This trailer shows off Bomberman Blitz, the recently released update to the classic game now available on DSiWare.

Hudson Entertainment announced a double whammy of sorts today concerning games for WiiWare. For starters, they are bringing the Bomberman back to the Wii via an all-new adventure complete with multiplayer battles, Mii support and eight-person online play with Bomberman Blast.

Players can compete in solo missions and as part of a team to battle against other players online using their Miis in the Bomberman Blast arena where up to four players can compete in tournaments to see who truly is the best Bomberman around.

New gameplay elements featured within ten different levels have been implemented, such as: Bomb Change which does just that – turns you into a bomb; Rocket, where you jump high in the air to avoid bombs; and Shield, where you run the risk of getting carpal tunnel due to continuously shaking your Wiimote to avoid being blasted.

While Bomberman Blast sounds like a fun free-for-all, gamers who are more interesting in a sci-fi pinball game based on the ultimate in TurboGrafx-16 nostalgia, should look no further than Alien Crush Returns.

Making its debut on the Wii, this sequel to the classic Alien Crush features alien landscapes spanning two screens, multiple boards, online play, bonus levels, and special pinball powers like Boost, Reverse, and Split. Up to four-player online play takes advantage of the Wi-Fi by allowing players to compete for the highest pre-determined score and have your name immortalized on the online leader boards.

Future downloadable content is expected to be released for Alien Crush Returns with the addition of new stages and pinballs to help round out your game and keep you interested.

Neither Bomberman Blast or Alien Crush Returns have a release date or price plan set, but we will be sure to let you know when to expect your Wii to get just a bit cooler… in the meantime check out the screens for Bombermab Blast on FileFront.

Homestar Runner’s infamous Strong Bad makes his video game debut in Strong Bad Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner on this week’s Wii-kly update. This wisecracking prankster is coming at you with episodic content of his own ala Sam & Max. Prank your friends, destroy anything you can get your hands on and pummel your unwanted house guest Telltale’s first offering.

Details on Strong Bad as well as virtual console offerings Break In and Star Parodier follow the break.
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I come bearing a warning for anyone with an Xbox Live account. Do not, I repeat, do NOT under any circumstances purchase the newest XBLA title, Mr. Driller Online. Normally I might call this sort of article my “impressions” of a game. But due to the severe awfulness of Mr. Driller Online, I’m calling this a “Public Service Announcement.” I honestly feel that this sort of warning goes right up there with “Only you can prevent forest fires” and “This is your brain on drugs.” Some of you may think that piece of advice is fairly obvious, but I wish someone had warned me before I plopped down 800 Microsoft points for possibly the worst XBLA title I have ever experienced. Read on as I explain why Mr. Driller Online should only be sold under the counter in back alleys and dingy fast food places.

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Apparently Hudson Soft’s Bomberman will be making its way to WiiWare, and while details are currently being finalized for the title, this news is not unexpected to say the least. According to a Q&A thread with the publisher, Bomberman for WiiWare will be much different from Bomberman Live, but will still maintain the classic stylings gamers have grown accustomed to.Super Star Soldier R, on the other hand, will be very different and is reminiscent of Pacman Championship.

“[The game has] a time based attack mode, where you prove you can get the highest score. The whole concept originated many years ago on the Hudson Caravan. A traveling showcase Hudson did around Japan where hundreds of thousands of people would come out, meet celebrities, play games, and compete (Bomberman, Star Soldier, etc). One of the original Star Soldier games featured a 5 minute mode, specially designed for competition. And we’d used that to prove who was the best out there. That mode is designed to be very complex, and there are many ways to rake up combo points, so trying to master it requires some testing out of different attack patterns. Anyways, it was hugely popular in Japan, so this updated Wii Ware version was originally planned just for that market. We’re evaluating bring out for the US, since most people have never heard of Star Soldier, or the 5 minute mode or the Hudson Caravan. Or 16-shot. But that’s for another thread.”

So there ya have it. Bomberman is a definite for WiiWare and Hudson Soft has a few other things up their sleeves as well, which you can check out on GoNintendo where it has been broken down into a readable format. If you would rather read the entire thread, head on over to NeoGaf.

