hudson posts(Subscribe to this feed)
NintendoWare Weekly: Tales of Monkey Island, Bookworm, The Combatribes
If you thought last week's NintendoWare Weekly update was huge, well ... you'll probably think the same thing about this week's update! That's mostly because Nintendo provides quite the overweight offering this time, with a total of ten new titles available for your post-Thanksgiving download. Loosen that belt and make some room for more by heading past the break for the full list of this week's releases.
New Hudson survival horror trailers are Calling
After the break, see another video demonstrating gameplay. Not only can the Wiimote be used to simulate the in-game cell phone, but apparently that phone can be used as a teleportation device? But ... that would only be possible if you were some kind of ghost. We're scared.
Gallery: Calling (Wii)
Diner Dash serves XBLA on Nov. 18

The XBLA version of Diner Dash naturally includes HD-ified graphicals, along with a new multiplayer mode that includes support for up to eight players. The game will allow direct control over protagonist Flo, or the "traditional control scheme," which involves "point-and-click style with hotkeys." All the best to Flo in opening up her diner in the midst of the triple-A retail season ... she's going to need it.
NintendoWare Weekly: LostWinds, Shootanto, Rygar ... Domo

Gallery: Domo games (DSiWare)
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, more PSone Classics rated by the ESRB

The ESRB has exposed a new round of PSone Classics for PS3 and PSP on its ratings site, including Naughty Dog creative director -- and Uncharted creator -- Amy Hennig's 32-bit opus, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Other titles recently rated for re-release via PlayStation network include Bomberman Party Edition, Fighting Force, Dirt Jockey and International Track & Field.
After last week's deluge of classic PlayStation games gone downloadable on PSN, we were befuddled by the utter lack of any new additions with yesterday's update. We could very likely be looking at the next round in the list -- the only question is when Sony will push them out the digital distribution door.
[Thanks, Dylan!]
After last week's deluge of classic PlayStation games gone downloadable on PSN, we were befuddled by the utter lack of any new additions with yesterday's update. We could very likely be looking at the next round in the list -- the only question is when Sony will push them out the digital distribution door.
[Thanks, Dylan!]
Shootanto evolves into a North American WiiWare release

In case you're not familiar with the game (now being called Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem), a game we previously said "looks hilariously ill-conceived and poorly made, and is probably great fun to play and laugh at": it's a shooter about monkeys fighting giant plants and lizardmen. As your monkey progresses through the game, it evolves into a missing-link creature, a caveman, a knight, and finally into a modern soldier. All of whom shoot at lizardmen.
Hudson plans to release the game sometime this fall, and it could find an audience if the company markets it as a B-movie experience. Of course, since it's a WiiWare game, nobody's going to market it at all. If it does manage to become a success, it could lead to more localization of niche Japanese WiiWare games from Hudson. Like the Shootanto sequel!
This Wednesday: Military Madness and Football Genius Bust-a-Move onto XBLA

This week's Xbox Live Arcade lineup is Madness -- Madness, we tell you! Well, okay, so it includes Hudson's revival of the TurboGrafx-16 classic Military Madness, but also two other releases. Still: Madness!
Military Madness: Nectaris takes the hex-map strategy game into the era of polygons and -- better yet -- four-person online play. It's going to run 800
($10), which is considerably less than a used TG-16, a TurboChip (remember those? If so, you're old) and the original game will cost you on eBay.
Another classic strikes back in the form of Bust-A-Move Live, the latest retooling of the bubble-shooting puzzle game that's appeared on every system dating back to the abacus. Did you know it's a spin-off of Bubble Bobble Neo from two weeks back? Well, it is. It's also 800
($10).
Rounding out the bunch -- and making us thankful that every XBLA game has a trial version -- is Football Genius, a football trivia game about that kinda football; otherwise known as "soccer" up in here. We'd give the 800
($10) release a shot ... if our goal was to be bored. (We love you, soccer/footie fans, but c'mon, seriously?)
Military Madness: Nectaris takes the hex-map strategy game into the era of polygons and -- better yet -- four-person online play. It's going to run 800
($10), which is considerably less than a used TG-16, a TurboChip (remember those? If so, you're old) and the original game will cost you on eBay.Another classic strikes back in the form of Bust-A-Move Live, the latest retooling of the bubble-shooting puzzle game that's appeared on every system dating back to the abacus. Did you know it's a spin-off of Bubble Bobble Neo from two weeks back? Well, it is. It's also 800
($10).Rounding out the bunch -- and making us thankful that every XBLA game has a trial version -- is Football Genius, a football trivia game about that kinda football; otherwise known as "soccer" up in here. We'd give the 800
($10) release a shot ... if our goal was to be bored. (We love you, soccer/footie fans, but c'mon, seriously?)Bomberman Live: Battlefest trailer is unexpectedly funky
But there isn't usually a '70s nostalgia element, mostly because Bomberman didn't exist until 1983. Hudson's teaser for Bomberman Live: Battlefest, the new WiiWare/XBLA/PSN Bomberman party game, adds a lovely anachronistic touch not usually seen in Bomberman marketing. And also a bunch of footage of stuff exploding in cross patterns.
Hudson announces Bomberman Anytime for DSiWare
Nintendo's DSiWare platform is set to become a bit more combustible later this fall -- according to AndriaSang, the Japanese release list in the latest edition of Famitsu reveals an October launch for Itsudemo Bomberman (which translates to Bomberman Anytime) on the handheld's download service. The magazine also lists a price of 500 DSi Points ($5) for the portable title.
Hudson hasn't taken the trouble of actually announcing Itsudemo Bomberman yet -- regardless, we've contacted them to see what, if any, details we can surmise about the game.
[Thanks, Fernando.]
Hudson hasn't taken the trouble of actually announcing Itsudemo Bomberman yet -- regardless, we've contacted them to see what, if any, details we can surmise about the game.
[Thanks, Fernando.]
New downloadable Bonk, Bomberman found on Hudson's website [update]

