12:30 AM

Thanks for hanging out with us tonight and hope you enjoyed the news -- we're pretty stoked.  Look for more exclusive news and contests from Japan later this month as we invade the Tokyo Game Show (expect crazy photos) and the E for All Expo in Los Angeles (expect crazy videos). Whoot!

12:15 AM

Get the first look at the game - 65 game screenshots attached! 

12:00 AM 

Join Mr. Destructoid and a new cast of characters in Hudson Entertainment’s Award-Winning  8-Person Online Multiplayer Battle game for PLAYSTATION®3 Computer Entertainment System Gamers this Winter!

REDWOOD CITY, CA – October 1, 2008 - Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for Hudson Soft, today announced that they are releasing Bomberman Ultra, an all-new Bomberman for digital download on the PLAYSTATION®Network this winter. Retaining classic gameplay elements combined with 8-person online multiplayer, full character customization and gorgeous high-definition graphics, Bomberman Ultra is slated to launch worldwide this winter.

“We’re happy to be working with Hudson Entertainment again in Bomberman Ultra”, said Niero, founder of Destructoid.  “Actually, that’s not on the press release. I was just chatting with our editors. We’re all giddy. For a bunch of regular joes who run a video game site this is frickin' awesome stuff.   Oh, and congratulations pedrovay2003 – you nailed it and won a free copy of the game. Smart fella, that guy!”

Full game details after the jump.

Fans of the popular series will be able to compete with the best Bomberman players worldwide, as Bomberman Ultra delivers frantic 8-player multiplayer battles online in 14 exotic arenas, as well as 4-player local multiplayer. Players can customize their own Bomberman characters with more than 50 character costumes, resulting in more than 150,000 possible combinations!

• Prove that you’re the best in the world: Play at home with up to four players or hop online and challenge the best Bombermen from around the world, with up to 8 players (4 local or 8 online)! Set up tournaments, rack up leaderboard points, and prove that you are the best!
• Fully customize your own Bomberman: There are over 50 unique costumes to unlock by picking up “Costume Balls” while playing Random arenas in Local Play! You can pick a specific look for your head, your body and your legs, thus creating over 150,000 possible combinations. You can customize your own Bomberman and you may never see another one exactly like yours!  From the police outfit to the robot, the Bombermen may look cute, but they make formidable opponents.
• Do battle in fourteen exotic locations: Compete in fourteen striking arenas, each with their own traps and gimmicks, from the Lost World with quicksand to the Ghost Town with trap doors!
• Annihilate your enemies with power-ups: Destroy blocks to reveal 16 power-ups (and power-downs), from the simple “Speed Up” to the devastating “Dangerous Bomb”.
• Customize everything about each match: Determine exactly how you want each game to play, from customizing game modes like paint bomb or most frags, gameplay settings like revenge and sudden death, and even the maps themselves!

“The Bomberman series is one of the most popular brands in the history of Hudson Entertainment,” said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. “Bringing Bomberman Ultra to the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system is a natural progression for the series and signifies our faith that the brand is beloved by gamers across all platforms.”

Bomberman Ultra delivers frantic, explosive action, motivating players to remain competitive and fight to prove that they are the best Bomberman player in the world. Utilizing the leaderboards, players can track their ranking to see just how they good they really are, and what they need in order to bomb their way to the top of the chart!

About Bomberman

Originally launched in the US in 1987, the game captured gamers’ hearts with its simple yet challenging gameplay. With over 60 iterations on nearly all major consoles since then, and over 10 million units sold, winning accolades as the best multiplayer game of all time, this classic game has stood the test of time. Along the way, it also pioneered the “party game” genre, encouraging groups of 4 or more friends to duke it out in one room, and was the first series to contribute to Hudson’s reputation as the number one party game company.

About Destructoid

Bah, you know us. We're just happy to be here. Dtoiders - thanks for all the support, we love you! Oh, by the way we're planning an NARP (No Apparent Reason Party - thx Reaprar) this November in Miami.  More news on that next week.  If you're in the area join us, won't ya?  Special thanks to Amar, Mike, Dai, the Johns, and the rest of you wonderful people at Hudson.  This is just too cool for words.

About Hudson Entertainment, Inc.

Hudson Entertainment is the North American publishing arm of Hudson Soft, an international provider of games and entertainment content founded in 1973. Hudson Entertainment focuses on four key businesses: console games, digital download content, mobile games, and music. Hudson introduced best-selling videogame franchises including Bomberman, Bonk, and Super Adventure Island. Hudson's mobile division is a leading supplier of games and personalized content. Through numerous partnerships with record labels, Hudson has become a leading provider of hip-hop ring tones and mobile content. For more information on Hudson Entertainment, please visit www.hudsonent.com.

Hudson Entertainment, Hudson Soft, and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Hudson Soft. “Bomberman” is a registered trademark of Hudson Soft. "PLAYSTATION" and the "PS" Family Logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Online access requires broadband Internet service and a wireless access point or LAN. Certain limitations apply to Wi-Fi connectivity. User is responsible for Internet service fees.

00:00

KABOOM! 

04:59 

"Devastating Dangerous Bomb" 

15:59

Is the site slow for you? I'm looking at the load on the server and it's ridiculous. Shouldn't some of you chilluns be asleep by now?  Ok, updated hint: there's like 150,000 possible character dress-up combinations possible. Oh, and invite 7 friends -- that's when the fun begins :)

19:59

Haven't we done this before? This feels familiar somehow. Is it my imagination?  Hmmm.  Ask one of the Dtoid regulars. They may recall something like this in the past. Another console maybe. Yeah, that's it. 

29:59

There's a duck hat, an aviator kinda steampunkish-looking hat, a laser beam mounted on a robot helmet (not ours!), a Mexican wrestling mask, a hippie costume, a goth outfit, and a sexy cop woman!  

What are you doing this year for Halloween?  Like Candy from Japan?  Tomopop is about to give away a giant warchest of candy from there in the next 15 minutes or so. You heard it here first!

Next update in a few minutes :) 

59:59

Man, do you know how hard it is to keep a secret from staff?  Its brutal! Like, I could be planning something for months and I talk to these guys all day -- but I can't say a thing until the last minute. So I got to tell them about five minutes ago and that's a load off my chest! I just had a nice dinner with the SFX 360 (South Florida Xbox 360) folks and I didn't even mention it -- I take embargoes seriously!  Not that they'd care since (hint) its obviously a PS3 thang.

So here's a bad hint for the public: THERE'S A DUCK HELMET?!!  Better hint coming up at 11:30!

69:00 

I'm not saying anything!  Ok, maybe I'll reveal some clues as we get closer to midnight.  Any one know what I'm up to? Whatever it is, I'm giving it away to the first person that guesses it correctly with as much accuracy as possible.Take your best guess in the comments below! 

T-minus 69ish minutes and counting!  (Next update coming up at 11:10 EST)