Flight of the bumblebee

[Green Gibbon!]

I've always had a spot in my heart for Hudson, even though they haven't made a noteworthy game since about 1997. Up until 3D became the normal thing to do, they had this knack for crisp graphics and rock-solid mechanics - they understood playability in a way that eluded most developers of the era. During their heyday from the mid 80's to the mid 90's, I would rank them up there with the likes of Nintendo, Capcom, and Konami for overall consistency in quality (if only rarely brilliance). Of course those guys are all still powerhouses, but the way they produce games is different - I believe Konami purchased Hudson a few years back, didn't they?

Of course Hudson failed to evolve in the same way and ultimately lost their way, but it was always kind of comforting to know they were still around and (mostly) independent, even as other heavy-hitters of the 80's and 90's were sold, merged into oblivion, relegated to endlessly recycling old classics for the mobile market, and just plain shut down. But still the bee flew.

And then with a heavy heart I read the announcement a few weeks ago about their shifting strictly to social network and browser games. Now even Master Takahashi is moving on - only a symbolic passing, perhaps (I'm not sure he was ever actually involved in game development), but definitively marking the end of an age.


So, here's to the bee.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

The hell, no Bonk's Revenge, period?

[Green Gibbon!]

I didn't mention it because it was developed (along with Tengai Makyou and Ginga Ojousama Yuna) by Red, though I'm pretty sure Hudson owns the rights to all 3.

[G.Silver]

Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu! That's certainly not a game I think of when I think "Hudson" but it's probably the one on this list that I played the most. Besides various Bomberman incarnations, anyway.

[Green Gibbon!]

I know, right? I've got no strong opinions about Jackie Chan, but I'm pretty sure he never deserved a game that good. And it's one of those things noone remembers.

Great music, too.

[Zeta]

Christ, someone made a game called Willy Wombat?

And it's a bout a mohawed Wombat who cosplays as Batman.

Jesus.

Also: Milon's Secret Castle, The Adventures of Dino Riki, and Blender Bros.

[Ritz]

Christ, someone made a game called Willy Wombat?

And it's a bout a mohawed Wombat who cosplays as Batman.

And he was kickass. Only game I know of with a story that revolves around anarchist doctrine. And to think it was done so convincingly- you hear some of the shit that comes out of his mouth and you just want to pump your fist. The actual game is sorely lacking in polish, but it's not without its charms. Level design was pretty clever, given what they had to work with.

I voted for that and Bulk Slash.

[Rob-Bert]

Adventure Island III and Super Bomberman 5 rank pretty high on my list.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Well, apparently Ninja Five-O was developed by Hudson. And Blaster Master Jr. is a retitled (not even dolled-up) Bomber King 2. I've played neither to any great extent, but I'd put that out there.

Out of curiosity, what would Pocket Bomberman qualify as?

[Crisis]

Apparently they had a hand in the Pokemon Trading Card Game (for the Game Boy Color). I wish they'd kept updating the game, Yu-Gi-Oh! style. I was always kind of curious, but given the price of the cards and the lack of anyone to teach or play with me, I just lost interest after the GBC game. I'm actually pretty good at Yu-Gi-Oh! after picking up a copy of the 2009 version and the advent of wireless internet. 2887 cards and the entire world to play against isn't bad for £29.99. In fact, I've never understood why people would want to play with physical copies in the first place, given that a game is cheaper and more efficient, even if you have to keep updating every 12 months.

As you can probably tell, I'm straining to think of Hudson games I've actually played. I should probably spend more than 5 minutes with a Bomberman game in honour of this loss.

[aaroNiGHTS]

Didn't they make most of the Mario Party games? Might not be very good, but I still remember playing a Boating mini game titled Right Oar Left and thinking the guy who has the job of giving these things names is my Idol.

[Zeta]

I'd love a Mario Party compilation. None of them really had enough content on their own to make them worth a purchase.

