[High Score On!] Star Soldier R for Wii plus dissertation

25mg

Cyrixd wrote: »

Htown wrote: »

I'd buy it if it had a full singleplayer mode (by which I mean you go through several levels in a row and beat bosses at the end of them until you reach the end.) As is, I'll probably buy Soldier Blade instead, since the OP lists that as probably the best one.

This is what scares most people from buying SSR, so it made me wonder:

If the game is built so much on these competitive timed runs, why not have more of them? I'm sure many people who are interested in trying out a competitive-style shooter would've been more willing to drop 800 points if there was more content, which could've easily just been more levels under equivalent time limits. Instead of two stages which are used for both 2 minute and 5 minute mode, why not have a choice of 3 different pairs of stages to go through, for a total of 6 levels. This is what strikes me as lazy/a ripoff; I can understand not having an arcade mode, but only two levels is really skimming on content, when they could've just added more Caravan levels.

To be honest, I only bother with 2 min mode. If they added several other levels, I would have to memorize them and the multi-tasking would take away from my focus and I'd probably only end up playing one level any way. I have a hard enough time giving a shit about 5 min mode, 6 other "level" challenges would not contribute to this kind of active competitive experience. It'd spread a game with an already slim interest even thinner.

Taramoor

I'll add my hi-scores to the list as soon as I feel they're worth adding.

Barely breaking 700k here.

Currently ranked 79th in the Northwest

Sheep

High scores updated.

Cyrixd

25mg wrote: »

Cyrixd wrote: »

Htown wrote: »

I'd buy it if it had a full singleplayer mode (by which I mean you go through several levels in a row and beat bosses at the end of them until you reach the end.) As is, I'll probably buy Soldier Blade instead, since the OP lists that as probably the best one.

This is what scares most people from buying SSR, so it made me wonder:

If the game is built so much on these competitive timed runs, why not have more of them? I'm sure many people who are interested in trying out a competitive-style shooter would've been more willing to drop 800 points if there was more content, which could've easily just been more levels under equivalent time limits. Instead of two stages which are used for both 2 minute and 5 minute mode, why not have a choice of 3 different pairs of stages to go through, for a total of 6 levels. This is what strikes me as lazy/a ripoff; I can understand not having an arcade mode, but only two levels is really skimming on content, when they could've just added more Caravan levels.

To be honest, I only bother with 2 min mode. If they added several other levels, I would have to memorize them and the multi-tasking would take away from my focus and I'd probably only end up playing one level any way. I have a hard enough time giving a shit about 5 min mode, 6 other "level" challenges would not contribute to this kind of active competitive experience. It'd spread a game with an already slim interest even thinner.

Really? So far I've only bothered with 2 minute mode, but that's because it's only 2 minutes, and I'll be doing the same level in 5 minute mode. If there were 6 other levels each with 2 minute mode, I'd love that. Competitive play would last a lot longer with more avenues for competition, I'd think.

The point isn't to spread ones abilities thin, it'd be to add more play time and lasting effect. You can focus all you want on one level and get your high score as high as you feel it can be. Then, when you're bored/frustrated/satisified with that level, you move on to the next one. Doesn't seem like it would detract anything from the competitiveness at all.

Cyrixd

I hate to double post, but wow the analog stick is easier than the d-pad. My score just jumped 70,000 on my first go with the classic controller, and I even made a lot of mistakes.

My current high is 941,200 for 2 minute mode, but I'm pretty sure I'll beat that with more analog practice.

EDIT: 946,400.

Big Dookie

Yeah, I tried it with just the Remote using the D-Pad, and it definitely wasn't working out.

I'm still liking using the nunchuck more than the classic controller, though. I gave the CC a few more tries to make sure, and I still do consistently better with the nunchuck. Maybe I've just become accustomed to it or something from other games.

Cyrixd

Yeah, I definitely cannot use the nunchuck. I don't know if mine isn't broken in enough (maybe I wasn't using my primary one), or if the analog is just extremely rigid, but I kept crashing all over the place.

I'm pretty content with the CC though; to each their own .

