Released exclusively in Japan for the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000, Sin & Punishment was one of the platform’s few import-only standouts. Developed by Japanese studio Treasure (Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga), Sin & Punishment is a forward-scrolling rail shooter that uses the Nintendo 64 controller’s unique button configuration to grant players greater freedom of movement during gameplay.
Related: Pandora’s Tower, Wind-Up Knight 2 join Wii U eShop
While a North American release for Sin & Punishment was considered, an official localization was ultimately scrapped as Nintendo shifted its focus to its next console, the GameCube. Sin & Punishment saw its first official release in western territories in 2007 with a digital Virtual Console release for the Nintendo Wii. This week’s upgraded Wii U version offers new features like savestates and button configuration options.
A sequel, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, launched for the Nintendo Wii worldwide in 2010, swapping out the original game’s control setup in favor of a new targeting system that used the Wii Remote for aiming. Star Successor is now one of the few Nintendo Wii games available digitally via the Wii U eShop, following up on the recent debuts of Metroid Prime Trilogy, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, and Pandora’s Tower.
Other games launching digitally for the Wii U this week include 13AM Games’ “9-player party-platformer” Runbow and Disney Infinity 3.0, a 3D action-adventure game powered by collectible figures. The formerly Japan-exclusive racer Vs. Excitebike will also hit the Wii U this week as part of Nintendo’s “Builders Week” promotion.
This week’s eShop update also introduces Arc System Works’ Wii U action game Brave Tank Hero, arcade-styled shoot-’em-up Full Blast, autoscrolling platformer Pixel Slime U, and 3DS-exclusive driving game Gotcha Racing.
