Originally founded as the first third party Nintendo developer, Hudson is known for family friendly characters like Master Higgins, Bonk and Bomberman. It’s about time for Hudson’s stars to grow up. Let’s take a look at Bomberman: Act Zero for the Xbox 360. Instead of the cute helemeted hero, Bomberman: Act Zero has a disfigured cyborg running around dropping bombs. There are no furry kangaroo friends in the game, just a bleak sci-fi setting. Even though the style has changed, Bomberman: Act Zero is exactly what players expect it to be, Bomberman. The only exception is that Act Zero is a story driven game that Hudson plans to release in episodes. To compensate for purchases of future games, Bomberman: Act Zero will be released as a budget title.
Many of you already know that Hudson has been behind Nintendo’s Mario Party series. One of the best things about Mario Party is that it is easy to play mini games for all ages. In Dangerous Party for the Xbox 360, Peach and Mario are replaced by gang members and games of death. Like Mario Party before it Dangerous Party is a collection of mini games. One of the games we played had four characters strapped inside of a sinking submarine. The object of the game was to tap the A button sixty times to escape, but you want to be the last person to leave the sub alive. Another game is a battle royale on top of a bus. Four players get on, but only one survives. Hudson said that they are targeting the Grand Theft Auto audience with Dangerous Party.
There is a reason for these changes, the target audience of the 360. Gamers who spend four hundred dollars on Microsoft’s console probably aren’t little kids. It’s an adult audience that owns a 360. Hudson wants to target them by taking their time tested games and giving them a style that appeals more to adults.
