Star Soldier R (Wii)
"This is a new version of a classic game, but the two- and five-minute format is something you don't normally see. The Japanese have been enjoying this for the past few years, but most Americans have never experienced something like this."
Amar Gavhane, associate brand manager, Hudson Entertainment
It's fascinating how certain games for some mysterious reasons mainline into that gamer's pleasure center that exists in everybody's brains and rush into the consciousness of the gaming culture. In Japan, Star Soldier is one of those games.
Yes, THAT Star Soldier. The old, top-down, outer space shooter where you zig-zag an interceptor around and frantically jam on a fire button to blast everything in sight because everything's gunning for you, too.
Star Soldier R is the latest iteration of the pyrotechnic workout, and it's part of the first wave of WiiWare digital downloads set for U.S. launch on May 12. It would seem to be a perfect fit. "Hudson always tries to make simple, fun games," says Amar Gavhane, associate brand manager. "We don't make crazy, violent shooter games—this is about as violent as we get. We don't make games with adult content. This is a quick little bite sized experience that everyone can play."
Star Soldier R's already been actively aggravating the carpal tunnels of Japanese gamers since WiiWare launched there in March. But versions of Star Soldier have been in circulation since 1985, and 12 have been full-fledged console games. Star Soldier for NES and later PSP, and Blazing Lazers for Turbo-graphx 16 may be familiar to American button punchers (especially you old-schoolers). But, in fact, brand new versions of the games appear every year in Japan. This is thanks to the legendary Hudson Caravan. Hudson has been carting a traveling video game roadshow to towns and cities throughout Japan since 1985 as an opportunity to showcase its product. And while other games are there for demo, Star Soldier is…well, the star of the show.
The centerpiece of the Caravan tour is always a Star Soldier tournament, that showcases a brand new version of Star Soldier. Naturally, because of the numbers of players in the tournament, the new Star Soldiers are truncated and time limited to keep the lines moving. Star Soldier R is the latest recruit to see Caravan duty, and it's coming to WiiWare basically as is.
In Star Soldier R you're trying to destroy as many enemies as you can within a time limit.
The Force orbs protect you and provide firepower at the same time.
There are essentially three games--two- and five- minute shoot-em-ups plus a speed shooting challenge. The top-down shooting is just how you picture it. Stationary gun emplacements, kamikaze spacecraft, interceptor U.F.O.s, and other assorted sci-fi techno thingies flood across the screen in an all out effort to get you. It's like a scene in Battlestar Galactica when massive waves of Cylon raiders attack, except this time you're the only Colonial Viper around. You'd burst into a paranoid fit if you didn't have fast fingers. But that's always been what Star Soldier's been about.
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In the two clocked drills, you're trying to rack up as many points as you can by destroying as many enemy ships as you can until either time runs out or you're destroyed. You can gather power-ups that provide you with up to five Force orbs that revolve around your ship for protection. You can also launch them forward where they will fire at oncoming enemies independently—something new to the series. The games are designed to be short. The 5-minute game is basically two levels. If you're good you might meet and defeat two bosses.
The speed challenge called Quick Shot mode is even shorter. The game lasts for about 13-seconds. It's an all-out sprint where all you're trying to do is tap the fire button as fast as you can to ultimately see how many shots you can pound out in one second.
At the end of every mode, you see where your score places on a leaderboard. Then you can connect online with other Wiis to see how you match up with other Star Soldier R players around the world. It already has international leaderboards set up, which are dominated by Japanese gamers at the moment. And they will host regular international tournaments for all three game modes, too.
Hudson expects that the chance to play an all-time classic shooter and to produce the best scores in the world will make Star Soldier R irresistible. "You have a combination of nostalgia for guys who have played the game over 20 years and challenge for guys who are trying to prove their worth," says Gavhane. "Shooter fans are always a little obsessive. They're always trying to get a higher score and beat the next guy. Now they can compare themselves against the best in the world."
Oh, and the fastest Star Soldier button-smasher around? He's called Takahashi Meijin (Master Takahashi). He can tap 16 times in one second. Try it.
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Star Soldier R is a brand new version of a classic game, designed for short but fast gameplay.
Battle through 2- and 5-minute modes until you beat them, run out of time, or die.
As downloadable WiiWare, Star Soldier R looks fast and fun.
