Kotaku: hudson entertainment

New Bonk Adventure, Military Madness Coming From Hudson

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:30:15 MDT

Hudson Entertainment will be reviving two of its oldest properties, expert headbutting caveman Bonk and turn-based strategy game Military Madness, with two all-new games, the company recently announced.

Bonk: Brink of Extinction will be coming to the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare in early 2010, as "next generation graphics meets retro gameplay," according to Hudson. In Brink of Extinction, every TurboGrafx fan's favorite neanderthal will have eight transformations, spurred by eating meat or ingesting "primordial ooze." It looks... well, I always think one should cel-shade on the side of caution.

More personally interesting is Military Madness: Neo Nectaris, a touchscreen controlled update to the hex-based sci-fi strategy game. That's due to hit iPhones this fall and if we know Hudson, it won't do much to muck with the Military Madness formula. And that's OK, because I earmarked the necessary funds as soon as I read Military Madness.

Hudson also has a Military Madness game coming to the PlayStation Network, WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade, dubbed Nectaris: Military Madness. Yes, it is getting a little confusing, these naming choices.

Check out a batch of new screen shots for both new titles in the galleries below.

Onslaught Brings Online Co-op FPS To WiiWare

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:20:29 MST

Hudson Entertainment is giving WiiWare its first (brief pause) first-person shooter in Onslaught, which also happens to be the first online, 4-player cooperative first-person shooter on WiiWare. In other words, FIRST!

Onslaught is pitched by Hudson as a futuristic sci-fi shooter, pitting a squad of up to four players in a battle against "mysterious creatures" while also saving a distant research colony. In other words, science fiction plot #017.

Looks like Onslaught uses Wii Remote point and shoot controls, with plenty of shake to keep your forearms toned. The WiiWare release is listed as "coming soon" which we'll interpret to mean "coming soon."

New Online Co-op FPS for Wiiware by Hudson [Hudson via NeoGAF]

Hudson Tells Wii Owners To Get A Job

Mike Fahey — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:40:00 MST

What the hell is that little boy doing to that cow!? It's okay, he's saving the world. Hudson Entertainment has just announced Help Wanted, and new game coming to the Nintendo Wii next summer, which tasks the player with saving the world from an impending meteor strike by completing more than fifty different odd jobs, and they do mean odd.I mean, sure, milking a cow isn't all that odd to someone used to tugging on cow teats, but for the layman it's a bit off. Other jobs include haunted house monster, clown, sumo referee, sushi master, action hero, and many more. Somehow I doubt video game blogger made the cut, but I can dream. It basically boils down to a collection of mini-games, but if you can explain away the mini-games with an interesting theme it certainly takes the edge off a bit. I'm just interested to see how being a sushi chef can help save the world. It boggles the mind. SAVING THE WORLD ONE JOB AT A TIME! HUDSON ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES HELP WANTED FOR Wii Coming Summer 2009—The First Job Simulation Compilation For Nintendo Wii Centered Around Fifty Odd and Quirky Jobs! REDWOOD CITY, CA - November 11th, 2008 - Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for HUDSON SOFT, announced today they will bring Help Wanted, a fun, slap-stick new life simulation game for Wii in Summer 2009. In Help Wanted, players are sent on a mission to save the world from impending extinction by completing fifty different jobs. Help Wanted is developed by Hudson Soft and published by Hudson Entertainment for North and South America. Help Wanted allows players to choose from completing over fifty odd jobs, including: Haunted House Monster, Clown, Make-up Artist, Pinch Hitter, Pizza Chef, Stunt Car Driver, Sumo Referee, Action Hero and Sushi Master to name just a few. The game includes multiple difficulty levels that change up the game play elements and a multiplayer feature that allows for head-to-head play on up to fifteen different jobs. After completing each job, players can then shop for fun and unique items using the money they've earned from their daily grind. In addition, gamers can also buy special defensive goods that will help to save the planet or delay it's extinction from a meteor. After making purchases, players can also add keepsakes to their displayable collections in the collector's room. "Help Wanted is out-of-this-world fun for the entire family" said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. "If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to be a Sushi Master, a Boat Captain, a Body Builder and save the world all in one day - this is the game for you!" Help Wanted will be available exclusively for Wii in summer of 2009. For more information on Help Wanted, please visit www.Hudsonent.com.

Omega Five Finally Coming To XBLA Next Week?

