Every week Cyril Lachel comes down from his giant castle in the hills to provide the final word on all of the classic downloadable games and retro compilations. This is the Retro Round-Up, your official guide to the best (and worst) in classic gaming for the Nintendo Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Join us as we shed some light on what games are worth your five or ten dollars, and what games you should avoid at all costs. For more information about these games (and retro gaming in general) we invite you to check out Defunct Games. Believe it or not, this is one of the most important weeks yet. This week Nintendo did the unthinkable and released two games that have never been released in their original state. Not only do we get the Japanese sequel to Super Mario Bros., but we also get Treasure`s amazing shooter, Sin & Punishment. And if that wasn`t enough GameTap really stepped up and delivered 17free classic games. That`s right, 17 games! This is a packed show (even without the likes of the Xbox Live Arcade) so put down Halo 3 and check out this week`s Retro Round Up ...

Sin & Punishment (Virtual Console)
What Is It?
When it comes to the top tier Nintendo 64 games chances are you`ve already played through Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, Paper Mario and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but there`s one triple-A title that you`ve probably never been able to add to your collection. That game is Sin & Punishment, a Japan-only 3D shooter from Treasure, the people that brought us such classics as Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga and Dynamite Headdy. Although it was set to come out in the states, Nintendo cancelled it at the last minute and disappointed fans of fast-paced action games. Sin & Punishment is like a cross between Sega`s seminal shooter Panzer Dragoon and the Fabtek`s arcade game Cabal. Tons of enemies pop up in the background and it`s your job to shoot them down with your analog-controlled targeting system. What sets Sin & Punishment apart is the pure style of the game, especially when it comes to the multiple boss battles. The game is hectic from the start and never lets up; it`s a non-stop joy ride through highly detailed levels. But the important part about this game is that it`s something you could normally not buy in the United States. Sin & Punishment marks the first time an unreleased Nintendo 64 game has been featured on the console, and that alone is reason enough to buy this long overdue title. The game may look and feel a bit dated by today`s standards, but it`s one of those games you`ve probably never played before and by buying it you will be sending the message that you like the idea of getting unreleased games on the Virtual Console. Who knows, maybe if this is a success we`ll finally see the Super NES sequel to StarFox Nintendo cancelled at the last minute.

Does It Still Hold Up?
There are people out there that for whatever reason can`t get into the idea of playing an on-rails shooter, no matter how great it looks or how good the gameplay is. Those people missed out on Sega`s amazing Panzer Dragoon Orta and will no doubt miss out on Sin & Punishment, one of the best Nintendo 64 games of all time. If you`re one of those people that hate the idea of being on rails then chances are you`re going to think the gameplay is terribly dated, but for everybody else this game holds up remarkably well.

Is It Worth the Money?
Coming it at a steep $12, Sin & Punishment is officially the most expensive game currently available on the Virtual Console. Since most gamers have never actually played this game before the $12 asking price may seem a bit over-the-top, but considering that this the Japanese version of the game is still going for more than $100 on eBay, I would say this Virtual Console port...