Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies Review
Heavens above.
Version tested: Wii
It is, perhaps, the most expensive videogame ever made. Not in the financial sense: Treasure, Japan's small yet consistently brilliant boutique developer has nothing like the resources of its high-profile Western counterparts, as the often-rudimentary graphical assets in this Space Harrier-style shoot-'em-up testify. But in creative terms Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies is a high-speed conveyor belt of valuable, distinct ideas, scenes and flourishes that dizzy the mind with their density and inventiveness.
An on-rails shooter, you move into the screen at a steady pace, the camera wheeling and diving as patterns of enemies streak across your fixed path. So nothing in the game is procedural or ad-hoc. There are no freeform battles to intersperse the set-pieces, as in a Halo or Modern Warfare, no moments where the developers can let the AI pad out the experience. Rather, every swoop of an enemy and pivot of a camera has been meticulously orchestrated, an assault of precision-laid creativity. This is a four-hour long rollercoaster ride far more expensive in ideas than any 60-hour RPG epic.
The rules are simple. You fire into 3D landscapes with a steady stream of shots. Lock-on an enemy and the need to keep the reticule manually trained disappears, albeit with a loss of firepower to offset the convenience. Where the first game in the series was locked to the ground, now protagonists Isa and Kachi have jetpacks and hoverboards and can seamlessly take to the skies and descend back into a run with an easing of the analogue stick. While your character exists only on a 2D plane at the foreground of your screen, by tilting and pivoting this angle into the world Treasure creates new, fascinating angles in the game, shifting it from side-scroller to top-down to vertical shoot-'em-up with disorientating yet delightful frequency.

Valuable medals can be won by fulfilling hidden conditions in each level by, for example, taking down all of the enemies in a flying formation, or killing a monster by battling back its own missile.
When a foe wanders too close you can strike them away with a close-quarters melee attack, and the move also works to swipe away any rockets, bombs and grenades hurled at you, batting them back at the opposition for a score boost. There is no cover to hide behind, no low walls in whose shelter you can scheme and plot your next move. Instead, you must survive the assault out in the open, bullets and breeze whistling past in a continuous stream of evolving scenes and scenarios. A single multiplier rises with consecutive kills and falls with consecutive hits, a tally readout charting your most recent performance and a modifier that must be carefully capitalised on for leaderboard dominance.
It's in the details that Treasure reveals its flawless pedigree. Your score balloons whenever you manage to set foot on the ground, so running along a derelict motorway will maintain the flow of points into your score tally where tapping up and taking to the air in the jetpack will halt it. The developer plays with convention and genre, including numerous nods to its own back catalogue. A one-on-one boss battle with a flying samurai girl recalls the high-speed freeform face-offs of Bangai-O, while a side-scrolling march through a cyborg factory is every inch Alien Soldier, and an assault on a battleship moored within a sea of lava recalls Radiant Silvergun's most ostentatious set-pieces. One stage has you take the controls of an F-Zero racer, tearing along tarmac and desert in an exhilarating high-speed chase over miles of undulous terrain.
Each stage is filled with set-pieces, boss fights and snapshot views that clamber over one another for attention in the memory. And while the visual ideas in these set-pieces are distinct and inventive, the real delight is the way in which Treasure uses each to twist expectation and play with the basic mechanics.
In one area a hulking boss in the middle distance hurls crates at you as you take pot shots at it from afar. The crates disappear from view on their incoming trajectory, before descending from the top of the screen as Tetris blocks, slowly obscuring the view of your foe. So you are tasked with clearing the foreground space while maintaining an awareness of your target in the background. Occasionally a red crate falls which, when destroyed, will shoot dangerous flames off in the four directions of the compass, Bomberman-style. This adds a third layer of complexity to the moment, as you are forced to consider your character's position on the play field as well. The scene lasts a couple of minutes and the idea isn't repeated again.
This is vintage Treasure: an embarrassment of inventive riches that surprise, delight and challenge in equal measure, painting their rivals and indeed much of the gaming industry as bankrupt of imagination.
A 20-foot skeleton that plays basketball with a cluster of purple, disembodied ghouls' heads; ninja frogs crouch in a tall-grassed field demanding you shoot away the blades of grass to uncover where the shuriken-throwing creatures lurk; you traipse through a dark forest, a torch bolted to your gun, cutting swathes of light and destruction with each sweep of the Wiimote across the screen; a giant chicken squeezes out chicks that try to knock you over. Not spoilers, but hints to the litany of extravagant, memorable moments that barrel towards you.

The two-player mode is a slight let-down as, rather than placing both characters on screen, it simply gives the supporting player a cursor with which to add to the stream of bullets on screen.
As with so much of Treasure's output, high scores are where the longevity lies. Die and it's an immediate Game Over, the choice to continue returning you to the most recent checkpoint but resetting your score in the process. Online leaderboards exist for each stage across each difficulty level and are grouped by region, country and continent, so there's plenty of challenge for those who want to squeeze every last point from the experience. If there's any criticism to be made, it's in the length of each level, as it will take practice to make it through each 20 minute-long segment without using a continue on even the easiest difficulty level.
