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Following the release of some information about the Wii earlier today, Nintendo of America announced three promotions in their executive team. The company's president, Tatsumi Kimishima, became chairman of the board and CEO; Reggie Fils-Aime, the executive vice president of Sales & Marketing became president and chief operating officer; and Mike Fukuda, the senior vice president of Business Development became the executive vice president of Business Development.

What does this mean for gamers? Probably nothing right now. But who knows? Maybe as COO, Reggie will turn Nintendo of America into

EA unveiled their E3 list today. With 8 titles under the EA Games brand, 2 under the EA Sports brand, and some possible surprises, EA's lineup is pretty darn big. But as far as we're concerned, only the games that are truly innovative count. And this year's big innovator from EA has to be Spore. The full list, after the jump.

LucasArts announced their plan to release of LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy for the 2006 American International Toy Fair in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (the working title) was created by TT Games, developed by Traveller's Tales and is set to be released for the public in the fall of this year for all current seven gaming platforms (Nintendo DS, Windows, PlayStation 2, PSP, GameBoy Advance, GameCube, and Xbox).

[image:350 align=left hspace=10 vspace=10 size=medium]Since the Hollywood hit, Fast and the Furious hit the theaters there has been an explosion of street racing media that teenage kids have been absorbing like a sponge on water. Yet, as the scene starts to age a bit kids are getting tired of the same repetitive tuner games. So the Need For Speed series starts to drift back towards its previous theme and away from the Underground ambiance. In this game EA holds the racing during the daytime and showboats impressive lighting effects, well developed car models, and brings the police back into the mix.

Ubisoft recently unveiled its plans for a fourth Splinter Cell game titled, Splinter Cell 4: Double Agent. Sam Fisher returns to really beat a dead horse, as he sneaks around, fights terrorism, and ultimately saves the world. However, the game's developers have put a new twist on the series with Double Agent, and are making it out to be a very dark and gloomy looking game.

Can't quite get enough cash together to go for the next generation consoles? We understand and we're here for you. Here is a quick run down for all those who want to squeeze as much game time as possible out of the current generation consoles.

[image:234 hspace=5 align=left size=medium]King Kong, the game based on Peter Jackson’s new film, is truly a wonder to behold. The game is split into two different scenarios, each with a different feel to it. In one of these scenarios, you play as Jack, the main character from the film, in a first person shooter mode that puts a new twist on the genre. What sets this portion of King Kong apart from all other FPS games is the lack of a health bar or an ammo count on the screen. All you see is your weapon and raw action unfolding in front of you. The game's clever audio, instead, keys you into how much health and ammo you have remaining. Jack will say something out loud like, "I have about 40 bullets left in this clip." This makes the game seem incredibly dramatic and adds an unprecendented level of realism to the game.

I know what you’re probably thinking. "Another racing game? They're all the same, who cares?" Well, hold on one second, especially street racing fans. Need For Speed Most Wanted (NFSMW), is a continuation of the Need for Speed street racing series. Gamers can purchase visual upgrades, performance upgrades, and enter races in an effort to build the ultimate rap sheet. The performance and visual upgrades, although similar to those of the previous Need for Speed games, will be more diverse.

Where does this game differ from the previous Need for Speed Underground games? The main answer to that question is the presences of cops. Cops will often pursue you during the race and you must utilize the environment, your ride, and your wit to outsmart them and make your escape. There is not only a stress on being the fastest racer, but also the most notorious and (henceforth) 'most wanted' street racer.

[image:152 align=left hspace=5]Ever notice the attention people get when they bring a custom built PC to a LAN Party or Network Tournament? Well, we all know that you can't exactly custom build consoles like you can PC's. But Gamer Graffix is a new company allowing gamers of all platforms (even mobiles like PSP and GBA) to "skin" there consoles and add some flare to their device.

[image:154 align=right hspace=5]The skins usually cost around $20 and are avalaible for Xbox, PS2, PS2 Slim, PSP, Gamecube, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS. Gamer Graffix soon hopes to expand to provide skins for cell phones. They currently have several different themes and styles of skins including Elemental, 50 Cent, Tribal Flames, and Leopard Skin.

Need For Underground 2 (NFSU2) is almost exactly what I have been waiting for. I enjoyed the street racing scene complimented by the high energy music of the first game and I am very content with the improvements and adjustments they have made.

Over the last few years, Tom Clancy, a novelist and a spy-geek god, has been making it impossible for anyone to even try to make a realistic game. The Splinter Cell series is no exception to the rule that Tom Clancy will own your world. The series features Sam Fisher who is sent in by a government organization to be a modern day ninja. I can hear the geeks squealing in delight from here. In the newest and third installment of the series, Chaos Theory, Sam Fisher must keep the world from ending.

Mario, Final Fantasy, Crash Bandicoot and Metriod. Those are some of the most acclaimed video game series in the history of games. Can anyone else come out with a series that can compete with these titles? Last fall Ubisoft came out with that game. It all started about 13 years ago when a game came out for the PC that revolutionized the adventure genre. That game was the original Prince of Persia. Two more lack-luster games came out in the series and if Ubisoft didn’t do this game right, it could have been the last game in the series. Not only did Ubisoft do this game well—this game rocks, pure and simple.

EA Games is releasing another James Bond game that never had origins as a movie. Everything or Nothing is scheduled for release on February 10 for Playstation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. The game will have many features new to the James Bond games including a new third person perspective. EA also promises exciting missions that take the player to exotic locations like Egypt and Moscow.

When I picked up the box for the first time, I wanted to scream with joy. I had been waiting a very long time for this game and I’m thrilled at what Ubisoft has produced. The first thing many worry about when they hear to word sequel is if it will match its predecessors. Pandora Tomorrow not only matches but also surpasses the original Splinter Cell on many levels. One of the key improvements is of course, the multiplayer that I cannot get enough of. I would highly recommend investing in Xbox Live even if this is the only game you play on it. If you have Xbox Live, I would highly recommend you get Pandora Tomorrow.