With the N64 platformer as Treasure's best evidence of commercial success, the choice seemed obvious. Mischief Makers mastermind Hideyuki Suganami was picked to direct. Sin and Punishment was never released in America on the N64. His distinctive style gave the game a look that strayed far from convention and cliché. Suzuki had played a minor role designing ships and objects in Radiant Silvergun, but this was his first time in the driver's seat, drawing the game's characters and enemies. The big-headed, saucer-eyed character designs Treasure was known for were simply not going to work for this project, so to help them craft the look of their new game, they promoted a talented greenhorn named Yasushi Suzuki. Still, Nintendo had faith in them, and allowed them tremendous creative control, and production values that the small, independent studio had scarcely been afforded prior. They were also a company generally known for 2D action games – hardly anything cutting edge on a 64-bit platform. On the contrary, their most recent real success was Mischief Makers, a light-hearted platformer that Nintendo published in the West, and the whimsical run and gun Gunstar Heroes was their biggest claim to fame. While Treasure had more than earned the respect of industry peers, and had a cult following among some critics and fans, they were certainly not known for mainstream success, nor anything remotely dark. To help them achieve that goal, they turned to the last company you'd expect: Treasure. Nintendo wanted a major first party title that could connect with the older market, especially in North America. Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat, and a late port of Resident Evil 2 were not enough to sway older gamers who craved mature, original content. A few years into the Nintendo 64's run, it was starting to finally really hurt them. Sega and Sony both rose to prominence by targeting an older demographic – the ones Nintendo has made into gamers the generation before. Ever since Nintendo grayed out the blood in Mortal Kombat, they've had to deal with accusations that their platforms were kids' stuff. Watching the few meager seconds of footage immediately took me back to one of the most unique and surprising games of Nintendo's career a time when Nintendo tried their hardest to do what was least expected. Prominent among the titles was a sequel many of us have been hoping for since we first learned about the Wii and its unique control scheme: Sin and Punishment 2. After a suspiciously sparse showing at E3 this summer, Nintendo turned quite a few heads when they pulled back the curtain on their upcoming Wii lineup last week. Platform(s): Nintendo 64, Wii (Virtual Console) Release Date: 2000 Favorite Moments: Hurtling through the air and knocking missiles into aircraft carriers.
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