Vicious Engine, a game development solution developed by Vicious Cycle Software, has been selected by talented new development team Epicenter Studios to power their recently released WiiWare title Critter Round-Up. The only western-developed title featured in the Japanese launch of WiiWare, Critter Round-Up is a colorful puzzle game where players erect fences to corral animals and the first WiiWare title to utilize the Vicious Engine.

"The flexibility and power of the Vicious Engine made it easy to work within the framework of WiiWare, allowing us to focus on creating a bright and entertaining game," said Bryan Jury, chief creative officer of Epicenter Studios. "The engine’s straightforward translation process made localizing the game for Japan quick and easy."

"Critter Round-Up had the distinction of participating in launch of WiiWare in Japan, and the team at Epicenter Studios had limited time to create a polished game," said Eric Peterson, president and CEO of Vicious Cycle Software. "Because the Vicious Engine allows teams to prototype titles quickly and under deadline, it is an ideal choice for development on platforms with short turnaround times."

Critter Round-Up represents the latest entry in a growing list of diverse, genre-crossing titles powered by Vicious Engine. The adaptable, easy-to-learn middleware has been used to design games of various styles, including adventure/platformer titles like Dead Head Fred and deeply addictive casual fare like Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for Wii home videogame system , PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, and PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, and even instructional/educational titles like Discover Babylon and INNOV8.