Two more games join the WiiWare library in the USA today. A cheeky puzzle game from Konami called Critter Round-Up and Hudson's Star Soldier R which is an update of the classic Star Soldier from yesteryear.
Here is some more info from the horses mouth:
Critter Round-Up (Konami, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The critters have escaped, and the barnyard is in chaos! It's up to you to quickly corral the animals in this puzzle-action challenge. You'll have to mend fences in a hurry to keep all the critters safe and satisfied. But the fun doesn't stop with the farmland; more than 50 challenging levels take you to several exotic locations, including the outback, the icy Arctic and more. There's even a series of minigames for when the critters get you down: Snowball Soccer, Predator Rampage, Chicken Catch and Fence Trap. Up to four players can compete or cooperate as the critters run wild. So roll up those sleeves and grab a friend-those critters won't catch themselves.
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.
