QUOTE
	It looks like Hudson has thrown their lot in with Nintendo for 2009.

Hudson recently held a press event for the press in San Francisco and Nintendojo was lucky enough to get an invite. While the purpose of the event was to show off Hudson’s upcoming releases for 2009, the selection of games would make you think it was a Wii-specific event; a lone Bomberman title for the PlayStation Network was the only game being shown not for Wii. It looks like Hudson has thrown their lot in with Nintendo for 2009.

While several disc-based title were being shown off, this article is all about Wii Ware. Hudson had three downloadable titles on display, and while not all of them will redefine gaming as we know it, a few are definitely worth checking out:

Alien Crush Returns

Alien Crush Returns, a sequel to gaming’s most venerated pinball title, was the most appealing game of the lot and it was also the only one already available. If you want, you can consider this more of a mini-review than a preview.

Seeing how Alien Crush is a pinball game, you can instantly pick up the controls and know what to do -– keep the ball in play and earn as many points as possible. A story mode features boss battles, but the regular tables, which resemble the intestinal tracts of some hideous monster, prove to be irresistibly addictive. At the event, a small group of journalists congregated around the title to competed for high scores and I am proud to proclaim I emerged victorious. Take that, 1up.com!

Unfortunately none of the titles were hooked up to a network so we could not test the online portion of the game, but the competitive nature of the game undoubtedly makes the four person online competitions a blast. Overall, the game’s simple controls, beautifully grotesque aesthetic, and addictive nature make Alien Crush Returns a very worthy download.

Snowboard Riot

While Alien Crush is thoroughly brilliant title, Snowboard Riot is still up in the air and the landing is not looking too good. Snowboard Riot takes more of a Mario Kart approach to snowboard racing by incorporating weapons and an all-too-familiar rubber band AI system that makes going from first to last a very common occurrence. All things considered, I’m rather neutral to these design choices, but there are still several factors holding this title down.

The first thing you will notice about Snowboard Riot are the dull visuals. We generally don’t expect Wii Ware titles to push the hardware, but this title looks too much like an N64 title and matters are made even worse by the overall lifelessness of the characters and presentation. However, the biggest problem is the anemic level selection; only four tracks are in the game and even with three game modes that is not much content to keep gamers interested.

Luckily, Snowboard Riot has some potential for redemption. First of all, the game is not quite finished and has some time for polish before its unspecified release. Second, the Wii Balance Board is supported and while we were unable to try it out, this option could add some life to the otherwise uninspired gameplay. Finally, online is included and supports up to four players so the game could have longer legs thanks to multiplayer.

Pit Crew Panic

Let’s save the strangest for last. Pit Crew Panic really does not fit into any specific genre though it could prove to be a surprise hit at parties. The general goal of the game is fairly simple; use your team of anime girl mechanics to fix as many things as quickly as possible. You do this by selecting your girl with the Wii Remote and then dragging them over to a part that needs to be fixed. Now you have a choice: you can assign the other girls to other broken parts, or you can help the working girl by making hammering, sawing, or screwing motions with the remote. Helping one worker vastly improves repair times, but then again, so does multitasking; you ultimately have to decide on the strategy.

However, the sheer insanity of Pit Crew Panic is what makes it attractive. First of all, multiplayer can be incredibly hectic as four players try to work together on one screen, or try to be the faster mechanics over competitive online matches. Finally, Pit Crew Panic is a seriously weird game, while you fix plenty of motorcycles and cars, you occasionally get oddball items like giant toilets, cakes, and flowers that need repairs. There is, for example, something undeniably humorous about watching a team of girls running around and repairing a massive toilet.

Like Snowboard Riot, Pit Crew Panic does not have a firm release date yet but be sure to keep checking in for more on these titles and all Nintendo related developments.