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.
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."
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.
Whilst many will look at this as being just a two stage shooter for a high price that is definitely the wrong viewpoint. This 'Caravan Mode' version of Star Soldier is perfect for those that cannot commit to working their way through a full shmup outing.
Without the online element the appeal would not been anywhere near as high, so thankfully Hudson's inclusion was a wise one since the sheer addictive quality of coming back time and time again to up your worldwide ranking means gamers will, in the long run, likely play this more than other quality WiiWare offerings such as LostWinds and My Life as a King. A fantastically crafted space shooter that has a resounding 'just one more go' feel to it…Be sure to give this a whirl.
