Tag: Hudson

  • Video More Footage And Details Emerge For The Cancelled Bonk: Brink Of Extinction

    Cave story

    Bonk is one of video gaming's most unlikely mascots. Originally named PC Kid and seen as the PC Engine's lead character in Japan, he was renamed Bonk when that console was released in North America as the TurboGrafx-16. Bonk would enjoy three mainline adventures on NEC's hardware - all of which were very well recieved - as well as...

  • Feature What NEC And Hudson Did Next: The Disasterous Story Of The PC-FX

    The history of one of the 32-bit era's biggest flops

    Complacency can be deadly. You only have to look at the changeover between the 16-bit and 32/64-bit generations for confirmation of this fact; amazingly, during this period of transition all of the established hardware manufacturers - Nintendo included - were caught with their trousers down while...

  • Review Adventures of Lolo (3DS eShop / NES)

    Bubbles and puzzles and DEATH

    The fine folks over at HAL Laboratory have an affinity for protagonists who could double as pretty decent basketballs, and the often-forgotten NES puzzler Adventures of Lolo features our first example of a blob hero. Unlike the platforming cuteness of the Kirby series, arguably HAL's most famous creation, Lolo has a...

  • Review Adventure Island (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Skate and die

    Adventure Island started life as the SEGA-produced arcade title Wonder Boy, which itself was ported to several different home consoles and spawned a popular series of sequels with show-stealing box art. NES-owners missed out on the title, and would have to wait until Hudson Soft teamed up with original developer Escape to release a...

  • News Star Parodier Removed From the Wii Virtual Console in North America

    An import classic that will be missed

    If you've yet to play Hudson Soft's adorable Turbografx cute-em up Star Parodier, you are unfortunately out of luck as the title has been removed from the North American Wii Virtual Console. It joins some other titles in the past year and more that have been removed from the service, with issues such as...

  • Review Milon's Secret Castle (3DS eShop / NES)

    A secret best kept hidden

    Hudson had many classics in its NES library - Adventure Island, Faxanadu and Bomberman are just a few of the great titles it gave us all back then. Milon's Secret Castle probably shouldn't be counted among those. As the title might reveal, you play as Milon, who has to make his way through a castle filled to the brim with...

  • Review Star Soldier (3DS eShop / NES)

    I got soul, but I'm not the best Star Soldier

    We may as well stop playing games en masse right now, because we all suck. That may sound harsh, but this 3DS eShop release of Hudson Soft’s vertically scrolling NES shoot-em-‘up will either make or break you. Unfortunately, if you play Star Soldier on the smaller screen of an original 3DS, the tiny...

  • News Hudson May Continue as a Brand

    There's hope yet

    Late yesterday we reported the sad news that Konami is dissolving Hudson Soft, one of the industry's most experienced development companies. Although it's clear that Hudson will no longer exist as an independent entity, there's now hope that it may still retain its own brand and identity. Hudson released a statement on its website,...

  • News Tetris: Axis Swings By 3DS on 2nd October

    Form a line

    Remember your first time playing Tetris on Game Boy? You know what would make that experience even better? 3D. Nintendo has just announced that Tetris: Axis will see release in North America on 2nd October, bringing with it 8-player Download Play, Augmented Reality and SpotPass features too. In fact, there are over 20 gameplay modes,...

  • News 16-Shot Legend Takahashi Meijin Leaves Hudson

    No parting shots

    Takahashi Meijin, known to many as Master Higgins or as the master of rapid fire button-tapping, has announced he is leaving Hudson after nearly 30 years at the company. Joining the company in 1982, Takahashi rose to prominence for his ability to fire 16 shots per second in Hudson's Star Soldier, a skill that led to the creation of...

  • News Deca Sports Extreme Survives and Gets Rated by the ESRB

    Any more Hudson titles on the way?

    Following the news of the North American arm of Hudson disbanding last month leaving the future of its titles uncertain, Konami ― the publisher into which Hudson will be absorbed ― later clarified what the official situation was regarding Hudson's projects. Speaking to

  • News Bomberman and Bonk Cancelled for 3DS

    Omega Five gone, too

    At a time when we all want to hear about more 3DS games in the pipeline, it seems Hudson has struck a few games from its release schedule, cancelling Bomberman, Omega Five and Bonk. Andriasang reports the games are confirmed as cancelled in this month's Famitsu magazine, but also warns that there may be other games facing the...

