One of the quirkiest shooters around.

Sin and Punishment is a former Japanese-exclusive shooter for the Nintendo 64. Before the Wii was even released, it was allegedly one of the most requested Virtual Console games in North America. Now following Nintendo's lead with its release of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Treasure has graciously blessed Western gamers with Sin and Punishment for the first time. This on-rails shooter manages to be quite the button-mashing good time despite awkward controls and a presentation that's exceptionally....Japanese.

You can alternate between lock-on and manual targeting, but you still have to move the cursor to your enemy.

The story....well, I can't really tell you much about the story since it makes no sense. Something about mutants attacking Japan and citizens forming a rebel alliance to fight them. I honestly can't tell you much more than that. But then who plays a shooter for the plot, right?

Anyway, you play as one of several Japanese teenage rebels with each one's main weapon being a machine gun called a Dolphin Gun. The Dolphin Gun can be fired using either lock-on or manual targeting, which can be adjusted instantly even during the heat of battle. Your character can also launch a short-range sword swipe when enemies get a little too close for comfort. Sin and Punishment is a 3D on-rails shooter (similar to the upcoming Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles) so the levels move on their own with the player being tasked to shoot and dodge any enemies and obstacles that appear on the screen. It's actually not as easy as it sounds.

Early on S&P is basic shoot-em-up, but the game quickly presents a variety of obstacles that a lot of fans of the genre may not be accustomed to. Many boss battles require real strategy, sometimes calling for special evasive maneuvers to dodge devastating attacks or striking an opponent a certain way in order to inflict maximum damage. You'll also be leaping over gaps and dodging pillars at a pretty significant speeds. All of these is made even more difficult in an unnecessary way thanks to the game's cumbersome controls, which force you to target every individual enemy while simultaneously shooting, strafing and jumping. Bottom line: Sin and Punishment's gameplay can get pretty frustrating even on the easiest difficult level.

Presentation-wise, S&P at first glance seems like a really bad anime, complete with stereotypical spikey-haired super kids and nearly inaudible English voice-acting. Fortunately, the graphics are near the top-tier for N64 games. The detailed locales and fabulous explosion effects could even be mistaken for those in a first-generation Dreamcast game.

It may be the most expensive Virtual Console game to date at 1200 Wii Points, but you're definitely getting what you paid for if you download Sin and Punishment. Despite some control issues and a laughably-bad theme, this game is still amongst the most fun and unique titles available from the Wii shop. Doubly fun in the game's two-player co-op mode.