But that is also the game's strength. It is the antithesis to current fashions, where anyone can plough through a game without much need to learn or improve, where external reward systems take the pressure off creative level design, where games are broken into commercial break sized chunks, and slipped down with spoonful-of-sugar achievement points or trophies.
Here the rewards are rich, satisfying and threaded in the design. The compulsion to play through the game has not been found in manipulative shortcuts, but in graft and execution and a plethora of ideas. It is expensive game-making, for sure, but it is game-making at its absolute best. So Sin and Punishment 2 is videogame distilled, a fearsome concentrate to confound and delight, a suckerpunch reminder of what is possible in the medium if you choose not settle upon one brilliant idea, but instead embrace ten thousand.
9 / 10
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Comments (63) Latest comment 2 years ago
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PAL version supports PAL 60hz and 480p
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Also, the second paragraph in the review says: 'So nothing in the game is procedural or ad-hoc'
I thought that the very nature of an on-rails shooter with waves of bad guys coming at you meant the game was procedural?
Am I missing something here?
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I have yet to play a bad Treasure game and I enjoyed Slipheed: The lost planet (PS2) which wasn't brillant but wasn't bad either... wait Game Arts had a hand in that one so maybe it doesn't count as a pure Treasure release.
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how can this be better than AW, or any other game released this week?!?
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What I m annoyed is that of the three shops I been to this morning, THEY didnt have the game in stock! Too hardcore for the usual mainstream consumers?!
I m gonna go and try Blockbuster and independent store before going for online retailer. This perhaps shows how saturated Wii market is with 'casual' games and consumers?
I lives in a big urban area in Tyneside!
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10/10 - Phenomenal
9/10 - Excellent
8/10 - Very good
7/10 - Good
6/10 - Above average
5/10 - Average
4/10 - Below average
3/10 - Bad
2/10 - Atrocious
1/10 - Bloody atrocious
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Do you ever change scores before publication?
Sometimes we discuss scores with reviewers before publication to make sure they're applying the scale properly, or if the text seems to disagree with the score, but nothing is changed without the agreement of the author.
What about after publication?
We don't change scores after publication. Well, unless the idiot publishing the feature has put the wrong number on the end. It has been known to happen! If it does, we acknowledge it in the comments.
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Yes, although it is unusual. This may happen if we first review a game on import and decide it has changed substantially before its PAL release. We may also revisit a game if there are other unique circumstances.
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The Wii's really come on strong of late and there's a great line up coming - Galaxy 2, the new Metroid.
My Wii gathered dust for years but I've been loving Monster Hunter. I'd recommend Galaxy (above all else) then RE4, Metroid Collection, Mariokart Wii, Twilight Princess, and obviously Wii Sports, Sports Resort and Wii Play.
After that there's a lot of VC goodness you may have missed out on; it depends if you've had a Nintendo console before. Anything on the most popular list will be fine - Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, the original Sin and Punishment - there's loads out there.
Then you can raid the Gamecube back catalogue - again there's Zelda (the Wind Waker), Mario Sunshine (not as bad as has been made out) but there's also some great other stuff. I loved F Zero, Super Monkey Ball (preferred the original), Pikmin 2, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (both available as gamecube classics on Wii discs).
Just go to metacritic and see what games did well in the genres you like, but I'd definitely reccomend a Wii since the lineup's great. You can't beat it as a party machine plus there's a massive catalogue of great games on VC/Gamecube just waiting to be explored.
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how can this be better than AW, or any other game released this week?!?
How can one game be better than other games? If you don't understand that I really don't know where to begin explaining it.
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Not one of there games would get consigned to the bin after just a weekend.
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Gunstar Heroes still gets regular playtime out of me, and now I'm quite tempted to hunt down a GC copy of Ikaruga.
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Madworld
Muramasa
No More Heroes
Resi 4
Mario Galaxy
A Boy and his Blob
House of the Dead Overkill
Sin and Punishment
Zelda TP
Metroid _____
Trauma Center?
Mario 64 (Never played it, dying to)
Zelda WW
Eternal Darkness?
I'd like a murder mystery puzzle game at some point too.
I'm a massive CastleVania fan, might pick up a couple of them for the Wii.
That should set me up quite nicely, looks like 2010 is a Nintendo Year for me. Guess it's about time, thanks for the help Macmurphy/PatAU
Note: Just saw some footage of Klonoa on youtube and it looks pretty damn good.
@CrispyXUK: I am a hardcore gamer and have been totally converted today. It's understandable why, because all the awesome games are hidden under a ridiculous amount of Novelty crap but I'm sure a lot more gamers will turn to the Wii eventually/hopefully.
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Monster Hunter 3
Sin & Punishment 2
HOTD Overkill.