  • News Scratch That, There's Three Adventure Island Games Coming to Virtual Console

    Hudson's going all out

    A few days ago we spotted a rating for Super Adventure Island on the OFLC, but now yet another game in the series has been rated for the Virtual Console, although this time it's by the ESRB instead of the OFLC. It might be easy to miss on the ESRB site, as it's not a "new" rating, but if you search for Super...

  • News Master Higgins Has Not One But Two Upcoming Virtual Console Games

    Another Adventure Island game added to the queue

    Only last month, we reported that the OFLC had rated the second NES outing of everybody's favourite overweight islander based on a real person, Master Higgins, thus very likely meaning it was on its way to Virtual Console. Well, the OFLC has struck again, and has rated yet another Adventure Island...

  • News Bomberman Hero Gets Rated for Virtual Console

    Good old ESRB

    Remember that old Nintendo 64 romp Bomberman Hero? If you never got to play it, you soon might, as the ESRB has rated the game for Virtual Console. Bomberman Hero is most notable for being a completely single-player Bomberman adventure, forgoing the series' famous multiplayer options in favour of a solo quest based largely on the plot...

  • News Hudson Continues Its Virtual Console Support with Adventure Island II

    OFLC reveals that Hudson's still got some retro plans

    When it was announced that the North American branch of Hudson Soft would be shutting down just last week in order to focus on more "casual" games for Konami, many people took it as a sign that the company would also drop its remaining Virtual Console support. Thankfully, this is not...

  • News Hudson Entertainment Closes its Doors, Cancels its Projects

    US office shuts up shop

    Hudson Entertainment, the North American localisation arm of Japanese firm Hudson Soft, is to close its doors for the last time. A blog post by product manager Morgan Haro has revealed the Western distributor of Hudson games has been disbanded, with all Hudson's previously planned projects hitting the skids as well, meaning...

  • News Konami to Take Over Hudson in April

    Studio to be absorbed like one of Bomberman's explosions

    Hudson, well known for its Bomberman and Deca Sports series, is to be fully absorbed by Konami on April 1 of this year. Konami, the studio behind Castlevania, Dance Dance Revolution, Silent Hill and many other titles has been Hudson's parent company since April 2005, holding a 54% stake. The...

  • News Hudson Announces 3DS Line-up

    Ball-playing, bomb blasting and brain training on the menu

    Hudson has just announced the first three titles that they plan to bring to the 3DS this year. We already knew about the next entry in their Deca Sports series, now titled Deca Sports Extreme, and they've also added Bomberman and Nikoli's Pencil Puzzle, both working titles, to the mix. The...

  • News All Ten Disciplines in Deca Sports 3D Now Revealed

    A couple of surprises

    Last December left us scratching our heads over what the complete list of sports were in Hudson's upcoming 3DS title, Deca Sports 3D, known as Sports Island in Europe. Aside from the initial four that were revealed, the remaining six were largely recognisable but a couple left us guessing. In the lead-up to the 3DS's Japanese...

  • News Ready Yourself for a Super Bonk Attack this Friday

    Back in time for Christmas

    If you're up for some Super Bonk action – and you live in Europe – you're in luck, as the game headbashes its way to Virtual Console this Friday. The Super NES classic isn't the only Virtual Console title heading to Europe before Christmas: Mario Party 2 is Nintendo's festive gift to you, launching on Christmas Eve...

  • News Opening Round of Info on Deca Sports for the 3DS

    4 out of 10 sports officially revealed

    Hudson is keeping itself busy with its line-up of 3DS titles and the company's Japanese website has been updated with some screenshots of the upcoming instalment in the Deca Sports franchise (otherwise known as Sports Island in Europe). Deca Sports 3D (not final title) will feature ten different sports, and...

  • News Hudson Has Six 3DS Titles In Development

    Bonk, Omega Five, and Tetris due in 2011

    Hudson's been keeping pretty quiet on the 3DS front since it pledged its support for the machine back in June at the E3 expo. Initial announcements of the Bomberman, Deca Sports, and Kororinpa franchises are now beefed up thanks to an additional three titles that have been added to the company's Japanese...

  • News My Planetarium Trailer and Screenshots Look Stellar

    All in Japanese, though

    The ESRB outed My Planetarium a month or so ago, and now the Japanese website has been updated with the first screenshots and trailer of Hudson's upcoming gaze 'em up. With three different modes allowing you to view the night sky freely, learn about the history of constellations and search for particular clusters, nebulae and...

  • First Impressions Lost in Shadow

    We take Hudson's new platformer for a spin

    It doesn't take a genius to see that Hudson's upcoming Lost in Shadow release isn't your typical run-of-the-mill platformer. Not only does the game feature a protagonist that's not even a real person, rather his shadow, it also features some absolutely mesmerizing audio and visuals to further make it stand...

