Pay very close attention, especially those people who want more of Nintendo’s Japanese games to come to North America. The success of Sin & Punishment 2 will determine if we get to see other franchises come to this side of the Pacific. It was a surprise to many when S&P2 was announced and although Nintendo hasn’t put a lot of attention on the Rail-Shooter, let me tell you straight up, the little sample I had with it was fantastic.

Sin & Punishment 2 is Treasure’s follow up to the Nintendo 64 game Sin & Punishment which was originally only released in Japan nearly ten years ago. The game finally saw a North American release in 2007 on the Wii’s Virtual Console. It must have done well enough as Nintendo revealed a sequel in production last October.

The game plays itself like any other Rail-Shooter. Those who have experienced the famous Sega series Panzer Dragoon will feel right at home here. S&P2 revolves around two characters, Isa and Kachi, who both must battle against evil forces. The demo available at E3 did not reveal anything in regards to the game’s story, instead focusing on the shooting aspect of the game and giving newcomers a little morsel to enjoy.

S&P2 feels very much like an on-rail shooter, or better yet, a classic 2D shoot’em ups from the 80s and early 90s. The action on the screen is wild and fierce; there is never a moment when you’re not attacking something or being attacked. Your enemies vary from small drones to massive bosses and everything you encounter is a challenge.

Controls are done using both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. You move your characters around the screen with the Nunchuck while you aim and shoot with the Remote. The responsiveness of the controls was excellent. You can quickly shift your focus from one side of the screen to the other without any issues. Considering how many different enemies you can encounter at any given moment, this ease in movement will be so important when determining which enemies to attack and which to avoid. Not only can you attack, but you will also be able to dodge incoming foes and if enemies come too close, there is also the ability to do a quick strike to destroy them.

S&P2 also rewards players who avoid getting hit with a nifty multiplier which grows after every successful kill but is reset once you are hit. This added bonus will give players more incentive to play through a level after completion to improve their score.

Graphics were fantastic and should ‘Wow’ most gamers. The variety in the enemies during the demo was great and the game never once suffered from any slow-down or frame-rate problems. Nintendo is promising a lot of variety in the game’s environments and levels; it certainly looks like they will deliver.

As far as I could experience from the introduction level, both characters seem to have very different story paths which should offer great value for those who might be worried that the game may have a short length. Considering this was a mere demonstration, I do expect more to be revealed as we get closer to the game’s release.

The release date at this moment is Q1 2010. Even though the game’s release is still a ways away, it certainly looks like S&P2 should turn out to be one fantastic game that most Wii owners will eat up. If you haven’t played the original, I suggest you turn on your Wii and download it now; it will be 1200 Wii Points well spent. I look forward to seeing what other secrets about the game Treasure and Nintendo will reveal over the next few months and so should you.