Sheep

Will update the high scores later.

http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3167888&p=44&sec=REVIEWS

1UP had a pretty good review.

25mg

I am now number one in North America (for the moment) in 2-min mode. 1,044,600 points. I don't know how you folks use the nunchuck controls, but I feel the Classic Controller is the definitive control device if you don't have a hori stick.

Really? So far I've only bothered with 2 minute mode, but that's because it's only 2 minutes, and I'll be doing the same level in 5 minute mode. If there were 6 other levels each with 2 minute mode, I'd love that. Competitive play would last a lot longer with more avenues for competition, I'd think.

The point isn't to spread ones abilities thin, it'd be to add more play time and lasting effect. You can focus all you want on one level and get your high score as high as you feel it can be. Then, when you're bored/frustrated/satisified with that level, you move on to the next one. Doesn't seem like it would detract anything from the competitiveness at all.

See, we all have other games we want to play while chasing this high score. Several levels by themselves? Sure, ok. And then the next step to that is fusing them all together into something that isn't a caravan shooter. It defeats the purpose of this game. I don't disagree that your idea, on paper, would create more routes for competition... but who's to say anyone is going to keep interest? And that would assume that each level would be unique enough to draw people into this game. The idea is to shoot things as quickly as possibly, I don't know how many people are going to want 32 flavors of vanilla like that.

Sheep

When you come down to visit, Travis?

I'm just gonna leave you at that Boris show.

25mg

I warned you what would happen, Kyle. I waaaarned youuuuuuuu!

Dodge Aspen

Damn this tempting game. 800 points is a little much for impuse buy for me currently. Thanks goodness for that.

Cyrixd

25mg wrote: »

See, we all have other games we want to play while chasing this high score. Several levels by themselves? Sure, ok. And then the next step to that is fusing them all together into something that isn't a caravan shooter. It defeats the purpose of this game. I don't disagree that your idea, on paper, would create more routes for competition... but who's to say anyone is going to keep interest? And that would assume that each level would be unique enough to draw people into this game. The idea is to shoot things as quickly as possibly, I don't know how many people are going to want 32 flavors of vanilla like that.

Obviously 32 levels would be too many; hell, even 5 may be excessive.

I guess my original comments were really a result of me worrying that I'd become tired quickly of playing the same level over and over. As I've played more though, I've come to realize that there's a lot more strategy and depth than at first glance, and I think it may have more staying power than I previously anticipated.

That said, I still believe they should've added atleast one more level. They could've even made the second level (5 minute mode) available for 2 minute mode. I haven't touched 5 minute mode yet, as I really like striving for perfection in such a short period of time, but as of now I think I'd have prefered having two 2 minute mode levels. That may change once I get into 5 minute mode, but we'll see.

My whole point is that for what they're charging, they should have added in more of the exact same content. Not more dumbed down levels, or a bunch of repetitious designs, but more Caravan-only levels with unique enemies, interesting layouts, smart strategies and fun ways of scoring. I love the idea of the game as is, and I really like its execution. I just think that for 800 points, we deserve more content. I even think it would extend the game's staying power, or at the very least offer some much appreciated variety to prevent boredom with a stagnant score on one level.

Very nice score, btw. I'm trying to break a million, but I feel like I'm at some arbitrary ceiling. I suspect breaking that will require a stronger understand of some of the game mechanics, such as figuring out why "COMBO 1000" appears at random (in my eyes). Or I could just shoot stuff faster. Is that the best way to improve your score?

EDIT: I'm sad that I'm still not listed in the high scores.

25mg

I guess my original comments were really a result of me worrying that I'd become tired quickly of playing the same level over and over. As I've played more though, I've come to realize that there's a lot more strategy and depth than at first glance, and I think it may have more staying power than I previously anticipated.

Competition has far more staying power than any single player experience. Granted this is a single player game, but the reason most players come back is that they want to take a spot for themselves on the leaderboard. You challenge yourself and the incentive is the chance to see how that measure up to others. As long as they have a solid game that's fun to play, two "levels" are fine. What is contained within these two levels, that term just doesn't do justice to.

