Sin and Punishment: Hoshi no Keishosha
Encyclopedia
Sin and Punishment, known in Japan
as , is a rail shooter developed by Treasure and published by Nintendo
. The game was released for the Nintendo 64
in Japan in 2000, and on the iQue Player in China
in 2004.
Despite being a former Asia-exclusive release, it features extensive voice acting in English
with subtitles in Japanese
. As a result, it became one of the most requested Virtual Console
titles in North America, with gaming site IGN
declaring that there would be a "Very High" probability of its release after the initial announcement of the service.
Sin and Punishment was released on the Virtual Console in Japan on September 20, 2007, in PAL regions on September 28, 2007 and in North America on October 1, 2007. The PAL and North American releases feature further translation, with English menus in addition to the English voice acting and the Japanese subtitles, offset by a higher Wii Points price, 200 more points than normal. Previously, the game had been fan-translated to English by a small website called Vanit Studios. The game's success on Virtual Console prompted Nintendo to announce a sequel for the Wii
titled Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, which was released in 2009.
shooter with scrolling. Progress through the levels is automatic; the player's job is to aim and fire at enemies, sidestep, roll, jump, or double-jump to avoid attacks and obstacles.
The player can switch between manual (red targeting reticle) and lock-on (purple targeting reticle) firing modes at any time. Lock-on mode "sticks" the reticle to enemies, but is less damaging than manually-aimed fire. The player can also attack using a powerful energy sword by tapping the fire button when enemies, or certain types of projectiles, are within close range. Projectiles struck in this manner are bounced back and can potentially inflict great damage on opponents. While the player attacks, a timer at the top of the screen counts down. When the timer hits 0, the player gradually loses more and more life until he or she either refills the timer or dies. Multiplayer involves two players controlling one character cooperatively. The second player controls the targeting sight and shoots while the first player controls the character's movement.
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.
The game begins in Tokyo with Achi, Airan, and Saki embarking on a mission to steal an Armed Volunteer transport. After fighting through waves of Volunteer troops, they gain a transport on top of a building, but as they do, they are attacked by ruffians. After fending them off, Saki is attacked by a telekinetic woman named Kachua. Saki knocks her off the building. As she falls, the city is flooded with blood, and Saki falls as well. He and Kachua are transformed into giant ruffians as they fall. Saki kills Kachua, then turns on Airan and Achi. Achi teleports herself and Airan to safety.
They find themselves on a Volunteer ship, commanded by Brad, leader of the Armed Volunteers. Brad commands the fleet to attack Saki, referring to him as The Beast. Airan and Achi fight their way through the ship until they encounter Brad and Leda, a smaller cat-like Ruffian. After a brief fight, Leda is killed, but Brad jumps on a fighter jet and escapes, then Achi uses her telekinesis to help Airan pursue him. In the end, they kill Brad and wipe out the Volunteer fleet, allowing them to focus on Saki.
Achi believes that she can return Saki to his human form, but she requires that Airan shoot him in the head to incapacitate him. After she angrily refuses, Achi creates an illusion of Airan on a ruffian-infested train, tricking Airan into shooting Saki. They are able to communicate with Saki, but then Achi reveals that the war with the ruffians and the Armed Volunteers is merely training for Saki to prepare for her coming global war. As Achi becomes more and more menacing, Saki regains consciousness and teleports himself and Airan away.
Airan wakes up on a ruffian-infested beach accompanied by Saki, who is now half ruffian, but otherwise back to normal. They fight their way to the safety of a small building; once there, Achi appears, takes Airan, and flees. When Saki catches up to Achi, she reveals that the reason for giving Brad and Saki some of her blood was because she needed one powerful warrior to help her rule over the new Earth she was about to create. Her intention is to reset the Earth by destroying the old one and creating a new one. Saki refuses and reverts back to his full - Ruffian form. Achi creates the new Earth and begins her attack but Saki, along with Airan, destroy the new Earth, and Achi is sent drifting into space.
In the final scenes, Saki and Airan continue to travel around Earth to eliminate the Ruffians. Achi is seen drifting in space contemplating on the events that have passed. She then begins to show that she is impressed by Saki's powers, but wonders whether he can stand up to the true enemy - God.
- A full human and female protagonist. Airan bonded with Saki throughout the game, and it is this bond that allows her to save him and stop Achi.
and Treasure. During development, it was tentatively titled Glass Soldier. The title was directed by Hideyuki Suganami, who also served as one of the programmers. Atsutomo Nakagawa, who had previously had a small part in developing Radiant Silvergun
stepped up as program lead, and Yasushi Suzuki, another minor player from the Radiant Silvergun team took over as the lead character artist. This was the last game Suganami worked on before departing the company. He remained on friendly terms with Treasure, returning on a freelance/contractual basis to work on Gunstar Super Heroes
.
