Hudson announced this morning that Bomberman Blast, an "all-new Bomberman," will release for WiiWare at some point in the future. The game will support the use of Miis and 8-player online multiplayer.

Don't expect this WiiWare version to be a totally awesome re-imagining of the Bomberman franchise like Act Zero -- the press release makes it sound like this is going to be the same iteration rehash of the formula we've seen for a few decades. There's currently no word on a release window or how online matchmaking will be handled. We've contacted Hudson regarding both matters.

Finally, Hudson has heard our prayers and crafted a game that's not so much a game as it is work (World of Warcraft not withstanding). Hard Working People draws inspiration for its collection of mini-games not from rabbits farting or ring tosses, but from real life professions like dentist, EMT or ... haunted house crew.

That's not particularly impressive, as Japanese companies have horrible ideas for games all the time. No, what's notable is that this one is actually coming to the US. Heck, you can even vote on the name Hudson USA will give its North American counterpart. Why isn't "The Clearest Sign Yet That the Video Game Industry is Imploding" an option?

We've been unable to verify recent speculation (which we totally made up, just now) that Hudson has shipped all those units directly to a New Jersey landfill, but we have our suspicions. Still, we can't help but wonder if a few copies of Deca Sports have actually passed through retail checkouts, purchased by Wii owners desperate to rediscover the riotous, wrist-racketing revelry that faded from the living room once they ran out of friends who hadn't tried Wii yet. Well, they sure got what they paid for: a Wii Sports knockoff ... made with the craft and care of a drunk baboon.

While we still don't think the iPhone App Store makes the do-everything cell phone a threat to the DS, we are impressed with the growing list of big-name franchises being ported to the system. We can now amend that list to include the Bomberman series, with Hudson's with the recent announcement of Bomberman Touch: Legend of the Mystic Bomb.

A video trailer (embedded below the jump) shows what looks like a transparent, touch-screen d-pad placed over the on-screen action to control Bomberman, sort of like the interface for the earlier iPhone PlayStation emulator . According to Hudson, the game will include "classic Bomberman powerups and original special items" and take advantage of "the unique iPhone / iPod touch interface of flicking, tapping, and tilting with a built-in accelerometer." No word on a multiplayer mode, but with the iPhone's Wi-Fi capabilities, a local wireless option would hopefully be a no-brainer.

Bomberman touch joins water-based puzzle game Aqua Forest and the always lucrative Sudoku in Hudson's announced line-up for the iPhone.

[Via Apple iPhone School. Thanks, Kamarul]

There's been a changing of the guard at Hudson Entertainment, the North American flavor of Konami-owned Hudson Soft, as president and CEO John Greiner will take his leave of the company on May 15. Hudson notes that it currently has no plans to look for new blood to bring in to replace Greiner, instead stating that the U.S. division's senior exec and chairman Seiichi Ishigaki will step in to fill his shoes.

Citing the reason for his departure, the 20-year exec noted plans to "spend time with his family and pursue personal interests," which knowing Hudson as we do probably means hemming them into a corner with a bomb before admiring the carnage from a safe distance. Once the smoke clears, we wish Greiner the very best.

Hudson certainly hasn't been shy about showing its affections for WiiWare, with the company doing all but making a mix tape for the Wii's upcoming digital download service. Now, after confirming plans to bring Tetris and Bomberman to WiiWare, Hudson has announced plans to release yet another downloadable classic property in Star Soldier R. The game, which launched in Japan alongside WiiWare in March, will be making its North American debut once the service launches later this year.

The game is the latest in Hudson's long-running Star Soldier franchise of overhead shooters that began in the mid-1980s for the NES, of which there are four titles available over the Wii's Virtual Console: Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade, Blazing Lazers and Star Soldier. Describing the game as a "tournament-style outer space shooter," Hudson notes that this latest shooter will focus on achieving high scores in a Quick Shot mode, as well as in both 2-minute and 5-minute modes, giving players "just enough time" to fight through a couple levels and wrestle with the bosses waiting patiently at the other end. Try not to disappoint.


[Via press release]

Konami-owned (54% actually) Hudson Soft Co. plans to quadruple profits over the next three years by focusing on titles for the Wii. Bloomberg reports that incoming president, Michihiro Ishizuka, expects to hit an operating profit of $97 million by March of 2011. Hudson will release eight titles for Wii in 2008 and already has 10 others on the market.

Hudson has seen significant growth from its Wii and DS titles, seeing an operating profit* growth of 53% due to the two systems. Ishizuka believes that in two years from now, software developer profits will see the most growth when a "winner and loser for consoles becomes clear." He states Hudson will focus on promoting licensing of its games and marketing, so plan on about 15 more versions of Bomberman in the next two years.

*"Operating profit is revenue minus the cost of goods sold and administrative expenses."

Wii owners and fans of the adorable lil terrorist Bomberman will be pleased to learn that not one, not two , but three different Bomberman titles are currently in development for the Nintendo console. The latest two include the traditional WiiWare version already announced, as well as a less traditional retail version, due out this June in Japan.