We can talk about a lot of things on paper in games, but the fact of the matter is that shit changes when we start playing.

That said, I still believe they should've added atleast one more level. They could've even made the second level (5 minute mode) available for 2 minute mode. I haven't touched 5 minute mode yet, as I really like striving for perfection in such a short period of time, but as of now I think I'd have prefered having two 2 minute mode levels. That may change once I get into 5 minute mode, but we'll see.

I'm not sure how they'd handle time for that second half of 5 min mode. I would enjoy playing it by itself instead of having to play through Stage 1 again. I do wonder how many players would see that as a cheap excuse for an addition if it were released with 3 modes of play.

My whole point is that for what they're charging, they should have added in more of the exact same content. Not more dumbed down levels, or a bunch of repetitious designs, but more Caravan-only levels with unique enemies, interesting layouts, smart strategies and fun ways of scoring. I love the idea of the game as is, and I really like its execution. I just think that for 800 points, we deserve more content. I even think it would extend the game's staying power, or at the very least offer some much appreciated variety to prevent boredom with a stagnant score on one level.

That defeats the purpose of this game though. As far as I know they're using this in Japan for their revived Caravan tours, so having more levels and modes would put into question which level would be used for the tournament and such. Perhaps they'll release a disc version of Star Soldier R with more modes like many players have been asking for. For now, 800 points for direct experience? I really don't feel cheated. For once, I get a game that doesn't require any additional content purchases, that's transparent off the bat.

That's a rarity these days.

800 points is a bargain, though I know how little that statement means to many players these days, I just want to say that the price of admission for most games these days is 60 freakin' dollars. And it hasn't ever been 10 dollars, for that matter. The price is right, I have to say. Star Soldier R is the only Wii game I've bothered purchasing. I've gotten quite a bit of mileage out of the game already, without those extra modes. I've gotten that mileage in just one stage, I wonder if I should just tackle 5 min mode already. There's a great game here, yeah it's fairly simple and to the point... but so was Tetris and it's probably one of the only games I'd call "perfect."

Very nice score, btw. I'm trying to break a million, but I feel like I'm at some arbitrary ceiling. I suspect breaking that will require a stronger understand of some of the game mechanics, such as figuring out why "COMBO 1000" appears at random (in my eyes). Or I could just shoot stuff faster. Is that the best way to improve your score?

Sometimes I feel I do really well, and I can't break past Combo 1013 because I can't tell why enemies stop spawning when I reach those two eyeballs sometimes or keep spawning on others. Best advice I can give is to destroy as many ground targets as possible while simultaneously clearing out as many enemy targets as you can. They're all critical for the most part.

EDIT: I'm sad that I'm still not listed in the high scores.

I broke Sleep, so it may very well be my fault.

Cyrixd

25mg wrote: »

Competition has far more staying power than any single player experience.

I agree with you; I'm just saying they should've added more venues for competition.

That defeats the purpose of this game though. As far as I know they're using this in Japan for their revived Caravan tours, so having more levels and modes would put into question which level would be used for the tournament and such.

I don't see how one or two more Caravan-mode only levels would defeat the purpose of the game. It just offers more content of the exact same type, which in my eyes just furthers its purpose. Having more levels wouldn't hurt competition or their tournament tours; it just simply offers more variety. They could easily feature multiple levels on their tour. That would probably make things a little more interesting, instead of watching/playing the same level over and over again, you can watch really good players play multiple different levels, or partake in whichever level you want to.

800 points is a bargain, though I know how little that statement means to many players these days, I just want to say that the price of admission for most games these days is 60 freakin' dollars.

Not if I'm comparing it to other top-down shooters, even in the same series. Soldier Blade is 600 points.

Ignoring everything we've talked about so far, I am really enjoying this game. Whenever I have some free time near my Wii I find myself playing it; at first just to do a run or two, but it always turns into an hour long session. I'm surprised at how addicting it is, and I'm really glad I bought it.

I broke Sleep, so it may very well be my fault.

Thanks :P.

25mg

Cyrixd wrote: »

I agree with you; I'm just saying they should've added more venues for competition.