The title was not released until 2000, at which point the market for N64 games was badly weakened. Despite being developed with a North American release in mind, with an English-speaking voice cast, Treasure quietly removed Sin and Punishment from its roster of upcoming North American and PAL releases. The title was finally released to the public outside of Japan via the Wii's Virtual Console download system for the price of 1200 Wii Points. This version retains the Japanese subtitles with its English dialogue, but has translated menus and a few tutorials. The Virtual Console US/PAL version was translated by NST
.
critics upon its release. Gaming site IGN
gave the title 9.0 out of 10, while GameSpot
ranked the original Nintendo 64 version a 7.1 out of 10, citing a lack of difficulty modes (a factual error on their part) as a key complaint. A more recent GameSpot review of the Virtual Console version raised the rating to 8.0 out of 10. Retro Gamer magazine also listed it as top in its list of top 25 "run 'n gun" games.
video game Super Smash Bros. Brawl
as one of several Assist Trophies, which are items that summon characters from throughout Nintendo's history for a brief period of time. When summoned, Saki will jump around while slashing and blasting opponents with his Cannon Sword.
On October 2, 2008, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor was announced at a Nintendo press conference. It was developed for the Wii
and was released in Japan on October 27, 2009, in Europe on May 7, 2010, and in North America on June 27, 2010.
This game features Saki and Arian's son, Isa Jo, a character who appeared in the original Sin and Punishment, albeit a grown up version of him.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a rail shooter developed by Treasure and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
. The game was released for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
in Japan in 2000, and on the iQue Player in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in 2004.
Despite being a former Asia-exclusive release, it features extensive voice acting in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
with subtitles in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. As a result, it became one of the most requested Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
titles in North America, with gaming site IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
declaring that there would be a "Very High" probability of its release after the initial announcement of the service.
Sin and Punishment was released on the Virtual Console in Japan on September 20, 2007, in PAL regions on September 28, 2007 and in North America on October 1, 2007. The PAL and North American releases feature further translation, with English menus in addition to the English voice acting and the Japanese subtitles, offset by a higher Wii Points price, 200 more points than normal. Previously, the game had been fan-translated to English by a small website called Vanit Studios. The game's success on Virtual Console prompted Nintendo to announce a sequel for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
titled Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, which was released in 2009.
Gameplay
The game is essentially a 3D Cabal-styledCabal (arcade game)
is a arcade video game originally developed by TAD Corporation and published in Japan by Taito Corporation and in North America and Europe by Fabtek. In this game, the player controls a commando, viewed from behind, trying to destroy various enemy military bases...
shooter with scrolling. Progress through the levels is automatic; the player's job is to aim and fire at enemies, sidestep, roll, jump, or double-jump to avoid attacks and obstacles.
The player can switch between manual (red targeting reticle) and lock-on (purple targeting reticle) firing modes at any time. Lock-on mode "sticks" the reticle to enemies, but is less damaging than manually-aimed fire. The player can also attack using a powerful energy sword by tapping the fire button when enemies, or certain types of projectiles, are within close range. Projectiles struck in this manner are bounced back and can potentially inflict great damage on opponents. While the player attacks, a timer at the top of the screen counts down. When the timer hits 0, the player gradually loses more and more life until he or she either refills the timer or dies. Multiplayer involves two players controlling one character cooperatively. The second player controls the targeting sight and shoots while the first player controls the character's movement.
Plot
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.
The game begins in Tokyo with Achi, Airan, and Saki embarking on a mission to steal an Armed Volunteer transport. After fighting through waves of Volunteer troops, they gain a transport on top of a building, but as they do, they are attacked by ruffians. After fending them off, Saki is attacked by a telekinetic woman named Kachua. Saki knocks her off the building. As she falls, the city is flooded with blood, and Saki falls as well. He and Kachua are transformed into giant ruffians as they fall. Saki kills Kachua, then turns on Airan and Achi. Achi teleports herself and Airan to safety.
They find themselves on a Volunteer ship, commanded by Brad, leader of the Armed Volunteers. Brad commands the fleet to attack Saki, referring to him as The Beast. Airan and Achi fight their way through the ship until they encounter Brad and Leda, a smaller cat-like Ruffian. After a brief fight, Leda is killed, but Brad jumps on a fighter jet and escapes, then Achi uses her telekinesis to help Airan pursue him. In the end, they kill Brad and wipe out the Volunteer fleet, allowing them to focus on Saki.
