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Retail and download releases for the week of January 5th
For all of you fishing nuts out there, Hudson's Fishing Master World Tour lands on retail shelves this week. On top of that, we've got one new Virtual Console title, as well as a new WiiWare game. So, head past the break and see all of the new gaming content available to Wii owners this week in North America. %Gallery-37518%
Snowboard Riot: the goggles do something
Hudson has launched the site for their WiiWare snowboard racing game, Snowboard Riot, along with a new gameplay trailer. We've never been overly interested in snowboarding games, but the smooth motion evident in this trailer is quite appealing, as is the combat aspect of the game. The fact that it's not a full-priced game certainly doesn't hurt our impression either.We thought we had found a negative in the Oakley sponsorship, which seemed a bit crass, but then "Goggles can amp up player abilities!" popped up and the partnership instantly jumped from "crass" to "unintentional self-parody", at which point our laughter allowed us to forgive Hudson for taking advantage of a lucrative opportunity.We hope that a) this turns out to be okay when it comes out (maybe this month, as it's due out this month in Japan) and b) we can find people to play with online. You guys like combat racing, right?%Gallery-36618%[Via WiiWare World]
Retail and download releases for the week of December 29th
Much like last week, this week doesn't have much to offer in the way of retail games. But, all is not lost, for there is several downloadable games to choose from, with two new WiiWare games and one new Virtual Console game available. Head past the break for the full list of gaming content available to Wii owners this week.%Gallery-39000%
A Marble Saga in pictures
Marble Saga: Kororinpa could end up being a sleeper hit of 2009 -- or at least one of those underappreciated critical successes. The first game was great but a bit lacking in content, and the sequel adds all kinds of junk! There's a four-player mode, leaderboards, a stage editor with online sharing, Balance Board compatibility, and, most importantly (well, not really), a super-adorable storyline about an ant, seen here expressing joy at the completion of a stage.The new screens at Wiiz are regrettably smallish, but detailed enough for you to see plenty of stuff to roll around on. There's even a screen of the four-player mode!%Gallery-30046%
Help Wanted: live the sumo-refereeing dream
The latest batch of screens from Hudson's Help Wanted introduce some new jobs from the game's selection of fifty. Though the screenshots are mostly self-explanatory, we've labeled all of the new screens with the job they depict. Hudson may be breaking new ground by creating the first game in which you play a sumo referee -- although we're sure we'll hear about it if there's already some sumo referee franchise! "Security Guard" seems to involve watching a bunch of security monitors and setting off an alarm at the appropriate time, which means that, though we never expected to relate this game to Night Trap, we totally can. And "Interviewer" is a game based around bothering celebrities on the red carpet. The game's central storyline involves earning enough money to buy a watch that transforms you into a giant, capable of saving the world from an incoming meteor. Amusingly, you can also get a job demonstrating products on the home shopping channel from which you plan to buy the watch.%Gallery-29606%[Via press release]
Karaoke JoyTrailer Wii
Hudson is on a roll when it comes to super-upbeat game trailers! This trailer for the simple, yet awesome, Karaoke Joysound Wii makes us really hope that rumor about an American release turns out to be true. Not that the Wii particularly needs any more killer apps, but we think Karaoke Joysound Wii could turn out to be very popular. We'll see when it comes out in Japan on the 18th.It's a pretty simple idea, really: just a karaoke program on the Wii, with the ability to add vocal effects like echo and to use the mic as a tambourine. But it's got a super-cute look (that looks so much like Rodney Alan Greenblat's work, but is labeled as Dice-K Jackson) and the ideal DLC structure for a karaoke game. For 300 Wii Points, users get one day of unlimited downloads; 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Points buy three days, 30 days, and 90 days, respectively. Though we can't imagine buying 90 days' worth of unlimited access to a karaoke catalog unless we partied all the time, the 300 Point deal is killer for get-togethers.%Gallery-33426%
More excitement than you'd expect from a fishing game: Fishing Master: World Tour
At first, we weren't even sure if this was a new trailer for Fishing Master: World Tour. The first ten seconds or so are completely identical to the previous trailer in every way, from the music to the shot of the spinning globe on the captain's desk. But unlike the previous trailer, which briefly showed off the game's locations, this one demonstrates gameplay, with controller diagrams and in-game footage.And man, does it make fishing look exciting. All the flashy screen effects, anime-style character portraits popping up, and combo displays make Fishing Master look more like a fighting game than the normal waiting game. That kid totally performed a Super Combo on that boss.%Gallery-37518%[Via press release]
Unrest among sports: Snowboard Riot and Pool Revolution
Hudson's Snowboard Riot has what we think is a much cooler name for its Japanese release: Board Warriors. Famitsu has new screens of the game, one of three contemporaneous online WiiWare games from Hudson, and it looks -- kinda like Mario Kart on a snowboard! Well, in that it's a multiplayer race with wacky items. If you think items are ridiculous, the game also features an item-free "Stoic Mode" (we think that's the translation) in both online and offline play. Snowboard Riot BOARD WARRIORS is expected in Japan next month. In other Hudson WiiWare news, the company sent a press release containing a bunch of new screens of Pool Revolution: Cue Sports, which we're just going to call CUE WARRIORS. %Gallery-36618%%Gallery-39000%
Two dollars per sport is hard to beat
