Sin and PunishmentPublisher: Nintendo
Developer: Treasure Co Ltd.
System: N64, Wii VC
Release: Nov 21, 2000 US
StoryThe story of Sin and Punishment isn't exactly clear cut, as you find out more about the story as the game progresses.
Mankind's prosperity has led to a vast population increase and serious food shortages. In an attempt to solve the food shortage problem, scientists create a new species to use for food, and place the herd in northern Japan. In time, the creatures mutate and attack the people of Japan. An international peacekeeping organization called the Armed Volunteers tries to stop the creatures, now referred to as "ruffians", but they also oppress the Japanese.
Another group, referring to itself as the Savior Group and led by a mysterious woman named Achi, rises up to defend Japan against the ruffians and Armed Volunteers.
You start off playing as Saki, but you also play as Airan and a transformed version of Saki. There are some plot twists, and for the sake of spoilers, I'll leave it at that.
Sound 12/15
The sound effects, music, and voice acting for Sin and Punishment are superb. That's right, Sin and Punishment has voice acting, which not many games had during its time. While it's not anything you'd expect out of a movie production, it still provides an amount of satisfaction; even though the dialogue may be a bit cheesy at parts. Sound effects for stuff like shooting, jumping, and explosions are all done really well. The only semi-bad thing, however; would be the "HUH-HUH" sound that your character makes whenever you jump. The musical soundtrack for the game is easily one of the best
ever. There are a multitude of tracks that set the mood of the particular section of the game you may be on, as well as provide a fast-paced techno-ish beat.
Graphics 18/20
While not as pretty as the games we see nowadays, for its time Sin and Punishment boasted outstanding visuals. Character models, environments, and animations are all done really well. Aside from the first level of the game, all of the environments will hold your attention for the duration of the stage. Cut scenes are done good too, and there are even some really cool effects thrown into the game.
Appeal 20/25
Sin and Punishment is a really fun game to play. It has a gripping story, likable characters, plot twists, and great stages. The drawback for the game though, is that it's only about 3 hours long on average. Luckily the developers added multiple difficulty levels and a high score table, adding to the re playability. There's easy and normal difficulties, and when you beat the game Turbo difficulty is unlocked.
Gameplay 35/40
Sin and Punishment is an on-rails shooter, meaning you don't have 100% control over the character like in FPS or TPS; the character moves forward on it's own. However, you can move left and right, jump, double jump, and roll to avoid enemies. Shooting is controlled by moving the on-screen crosshair and pressing/holding the fire button. There are two different types of crosshairs: red and blue. The red crosshair does the most damage, but you have to control it on your own. The blue crosshair does less damage than the red crosshair, but can lock on to enemies. If enemies are close enough, a powerful energy sword attack can be used by pressing the fire button. The energy sword can also be used to deflect certain kinds of projectile based attacks. There's a timer at the top of the screen that counts down, and once it reaches zero, players slowly start to lose health. The timer can be refilled, though, by grabbing timer icons and beating a certain amount of enemies. If the player is low on health, health icons can be picked up to restore it. For players who aren't used to this style of game, there is a tutorial mode that's surprisingly helpful. The controls feel a bit strange at first, but are easy after a while of playing. There are three different controller layouts, but it would have been nice if controls could have been fully customizable. In addition, a second player can join in and assist in the story mode, by either controlling the character's movements or the crosshair.
Overall 85/100
Sin and Punishment is an outstanding game. Even if you aren't a fan of on-rails shooters, you'll have a lot of fun with this game. The story, music, and gameplay are just that good; even if the game itself averages only around 3 hours. At $12 on the Wii's Virtual Console, this is a must-download, especially since the sequel is coming exclusively to the Wii later in 2009.
Review by Zephyr