  • News Lost in Shadow Documentary Sheds Light on the Game's Creation

    Our well of shadow puns is running dry

    It may have been pushed back until 2011 in North America, but Lost in Shadow is still looking like one of the Wii's brightest upcoming releases. This behind-the-scenes documentary is in keeping with the game's unique graphical style, projecting the game's development team as shadows rather than the usual...

  • News Last Chance to Like Lost in Shadow and Raise Money for Charity

    Your thumbs still worth 10 cents to Child's Play

    Hudson's promising Lost in Shadow (A Shadow's Tale in Europe) may have been delayed until 2011 but there's no need to cry about it: it's all for a good cause, in fact. Every "Like" of the game's official Facebook page between August 30th and 4pm PST today will raise 10 cents for Child's...

  • News My Planetarium Gazes Out Into the Expanding WiiWare Library

    Hudson's galactic follow-up to its My Aquarium series

    Hudson's been releasing some fairly decent and relaxing simulations on the WiiWare service lately. The developer has more than likely extracted all it can from the aquarium route, at least for the time being, however – and an ESRB rating has revealed a new direction that's a lot more cosmic in...

  • News My Aquarium 2 Website Makes a Splash

    Dive into new information

    Just released in Japan, My Aquarium 2 is due to ride the waves to the Western world within the near future, so it's a good job Hudson has opened the information floodgates by launching the game's website. As well as the option to use the Forecast Channel to update the in-game weather and the revelation that your fish will...

  • News The Latest Lost in Shadow Trailer Materialises

    Behold... the Watchman's Sword

    Hudson Entertainment has announced that its upcoming puzzle platformer will launch in North America on 4th January 2011, and we've got our hands on some new screenshots and the latest trailer, which sheds light on one of Lost in Shadow's features: the act of materialisation. From the press release: While the main...

  • News Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap - Get Practising with 16-Shot Shooting Watch for DSiWare

    Hudson's tap trainer on the way to the US

    It's been available on the Japanese DSiWare market for a few weeks now, but a recent ESRB rating has revealed the 16 Shot! Shooting Watch is on its way to North America in the near future. Although it sounds like a rather James Bond-esque gadget, the Shooting Watch is a device to help you find out exactly...

  • News Necromancer 2 Lurches onto DSiWare in Japan Next Month

    Western release currently uncertain

    Hudson Soft's Necromancer probably isn't on your list of Top Ten Games for a DSiWare Revival. Released on the TurboGrafx-16 over twenty years ago, it's a decent RPG that received a sequel for mobile devices last year. Guess which version DSiWare is receiving? Titled Necromancer: Nightmare Reborn, it's a beefed-up...

  • News Hudson Enlightens Us with Lost In Shadow Teaser

    Lose yourself in this intriguing new video

    Hudson Entertainment recently debuted a teaser for its upcoming Wii title Lost in Shadow (otherwise known as Tower of Shadow and A Shadow's Tale), starring a shadow and his Sylph companion. The latter will manipulate the light source and the former will utilize the dynamics of luminescence to climb a...

  • News Hudson Serves Up Deca Sports 3 Announcement

    Will include MotionPlus support and online play

    Hudson recently announced plans to release the next iteration in its Deca Sports series (known as Sports Island in the UK), Deca Sports 3. According to its press release, Hudson is including Wii MotionPlus support for all ten games, which may pique the interest of those unfamiliar with the series. As...

  • News Hudson Announces New Mini-Game Collection

    Trying out Oops! Prank Party may not be a mistake

    Don't let the Wii's over-saturation with party games fool you: not every casual collection is meant for the discount rack and your gullible grandmother's shopping list. Face it – back when it was still cool, you were sanding down your analogue stick in Mario Party like the rest of us. Now the same...

  • News Konami Sheds More Light on A Shadow's Tale

    New trailer for the platformer previously known as Tower of Shadow

    It's not often that platform games manifest themselves in a unique hue that illuminates them from their surroundings, and this upcoming Wii title from Hudson Soft could well be the latest example of a game that does. In more ways than one, mind. Since it was announced last August, we...

  • News New Diner Dash Screenshots

    Order up!

    The guys over at Hudson were kind enough to send over a fresh batch of screenshots of their upcoming WiiWare release Diner Dash for you to enjoy. The game is set to hit the European WiiWare service on March 26th for 1000 Wii Points. Diner Dash will come to life in 3D on new generation consoles when players have the option to take direct...

