Sin and Punishment INFO BOX SYSTEMS Nintendo 64 RELEASE DATES Japan - 11/21/00 PUBLISHERS Nintendo Treasure and Nintendo team up to give us possibly the greatest on-rails 3D shooter of all time. A rather surprising game from a rather surprising combo of developers. It's got everything you could want in the genre and then some. First of all, unlike most games of this style you actually run along the ground instead of flying around in some kind of fighter ship, or on a dragon's back, which means you can run back and forth, roll, and perform a double jump to avoid oncoming fire. You actually feel like you're dodging the attacks unlike most rail shooters where you simply move out of the way of enemy fire. You've also got a sword for anything that might get too close to you, be they the enemies themselves or perhaps some rockets that they've fired at you. The stages are plump full of enemies and you've got the fire power to take them all out. The first stage is basically a quick primer on the game's mechanics, mostly offering some target practice and the chance to learn the basics of the sword. There's really not much danger in the first stage, but after that all hell breaks loose. Soon you will be dispatching enemies from every corner of the screen, often taking out dozens in a matter of seconds. The game keeps a quick pace from this point on, often forcing you to jump, and roll your way out of danger, while still managing to aim at your enemies and take them out, and listen for the helpful chime that lets you know when something is within range of your sword. Scattered throughout the stages are bosses of all shapes and sizes. You can usually just take them out by firing at them non stop while dodging their attacks, but good use of your sword can often make the job that much eaiser. Bosses won't make it easy for you though because you will have a lot of things to dodge at once, and aiming at the same time is no easy task. Their are three difficulty settings, so if the game is giving you too much trouble you could always play through it on the easiest setting until you're ready for the harder difficulties again. Near the end of the game things get really interesting. The game goes from an on-rails shooter to a sidescrolling hyrbid of sorts. You actually move your character through the stage using the exact same controls you had been using earlier. It is kind of disorienting at first because the way you aim with the analog stick just doesn't feel right when you're in complete control of your movement, but after a couple of play throughs you should be able to come to grips with it. It really is one of the most interesting stages I've seen in a rail shooter like this. During your 40-60 minute romp through the game you will also be treated to some pretty interesting 80's rocking guitar music. It's most likely not what you'd expect but it is exciting music, and I think it matches the crazy character designs and graphics of the game. Off the top of my head it mostly resembles the F-Zero X soundtrack (if you haven't played this game you must go out and do so immediately), which is good because that soundtrack is also excellent. Other than the slow pace of the first stage, there's not much to fault Sin and Punishment with. You may only have one gun and no power ups, but it's more than enough. Some people may be put off by the game's length, but it is an arcade game at heart, even if it was only released for the N64, and is meant to be played through multiple times, going for high scores and the like. Honestly, if you enjoy games like Starfox, or Panzer Dragoon you really need to check this game out.