STAR SOLDIER R

"Star Soldier R" is a WiiWare-exclusive shooter game where the player tries to score as high as possible within a time limit.
(The "R" in the title stands for "Revolution", by the way.)
The time limit can be set to either 2 minutes or 5 minutes. The game should be easy to pick up and play for anyone, but the more you play, the more you'll realize that there's a lot of strategy involved in improving your scores.
Your best scores can be uploaded to the Wi-Fi Ranking, letting you pit your skills against the world's best players from the comfort of your own home.
Below is an overview of one of the most compelling aspects of "Star Soldier R"; scoring strategies. There are other strategies beyond those I'll be discussing here - please feel free to try out your own!

Master Higgins
Joined Hudson Soft in 1982. Gained widespread fame in 1985 for his lightning-quick trigger finger (16 shots/second) at various shooter video game events. Assumed the title of "Master" shortly afterwards. Appeared on TV, radio and the big screen at the height of the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) craze, becoming a hero among children in Japan. Appeared as the main character in the "Adventure Island" series of video games. Author of numerous related books.

Star Soldier R Hints and Tips(1)
Star Soldier R Hints and Tips(2)

How to Get High Scores in Star Soldier R
1) Destroy enemies ASAP!
2) Upgrade your ship to the max ASAP!
(Picking up Energy Units or Force Units beyond max upgrade status will grant you 10,000 points each time!)
3) Maximize your Combo Bonus by destroying as many ground or air targets as possible in rapid succession!
4) Make sure you nail all the bonus enemies!
5) For the 2-Minute Mode, prioritize destroying the end boss ASAP. If you need to take hits to do so, don't hesitate.

Doing all of the above should get you around 900,000 points at least.

High-Value Targets in Star Soldier R
Here are some of the targets in the game that will net you a lot of points.

	The first one you'll encounter is the "Lazarus". The "Lazarus" will grant you bonus points if you shoot it down in a certain way. If you miss the bonus, but destroy it normally, you'll only get 5,000 points. If you destroy it correctly, but take too long, you'll only get 5,000 points.
	Next up are the "Deltas", which appear at the top and bottom of the screen. The "Delta" which appears at the bottom of the screen is a tad hard to take out unless your ship has 3-way or 5-way beams, but you should try to take it out ASAP by using the backblast from when your ship changes speed, as well as setting the "Force Units" you should have picked up by then to "Release Formation". "Deltas" are worth 5,000 points too.
	Further on, you'll encounter the "Carons". The "Carons" are tough-ish targets which appear in a horizontal-line formation. You'll need to pump each one full of beams to destroy it, so memorize where they appear and be ready for them. Taking them all out is tough, yet possible. Show'em whatcha got! Each one is worth 5,000 points, so nailing all eight of them will net you 40,000 points.

Many other enemies will appear over the course of the game.
Taking out as many targets as possible is essential to scoring high.

Taking the "Lazarus" Out!
An essential tip for playing "Star Soldier R" is to make sure you nail the bonus enemies that appear along the way.
I mentioned the "Lazarus" earlier. Its four parts appear in the four corners and combine near the middle of the screen. If your ship is inside the "ring" when this happens, and you shoot it down quickly, you'll get a 50,000-point bonus.

If you fail to make it inside the "ring", or take too long to shoot it down, you'll only get the 5,000 points for destroying the "Lazarus" itself.

Rookie players often fall into the pattern below:

	I know, it looks like a faked fumble. It is ;D Notice the ship failing to get inside the "Lazarus", and taking damage. In "Star Soldier R", a reserve ship will appear immediately if you lose your ship, so you'll be able to snag the 5,000 points for shooting the "Lazarus" down, but missing 45,000 points is no joke if you ask me. Man up, place your ship front and center and move around carefully to get inside the "Lazarus". If it's not working for you, try setting your ship's speed to "1" once you're inside the ring, so you can move around at the same speed as the "Lazarus".
	Another gameplay example: This shows the player grabbing the "Lazarus" bonus correctly. Nice moves on the ship. But, but, but... The player did nail the "Lazarus" bonus. However... Note that the Combo Meter in the top right corner of the screen resets to "0". The Combo Meter grants you 100 points per count when you complete the level. The Combo Meter should be around 250 to 350 when the "Lazarus" appears. For the 2-Minute Mode, it's possible to finish the level with a Combo Meter of 1000. If you let the Combo Meter reset to 0 while you're shooting the "Lazarus", you'll only be able to hit 700 counts or so in the end. This means 30,000 points less on your score. A big step back, no?
	How to avoid this? Keep destroying ground targets to keep your Combo Meter alive, even after the "Lazarus" appears. Look better? Not bad, huh?
By the way, there are other ways to destroy enemies in "Star Soldier R". You can pick up "Force Units" by blowing up the blue "Force Shelters", a kind of ground target. Your ship can have up to 5 Force Units helping it. Change the Force Units' formation to Release Formation by hitting the "Hold/Release Force" button, and they will attack targets automatically. One catch though, the Force Units have limited energy. So you'll need to set them back to Hold Formation every now and then to get them recharged. The backblast when your ship changes speed is actually quite powerful.
	If you feel up for it, try combining your Force Unit attacks and backblast to take out the "Lazarus". Pretty cool, eh? The "Lazarus" is one of many enemies you'll be encountering, but it's a crucial part in the first half of the level. Practice as much as you need to, and make sure you can nail the full bonus each time through.

