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As I'm sure most of our readers at Siliconera know, the N64 classic Sin & Punishment was recently made available on the Wii's Virtual Console. A good many of you are already familiar with it, whether or not you've played it. Indeed, Sin & Punishment has been fairly well known as the N64 game to import. It's fast action and addictive gameplay have earned it praise from not only gamers, but the gaming press as well. But for those not familiar with this, one of the true gems of gaming, read on for a little history lesson, and find out why you're missing out on one of the N64's crowning achievements if you don't play this amazing game.
For those of you unfamiliar with Sin & Punishment, I'll give you a bit of essential info on it. Sin & Punishment was developed by Treasure and originally released in Japan in 2000. It is basically a rail shooter, in the vein of Panzer Dragoon, except on foot instead of riding a dragon. It is also similar in a way, as I've heard many say since it's VC release, to the G.I. Joe arcade game by Konami. You move forward automatically, and move side to side manually, while using your gun and sword to take down swarm after swarm of enemies. The various adversaries you'll face range anywhere from human soldiers to strange mutant bug-like creatures to an unbearably cute anime inspired cat/dragon hybrid thing (you almost feel bad for having to fight it).
One thing you'll undoubtedly notice about Sin & Punishment is that the action is intense and unrelenting from start to finish. Some levels require you to dodge, target, shoot, and jump all at the same time. Sometimes it can be quite hard to keep up with the frenetic pace of the game. But that's just part of what makes it fun. The locales in Sin & Punishment are fairly varied as well. City streets, subway trains, and barren deserts are just some of the places you'll blast your way through on your way to the final confrontation. Speaking of that, I won't ruin it for anyone, but let's just say that the final boss of the game is the most epic, and definitely the most unique, final boss I've ever had the pleasure of doing battle with in any game. Ever. It's a battle that truly has to be experienced firsthand to be appreciated.
On the technical side of things, the game's visuals are fairly low-poly, but that only allows for the fast-paced action to be as frenzied as it is. While the character models aren't the most impressive looking things the N64 has done, they convey the game's anime-influenced atmosphere quite nicely (I'm sure many of you will notice a few similarities to Neon Genesis Evangelion while playing Sin & Punishment). The game sounds pretty great, as well. The music is a menagerie of cheesy 80's-style guitar/synth rock, and the sound effects are perfectly done. Explosions, enemy yells and growls, and the sound of gunfire are all crystal-clear and sound great. The game does suffer the occasional bit of slowdown, but it's hardly noticeable, and mainly happens during parts where you're not in control of your character anyway.
Demand for Sin & Punishment in North America and Europe has been high ever since it's release in 2000. Even though the game is almost completely in English, it was never released in the US or Europe for unknown reasons. Perhaps it's because Nintendo didn't want to risk releasing a game that they were unsure would succeed commercially during the twilight of the N64's era, when most of their resources were focused on developing for the GameCube. Perhaps it's for another reason. Who knows? What matters now is that gamers all over the world can experience Sin & Punishment for themselves, and completely in English. That's right, Nintendo actually took the time and effort to translate the menus and the ending into English. There's been speculation that the Virtual Console version is actually a ROM of the US version of Sin & Punishment that went unreleased in the US, but that's not true. Taking a look at the Operations Manual for the game (in the game's Home menu) reveals a list of individuals responsible for localizing the Virtual Console version. This could lead to speculation that Nintendo may do this for future titles as well.
Simply put, this game is fun. Even after you complete it, you'll be coming back again and again, whether it be to beat your high score, to see how far you can get on one credit, or just to play through the game again for no real reason. Multiple difficulty settings only increase the replayability of Sin & Punishment. It's one Virtual Console game that you MUST have. And it appears many people already know this, as in the few days it's been available, Sin & Punishment has shot up to near the top of the Wii Shop Channel's "Most Popular Titles" list, along with the other recently released import title, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Hopefully this shows Nintendo that demand for import-only titles is quite high. Who knows? If Sin & Punishment sells well, perhaps we'll see more import titles heading our way. So go on, get to the Shop Channel and get Sin & Punishment. Not only will you be getting a great game for a fair price, but you'll be showing Nintendo that there is demand for import titles on the Virtual Console. Any way you look at it, you can't go wrong with Sin & Punishment.