Bomberman Land
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Price: $29.99
Platform: Wii
Category: Action, Arcade
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone (Cartoon Violence)
Release Date: January 29, 2008

These days, I approach anything dealing with the “Bomberman” franchise with apprehension. As far as I’m concerned, the more recent games have been kind of “hit or miss,” and few have really stacked up to the ones from the NES days. I tend to approach collections of mini-games for the Wii in much the same manner. So basically, before I even sat down to play it, the new Wii game, Bomberman Land, already had two strikes against it. Is there anything to redeem this latest adventure involving Bomberpeople? My full impressions after the break. Read the full article

The first Xbox Live Arcade Awards that Jonathan posted about last month have come to a close and the winners have been announced – Pac-Man: Championship Edition and Bomberman Live were the big winners, taking home five of the ten awards. Bomberman was named Best Overall Arcade Game as well as Best Competitive Multiplayer Game. There really isn’t a whole lot of diversity in the winners (five games took home all ten awards) with no Puzzle Quest to be seen, which is disappointing to me.

Xbox LIVE Arcade Awards – 2007 Winners

• Best Overall Arcade Game: “Bomberman Live” (Hudson Entertainment)
• Best Classic Game: “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” (Konami Digital Entertainment)
• Best Original Game: “Pac-Man: Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games)
• Best Family-Friendly Game: “Pac-Man: Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games)
• Best Competitive Multiplayer Game: “Bomberman Live” (Hudson Entertainment)
• Best Cooperative Multiplayer Game: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Ubisoft Entertainment)
• Best-Selling Game: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Ubisoft Entertainment)
• Most-Played Game: “Worms” (Team17 Software Limited)
• Highest-Rated Game: “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” (Konami Digital Entertainment)
• Xbox LIVE Arcade Staff Choice: “Pac-Man: Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games)

What were your choices for the awards?

The leaderboard for the most played games via XBL for the week ending February 9th have surfaced, and the game taking the top spot was CoD4: Modern Warfare. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has played the game, but Halo fans will be a little saddened to know that their hallowed game has lost its crown for the time being. Guitar Hero III beat out Rock Band and surprisingly Assassin’s Creed is still getting a little download lovin’ from 360 users.

Below is the full list courtesy of Major Nelson, where each list is based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade, full versions purchased that week:

LIVE Activity for week of 2/4

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

1. Call of Duty 4
2. Halo 3
3. Guitar Hero III
4. Gears of War
5. Rock Band
6. Madden NFL 08
7. Devil May Cry 4 Demo
8. Assassin’s Creed
9. Forza Motorsport 2
10. FIFA 08

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)

1. Poker Smash
2. Rez HD
3. Chessmaster Live
4. Metal Slug 3
5. UNO
6. Bomberman LIVE
7. Sonic The Hedgehog 2
8. TMNT 1989 Arcade
9. 9 Worms
10. Marble Blast Ultra

The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)

1. Halo 2
2. Battlefield 2: MC
3. Counter-Strike
4. Star Wars: Battelfront 2
5. Madden NFL 08
6. Call of Duty 3
7. Fable
8. Street Fighter Anniv.
9. Ghost Recon 2
10. Rainbow Six 3

Sometimes, I find some really interesting lots for sale on eBay. Doing a little searching today, I came across a lot of 400 video games for $3,199.99 + Shipping (US $250, Canada $400). That works out to about $8.62 per game if you have it shipped to the United States. Keep in mind that a majority of the games are for the PS2 and original Xbox. I’m not sure what a collection like this would cost you at a store like GameStop for example, but I think the price would actually be pretty close. I wouldn’t classify this as a great deal, but it would be sweet to have all these games in your collection. If the price were closer to say $2,000 for all 400, I’d consider buying it myself.

Auction Link

The exact games included follow the break:
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Major Nelson has posted up a few lists of interest on his blog detailing the most played Xbox 360 and Xbox 1 games on Xbox Live, as well as the most purchased Xbox Live Arcade games from 2007. Unsurprisingly, Halo 3 and Halo 2 dominate the first two lists, while TMNT 1989 Arcade was the most purchased Arcade game of the year. I thought I was alone in loving that game prior to its release on XBLA.

Top Xbox 360 Games (Unique Users)

1. Halo 3
2. Gears of War
3. Call of Duty 4
4. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
5. Call Of Duty 3
6. Crackdown
7. Oblivion
8. Guitar Hero II
9. Forza Motorsport 2
10. Lost Planet

Call of Duty 3? Really? I found that one to be pretty shocking considering how terrible I’d argue the game is. Apparently, people don’t seem to care, and so long as you’ve got a popular name attached to the game, people will play it. (Why do I get the feeling that saying that is just begging someone to bring Madden up in the comments?)

The other two lists can be seen after the jump.

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