And I'm just saying that while it'd attract a more casual market to the console game, it would create a shotgun blast of content, rather than a specific focus. Which is bad for a Caravan shooter. I'm saying the goal behind these caravans are one unified game that everyone competes on. If you went to the venue and had several game types, they would have to provide space and time for the other game modes rather than having players compete against each other in a few levels as a unified standard.

I don't see how one or two more Caravan-mode only levels would defeat the purpose of the game. It just offers more content of the exact same type, which in my eyes just furthers its purpose. Having more levels wouldn't hurt competition or their tournament tours; it just simply offers more variety. They could easily feature multiple levels on their tour. That would probably make things a little more interesting, instead of watching/playing the same level over and over again, you can watch really good players play multiple different levels, or partake in whichever level you want to.

More variety is good, if everyone were playing the same thing. But in this case, different levels is more space to take up and thus takes away variety from the player base. You have several players playing this level but not that level. It all depends on the game design, and speculating about things on paper in this way just doesn't work. Again, two or more Caravan-mode only levels works in a home market, but this game is apparently trying to revive the actual act of having some kind of national caravan event in Japan.

Not if I'm comparing it to other top-down shooters, even in the same series. Soldier Blade is 600 points.

Yeah, Soldier Blade is also several years old and can be downloaded for free via emulation/piracy. The comparison takes the factor of time away from Star Soldier R, so it's rather empty and pointless. 800 points is still cheap. Japan is charging 60 bucks for Raiden Fighters Aces, as far as I know. On a disc. This game is a BARGAIN. Plain and simple.

Thanks :P.

Don't thank me, thank your recruiter!

TyrantCow

I am buying this right now.

Cyrixd

Tournaments could be worked around 'okay, today we're only playing this level, next week we'll do that one,' or less desirably, 'tournaments will ONLY play this level,' but I think it's possible to work around.

From where I'm sitting though, I'm competing with people through an online scoreboard. The more opportunities to have to compete, the more variety and fun I'll have. I see what you're saying though, and I can agree... but at the same time, I don't think just one extra level/mode would've been too much to ask. Given all the play time I've done in 2 minute mode, having two equally unique levels would've been very appreciated.

Castle of Shikigami III is only $30 by the way, and it comes with many more characters, a story, higher production values, and, you know, more than two levels :P. Different type of game, but a low-priced current-gen shmup. I will say that I've been getting more and more bang for my buck everytime I play SSR.

I'm now up to 979,600, and I can feel the 1,000,000 barrier. Each run I'm seeing things I should do better or improve upon.

TyrantCow

Gamecube controller doesn't work

I guess I "have" to go buy a classic controller now...

Cyrixd

TyrantCow wrote: »

Gamecube controller doesn't work

I guess I "have" to go buy a classic controller now...

I didn't even realize this omission, but it's just cause I have the CC. It works wonderfully, in other games as well, so it won't be a waste. You can also use the nunchuk, as some people have been doing, but I personally prefer the CC.

New highscore: 997,600. So. Close.

Big Dookie

I can't seem to break 950,000. For some reason I just can NOT get the 1000 combo, and I have no idea why. I must be missing something.

Cyrixd

I think the closest I've come was 970 combo once, but I've never gotten that high again. My most recent high score had a relatively low combo score (950 or so).

The combo system adds a ton of depth to the game, I've noticed. It calls for a lot of strategy, like deciding when attacking many ground targets is more valuable than clearing the enemy wave a second faster. I think over time we'll figure out the best ways to tackle each area, and our combo meter (as well as score) will just naturally increase.

RainbowDespair

I don't see how having more levels/modes would have ruined the game's use in a tournament setting. When Pac-Man:CE came out, they used one mode for the actual tournament, but included additional modes with the home market in mind.

Anyway, quick question. I've never played any games in this series. Should I get Star Soldier R (I'm a big fan of high score competitions) or one of the earlier games on the VC?

Cyrixd

RainbowDespair wrote: »

Anyway, quick question. I've never played any games in this series. Should I get Star Soldier R (I'm a big fan of high score competitions) or one of the earlier games on the VC?

