To save time, read this:
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/25/sin-and-punishment-star-successor-review/
So, remember what shooters used to be like? When you shot everything to get points and brightly coloured powerups, not because the plot made any sense? When things exploded when they died rather than bothering with physics? When instead of fighting grey men on brown planets you were up against purple squid and fire-breathing turtles in tropical jungles by the sea?
Don't worry, the age-old lunatic shooter is alive and well, and this is probably the best rail shooter ever made.
Better than Panzer Dragoon.
Better than Rez.
Better than Starfox 64.
First things first, here is a trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz3Vcca-Ejs
That probably answered absolutely no questions you may have had about the game, so here is a history lesson:
Once on the N64 there was a game called Sin and Punishment, by some people called Treasure. You may have heard of them.
Being a Japan-only release, most of us didn't get to play it until the Wii virtual console.
Basically, the game was a rail shooter made by insane people, with a plot no-one understands, and explosions filling up the screen every five seconds. It was therefore obviously brilliant.
Despite the obscurity of the original, the Wii gets a sequal, which apparently makes excellent use of the IR pointer in allowing you to shoot things by
aiming instead of waggling a stick around. Why this doesn't happen more often is beyond me.
It also features more bullets!
More explosions!
More jetpacks!
Less breathable air!
Extra... ok, you tell me
Reviews would seem to agree that it's entirely fantastic:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/sin-and-punishment-successor-of-the-skies-review
Anyway, this is out. No excuses.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0gS6aYHdBQ&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz3Vcca-Ejs
Yeah I want this thing. It looks outrageous, gnarly and/or tubular.
I can't wait.
Wikipedia says leaderboards. Would've been awesome if it had online play...
It's being used on this.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
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Also, don't forget the Iwata Asks interview with Treasure, which includes this little gem:
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
Also, the main character of 2
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Also that's probably one of the better Iwata Laughs that I've read in a while.
FF14: ARR
haha
S&P2's easy mode is a little bit easier than the first game's easy mode. Its hard mode is absurdly more difficult. Seriously had to pull in one of my friends to help with the last boss before I threw my hands up in frustration. You get infinite continues this time, and you'll need them.
Great game though. Plenty long for an arcade style shooter and no filler to be found.
It's a tough game on normal, well only the bosses should give you any hassle. But not Ikaruga tough.
Yea it's short. But I feel like I can honestly say it has more variety than games twice it's length.
And it can be insanely fun. When your just hovering around with your trendy soccer ball jetpack while the most dream like visuals and audio wash over you, it can be hard to put down.
FF14: ARR
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You've probably figured it out by now.
FF14: ARR
What killed me the two times I almost won was some weird grapple when I tried to attack during the last phase.
http://www.destructoid.com/pre-order-sin-and-punishment-and-get-500-wii-points-173810.phtml
As much as I dislike Gamestop, I can't fault them for offering some nice bonuses, and as long as I can get them online it's no worse than Amazon.
It sucks when you die at the end though
If any of the preview videos/trailers interested you at all, and you can live with the fact that it's relatively short and difficult. Then heck yea you should pick it up.
FF14: ARR
This is amazing, and not enough people talked about it.
Let's try this again.
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I mean, I already played it to completion months ago, but I want the US release to feel fresh.
I'll gladly take S&P2's volcano-dwelling coin-vomiting crab turtles over a hundred gritty brown cover simulators.
Great game, cleared it on normal and it provided quite the challenge. I preferred Kachi's character so I played through with her, though I've heard Isa is a bit easier to use. Final boss was one absolute son of a bitch, but he went down eventually.
Once I have the time I'll take my chances on Hard mode, though I don't know how successful that will be.
I'm somewhat thankful this game's story is somewhat more straightforward than the original, emphasis on "somewhat" of course.
Though it kinda goes right back into Mind fuck territory with the secret ending. (I youtubed it, so sue me I wasn't going to wait till I had a chance to play through as Isa.)
Spoilers (For the love of god play through at least once before reading):
To quote: "Long ago, I wasn't called Kachi, I was called..."
Here the idylic music comes to a dead stop and Kachi's voice becomes a lot... Darker.
Yeah... to say the least it will be interesting to here what comes of this. Though to be fair their names are only a letter off.
My favorite level would be the 4th one. The music just fits and the premise for the stage is deliciously rediculous.
FF14: ARR
In the UK at least, the price just hasn't dropped enough for me to spend £30 on it, no matter how crazily fun it might be. I blame the recent spate of titles dropping to £15-18 - if I see it around that pricepoint, I'm there.
There really aren't enough games of its type out there - I'd say the market's shifted to cheap and insanely difficult 2D bullet-hell shooters, and lightgun games. But there's still a place for this kind of thing, dammit - hopefully the 3DS will kick off more interest in the genre.
Gameplay are selling it for £19.
http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?ProductCode=NW5376
I think the shift to 2D is mostly due to indy developers being the only ones besides Treasure making this kind of thing anymore. The surge in Wii lightgun games is a bit better, but they're all zombie-centric, good though some are.
If I remember right, I used a charge shot on one of the parts that moved the elevator, shot the other one until charge shot is ready again and repeated. I think there are also some smaller enemies, but that most of them get taken out when doing charge shots.
This could be all wrong, since it's been a while since I played the game.