If you're a bit confused, don't worry. The two titles were mixed up in the original Famitsu report, but a representative from Hudson has set the record straight. The WiiWare Bomberman is the classic throwback, while the retail Wii Bomberman will feature 8-player online multiplayer, with new items and Mii support.

This appears to be a different retail title than the minigame-centric Bomberman Land, meaning that Hudson's "big plans" for Bomberman were apparently viciously milking the franchise for all it's worth.

[Via Wii Fanboy]

Hudson VP of Sales and Marketing, John Lee, hosted his own Q&A session on NeoGAF early this morning, dropping a few bombs about the company's digital distribution plans. The big reveal was confirmation of a Bomberman game for WiiWare that'll be "different" (and yet the same) as Bomberman LIVE, as it's based on the series' "classic" gameplay -- yep, just like Bomberman '93. Lee added that Bomberman will likely be "one of the few classic games" that Hudson will develop for WiiWare.

On the horizon for XBLA, Hudson is busy with an often lucrative, yet rarely respected "licensed" game ... um ... and moving quickly on ... "Yes, eventually we'll do something for PSN," Lee writes, "Now that it's doing much better, and looking more impressive each day, we are looking at bringing some franchises over." More Bomberman? Sounds like it.

A system just isn't a system until it has a version of Tetris (and no, hacks don't count), so it's a good thing Nintendo that Hudson has announced a multi-player Wii Ware version of the game (PDF link).

A translation of the announcement by our good friends over at Engadget Japan reveals support for up to six Wi-Fi players, planned downloadable content and gameplay-altering items activated with Wii remote shaking. Hudson says they expect at least one million downloads for the title after it's simultaneous worldwide release this summer (for an undetermined price). If you just can't wait and/or pay, may we suggest the free and/or currently-available Tetrinet.

Read - Japanese PDF announcement

[Via SiliconEra]

Could Hudson Soft be working on an update to the classic Duck Hunt for Nintendo Wii? That all depends on how much faith you put into shaky cam footage, and loosely-woven stories of dad's carelessness with company property.

The story goes that the boy's father works at Hudson Soft, and that the father left an unmarked disc on his desk, which the son soon discovered was an early build of New Duck Hunt for the Wii. The footage up on GameTrailers shows what looks like a 2.5D version of the original game, complete with NES sound effects, the original music, and that damn dog.

We have a hard time believing this to be true, especially since the video's off-camera star could have basically guaranteed his father's termination the moment he uploaded this to the internets. Check out the blurry, shaky, job-threatening footage after the break.

Update: Apparently the video's not DestinRL's, but rather one he found somewhere else on the internet. News updated accordingly.

[Thanks, Peter; via Product Reviews Net]

We already knew about Omega Five (you did read that post, didn't you?) so we're not going to waste your time going through all the gory details. It's 800 points, it's an action game, we liked it. No, we're going to skip right to the retro release this week: Tron, a 400-point HD sprucing of the old arcade favorite.

Not only will you experience the visceral thrill of speeding around in light cycles and killing a dude with a dinner plate, you're also going to be able to do it 2-player, an option not available on the arcade original. If we have one quibble, it's that Discs of Tron (also in development for XBLA) isn't included in the package. Are the two really worth splitting up?

With the princess saved and the galaxy once again at peace, it's back to the status quo for the Wii, as Hudson has kicked off the new year by confirming plans to bring Deca Sports – a new "casual sports" title that promises to use the Wii remote in "unique yet accessible ways" – to the States this summer. The minigame comp will include ten different sporting events "for players and sports fans of all ages," which no doubt means casual gamers or those simply looking for a reason – any reason – to play the Wii.

Deca Sports'' laundry list of events reads like the developers dropped a bunch of activities into a hat and pulled them out at random, with beach volleyball and archery sharing space with snowboarding, soccer, and super cross. Other events include badminton, basketball, curling and figure skating. The game even includes kart racing, making this collection, if nothing else, eclectic. Still, while this sort of offering worked great as a console pack-in, now, more than a year after the Wii first seduced us with its sultry waggle, we can't help but feel that it's time for something meatier.

Omega Five is back on the radar, receiving a Jan. 9 release date from Hudson Entertainment for Xbox Live Arcade. The game will cost 800 MS points ($10), but since this isn't the official Microsoft announcement, the date could still shift – we've already seen a major release change once before. The last time we heard anything about Omega Five, a quirky side-scrolling shmup, it was expected in November.

We have no idea what the game is like now, but we fiddled around with an early build last June. Although, not seeing an XBLA game for over six months is like not seeing a regular game for years.

[Via Press Release]

With years of planting and kicking bombs, exploding walls, and collecting power ups under his belt, it's easy to think that Hudson's iconic Bomberman's particular shtick has been throughly explored. Not so, says Hudson big cheese John Greiner, who notes that the company has "lots more planned" for the Bomberman franchise in the coming year.

This is on top of the already announced Bomberman Land titles coming in January, as well as a newly kicked off New Year's contest over XBLA's Bomberman Live. While Hudson has not shed light on its plans for the portly pyromaniac, we assume that the company will not endeavor to reinvent the wheel, as such a move would be unheard of in Hudson's history.