Space Station Tycoon has liftoff

There have been Zoo Tycoons, RollerCoaster Tycoons, Prison Tycoons, a Beer Tycoon, a Game Tycoon, and a Cruise Ship Tycoon, to name just a few. Now gamers can add Space Station Tycoon to the list, a title which has been developed by Namco.

Space Station Tycoon, for the Nintendo Wii, centres on a character called Shawn and his stressed-out monkey sidekick, Tam, along with 30 other kooky characters. It will feature a level-based system, where gamers have to complete a set of mission objectives--including "light puzzle solving"--to progress to the next stage and further expand their empire.

The game promises to let players use the motion sensing of the Wii Remote to create gravity points and interact with objects in the environment, undertaking tasks such as catching asteroids to stop them from smashing into the space station and lobbing cannonballs at space pirates.

There will also be a multiplayer mode and co-op play elements. The US release will be summer 2007, with no date yet announced for Europe or any word on the PlayStation Portable version.