Amazon's latest Deal of the Day is once again a Wii game, this time Hudson's cute sports minigame collection Deca Sports for $19.98. If you've been searching for a Wii curling game to play with your friends, with occasional breaks for figure skating, this is the game for you. We can't offer you an unqualified recommendation: our impressions of four of the games were quite positive, but reviews have been less than enthusiastic. It's fairly popular, for what that's worth!We can never talk about Deca Sports without mentioning its super-upbeat, catchy theme song. The game came out in May and we still get the song stuck in our heads!%Gallery-7109%
VC Friday: Panic! hits PAL regions
Pit Crew Panic!, a bizarre minigame compilation in which you repair busted cars, trucks, medieval castles, wedding cakes, giant toilets, and whatever this is, leads the new arrivals on the PAL Wii Shop this week. It's joined by remade Nintendo puzzler Art Style: Rotohex and, as we expected, Strong Bad: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective. Then there's Bang!, a puzzler that looks a bit like Bejeweled with fruit -- the gameplay video after the break is possibly the most soulless thing we've watched in years.Oh, and we can now say with some certainty that World of Goo will be out in Europe and Australia on December 19, the only "WiiWare Friday" left in 2008. Unless it's been delayed again, which doesn't bear thinking about. Strong Bad: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective -- 1000 Points -- WiiWare Art Style: Rotohex -- 600 Points -- WiiWare Bang! -- 600 Points -- WiiWare Pit Crew Panic! -- 500 Points -- WiiWare Footage of all four after the break! Cookies for those who make it through the whole Bang! video.%Gallery-36617%
Dilapidated trains, castles inspire Pit Crew Panic
Before your crew gets to work, pretty much every item that arrives in Pit Crew Panic is in a shocking state of disrepair. Covered in a thick layer of dirt, dented, cracked, and in some cases marred by unfortunate cartoon-face graffiti, they inspire the Panic suggested in the title. In their filthiest states, the objects look like they use Alien Crush Returns textures.In the bizarre WiiWare title, you'll be cleaning and repairing not just cars and motorcycles, but newly-revealed things like train cars, satellites (how do satellites get so muddy?), castles, and battleships. We can't forget about the ones we'd seen before, like flowers and giant toilets, either.%Gallery-36617%
Wii Points up for grabs in Tetris Party tournaments
Those online Tetris Party tournaments won't just enhance your fearsome internet reputation -- they'll also offer Wii Points as prizes, a pretty awesome way of keeping player interest high. The first tournament kicks off December 1st, and contains four rounds, each featuring one of Tetris Party's eighteen variations. After you complete a round, the game will give you a rank and confirmation code, which you can register at the official Tetris Party tournament site. Perform strongly over all four rounds, and you could win!Five hundred prizes are up for grabs (though how many points will be given away isn't known), and we're fairly sure this is a global contest -- there's no mention of regional restrictions in the press release. Skip past the break for start dates, end dates, and other details of the first tournament, then get practicing!%Gallery-18122%
Fishing Master: World Teaser
If Animal Crossing: City Folk has whetted your appetite for motion-based fishing, Hudson would like to remind you that they have, like, a whole game coming out about just that. A second one, in fact! Fishing Master: World Tour has a bit more in-depth fishing, as you would expect, and interesting backdrops to stare at while you're failing to catch anything.There's a longer trailer over at the official website, as well as video footage featuring each of the game's fishing venues. Keep practicing catching sea bass in Animal Crossing (or the first Fishing Master, we guess), and maybe you'll be able to hit the leaderboards when World Tour.%Gallery-37518%
Hudson announces one for Wii, three for WiiWare in North America
Last week, Hudson announced new three new WiiWare games for download in Europe. This morning, the company sent out a press release confirming the (eventual) WiiWare release of all of those games in North America. Pool Revolution: Cue Sports is a pool game featuring online play and a puzzle mode in which players attempt to successfully sink prearranged trick shots.Snowboard Riot is a snowboard racing game "utilizing weapons such as homing bullets and invisibility!" It has 1-4 player online play and, continuing with Deca Sports' vaguely silly athletic-wear advertising, allows players to customize their avatars with Oakley sunglasses and outerwear.Pit Crew Panic is a game about all-female racing pit crews fixing what Hudson refers to as "WHATSITS" -- bridges, cakes, toilets, aircraft carriers, and all manner of non-race-car items. Pit Crew Panic also features four-player online functionality, with 2-on-2 and 3-on-1 teams.The company also confirmed a North American release of Hard Working People, the retail Wii game about taking on various part-time jobs, for summer 2009 under the title Help Wanted. It will come out in Europe in March 2009 as Job Island. Head past the break for more screens!%Gallery-36617%%Gallery-36618%
New Hudson WiiWare games feature pool, snowboarding, and team toilet repair
With Alien Crush Returns debuting in Europe today, Hudson has wasted no time announcing three new WiiWare games for the PAL Wii Shop. They range from pretty basic stuff to whaaaaat? They all sound like they could potentially be fun.On the 'basic' end of things: Snooker Vs. Billiards Cue Sports, a pool game with online play for 1-4 players. It allows for either motion- or button-based play, which is a nice touch. It'll be out (probably) at the end of this month.Slightly less normal is Snowboard Riot, due out in January, a snowboarding game with combat -- sort of like Road Rash falling down a mountain. It also supports online play for up to four players, and even allows the Balance Board.And then there's Pit Crew Panic. We'd seen the title before, but we couldn't have guessed the content of the game. Sure, it is a game about a racing pit crew fixing cars quickly, but it's also a game about a pit crew fixing cakes quickly. And toilets. And flower beds. Wow!
