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Nintendo of America isn’t leaving North America out of the bevy of import virtual console games. Later today Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels and Sin & Punishment will be sold on the Virtual Console store at slightly higher prices. Sure you’re shelling out 600 Wii Points instead of the usual 500 for a NES/Famicom Disc System game. But you’re getting the real Super Mario Brothers 2 here with the intact wind gusts and harder to spot poison mushrooms.
For 1,200 Wii Points Sin & Punishment is worth every penny if you like on rails shmups. I downloaded it off of the Japanese store last week and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it again. The voice acting seems terrible by today’s standards, but you’re not playing the game to experience the Evangelion-like story. You’re playing it for fast and furious ruffian shooting action, which Treasure has no problem delivering. Dust off your Gamecube controller and purchase this ASAP.
Super Mario Bros.™: The Lost Levels™ (NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone,
600 Wii Points): Originally released in Japan as Super Mario Bros.® 2, this game has previously made only brief cameo appearances in the Western Hemisphere. Now available on the Virtual Console™ in all of its original splendor, Mario fans will appreciate the familiar look and feel of the game, while finding that its updated game play creates an entirely new challenge. No longer content just to wear different-colored overalls, Mario and Luigi also possess different skill sets: Mario can stop quicker, while Luigi can jump higher. In addition to the classic enemies already known to fans worldwide, there are also Poison Mushrooms, backward Warp Zones, and the occasional wind gust (which can help or hinder your progress) to take into account. And if that’s somehow not enough, expert players can go looking for the game’s secret worlds. So get ready to put your Mario skills to the ultimate test, and save the Princess again. Just don’t be surprised if she’s in another castle.
Sin & Punishment™ (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, rated T for Teen – Blood, Fantasy
Violence, Mild Language, 1,200 Wii Points): Created by the legendary development studio Treasure, this is a game that hard-core gamers and fans of Japanese imports recognize as one of the finest Nintendo 64 titles to have never previously reached North American shores. Its unique combination of English voice-overs with Japanese subtitles (preserved in this version) has only added to the enthusiasm for its eventual release here. Experience the frenetic pace of a classic shooter, while choosing from a variety of options and a number of different skill levels until you are ready to take on the full-blown challenge of Turbo Hard mode. Not to be outdone by the action, however, the intriguing story line gives the game its soul and draws you even further into the mix. Set in the near future, on an overpopulated Earth starved for resources, players uncover the intriguing mystery of two teenagers (Saki and Airan) and their battle against the Ruffians as they advance through level after level of nonstop action. Take a deep breath, gather your energy and prepare to see why this game is so highly praised.
