At PAX, Hudson had a very modest booth compared with other companies and you could count the titles available to play on one hand.  This is added to the fact that one of their titles, Deca Sports, was also being displayed, which brought the number of games I was shown to three.

Fishing Master World Tour

Fishing Master World Tour is a sequel to Fishing Master.  In the latest version of the game, you’re looking to fish around the world in search of a great catch.  The game is focused on a casual gamer, so there’s not too many complicated elements.  Players will use the Wii Remote to throw their line in the water, then use the Nunchuk to reel in the line.  Of course it’s not as simple as that, if the fish is resisting, you’ll want to back off or move the pole from left to right to prevent the line from breaking.  For the beginner, it may not be wise to try to reel in a big fish as I had some difficulty trying to do so when giving it a spin.

The game will also feature an online leaderboard that will track who catches the biggest fish in each region.  This along with over 200 fish to catch, may make it appealing for those who simply wish to sit in front of their TVs, grab a beverage, and start some basic fishing.

Bomberman Blast

Bomberman seems to be a staple of Hudson’s games and for good reason.  In this latest version for WiiWare, you’ll be able to battle it out with up to 7 other players online.  Players will also be able to choose their Miis so bombing can be a bit more personal.  You won’t start off with being able to select Miis, instead you’ll need to play 10 games, according to the demonstrator.

In addition to the these features, there is a new mode called Countdown.  In this mode players have 20 seconds before they die.  To prevent losing, you’ll need to blow up another player and thus pass on your 20 seconds until death to the others.  It’s a great mode for those who don’t like to die to one shot bombs.  

Another mode to avoid one-shots is King Mode.  This is pretty much king of the mountain, wherein players will fight to get the crown and keep it on their head.  You can either play for best overall time wearing the crown, or whomever ends up with it last is the winner.  With either of these modes, the skate power-up seems to be your best bet.

From the brief exposure to this game, I’m thinking this is going to be a great Bomberman to snag.  With multiplayer online and new fun modes that are forgiving, it’s on my WiiWare radar.

Alien Crush Returns

Having never played the other Alien Crush games, this was my introduction into the series.  Alien Crush Returns is a pinball game like the previous games, except this newest title will be available via WiiWare.  In the game, your goal is to exterminate the aliens while trying to obtain a high score.

The controls for the game are very simple and aren’t complicated.  Z and B are your flippers, while you’ll shake the controllers to tilt if necessary.  I found that completing the level objectives is simple.  The real treat are the boss battles however.  When I encountered the first one, it shot purple gooey material at my flippers, forcing me to shake it off by hitting the flipper buttons rapidly.  While this may get annoying to some, I thought it was a great touch that divides your concentration for a bit of time.

Online consists of leaderboards and a head to head mode.  In the H2H mode, you’ll be up against another player, but instead of see what they’re up to, you’ll only see their score since that’s what you’re trying to beat.

In it’s current form, Alien Crush Returns seems a bit rough around the edges, but then again I was shown a Japanese build, complete with text that I couldn’t decipher due to not knowing the language.  When finished, it’ll be a great pinball experience for those looking for something else in the genre.

Overall

I’d say Hudson is trying to balance their offerings with a mixture of casual and core.  Bomberman Blast may be considered both, though with some of the strategy elements I could see it being a bit more involved.  While playing though I did feel sorry for a fellow writer.  Every time we’d play against each other, I’d end up beating him.  He couldn’t catch a break.  Apologies for the frustration Daniel!