VC Friday: Resistance is futile
EX-TERM-IN-ATE! EX-TERM-IN-ATE! Wait, no, those are the other ones. But whatever. The point is: after hearing nothing about Space Invaders Get Even! for months, the game has randomly appeared on the European and Australian Wii Shops. We are unashamedly jigging with joy as we type this. And the extra-terrestial goodness doesn't stop there, for Alien Crush Returns has also joined the line-up. Needless to say, we wholeheartedly welcome our new rulers (of all our spare time). The other game is Brain Challenge. Sorry, Brain Challenge. Alien Crush Returns -- WiiWare -- 800 Nintendo Points Brain Challenge -- WiiWare -- 1000 Nintendo Points Space Invaders Get Even! -- WiiWare -- 500 Nintendo Points %Gallery-25384%
Wii Fanboy Review: Alien Crush Returns
I've been a huge fan of Naxat Soft's Alien Crush and other Crush games since they came out. It's no exaggeration to say that the availability of Alien Crush on the Virtual Console factored into my decision to purchase a Wii. When Hudson revealed plans for a 3D WiiWare update of Alien Crush, it definitely captured my attention. Alien Crush Returns, it turns out, is much more than an update: it is a direct sequel to Alien Crush, and a very different game. While the new version doesn't outshine the original, there's certainly more of it. And it finally brings online leaderboards to the series -- along with direct online competition! %Gallery-19346%
Hard Posing People
Hudson's Hard Working People is coming out in Japan on the 27th of this month, and probably in North America sometime afterward (under a different, fan-selected name!). Dengeki has a few screenshots of everyday fake people going about their working lives, saving up for asteroid repellent so they can save the world. Since we last heard about the game, the concept of having to scrape together money from a series of wacky part-time jobs has become ... a bit more timely!We've seen most of the professions on display here before, but this is our first look at "bodybuilder." Bodybuilding is usually something people get into casually for a bit of quick money, right?%Gallery-29606%
Alien Crush returns Home (Sweet Home) on WiiWare
Finding a way to combine pinball and H.R. Giger, Alien Crush Returns (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, 800 Wii Points) is now available on WiiWare. The remake to 1988's Alien Crush has you facing off against insectoid monsters from outer space, using only your flippers and a large metallic sphere. Sonic Spinball would be proud. For the more faint of heart, this week also introduces to WiiWare Home Sweet Home (Big Blue Bubble Inc., 1 player, 1000 Wii Points), based on the casual PC title. It's all about bringing out the aspiring interior designer inside you, for when you want to live vicariously through the TV instead of getting off the couch to redecorate your actual living room. Gallery: Alien Crush Returns
Hudson thinking about other WiiWare remakes
Producer Peter Dassenko, who's handling the upcoming Alien Crush Returns for Wiiware, spoke with theBBPS.com about the title and Hudson as a whole. As pumped as we are for Alien Crush Returns, it's not the only interesting thing about the interview. Dassenko pretty much confirms that we will see updates to other Hudson titles hit WiiWare, much like Star Soldier R and, of course, Alien Crush Returns."The special thing about Hudson is that we really do listen to what our fans want," Dassenko said. "We know there are a ton of fans out there demanding remakes or completely new versions of our more popular brands like Military Madness, Adventure Island, Bonk, and more," continuing on to say that he's "sure we'll see other series making the leap to current-gen soon enough." Sounds good to us!%Gallery-19346%
