The first Sly Cooper game may not have been a groundbreaking 3D platformer, but there is no doubt that the first game released in the series is downright charming and full of personality. It was great to sneak around 3D areas while silently taking out bad guys and performing insane heists with the Cooper gang. Sly 1 was so successful that a sequel was released 2 years after the first game. Unsurprisingly, the new game titled Sly 2 Band of Thieves was a hit with gamers just like last time. The praise that the public gives for this game, however, far exceeds the praise for Sly 1. Even going as far as to say that it is a massive improvement as it fixes the previous entry’s problems while putting an even bigger emphasis on its gameplay and storytelling. After playing the game, the praise seems to rein true as this is not only a great 3D platformer, but it is also a worthy contender for one of the best games of the PS2 era.
Sly Cooper and his band of friends, Bently and Murray, are out and about again to make some wrong things right as parts from the gang’s previous menace clockwork have been taken by a group of baddies known as the Claw Gang. To keep the Cooper family name alive, Sly, Bently, and Murray will have to travel worldwide to find the parts of clockwork and take them from the claw members who are using them for their own selfish needs. Meanwhile, Inspector Carmelita Fox and her new recruit Constable Neyla are hunting to put the Cooper gang behind bars, though Neyla might have a few agendas of her own.
The story always remembers what people, including myself, have loved from the last Sly Cooper game. The narrative has all the cartoony zanniness and secret agent spy adventures that a fan would expect, but the adventure carries a few surprises. Admittedly though, it is somewhat redundant that the story focuses on clockwork again. Still, the game makes up for that with its excellent pacing and fantastic setups and payoffs. The writing this time has become tighter, and the twists and turns have a much more significant impact on the character's journey that may as well leave the audience guessing to how things will turn out for Sly and the gang. Let's remember, though, that this game really does like to be charming and funny, and it handles all the jokes and one-liners with great care without glancing over the critical story beats. The characters are just as charming and likable, with many returning, like the mischievous Sly, the nerdy and worry-wort Bentley, The strong-hearted Murray, and the always-stubborn Carmelita Fox. Joining them are the members of the Claw Gang who, like the Fiendish Five beforehand, have their own unique backstories and are incredibly different from each other. Another character that gets her chance to shine in the spotlight is Constable Neyla, who works alongside Carmalita and throws in a few twists to show that she may not be who she seems. The first Sly Cooper game had a very charming and good story, but the story in this game far succeeds what has been done before to create the best Sly Cooper story yet.
The gameplay is similar to the last game, but it comes with many new additions and improved mechanics to enhance the enjoyment in every way possible. One of the most apparent new addition’s to the gameplay is the ability to not only play as Sly but also play as either Bentley or Murray. Sly’s controls are mostly the same, but he can acquire power-ups for combat or stealth. Bentley is very slow and works more in stealth than combat. He can also hack into technology to help the gang with specific tasks. Murray is sort of the opposite of Bently, as his style of gameplay is more combat-based than it is stealth. He is excellent for picking up and throwing heavy objects and taking out hordes of enemies in just a few moves. Instead of a horseshoe counter for health, each character now has a health and power-up usage bar which is much better. All levels are open-worlded, and they will each house different colored markers indicating which character is needed to play a particular objective. Clue bottles are scattered around the places you visit. When they are found, you can use them to open hidden safes to get new abilities for Sly. You can also get new abilities by selling coins or stolen loot which will even give new power-ups to Bentley and Murray. The mini-games have noticeably been improved as well, they can range from being arcade shoot em ups or challenges that will put a character’s skills to the test. Never once did I ever feel like the game was unfair to me, and the difficulty was challenging enough to figure out, but also satisfying when executed in the right way. The team at “Sucker Punch Productions” really outdid themselves, and it's obvious they had a lot of fun coming up with new ideas for a Sly Cooper sequel regarding the gameplay.
The graphics continue the franchise's tradition of being a fully realized three-dimensional loony tunes-like cartoon environment. According to the people at “Sucker Punch Productions,” the look and feel for the sequel was not only inspired by “Looney Tunes” but it was also inspired by other cartoons such as “Batman: The Animated Series.” The cell shading effect, known as Toon-Shading, is even better than ever. Every environment is fully detailed while also giving it breathing room to let the incredible character designs from, both our heroes and villains stand out when they really need to. The 2D cutscenes that begin and end each level are stunning pieces of art and give way to some very expresive facial movements from each character. These are timeless visuals that hold up to this very day and they look even more impressive when they are imported to HD on the PS3. if you thought the first game looked good, the second game looks even better as it pushes itself to feel more visually pack than it ever has been before.
The Music this time was composed by Peter McConnell, but you’ll hardly be able to tell the difference because the music still carries that Loony Tunes/ Pink Panther inspiration on its sleeve and creates some exciting tunes to accompany the journey, and the base sounds for the sneaking motions are still so satisfying to listen to. The soundtrack overall is a joy to comprehend.
If you were like me and thought that Sly Cooper could not get any better than before, you are in for a real treat as “Sly 2: Band of Thieves” creates a rich and absorbing experience that is fun to play at the start and fun to think about after finishing the whole game. There was never a point where I thought the game slowed down or took any unnecessary detours. Everything was well thought out, and even the things I felt could have been improved were minor nitpicks compared to everything this game does right. From the story to the graphics to the gameplay, everything seemed like it was working perfectly in unison. So far, this is my favorite of the Sly Cooper franchise, and it’s gonna take a great deal of creativity and passion to say if any of the future Cooper games will be any better.
(Final Grade: A)