The shoot 'em up genre has been lacking for many years now, so it's no real surprise that shooter fans have been anxiously awaiting Hudson's newest entry in their Star Soldier series. WiiWare seems like the perfect fit for a good old-fashioned space shoot 'em up, but many fans have been wondering if this new title would be a complete shooter package or just a stripped down version of the Time Attack Mode that was normally included as a nice little bonus to the full campaign version of the game. Sadly, Hudson has decided to make this new entry in the series completely time-based and this is likely to turn off many gamers who are expecting a more complete shooter package.
In Star Soldier R, you get to take control of your space fighter and your job is to shoot your way through each of the two levels in the game as fast as you possibly can. You can collect power-ups that will increase your firepower, but there aren't any of the typical smart bombs found in many other shooters available to bail you out. You'll have to earn these points the old-fashioned way. At the end of each level, you'll get to take on a huge boss, and given the time limit, you'll have to find a way to take this boss out as quickly as possible.
TG:
"I can only hope that Hudsonsoft are testing the water with this release, and will put out a full set of levels should Star Soldier R prove to be a success.
While Star Soldier R is still a good purchase at only 800 points, the decision to release such a game so brief is an odd one, like Warner Brothers only putting out half a film or JK Rowling only writing half a novel. Very, very strange indeed."
During the PC Engine heyday (known as the TurboGrafx-16 here in the U.S.), Japanese gamers were treated to annual "caravan" competitions, which were hosted by Hudson. These travelling competitions bussed from city to city across Japan in a special yellow bus that highlighted upcoming products as well as a special tournament title. These caravan titles were often time-limited, with the goal not being completion of the level but earning the highest possible score in a limited amount of time. While hardcore fans are no doubt familiar with the caravan titles, most U.S. gamers haven't had a chance to experience them until now.
Star Solider R was the star of the show at last fall's Hudson Caravan, and it is one of the first titles to debut on the newly launched WiiWare store. Because it was designed as a tournament style game, Star Solider R is much shorter than a typical shooter - the longest game mode is a mere five minutes - but what it lacks in length is more than made up for in depth of play.
On a superficial level, Star Soldier R is very easy to pick up and play. Simply grab a controller, move your ship and start shooting the bad guys. There's no need to worry about extra lives, as you have an infinite amount to use if needed. The real challenge here is time. Every death costs you precious seconds as you wait for your ship to respawn. You also lose any power-ups, not to mention the combo chain.
While Star Soldier R lacks a story mode, it's a great WiiWare title that will always keep you coming back to advance in your regional and worldwide high scores. The only complaints Hooked Gamers personally have about this game are the lack of a story mode and the useless Quick Shot mode. At 800 Wii Points, this is a great WiiWare title to get for your Wii.
