangar 18, 'Bakin' Soda' Junk Science, 'Jerry... more ›

Who isn't a Halo fan-boy at this point *cough* me, 'cause I heart my trusty Wii, but maybe I could still get down with some Halo-the-movie live action phun. Description: Fans of Halo eagerly await the feature film version of the hugely popular Xbox game from Microsoft and its subsidiary Bungie. Neill Blonkamp will make his directorial debut from a script by Alex Garland (The Beach). Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as... more ›

Ninitendo Wii demonstration units at the 2007 E for All Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center Nintendo extended an invitation for a female writer from LAist to meet Perrin Kaplan , VP of Marketing for Nintendo at the E for All Expo. I sent my R.S.V.P. and planned to check out the latest games and technology that Nintendo has to offer. Now I should tell you that I know next to nothing about... more ›

A Venice-based organization has ended their efforts to bring NFL running back Ricky Williams to Los Angeles. The group, known as Wii'd, likes to get high and play Madden 2007 on days that end in "y." Williams, who was a college standout at Texas, has a strained relationship with the NFL due to his close relationship with Mary Jane. He recently applied to the league for reinstatement. That caused people in Denver to put... more ›

Dan "Shoe" Hsu knows video games. As the Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the most popular magazines in the world of gaming, it's part of his job. Shoe, 35, first dove into video game coverage in 1996. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in Statistics, he sent query letters to 30 different organizations in the rapidly-growing industry. "I was looking for a job, any job in the game industry," Shoe recalls. EGM editor Joe Funk, impressed with Shoe's query letter, called him up and offered him a job as a games reviewer. Shoe took over the EIC job six years ago, and has steered the publication through some of the most exciting developments in gaming history, including the launch of the Playstation 2, the Xbox and the Wii. more ›

If you happen to find yourself driving around at 11pm tonight, you'll likely see long lines of (mostly) men standing outside of Best Buys, EB Games and Gamestops all over greater Los Angeles. Do not be alarmed. It's just the hardcore gaming faithful lining up to claim their midnight copies of Halo 3, the biggest video game of the year. For the completely uninitiated, Halo is the sci-fi shooter franchise that is basically the... more ›

Update: tonight's screening at the Arclight is a special presentation with a Q&A with the director Seth Gordon afterwards. The film will then show tomorrow at the Nuart thru the 23rd. more ›

It seems like only yesterday when those few lucky thousand were unwrapping what would soon be the new standard in video games. All the excitement and glee surrounding the Nintendo Wii was phenomenal; wireless, infrared-sensored controls? Amazing! I know I had to show everyone who came over how much cooler it was to play tennis on a screen rather than in real life. However, a few weeks later, the thrill sort of died down,... more ›

Here are a few choice picks for your gaming pleasure, courtesy of the good people at Gamespot: Nintendo Wii Mario Strikers Charged (Sports) Nintendo DS Picross DS (Puzzle) Sony Playstation Portable Brave Story: New Traveler (Role-Playing) World Championship Cards (Strategy) PC Combat Mission: Shock Force (Strategy) Ride! Carnival Tycoon (Strategy) MAC Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Adventure) Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (Strategy) Photo by DsWii via flickr... more ›

Transformers: The Game Travellers Tales X-Box 360, PS2, PS3, PC, Wii Possibly the biggest of all the summer movies is the Michael Bay giant robot extravaganza, Transformers. And, as with all Hollywood popcorn movies, there is a new video game to go with the flick. The creatively titled “Transformers: The Game” is, unfortunately, a typical movie game. Short, with crappy controls, and just a little bit of fun, that saves it from totally sucking.... more ›

After a good two weeks of bragging about being the first reviewers to test the God|Jesus|fuckme|iPhone, at least WSJ's Walt Mossberg and the NYT's David Pogue had the courtesy to post decent video reviews. Both reviewers did their best to avoid extreme gushing, while failing to really criticize the device. In fact, both are quick to blame AT&T's EDGE network for sucking without explaining why the iPhone does not connect to AT&T's faster networks... more ›