Okay, last batch of photos from the events that already happened and aren’t really news anymore pile.

The ongoing Mario Kart Wii Driving School Tour made a stop in Las Vegas last month, and as video game related events are a somewhat rare local occurrence, we thought it’d be fun to go check things out.

I met up with Josh and his son Corbin, and the three of us drove downtown to the Fremont Street Experience, where the Nintendo crew had set up for the day.

The rest of the goods, after the jump.
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On the weekend of March 29th, Adam and I spent a day at the Amusement Showcase International, a coin-up vendors’ convention held here in Las Vegas. While Street Fighter IV, the primary reason for our attendance, wasn’t anywhere to be seen, we did come across a pleasant surprise or two.

Adam’s much more timely account of the event can be found on his site, and my own assortment of ASI photos, a month after any of this may have possibly been news, after the cut.
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Here’s the line at one of the flagship Gamestop stores here in town. While there are more people standing out front than I remember at the Halo3 launch, that may be partially due to Gamestop being the only shop in the area holding a midnight release. On Halo3 night, everyone was open.

As for me, I just dropped by to grab pictures. Too many games on the play list right now to consider adding another. Hell, I haven’t even unwrapped Lost Odyssey.

A bit last minute, just found out about the show from Adam this morning:

The public is invited to try cutting-edge arcade games before they even appear in local entertainment centers! The Amusement Showcase International is pleased to announce that for the first time in its history, it will open its doors to the public on its final show day, Saturday, March 29, from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Members of the public who attend will be the first outside of the industry to try exciting new games from well-known arcade companies. Tournament play will be available on many new games with prizes awarded to the highest scores of the day. Local Las Vegas celebrities will be attending to compete in a special celebrity tournament with prizes going to their favorite charities.

“We want to give the public a chance to try the newest, hottest games on the market,” said Michael Rudowicz, President of the American Amusement Machine Association, which sponsors ASI. “The consumer’s opinion of the new games is important to the game manufacturers as well as to the buyers who attend the show. Who better to help an entertainment center operator choose which new games to buy than the people who will be playing them?”

Public admission to ASI is available only on Saturday, March 29, from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $10 per person. Children under 10 are free. Registration will close at 3 p.m.

Pre-registration is recommended. Please click here to download a registration form.

The Amusement Showcase International will be located in the lower level of the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall S1. ASI is the annual spring trade show for distributors, operators, manufacturers and suppliers of coin- operated amusements, music and games.