Bonk: Brink of Extinction is a WiiWare/PSN/Xbox Live Arcade 2.5D action platformer with online co-op (!) and eight different transformations. The 3D makeover the game has received is ... suboptimal, and the Adventure Island refresh wasn't great, but we can't help but be thrilled about the return of the Turbografx-16's mascot. It'll apparently be out first on XBLA in spring 2010.
Bomberman Live Battlefest is also coming to all three console download services, and adds new arenas, gametypes, and team play to, well, Bomberman. And Rooms: The Main Building seems to be a Wii/DS retail game, based on the PC slide-puzzle adventure.
We're contacting Hudson to learn what we can about the company's plans for these unannounced games.
Update: Hudson officially announced Bonk and Bomberman, and sent screens over. Screens for Bomberman and both the PSN/Xbox and WiiWare versions of Bonk can be found in our galleries.
Gallery: Bonk: Brink of Extinction (360/PS3)
Gallery: Bonk: Brink of Extinction (Wii)
See Tower of Shadow in action
Barred from informative text, we're forced to critique the aesthetic choices made in the trailer. In brief, the music is great but that title font? Yuck-o. It's like Stryper's font guy half-finished the logo before taking the day off before letting his drunken five-year-old nephew finish up.
Gallery: Tower of Shadow (Wii)
Bomberman Live blasts out 500,000 downloads

Just to put the sales in context, Bomberman Live was released on XBLA way back in July of 2007, meaning it took just over two years for the title to amass 500,000 downloads. It was also one of the first XBLA titles to add Avatar support. If you've yet to pick it up and happen to be looking for an evergreen party game, we suggest you give it a try.
Hudson finally announces Deca Sports on DS

The DS game includes customizable team designs, multiplayer modes and, most importantly, new sports. The events on this cartridge include golf, ping pong, wall climbing, bobsled, rugby, arm wrestling, clay shooting, cheerleading, and sepak takraw, only one of which we had to look up. (Wall climbing? What is that?)
Will Deca Sports be a hit on DS? Will the kind of inexplicable success of Deca Sports counteract the super-crowded release schedule? It should be interesting to find out.
[Scan via GoNintendo]
Shadow Tower: Hudson's beautiful Wii platformer officially revealed

That is, except for the giant UI in the top-left corner. Why does this game need a big display like that? More screens at Famitsu show that it gets even bigger. We may have to wait for the trailer to figure out what's going on with that crazy display. In the meantime, we're just going to look at the rest of the screen, with all the ruins on lush green landscapes, and the giant industrial structures. Famitsu says there is currently no price or release date given for Shadow Tower.
Gallery: Tower of Shadow (Wii)
Hudson sheds light on new Wii platformer, Shadow Tower

As he travels through an abandoned landscape and climbs up the tower featured in the name, the silhouetted character actually travels on the shadows of platforms and structures, interacting with shadow objects to trigger movement in their real counterparts. He is joined by a butterfly who can reach objects he can't -- 1UP offers the example of a light source that the butterfly changes to alter the shape of the shadow landscape and make a chasm navigable.
Pretty much everyone who sees this mentions the ICO-esque look, and we think that's an apt comparison. Given that we like the look of Team ICO games, and we like original platformers, we're going to be following this one.
[Image via Nintendo Everything]













