This may be an N64 game, but with it available on the Wii Virtual Console, it's well worth the points.
First Impressions -The first thing that is simply amazing about this game, is that it has voice-acting for every cut-scene! No people with textboxes, waiting for you to scroll through the text, it's voice-acting all the way. "So what?" You may say, "It's going to be Japanese. I won't understand it." You're wrong here - It's english voice-acting. So although the menu buttons may be Japanese, you can easily understand the plot of the game! The characters sometimes even talk while you're in the middle of a level.
Another thing is that at one point, there may be around 30 enemies on screen at a time, but the frame rate stays smooth, which allows for an action-packed shooting fest.
Plot - You start the game as Saki, a follower of somebody called Achi (you can find out more about him in the game). There has been a Ruffian invasion (the main baddies found in almost every level) in Japan and Saki is one of the few people tracking them down. The rest of the plot starts off confusing, making you wonder who this "Achi" is and why they're so important, but it winds together as you continue. You meet a variety of bosses who range from snake-like creatures to half humans, half demons.
Graphics - Well, this is an N64 game, so the graphics aren't the best in the world, but they suffice. Some people may appear a bit blocky, but with the fast paced action, you'll be too busy to notice. Explosions of enemies looks great and, although this may not fit exactly under the graphics section, this game has well executed gravity. That probably sounds a bit garbled so I'll explain. Say you're flying around in the air, and you flip upside-down. If you're shooting as you do this, you'll see the bullets curve as if they were really shot at the proper angles. Also, their are some bad-guys on top of a metal bar in level two. Shooting a particular side makes it fall first, with the rest following and slowly picking up speed. It's just cool.
Controls - There is an option for 3 different control types, but I found the default option the best. You move the cross-hair with the analogue stick (excuse me for sticking with the N64 controls rather than Wii Virtual Console) and shoot with the Z button. Also, if an enemy gets too close for comfort, pressing the Z button can let you use a sword, which actually becomes necessary in some levels. You move your character with the D-pad or the C-buttons (depending on whether you are left or right handed) and you can jump/double jump. You can also dodge-roll by double-tapping left or right. You'll have to move around quickly using a variety of tactics to avoid getting hit. One final thing, by pressing the L or R button, you can change into "Auto-Target Mode", which has you move your analogue stick in the direction of an enemy and it locks on. This is useful against some bosses, but you may want to leave it off when there is a swarm of simpler enemies charging at you.
Difficulty - There is an option to change the difficulty from easy to medium (and hard once you unlock that) but even though I'm only playing through the easy mode, I've died enough to make me want to strive to finish the level, without making me think that it't impossible and that I should give up.
Bottom Line - It is the most expensive game on Wii Virtual Console (1200 points), but it is well worth every cent.