[FlashTHD]

I'd love a Mario Party compilation. None of them really had enough content on their own to make them worth a purchase.

You speak nonsense! Convenience is no way to print stacks upon stacks of MONEY.

besides, Mario Party 3 is about the only one worthwhile

[Green Gibbon!]

And he was kickass.

What happens at the end? I could never figure out how to damage the final boss and Gamefaqs was not so thorough in those days as it is now.

Also, I think Bulk Slash was only published by Hudson. Yeah, it looks like it was developed by these guys: http://www.caproduction.co.jp/works.html. For some reason they don't list the titles, but they've also got a bunch of nameless "party games" in that list for the 64, Cube, and Wii - I assume that's Mario Party.


It's kind of confusing making a list of Hudson games because they also published alot from smaller developers. Blender Bros also (which I'd actually never heard of until just now) was only published by Hudson.

[Ritz]

This happens. Spent half an hour on the final boss myself because of how counterintuitive it is, but it's nowhere near as bullshit as the second Tagner fight where he totally spazzes out and slides around the arena at warp speed dropping bombs everywhere. I can't imagine anyone actually getting through that without the health cheat.

Oh, and perchance you could tell me what's being said here? I'd love an explanation for that. Is the statue actually talking to him?

[Green Gibbon!]

Willy: "What's this?"
Statue: "Do you want to save?" (Probably, I can't discern that kanji.)
Willy: "Yes/No"
Statue: "That'll be 3 tokens."
Willy: "Yes/No"
Statue: "OK then, saving... finished."
Willy: "Thanks. Where did Java go to?"

[(No Imagination)]

Dynablaster (DOS Bomberman) was awesome. Multiplayer aside, as a kid I was flabbergasted by the fact that seemingly no matter how long I played, the stages just kept on coming. This is the castle level. So it must be the last one, right? Nope, have another castle level. And just so you wouldn't think less of us, here is a laboratory level just after it. Now defeat these nasty versions of your multiplayer palette swap buddies to finish the game. Great stuff.

Still, I voted for "something else" because I loved B.C. Kid and Bonk never gets enough street cred these days. ...what? The bumblebee is still right there on the cover... :/

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Shocker for those of us that couldn't be asked to play through the entirety of NES/Famicom Bomberman. I know Hudson apparently owns the Japanese rights to Lode Runner, but I don't see how they thought it was a good idea to make it a direct sequel to Bomberman. Are Cheerful White and Lode Runner the same entity still, I wonder.

Also: Is the word "bonk" really an expletive in Europe?

[Farmer]

Also: Is the word "bonk" really an expletive in Europe?

No. It's crude slang for humping somebody around here, but it's not an expletive.

EDIT: No Pinobee? Heathen!

[Rob-Bert]

Shocker for those of us that couldn't be asked to play through the entirety of NES/Famicom Bomberman. I know Hudson apparently owns the Japanese rights to Lode Runner, but I don't see how they thought it was a good idea to make it a direct sequel to Bomberman. Are Cheerful White and Lode Runner the same entity still, I wonder.

Also: Is the word "bonk" really an expletive in Europe?

The ending to that was sorta retconned out once Bomberman for the PC Engine was released. It's funny, because even before that, the first ever Bomberman game featured him as a mustachioed gent in a pith helmet.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Bomber Man's (originally two words!) exploits on the MSX are well known to me. Brrr.

[G.Silver]

EDIT: No Pinobee? Heathen!

Pinobee was Artoon.

[Rob-Bert]

Bomber Man's (originally two words!) exploits on the MSX are well known to me. Brrr.

I've been trying to track down a ROM of this game for a while. It looks fucking terrifying indeed.

[Crowbar]

I thought the death animation in that first one was freaky enough, but then I watched the 3D one. I shan't be sleeping tonight.

[Crazy Penguin]

I never realised how terrifying Eric and his floaters could be in three dimensions.