Sin and Punishment: Star Successor

[irmasturcheeflol]

I read about this in my cousin's Nintendo Power and was super exited. So I went off to buy the first on the Wii virtual console, I can't remember having that much fun playing a video game. The original was never released outside of Japan but we get the sequel here in US. Anyone else excited for this game, anyone played through the original?

[Robzula]

I'm so pumped for this game. The original was dang fun and had a really bizarre story that just worked. Haven't seen too much of the sequel (trying not to get too excited and have to start counting every hour like I accidentally did with Other M), but if it's anything like the original it'll prove to be great.

Plus with no new Star Fox games in sight (with one of the main developers showing uninterest because the Wii is a "toy, not a console") this will be a good quick-fix for now.

[theJudeAbides]

I still haven't downloaded the original, but I am somewhat excited for the sequel. It's definately bound to be another classic in the Wii's Library.

[Puddleglum]

This game is fantastic. Anyone else pick it up? The controls are perfect, this is what the Wii pointer was made for. Not a full review, but here are a few things I loved (spoiler free):

No powerups
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy cool powerups as much as the next guy and there's definitely fun in getting ZOMG SUPER LASOR with MEGA HOMING BOMBS and FORCE FIELD PROTECTOR all that, but there is a purity to the gameplay here, which is something you rarely see in an age where every practically game has RPGish build-your-character/ship/vehicle elements. Not to mention, it is frustrating in traditional shooters when you die on a boss, lose all your power-ups, and are stuck trying to take on the boss with three bombs and one little pew-pew laser. Here, when you resume at a checkpoint after dying, you know you have everything you need to handle what's coming. You have a normal shot, a charge shot, a melee attack, and a dodge move. The game is all about mastering this small repetoire, and it is beautiful.

Scoring system & leaderboards
Trying to get the maximum score out of each level is really addictive. I don't automatically enjoy chasing high scores in every game, but this one is really compelling. I like that getting hit affects your multiplier, but doesn't completely wipe it out. (Link's Crossbow Training was a bit maddening in that respect) The leaderboards also are a nice measuring stick and motivation to improve, cracking that top page is supremely satisfying. I'm PUDLGLUM on the online leaderboards, I've cracked the top 8 international on the Stage 0 boards on Easy and Hard, working on Stage 1 right now, languishing around 15th.

Great bosses
It's a lot of fun learning how bosses attack, what their weaknesses and nuances are, and how you get get the most points out of them. Then once you've learned all that, it's fun kicking their tails over and over again. None of them are the same and it's very rarely "Just keeping shooting the thing and dodging bullets until it dies", a problem found in many shooters. The first time I played the Snapper Keeper (Stage 1 final boss), I was overwhelmed by it's size and how great it looked. I barely beat it and wondered if I could really learn to beat it without getting hit. I literally shouted with excitement the first time I discovered the alternate ways to take him down. And even now, when I can beat him 90% of the time without getting hit, he's still a blast to play against. That is good boss design.

[Robzula]

Yeah, I got this and it's pretty much all I was hoping for. Giant terrifying boss monsters, so much going on your brain ends up shutting down (there's a level where you're driving a motorcycle down the highway, shooting at monsters, dodging mines, fighting bosses, AND you have to actually steer the motorcycle when the camera is to the side or behind half the time), interesting storyline... But my favourite thing about this game is how it's not just a straight up shmup. There's a lot of dancing and swordplay with the bigger enemies, especially bosses. Also the locales are all pretty neat, from the typical dystopian city to the more fascinating tunnel of water and much more.

[J Weev]

Oh yeah this game was great, but one question who did you play as Isa or Kachi? BTW I was kachi

[theJudeAbides]

So, I finally got this game (used a birthday giftcard) and have been playing it a little (still playing a lot of Excitebots, though). It's pretty clear though that I suck at this game. I started on normal and got stuck on level 2. So, I restarted on easy and made it to level 4 where I ran into a brick wall with that girl boss. I just can't seem to hit her while she hacks me to pieces in short order, and this is on freaking EASY-MODE! I don't even want to know what goes on in Normal or Hard difficulty. I try to evade her attacks but she hits me, and everytime I try to get close to hit her she either moves away faster than I can move or smacks me. Shooting at her does nothing (she evades the attacks) and usually just results in me taking another hit.

I pretty much quit the game ready to throw my Wii out the window I was so mad. I don't even know how it's possible to beat her when nothing I do seems to damage her while she has no problem tearing me apart.

Oh and Puddleglum, I just read the exact same message on gameFAQs boards. Apparently I'm not the only here w ith an account there.

[Robzula]

To beat her, you have to get in close enough to where she stops doing ranged attacks and starts using her sword, then doing a sword attack into her sword attack to parry hers. After about three parries, she'll be knocked off balance and you can go in and smack her.

Yeah, it's a pretty difficult game, but that's how Shmups usually are. Personally I'm stuck on the fire level and am thinking of throttling back to easy difficulty.

[RocketClone]

Personally I like this game despite the difficulty,(yes I play it on easy) but overall it's a pretty good game, could be one of the most overlooked games of 2010.