Sin & Punishment: Star Successor super review

Little stuff that adds up

It’s a shooter. A two player shooter, even. But what kind of crap is it when the second player isn’t even onscreen? There are two characters, on the run together, and only one appears on the screen in two player mode. I’m sure there are “reasons” for this, but it still makes the second player’s role feel less substantial and involved. No dodging or weaving, just aiming and shooting.

Is it better than?

Dead Space Extraction? No, though they’re not entirely comparable. Both are rail shooters, but Sin is all about quantity and Extraction is all about quality. The latter is slower-paced, violent, disturbing and a real step forward for on-rails titles, but still is only worth one or two trips through.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles? Yes. The second RE shooter is still clumsy and plodding compared to Sin and even Dead Space, and even though the gameplay is intentionally slower than Sin, it’s nowhere near as fun. If your preferences lean towards House of the Dead and not twitch-reaction stuff, maybe you’ll feel differently.

Sin & Punishment? Yes, if only because the Star Successor is newer and has modern visuals, while the N64 original obviously looks quite dated. Both are similar experiences and offer the same intensity for one or two players, and both are essentially over when you recognize all the patterns. However, we never saw the original in the US until the Virtual Console, so try both to be sure.

Just for you, Metacritic!

A bullet hell shooter that’s just sane enough for anyone to enjoy. The action is nonstop but manageable, and the bosses are freakish and challenging enough to warrant a few repeat plays just to figure out how to totally destroy them the next time around.

Jun 25, 2010