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Hudson today confirmed that its futuristic side-scrolling shooter Star Solider R is heading to Nintendo's WiiWare download service in North America.

Featuring fully 3D-based graphics, Star Solider R retains the classic gameplay from previous entries in the Star Solider series, while introducing all-new time attack based 2-Minute and 5-Minute Mode game modes. Rather than simply completing levels gung-ho style, players must race against the clock and attempt to achieve the highest score possible by defeating enemies and collecting various power-ups within the allotted time limit.

Fans of the series will be please to know that Star Solider R will support not only the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, but also the Classic Controller. The WiiWare service is slated to hit North America on May 12, however Hudson did not provide a release date for the newly announced game.

STAR SOLDIER R FOR WiiWARE BLASTS ONTO THE Wii

Hudson's Classic Shooter Returns to Put Your Skills to the Test

REDWOOD CITY, CA – April 16, 2008 - Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm of Hudson Soft, today announced that it is bringing Star Soldier R to WiiWare™ on the Wii™. (ESRB Rating: E for Everybody, Fantasy Violence).

This tournament-style outer space shooter challenges players to achieve a high score in either a 2-Minute or 5-Minute Mode. In 2-Minute Mode, players have just enough time to battle through one action-packed stage and one giant boss. In 5-Minute Mode, they also have enough time to fight their way through a second level with its own boss. Additionally, players can play Quick Shot Mode to see if they have the fastest trigger fingers around! Once gamers have their scores, they can go to the online leaderboards to see how they compare with other players in their region and can keep playing to improve their ranking. There’s also significant depth and replay value to this challenging game, as players can keep practicing to learn all of the different strategies to achieve bonus points in both 2-Minute and 5-Minute Modes. If they discover them all, players might have a shot at having the top score in the world!

Like traditional vertically-scrolling shooters, the game features a top-down perspective and players fly from the bottom of the screen towards the top, shooting at any ship or structure that obstructs their path. As players progress, they can collect power-ups to increase their weapon or shield strength, and an all-new Force System enables gamers to collect up to five orbiting satellites that can be held close to the ship for defensive cover, or can be sent out for additional firepower. Players can also decide how they want to play, choosing from three control schemes – Nunchuk™ and Wii Remote™, Wii Remote only (held sideways) or the Classic Controller™.

“There is a lot of excitement surrounding WiiWare and we are proud that Star Soldier R will be one of the titles available on the platform,” said John Greiner, President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment. “For Hudson, the potential of WiiWare is endless, and gamers can be certain that we will be bringing additional content to WiiWare in the coming months.”