Ruffians?

Over the weekend I had planned on using what little free time I had to play through Parasite Eve and Animal Crossing but last night there was a change in plans.  When I met Seth last night at Wal-Mart I decided that I finally needed to pick up a classic controller.  Before this I was using a Gamecube controller to play any of my Nintendo 64 games on the Virtual Console.  But, after getting tired of having to sit so close to my television just for the cord to reach the top of my Wii, I finally dropped my $19.99 and went home happy.

I hadn't really planned on using t for much more that just maybe making a few runs through Sonic the Hedgehog and maybe a few plays through ToeJam and Earl.  When I got home though, I noticed one game though that I had almost forgotten about purchasing.  A little known Treasure (yes, lame pun intended). 

Now, before I actually reveal the game I would like to say that one of my favorite game companies, Nintendo, is notorious for rehashing old franchises instead of creating new characters and IP.  Since 2000, Nintendo has really only had to offer us Chibi-Robo, Animal Crossing, and Pikmin.  However, there is one game that Nintendo published in 2000 for the Nintendo 64.  Developed 

by legendary studio Treasure, the company behind Genesis classic Gunstar Heroes and balls hard Ikaruga for the Gamecube, this game barely missed our shores.  

However, in October 2007, importer and classic gamers rejoiced when Sin and Punishment finally appeared on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console.  Costing 200 more Wii points than a standard N64 game, Nintendo finally opened a door for everyone who missed out on this shooter.  I am one of those people and I'll be damned if I say I wasn't ecstatic when I saw news of a US release.  My seven years of patience was rewarded when I finally had a chance to play through the entire game.  This game was perfect for the American audience and should have been poised for a release here.  While the story is batshit insane and almost impossible to follow, the gameplay is true run-and-gun and a real rail rider.  With all English voice acting with Japanese subtitles, I still wonder how it took so long for it to come to our shores.  

Posted by Bryant Jackson at 2:17 PM