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15 Responses to “Sin & Punishment: The real sin is not playing it”
October 6th, 2007 at 5:29 am
I missed this great gem the first time around on the N64 (saw the anime box cover art at an import store back then and thought it looked awesome), and I bought it from the VC on the first day thanks to Spencer’s plug, lol.
I’m only very early in the game though, fighting the cute doggie thing, and I’m having a blast! I’m using the wavebird now, wonder if it plays much better w/ the N64 controller. The game is just that fun, makes me lust for a next-gen rail shooter, they should be doing a sequel on this. Keep the imports coming Nintendo!
October 6th, 2007 at 5:33 am
I personally have no issues at all with the price of this game. $12 is a very fair price for a game of this caliber. The $2 premium on it makes little difference to me, as it’s there because Nintendo had to actually put work into translating the game. I challenge anyone to find an N64, a GameShark, and a copy of Sin & Punishment for under $12.
October 6th, 2007 at 7:36 am
I got it this week, too. I’m a huge Treasure fan (the first game I ever bought was Gunstar Heroes) but I’d never played it. I had a blast since it’s much like the tank levels in Starfox 64, which is one of my favorite games ever. This game is definitely worth your $12, don’t kid yourself. It is fast, frantic, and challenging as Hades. Plus, the game looks much better emulated on the VC than it did on the N64 and I like the Classic Controller much better than the N64 pad.
October 6th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Levi: Didn’t you read the article? The game was almost completely in English already. They probably changed like two or three screens of text at that.
October 6th, 2007 at 9:55 am
they didn’t translate anything. the games on import are sold as is. 1200 is a bit steep. i think it was really unnecessary for it to be more expensive than the other titles, but i still bought it. it’s the only VC title i have now. i always wanted to try the game, and i finally did on emulator, but i to support this sort of thing, i decided to buy it. i hope this doesn’t make them think that mother should be brought over as is though. they really need to localize that one.
October 6th, 2007 at 10:10 am
i bought the n64 one at awacon a month ago. by far my favorite n64 game, as well as my favorite treasure game.
October 6th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Incorrect. They translated the menus, in game notices (like bonus), and some subtitles like in the tutorial mode.
All in all probably not a big deal. But that is what changed.
October 6th, 2007 at 11:10 am
@Kitsune
I think “Levi” actually penned the article :)… from what I read, the menus (I assumed the tutorial, etc) were in Jpn on N64. I do like most games from Treasure, this is a shooter that’s up there w/ panzer dragoon. The only thing I don’t like from them so far is Bleach on the DS..
I can live w/ the price because I’ve never actually touched this game, and I considered getting it import (~$60), that and the universal adapter ($20) costs you an arm and a leg, not to mention it looks better on the VC w/ the Wii hookup.
October 6th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
@Aoshi00
Awww, come on, how can you not like the Bleach DS games? 
@Kitsune Sniper
Um, yes, I read the article…I kinda wrote it…>_>
October 6th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
i went back and checked the rom. they did translate the menus for the vc. i think maybe since everything was in katakana english, i remembered it as being in english. my bad.
October 7th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
I’m an idiot, sorry. I rarely read who the author is. Still. They did very little localization on this title. I’d like to know if they’re going to bring over more games that are similar in nature to S&P.
October 7th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Give us “Mario & Wario” from the SNES, that game was developed by the one and only; Game Freak of Pokemon fame!
And this was made in 1993, BEFORE Game Freak released Pokemon (Pokemon was in development for five years, so Pokemon was already in the creator’s minds and in development when Mario & Wario was developed, just letting you guys know )
But it used the Mouse accessory that was released in Japan only, so how will Nintendo get around that? Maybe with the Wiimote’s pointer function?! 
On that subject, what about Hey You Pikachu, Pokemon Stadium, or any game that needed the N64’s various accessories?
Maybe Nintendo will make a Game Boy Channel that the Stadium series can be compatible with? Maybe the eventual WiiMic/Headset (came up with the WiiMic name myself XD) will be used for HYP?
October 7th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
It would be kinda cool if they came out with a cable that could hook into the Wii into the GBA Player…
Gaming Map
October 6th, 2007 at 5:24 am
Honestly, you will also be saying that you support higher prices. Not really a necessity. The VS is already overpriced.