1UP writes: "Treasure was never too big on sequels, and maybe for good reason -- its Game Boy Advance follow-ups to Gunstar Heroes and Guardian Heroes were good, but not great. But in the case of Sin and Punishment, it was well worth coming back to, because it would be dumb not to; to be able to make it better than it was before. Sin and Punishment 2 was recently released in Japan, and with 1UP's underlying and undying love for Treasure, there was no excuse but to dive right in as soon as possible."
A satirical dialog regarding the treatment of niche titles like Sin and Punishment 2: Star Successor and Deathsmiles by mainstream gaming media.
Original title: Lolis Smile Back At The Star Successor: or How I Learned That Not Every Game Is Ikaruga and Loved Tyrannosatan
Game Revolution writes: "Few game genres summon the sounds, sights, and downright stink of the good old arcade days more than shoot-'em-ups. Back before the days of teh Haloz, these were the real “shooters”. But over the years, the genre’s been pushed further and further to the fringes of the gaming landscape, where shmup fans now have more in common with elderly shuffle-board players than with the youngsters pwning them in Call of Duty."
TGH writes: "Sin & Punishment Star Successor (Successor Of The Skies in Europe) is a direct sequel to Sin And Punishment for the N64 and recently WiiWare. The original as highly praised and loved by gamers of all ages. So does the sequel live up to the template that the first one set, or is this simply an upgrade, not a Successor."
Q1 2010 cannot get here fast enough.