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:20:00 MST

Hudson and Natsume's Omega Five was originally scheduled to hit Xbox Live Arcade sometime in November, but that's obviously come and gone and we're without the game. It looks like Xbox 360 owners may finally get the side-scrolling shoot 'em up as early as next week, as Console Monster indicates a January 9th release date. It was certainly one of my highlights at last year's Tokyo Game Show, so I'll be first in line. No solid word on pricing yet, but the Forgotten Worlds-esque shmup looks like it's worth the scratch.

January 9th Arcade Release Revealed [360 Monster via Destructoid]

Hudson Planning iPhone Development

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:20:21 MST

It may not be planning a 2008 follow up to the Bonk franchise, but Hudson Entertainment CEO John Greiner says in a recent interview that the company is definitely planning on creating games for Apple's iPhone. Greiner tells Nintendo Players that, despite the platform being "terrible" and iTunes "not an optimal games distribution environment" the exec sounds pretty excited about the opportunities to bring Bomberman to the iPhone. Must be the iPhone's ability to... well, I really don't know. The thing can barely tell when I'm trying to pick one of my contacts.

He's equally excited about the Wii Ware platform, but says that the company doesn't currently have plans to publish Hudson games on the Virtual Console that were released on the Nintendo 64 or Super Nintendo. You can read more about the publisher's plans at the full interview.

EXCLUSIVE: Hudson CEO John Greiner [Nintendo Players]

Hudson: Happy Holidays, You're Fired

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:40:00 MST

Sources close to Hudson Entertainment have contacted Next-Gen and Kotaku today, writing that the company "just laid off half its company staff." According to both sources, it's Hudson's mobile division that saw the most bloodletting, a division that has "just been having a lot of trouble getting their games onto big carriers like Verizon and Cingular."

Reports from a "former disgruntled Hudson employee" indicate that the lay offs were a surprise to those who lost their jobs and that two weeks of severance were given to those now unemployed. Best of luck to those now on the hunt for new employment.

Source: Hudson Lays Off Half of US Staff [Next-Gen]

Hudson Dates TG-16's July Virtual Console Releases

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 19:20:26 MDT

Next month's TurboGrafx-16 releases for the Virtual Console were revealed by Hudson Entertainment, bringing a quintet of 8-bit releases that venture deep into obscure territory. Vertical shooter Dragon Spirit hits the VC next Monday with Air Zonk, Devil's Crush, Drop Off and Silent Debuggers rounding out the rest of the month.

While Alien Crush follow up Devil's Crush and shooter Air Zonk are probably recognizable to many TG-16 fans, Silent Debuggers and Drop Off—both G-mode developed games—will probably leave others wanting. The only thing I'm wanting is to get my hands on some hellish pinball action. Hail Satan!

Virtual Console Titles [Hudson]

Bloody Roar Future Looking Bleak

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:40:40 MDT

Pity the Bloody Roar fan(s), for it appears that the next game in the fighting series popular with furries won't be appearing for a long time. In an interview with Hudson Entertainment's John Lee, when asked about a trio of Hudson's more popular franchises—Bloody Roar, Adventure Island and Dungeon Explorer—the marketing maven was honest and open about their respective futures.

He tells the Revolution Lifestyle of another Bloody Roar that he "[doesn't] think that's even up in our discussion pipeline, so you'll have to keep dreaming on that one for now." He's a bit more positive about the next peeks at Dungeon Explorer and Adventure Island, however. Plus, there's the usual Bomberman love-in.

I, for one, will not shed a tear over the extinction of the beastly brawler. Maybe it's my refined taste and aversion to musclebound lycanthropes. I'm actually quite neutral. I've just never used lycanthrope in a post before.

The Revolution Lifestyle Exclusive: Interview With Hudson Entertainment! [The Revolution Lifestyle via NeoGAF]

June's TurboGrafx-16 VC Games Revealed

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:00:41 MDT

Gamespot is reporting that Hudson Entertainment has revealed its upcoming Virtual Console offerings for the Nintendo Wii. While they aren't exactly some of the more memorable titles from the TurboGrafx-16, fans will surely appreciate seeing Bloody Wolf finally make an appearance. The three other titles revealed as June releases are the terrible 2D fighter China Warrior, sidescrolling shooter Dead Moon (pictured) and wacky, fart-filled platformer J.J. and Jeff.

Oh wait. They took the flatulence out of the US version. Jerks.

Say, did you know that J.J. and Jeff is loosely related to America's Funniest Home Videos? It's true. The game was based on the Japanese variety show Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan which later inspired the Vin Di Bona production. Impress friends and acquaintances with that fun fact... and you'll be met with nothing but stares of horror.

(Seriously, if you buy China Warrior I'm taking your Classic Controller and beating you with it.) Michael McWhertor

Next slate of Wii TurboGrafx-16 games revealed [Gamespot]