(Plus its only costing me £70 second hand)
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I agree, my definition of 'hardcore' has always been the sort of gamers who complete the same - relatively short - game over and over again to better their score. Most games demanded that sort of attitude in the 80s, and the Wii has revitalised that sort of gaming quite successfully in my opinion.
The "only 4hrs to complete" brigade often found lurking around forums are kind of missing the point, I think I've played through HOTD: Overkill about 40 times, for example.
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PS
Doesn't the art style of the box remind you of early Hayao Myazaki (nausica).
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You can't compare this to something like Alan Wake, two games offering something totally different and thus should be viewed and reviewed with different heads on.
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@Ansems.There's a game called Beyond Good and Evil for the cube which I believe is a mystery game. Very highly rated. I actually have a copy because I'm a loser and kept buying games long after I stopped playing the cube. there's also all the Phoenix Wriight stuff on Wii Ware.
For Metroid get the trilogy out on Wii, good value and Wii Controls. Never played the Trauma Centre games, they always looked pretty good. I'd put Galaxy, Monster Hunter and RE4 at the top of the list and go from there - also World of Goo and if you've got some mates Bomberman Blast is the best Bomberman out there, and it's 8 player. A bit pants on its own.
The Wii has had some great games - I'm a bit pissed at the dripfeed release system as there have been some real barren spells, but now there's all sorts of great titles out there. If you're starting from scratch you'd be spoiled.
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I have the latest Monster Hunter on the PSP and can't get into it at all. Just a little bit too unresponsive and you have to really graft. When I have a lot of spare time I will trudge through a couple MH games but as it is, I don't have the stamina.
The Wii is clearly a console that is sticking to its roots because they don't need to be watered (Disgraceful analogy)
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The Wii quality drought was still completely unacceptable, but with this and Galaxy 2 and Monster Hunter all in a matter of weeks of eachother, things are finally looking up.
Keep 'em coming!
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And Fragile Dreams is a flawed masterpiece.
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This game has received so little attention. If it makes the top 40 it'll be a small miracle.
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I don't own a Wii yet but I already began to pick up some cheap games for it.
Here is the list:
Bought:
Dead Space: Extraction
Okami
Madworld
Deadly Creatures
House of the Dead: Overkill
House of the Dead: Overkill Light Gun
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles + Wii Zapper
No More Heroes
Little King's Story
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Zack & Wiki - Quest for Barbaro's Treasure
House of the Dead 2 & 3
Red Steel 2 + Wii Motion Plus
Here is my watch list (getting them when I see them cheap):
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Metroid Prime Triology
Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep
Manhunt 2
I don't like Mario at all otherwise the games would be on there, too.
Maybe I will buy them used on ebay in a while.
Some GC games missing since I played them on my GC.
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As well as every game already recommended:
Boom Blox
Boom Blox: Bash Party
Pikmin 1 & 2 (or wait for 3)
Many Wii games can be found for under £10. Search http://www.gamestracker. com/ to find them.
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Silent Hill SM, Pikmin, Super Paper Mario, Dead Space E all added to the list. I have Okami on PS2
(In my top 10 games of all time) but I hear the Wii Mote really lends a hell of a lot to the experience so I might check it out, haven't played it in a while. Thanks again, I'll probably get House of the dead with the Hand Cannon and Resi 4 first. Seeing the prices on Amazon though I might be able to get them all at once, ridiculously cheap.
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At least there's nothing decent on the 360 coming out for a while.. or i'd be very poor and very lonely as i spend all my time playing latest stuff!
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Is that a sign of how good am I or just that not many people upload their scores or playing game yet?!
This is a fun game, whilst twee NPC be slight off putting at first but the blasting bits are good fun. Certainly would have suited Wii HD better with more lush visuals and instead of seeing some low res textures on 42" HDTV after exposed to HD consoles.
But put that behind you, game is nice looking overall and loads of enemies and bullet hell moments of fun.
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I've played most of Treasure's games that were out on home systems and have nothing but good words to say about them, and I'm sure this one is just as good, but did you really have to put the rest of the industry down so much in order to compliment this game, Simon?
(sorry to break the love fest)
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I think it's about time I got my wonky Wii replaced. A nice few decent games recently to warrant the little bit of extra cash to replace it. A nice black one methinks.
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/shakes head in disbelief
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My take is this, THIS is a hardcore game. Games that punish you for high scores or times(lap or otherwise), and push you further and further are hardcore. Gears of War or Halo doesn't even come close. Monkey Ball is more hardcore than them.
Time for a re-release of Radiant Silvergun methinks. I play it a lot on emulator, technically illegal I know, but if you think I am paying £100+ for a game never released in this country you must be joking. Thankfully, I have held onto my copy of Panzer Dragoon Zwei all these years. I will sell it in five years and retire to the Bahama's. Ahahahahahahahaha!
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It is great. Totally mental shooter.
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