HUDSON ANNOUNCES BOMB-UP ADD-ON PACK FOR BOMBERMAN LIVE

Hudson Increases the Payload with New Content and Game Modes

REDWOOD SHORES, CA - August 27, 2007 - Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for Hudson Soft, today announced that they are releasing Bomb-Up Pack 1, the first add-on pack for their "IGN Editor's Choice Award"-winning Bomberman LIVE game for Xbox LIVE(R) Arcade. This new add-on pack will add over a dozen new features, including ten new characters, two additional levels, two new leader boards, and a brand new game mode. Bomb-Up Pack 1 is expected to launch on August 29 and will cost 350 Microsoft Points ($2.80).

With these add-ons, players will be able to further enjoy the frantic, explosive action of Bomberman LIVE in new areas, including "High Stakes," a Las Vegas-style casino level, and "Zeppelin," a level set aboard a dirigible which features tornado environmental hazards that incapacitate players.

"With the overwhelming success of Bomberman LIVE it became clear to us, as Bomberman fans and game producers, that the already stellar game could be indefinitely augmented with myriad gameplay additions in the future," said John Greiner, President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment. "Hudson is committed to providing refreshingly competitive, fast-paced multiplayer gameplay over Xbox LIVE(R) Arcade."

This Bomberman LIVE add-on pack will add the following features:

Ten New Characters - With new characters like "Little Bomby Foo Foo" the bunny and "Rocky Bomboa" the boxer, players can customize their in-game Bomberman in countless new ways.

Two Additional Levels - New arenas include "High Stakes," a Las Vegas-style casino level that allows players to select any gimmick they want, and "Zeppelin," a level set aboard a dirigible which features tornado environmental hazards that incapacitate players.

One New Game Mode - "Frag" mode will allow players to pre-set the number of enemies they must bomb in order to win the game.

Two New Leaderboards - Dominate the competition on two new ranking systems on the Xbox LIVE(R) network. The new leaderboards will track performance on both a weekly and an all-time basis for the new "Zeppelin" map.

Mike McWhertor and I caught up at a parking lot outside of some shopping center in Beverly Hills where we boarded a bus that took us to the Playboy Mansion.

Once inside we were elbow-to-elbow with a bunch of other "VIPs", media, competitors and women that I wasn't thoroughly convinced were really playmates. Mike assured me they were, adding that he knew most of their names.

After an hour or so of standing around, eating, drinking and talking, the whole mass of people were rushed into an outdoor tape where a draft stage had been set up. On the stage were six desk manned by the managers for the new league's six teams. Facing the stage were the finalists for the draft. Mostly men, though I did count about a dozen female gamers who made the cut.

Right now I'm sitting at the table waiting for the draft to get under way. We are, I'm told, about five minutes out. They're streaming the draft live over on www.thecgs.com. You can go there to check it out or hang here and follow along with me as I sorta live blog it. I suspect I'll mostly be making smart-ass comments. Hit the jump to sing along. Brian Crecente

They just introduced the six team managers for the league and showed a short clip on the managers.

Now they've got Fatal1ty and some other talking heads yapping away like we're watching football. I like video games and they've lost me.

The first selection for the first pro-gaming draft ever is.. a woman. DOA gamer Vanessa Arteaga, 20, who hails from Clan PMS. Now she's playing for the San Francisco OPTX. Second choice is Counter-Strike team compLexity who will now be playing for... LA Complexity. At least they won't have trouble remembering their new team name. Pick number three is Emmanuel "Master" Rodriguez for DOA 4 who will now be playing with the Dallas Venom.

I spotted Master earlier this evening grooming himself near the bar talking to Arteaga about which one of them would be picked first. He does have a nice hat. Pick number four for this draft is Team 3D who will, oddly enough be playing for 3DNY. Again, easy name to remember for them.

That's funny. I just noticed that there are a bunch of strobe lights attached to the frame holding the tent up. When a draft select takes the stage they all fire off randomly as if hundreds of photographers are taking their pictures. Trust me... they aren't.

The fifth pick in the draft is PGR 3 gamer Wesley "ch0mpr" Cwiklo for the Chicaco Chimera. And the final pick for the first round for this first draft ever is DOA 4 gamer Ryan "OffBeatNinja" Ward for the Carolina Core.

We're into the second round now, but I'm not going to track every selection. I think it's not going to get interesting until the last round when there's a whole bunch of people out in the competitor pool who realize they may not become a salaried pro-gamer afterall.

I happen to be sitting at a table that is right next to where the men, women and teams that are selected walk past right after finding out that they are now officially pro-gamers. It's kind of interesting to see their reactions. Vanessa, for instance, was visibly shaking when she came off the stage, but Master seemed as cool as a cucumber, a cool cucumber. It is obvious that no matter what this draft means to those outside of pro-gaming, to those in the league it means everything, which is certainly a good start.

Alright two rounds down, FOUR MORE TO GO.

Whoops sorry for that sudden ending. The press WiFi just died on the vine in the middle of the event.

... but they can dance! The sense of humor of the Rayman series has always made it: these videos may not be very informative from a gameplay standpoint, but they give me heart anyway. Florian Eckhardt

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