Achi believes that she can return Saki to his human form, but she requires that Airan shoot him in the head to incapacitate him. After she angrily refuses, Achi creates an illusion of Airan on a ruffian-infested train, tricking Airan into shooting Saki. They are able to communicate with Saki, but then Achi reveals that the war with the ruffians and the Armed Volunteers is merely training for Saki to prepare for her coming global war. As Achi becomes more and more menacing, Saki regains consciousness and teleports himself and Airan away.
Airan wakes up on a ruffian-infested beach accompanied by Saki, who is now half ruffian, but otherwise back to normal. They fight their way to the safety of a small building; once there, Achi appears, takes Airan, and flees. When Saki catches up to Achi, she reveals that the reason for giving Brad and Saki some of her blood was because she needed one powerful warrior to help her rule over the new Earth she was about to create. Her intention is to reset the Earth by destroying the old one and creating a new one. Saki refuses and reverts back to his full - Ruffian form. Achi creates the new Earth and begins her attack but Saki, along with Airan, destroy the new Earth, and Achi is sent drifting into space.
In the final scenes, Saki and Airan continue to travel around Earth to eliminate the Ruffians. Achi is seen drifting in space contemplating on the events that have passed. She then begins to show that she is impressed by Saki's powers, but wonders whether he can stand up to the true enemy - God.
Playable characters
- Half human, half Ruffian, and the male protagonist of the game. Saki hid his part-Ruffian DNA upon joining the Savior Group. He eventually turns against Achi after learning her plan.- A full human and female protagonist. Airan bonded with Saki throughout the game, and it is this bond that allows her to save him and stop Achi.
Development
Sin and Punishment was co-developed by Nintendo's Research & Development Department 1Nintendo Research & Development 1
was Nintendo's oldest development team. Its creation coincided with Nintendo's entry into the video games industry, and the original R&D1 was headed by Gunpei Yokoi...
and Treasure. During development, it was tentatively titled Glass Soldier. The title was directed by Hideyuki Suganami, who also served as one of the programmers. Atsutomo Nakagawa, who had previously had a small part in developing Radiant Silvergun
Radiant Silvergun
is a vertically scrolling shooter video game, developed by Treasure. It was released in arcades on the ST-V platform in 1998 and subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn, with added cutscenes by noted animation studio Gonzo...
stepped up as program lead, and Yasushi Suzuki, another minor player from the Radiant Silvergun team took over as the lead character artist. This was the last game Suganami worked on before departing the company. He remained on friendly terms with Treasure, returning on a freelance/contractual basis to work on Gunstar Super Heroes
Gunstar Super Heroes
Gunstar Super Heroes is a Game Boy Advance title created by Treasure Co. Ltd. It is the sequel to Gunstar Heroes...
.
The title was not released until 2000, at which point the market for N64 games was badly weakened. Despite being developed with a North American release in mind, with an English-speaking voice cast, Treasure quietly removed Sin and Punishment from its roster of upcoming North American and PAL releases. The title was finally released to the public outside of Japan via the Wii's Virtual Console download system for the price of 1200 Wii Points. This version retains the Japanese subtitles with its English dialogue, but has translated menus and a few tutorials. The Virtual Console US/PAL version was translated by NST
Nintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology Corporation is an American-based first-party developer for the Japanese video game corporation Nintendo. NST was created to specifically create games for Nintendo consoles for the North American market. Although Claude Comair was co-founder of NST, he retired from his...
.
Reception
Sin and Punishment received generally positive reception from WesternWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
critics upon its release. Gaming site IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the title 9.0 out of 10, while GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
ranked the original Nintendo 64 version a 7.1 out of 10, citing a lack of difficulty modes (a factual error on their part) as a key complaint. A more recent GameSpot review of the Virtual Console version raised the rating to 8.0 out of 10. Retro Gamer magazine also listed it as top in its list of top 25 "run 'n gun" games.
Legacy
The protagonist Saki Amamiya later appeared in the WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
video game Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
as one of several Assist Trophies, which are items that summon characters from throughout Nintendo's history for a brief period of time. When summoned, Saki will jump around while slashing and blasting opponents with his Cannon Sword.
On October 2, 2008, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor was announced at a Nintendo press conference. It was developed for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and was released in Japan on October 27, 2009, in Europe on May 7, 2010, and in North America on June 27, 2010.
This game features Saki and Arian's son, Isa Jo, a character who appeared in the original Sin and Punishment, albeit a grown up version of him.
External links
- Official Nintendo web page (Japanese) (Translated with Excite.Co.Jp's translator)
- Official SpaceWorld 2000 web page (Japanese) (Translated with Excite.Co.Jp's translator)
- Official iQue Player web page (Chinese)
- Interview at 1101.com (Japanese) (Translated with Excite.Co.Jp's translator)
- Virtual Console web page (Japanese) (North American) (European) (Australian)