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E3 Impressions - Sin and Punishment 2

My memory is a little foggy these days, but prior to the launch of the Wii, we didn’t talk a whole lot about casual markets and new gamers. Instead there was the belief that Wii controls would allow gamers to experience familiar titles and content in a profound new way. If that idea has lost traction along the way and against the profit found in new audiences, Sin and Punishment 2 is the most precious gift imaginable to those who have long supported the evolution of this industry before a new wave of potentially fickle consumers entered the scene.

It warmed my icy and jaded gamer heart to see a Treasure title on the floor of E3 this year - even if it was rather tucked away and off to the side of Nintendo’s booth like some obligatory step-child. But it was still there all the same. The playable stage expanded on the video shown last year. A stream of eager gamers were able to fly through city streets that were infested with bizarre creatures and soldiers determined to fill the screen with the bullet hell of yesterday. Turrets filled the screen with laser blasts if left unchallenged, and a mid-level bird boss would grow bored with the player if left too long. It’s a Treasure game, so hopefully you know the score.

And if you do, then maybe you’ll agree that the most joyous discovery was the way in which Wii controls truly did allow the familiar to be experienced in a new way. In fact, the game reacted so perfectly, that I asked Nintendo if they’d assisted in the work only to be told that the project was a pure Treasure labour of love. I simply can’t imagine playing the game any other way. The Wii-mote allows the player to quickly target the massive amount of enemies invading the screen with accuracy and a speed not possible with a standard controller - with an element of rail shooter reflex that will be familiar. But at the same time, the player is always in control of their position with the nunchuk, activating the jetpack and dodging the seemingly endless waves of attack. Certainly it was everything I’ve come to expect from a Treasure title. But the controls made the game feel fresh again, offering up the most compelling use of the Wii control scheme in changing how we can experience familiar gameplay since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. That the game brings players back to the replay value of quick paced childhood titles that they could jump in and out of for years afterward would only seem to seal the deal.

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Posted in Awesome, E3, Wii |