  • News Castlevania: Rondo of Blood ESRB Rated

    The wait is almost over.

    We just recently saw the release of Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth in North America and now news has just leaked out that Castlevania: Rondo of Blood has just been ESRB Rated. Honestly, it can't get much better than this for Castlevania fans, and it would seem that Hudson's release of the game can now not be too far...

  • First Impressions Calling

    One call you might want to take.

    For those of you who love a good scare or just enjoy a playful romp through the latest survival horror title, Hudson's got just the game for you. In fact, they were even kind enough to send us over a preview build of their upcoming horror release Calling to check out and we have to say, this is easily one of the...

  • News Rooms: The Main Building Coming to Wii and DS

    Hudson announce their brand new point & click adventures.

    Hudson has just announced a brand new point & click adventure for the Wii and DS systems called Rooms: The Main Building. Combining unique puzzle-solving elements with the point & click controls of the Wii and DS systems, the game offers gamers an immersive experience unlike any...

  • News Hudson Soft Releasing My Zoo in Europe This Week, Shootanto Next Week

    It's been a while since the last Hudson WiiWare game, but now there will be two of them in two weeks.

    Hudson's My Aquarium has seen continuous success - Almost every single week, it is among the top WiiWare downloads. Obviously, they've taken note of that, because this week, they'll be releasing a sequel to it! And to top it off, next week, they'll...

  • Interviews Hudson Entertainment/Pi Studios - Bonk: Brink of Extinction

    Hudson and Pi Studios talk about their new Bonk title.

    With the recent announcement from Hudson that they were creating a brand new adventure for our lovable caveman hero, we knew it was time to get in touch with them and find out more information about their upcoming WiiWare release Bonk: Brink of Extinction. We were lucky enough to catch up with...

  • News Hudson Bringing Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem to WiiWare

    Prehistoric shooting action set to hit the WiiWare service.

    Hudson Entertainment has just announced that they'll be publishing Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem on Nintendo's WiiWare service. You can check out the official press release below for more information on this upcoming WiiWare shooter release. You can also check out the screenshots of the...

  • News First Bomberman Blitz Screenshots Released

    Check out the brand new screens of the game in action!

    The guys at Hudson were kind enough to send over the first batch of screenshots of their upcoming DSiWare release Bomberman Blitz in action. You can check out a snippet of information about the game below, along with the set of brand new screenshots in the screenshot gallery. Bomberman Blitz...

  • News Bomberman Coming to DSiWare

    Hudson brings their Bomberman series to DSiWare!

    Over the years we've seen the Bomberman series make appearances on just about every video game system around, and now Hudson are bringing their hit multiplayer series to Nintendo's DSiWare service with the announcement of Bomberman Blitz! Below is a snippet of information from the official press...

  • News Two New Hudson Titles Coming Soon

    Hudson to release two new titles in September.

    Hudson is looking to continue their success on Nintendo consoles with the announcement of two new titles that will be available to consumers in September. Miami Crisis brings a unique action-adventure title to the DS system and My Zoo serves as the follow-up to Hudson's wildly popular My Aquarium title...

  • News Bomberman Blast: Battlefest Coming to WiiWare

    More Bomberman action set to hit the WiiWare service.

    Hudson has also just announced that the sequel to Bomberman Live will be hitting Xbox Live Arcade this fall and will land on the Playstation Network and WiiWare services in 2010. The WiiWare version is tentatively titled Bomberman Blast: Battlefest. You can check out the official press...

  • News Bonk Headbutts His Way Onto WiiWare

    Hudson officially announces their new WiiWare Bonk title.

    We found out yesterday that Hudson was bringing their prehistoric hero to Nintendo's WiiWare service, but there was very little information made available at the time. Hudson has just sent out the official press release announcing Bonk: Brink of Extinction today and it looks like Hudson has...

  • News Bonk: Brink of Extinction Coming to WiiWare

    Hudson's famous caveman is making his way onto the WiiWare service.

    For those who don't already know, Hudson's lovable caveman Bonk is headed to the WiiWare service in Spring 2010. Bonk: Brink of Extinction will feature all of Bonk's trademark gameplay moves built into a brand new original title. You can check out the official snippet of...

  • News Deca Sports 2 Teaser Trailer 3

    Hudson releases final teaser trailer for their upcoming Wii sports package.

    You might remember the game as Sports Island 2, which was released in Europe back in May. Well Hudson is getting set to release the game in North America under the name Deca Sports 2. Hudson has just released the third and final teaser trailer for the game that you can check...