Do it. Do it now. Right now.

I was in exactly the same situation as you- huge fan of score competitions, never played Star Soldier, bought SSR, now am entirely addicted. I think I'll be buying an earlier Star Soldier (Soldier Blade) soon, as SSR has made me want them, but you should absolutely buy SSR. Now.

Sheep

Updated the highscore, lemme know if I missed ya.

Sheep

Star Soldier R Tournament and Sweepstakes Announced
Sign Up Today on Hudson's Website

“SHOOT NOW, WIN PRIZES LATER”
TOURNAMENT & SWEEPSTAKES FOR STAR SOLDIER R ANNOUNCED

Players Can Sign Up on Hudson’s Website Beginning May 27

REDWOOD CITY, CA – May 27, 2008 - Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm of Hudson Soft, today announced that registration for both a tournament and a sweepstakes for the recently launched galactic shooter, Star Soldier R for WiiWare™ on Wii™ begins May 27, 2008 and will go through June 24, 2008, concurrent with the contests.

For players who want to see if they can achieve the highest score in Star Soldier R in the nation, Hudson Entertainment is hosting the 'Star Soldier R "Shoot Now, Win Prizes Later" Tournament & Sweepstakes', beginning at 12 a.m. May 27, 2008 and runs through 7 p.m. on June 24, 2008. Gamers will have one month to vie for the high score in Star Soldier R’s “5-Minute Mode” where the top players on the ranking leaderboards have the chance to win prizes. Two rounds of tournament prizes will be awarded based on players' scores. To sign up, players must register on the tournament registration page, located at (http://hudsonentertainment.com/tournament_register.php?tournament_id=2).

The first place winners will receive Hudson's Top 5 Wii Games along with 16,000 Wii Points™, 10th place winners will receive 10,000 Wii Points, and the players in 16th place will win 4,000 Wii Points. For the sweepstakes, 10 users will be picked in one random drawing to win prizes. For more information about the contests please visit the registration page.

http://hudsonentertainment.com/tournament_register.php?tournament_id=2

25mg

Looks like I have until the 24th to give a shit about 5 min mode.

Sheep

25mg wrote: »

Looks like I have until the 24th to give a shit about 5 min mode.

Hey, look, it's not our fault you bought your mom Star Soldier R.

Cyrixd

1,002,800

Wooo!!


I think that's as high as my strategy will allow me. Now it's time to figure out a better plan. Cool tournament too, now I have a reason to try out 5-minute mode.

BushidoGamer

Hudson Staff wrote:

Congratulations! The first half of the Star Soldier R tournament has recently wrapped up. After reviewing the leaderboards, you’ve ranked #16! This is no small feat, and your hard work has earned you 4,000 Wii Points! There are just a few quick steps we need to take care of before we can send you your prize.

Awesome. Got more than my money's worth without even trying.

Sheep

Wow. Congrats!

BushidoGamer

Thanks! Scored that on my third try for 2 Minute Mode during the tourney. I jumped up and down right when I got it and then proceeded to cry myself into the standard corner fetal postition as I'll never achieve that high of a score again.

Viscountalpha

BushidoGamer wrote: »

Hudson Staff wrote:

Congratulations! The first half of the Star Soldier R tournament has recently wrapped up. After reviewing the leaderboards, you’ve ranked #16! This is no small feat, and your hard work has earned you 4,000 Wii Points! There are just a few quick steps we need to take care of before we can send you your prize.

Awesome. Got more than my money's worth without even trying.

so jealous... SOOO SOO JEALOUS.

RainbowDespair

So I got this game and I'm not getting it. I assumed that since there are only 2 levels there would be some sort of deep mechanics to keep things interesting, but I'm just not seeing it. I mean, I'm not asking it to have Ikaruga's level of depth, but at least be up to par with say Triggerheart Exelica (where you're forced to decide when to use your anchor attack and when to shoot), surely isn't asking too much. So far, all I'm seeing is a game where you hold the shoot button down, dodge easy attacks, and occasionally get a bonus for killing an enemy in a certain way.

In short, help me figure out what I'm doing wrong in order to enjoy this game.