SIN AND PUNISHMENTIf there are two groups of people who kick ass at naming shit, they're the band DragonForce and the entire country of Japan. So. Remember that game, Star Fox 64? That game kicked ass, right? That genre of game is known as a "rail-shooter." Rail shooters kind of died off after the N64/PlayStation days...I think there was a Panzer Dragoon game for the original Xbox, and there was a Star Fox game on the GCN that was half rail-shooter (I'm not talking about Rare's Zelda knock-off). Anyway, you don't see too many tried-and-true rail-shooters anymore. I blame GTA III. Now everyone's gotta have an open world where you can do anything; no one wants to be locked into a path and told where to go. It's sad, honestly, especially since so many games will add sandbox elements for no damn reason. Luckily, there's hope. Those of you who have a Wii and enjoy the Virtual Console (and you should) may have heard of a little game called Sin & Punishment. It was a Japan-only game for the N64, and it's a shame it never made it state-side because it kicks ass...authoritatively. If it had made it over here during the N64's heyday, I can only assume that more people would of heard of it. It did come over to the Wii's VC a couple years ago, though, and it's certainly better late than never. Screen shot in 3...2...1...
BAM! Notice anything different? Mothafucka's on the ground. That's right. A rail-shooter where you play as a dude (almost) constantly running forward. I'm gonna be straight with you, the controls are a bit wonky at first. Unlike Star Fox 64, you move and aim independently, so you have to aim with the stick and strafe with the "C" buttons. It takes a little getting used to--as does the whole jumping concept--but once you get the hang of it, the game's a blast. Honestly, it might be even better than Star Fox 64. It's unmistakably Japanese, so there's some wishy-washy story that's probably about truth and love or something. Doesn't matter. The game also has this sweet sword thing going on with it. If you double tap the "fire" button, you slash with a sword and deal out major damage. It's really satisfying. How 'bout another screen shot?
See that? You're on a flying platform, shooting at an aircraft carrier, and jets are flying around you trying to kill you. It's wicked awesome, and make no mistake about it, this game is tough. Way harder than Star Fox 64. The downside--as is with any N64 game--is that the graphics can get pretty fuzzy and it's not always clear what you're shooting at (it's not Perfect Dark bad, though). So, if you can find it for free and don't have a nagging conscience, go for it. If you want to download it onto your Wii, that'll cost ya. I'm not sure if this still holds, but at the time it was the single most expensive game on the Virtual Console at $12. It was totally worth it, though. The game was made by Treasure, and if you know anything about sweet cult classics, you've heard of Treasure. They're the studio behind Ikaruga, Gunstar Heroes, and Wario World. They're known for two things: making the best boss fights in the business and unforgiving--but fair--difficulty. Here's the best part though: Sin & Punishment must've sold a whole mess of virtual copies because they made a sequel for the Wii. It didn't get a whole lot of press, and I'm embarrassed to say that I missed when it got released (I honestly though it was still in development until about 10 minutes ago). It's got a good Metacritic score, though, so I may just have to make my way to the local Gamestop tomorrow. If I do, I'll let you know how it goes (...I just hope they have it).
[Update] Well, they didn't have it because it's not out yet. I didn't miss the release date. It's out in Japan already but isn't coming state-side until June. I gotta tell you though, looking for it on the shelf was an eye-opener: the Wii has an absurd amount of shovel-ware. It's even worse than I thought.
--Chilly P
BAM! Notice anything different? Mothafucka's on the ground. That's right. A rail-shooter where you play as a dude (almost) constantly running forward. I'm gonna be straight with you, the controls are a bit wonky at first. Unlike Star Fox 64, you move and aim independently, so you have to aim with the stick and strafe with the "C" buttons. It takes a little getting used to--as does the whole jumping concept--but once you get the hang of it, the game's a blast. Honestly, it might be even better than Star Fox 64. It's unmistakably Japanese, so there's some wishy-washy story that's probably about truth and love or something. Doesn't matter. The game also has this sweet sword thing going on with it. If you double tap the "fire" button, you slash with a sword and deal out major damage. It's really satisfying. How 'bout another screen shot?See that? You're on a flying platform, shooting at an aircraft carrier, and jets are flying around you trying to kill you. It's wicked awesome, and make no mistake about it, this game is tough. Way harder than Star Fox 64. The downside--as is with any N64 game--is that the graphics can get pretty fuzzy and it's not always clear what you're shooting at (it's not Perfect Dark bad, though). So, if you can find it for free and don't have a nagging conscience, go for it. If you want to download it onto your Wii, that'll cost ya. I'm not sure if this still holds, but at the time it was the single most expensive game on the Virtual Console at $12. It was totally worth it, though. The game was made by Treasure, and if you know anything about sweet cult classics, you've heard of Treasure. They're the studio behind Ikaruga, Gunstar Heroes, and Wario World. They're known for two things: making the best boss fights in the business and unforgiving--but fair--difficulty. Here's the best part though: Sin & Punishment must've sold a whole mess of virtual copies because they made a sequel for the Wii. It didn't get a whole lot of press, and I'm embarrassed to say that I missed when it got released (I honestly though it was still in development until about 10 minutes ago). It's got a good Metacritic score, though, so I may just have to make my way to the local Gamestop tomorrow. If I do, I'll let you know how it goes (...I just hope they have it).[Update] Well, they didn't have it because it's not out yet. I didn't miss the release date. It's out in Japan already but isn't coming state-side until June. I gotta tell you though, looking for it on the shelf was an eye-opener: the Wii has an absurd amount of shovel-ware. It's even worse than I thought.
--Chilly P
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