Sin & Punishment: Star Successor Preview
- February 24, 2010 21:00 PM PST
Following up a cult hit that was trapped in Japan for seven years is no easy task. Check out Andy's preview of Sin & Punishment: Star Successor to see if the Wii sequel to the N64 classic is up to the task.
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is the direct sequel to the N64 shooter Sin & Punishment, previously a Japanese exclusive before Nintendo ported it over for the Virtual Console in 2007. Shooter veterans Treasure, who've mastered the art through games like Gunstar Heroes, Bangai-O Spirits and Ikaruga over the years, once again handle the sequel.
The original Sin & Punishment, as well as the sequel, owe much to Yu Suzuki's classic arcade shooter Space Harrier. Players navigate their character across an invisible Y axis in three-dimensional environments, running, dodging and flying to avoid enemy fire and delivering some heavy damage themselves. Both games play great on the Wii, as the Wii remote's directional fire helps manage proper projectile deflection, allowing players to quickly switch between attacking enemies and using their own assault against them.
Star Successor brings upgraded graphics to the series, but many of the game mechanics are left the same. For gamers unfamiliar with the original, there is a short tutorial at the beginning of the game explaining how to properly charge shots and dodge past laser fields to keep your character unscathed. Though Treasure is known for more frenetic top down shooters like Bangai-O Spirits, the more manageable (and less migraine-inducing) shooting in Star Successor should serve as a nice stepping-stone for shooter newbies.
One thing the original game was known for was providing players with some incredibly epic (and huge) bosses, and Star Successor delivers even more impressive encounters. The Tortoise Keeper boss at the end of the first stage resembles Bowser if you supercharged him with steroids and pissed him off in a big way. Fighting through a narrow corridor there's not much room for error in dodging the giant tortoise's fiery breath and constant pummeling caused by boulders dropped from above. The fight itself was very intense for a first stage boss, so I can only imagine what Treasure has in store for the rest of the game. Shooter fans take note-Star Successor will be coming to the Wii on June 7th.