Air Targets, etc. in "Star Soldier R"
Here's a quick rundown of the enemies appearing in "Star Soldier R", and the points you get for shooting them down.
First batch:

Olse 200 points	Rib 600 points	Caron 5,000 points
Lazarus 5,000 points (50,000 points special takedown bonus)	Brella 2,000 points	D-Style 400 points
Duke 200 points	Abas 3,000 points	Delta1 5,000 points
Delta2 5,000 points	Gnira 600 points	Tirus 200 points
Scape 1,000 points	Luido Indestructible	Death Wing 100 points (if you make them split)
Mjoln 300 points	Grassly 300 points	Mista 1,000 points
Phi 500 points	Petit Brain 600 points	Tetra 500 points
Orcus 200 points	Psy 2,000 points (10,000 points if "Gugs" appear)	Gug 1,000 points

And here's the end boss for the 2-Minute Mode, the "StarBrain".
Each component is worth 16,000 points.
Taking out the core gives you 10,000 points.

The missiles it shoots at you are worth 200 points each.

StarBrain

Last but not least, the end boss for the 5-Minute Mode, the "EverGardian".
The arm cannons are worth 10,000 points each.
The main body is worth 50,000 points.

The "Scapes" that the boss launches are worth 1,000 points each.

EverGardian

Ground Targets in "Star Soldier R"
Most of the ground targets don't have names, but they vary in durability and point value.
Here are the point totals for each target - I'll leave you to discover the durability totals for yourself, just as I did for the air targets list I posted last time.
I'm going to call the non-named ground targets "A-1", "A-2" and so on.

The following are the ground targets you'll be seeing mainly in the "2-Minute Mode".

A-1
100 points

A-2
200 points

A-3
400 points

A-4
400 points

A-5
200 points

A-6
800 points

Next up are the ground targets you'll be seeing in the "5-Minute Mode".

B-1
１００points

B-2
200 points

B-3
400 points

B-4
800 points

Pipes
1000 points

Pipe Core
400 points

The Pipes are tough to take out, but give you quite a lot of points - don't miss them!

You'll be seeing "Zegs" as well in the "5-Minute Mode".
The Zegs are worth 500 points on their own, but in classic Star Soldier fashion, will grant you increasingly juicy bonuses if you take them out without missing any.
The counter for the above bonuses will reset if you lose a ship on the way, so be careful!

Zegs will be worth more for
each one you take out:
1st Zeg 1,000 points
2st Zeg 3,000 points
3st Zeg 5,000 points
4st Zeg 10,000 points
5st Zeg 30,000 points
6st Zeg 80,000 points

You'll also be seeing "Delilahs" at the end of the "2-Minute Mode" level, and on the way through the "5-Minute Mode".
Each "Delilah" is worth 5,000 points, but you'll get a hefty 80,000-point bonus if you take them out simultaneously.
The "Delilahs" were always a moment of truth, even more so than the actual end boss waiting just past them.

Last of all, here are the ground targets that release power-ups when destroyed:

From left to right:
Energy Shelter
Force Shelter
Material Shelter
Each one is worth 500 points.

The Shelters release the following power-ups when destroyed:

From left to right:
Energy Unit 1,000 points
Force Unit 1,000 points
Material Unit 2,000 points

If your ship is already at max on Energy Units or Force Units, you'll get a 10,000-point bonus for each additional Energy/Force Unit you pick up.
Make sure you grab them all!
And try not to get hit while you're at it.

That's it for now folks.
Buckle up, experiment, develop your own gameplay strategies and aim for the 1,000,000-point mark!

© 2008 HUDSON SOFT
* Unauthorized use or reproduction of materials on this site is strictly prohibited.
* Screenshots shown are from the development phase.
* Trademarks of Nintendo used under license. WiiWare is available only through the Wii console.