Sly 2: Band of Thieves Hands-On Impressions

Sly 2: Band of Thieves is the upcoming sequel to Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, the Sucker Punch-developed PlayStation 2 platformer released in 2002. The original game, which was an underrated gem in its time, introduced players to Sly Cooper, a young thief-in-training out to learn his craft, collect a family heirloom, and get some revenge. Now Sucker Punch is crafting an ambitious sequel that offers deeper gameplay, a graphical overhaul, some inventive twists, and a rich new storyline. We had the chance to visit the Seattle-based developer to get the lowdown on the game and play an early work-in-progress version. We're pleased to report that the new game, in development for roughly 18 months now, is shaping up to be an impressive sophomore effort that should surpass its predecessor in just about every way.

We've got the first official trailer for Sly 2. Click the "stream" option for a closer look.

Sly 2's story picks up two years after the last game. For those keeping score at home, Sly defeated the robotic menace Clockwerk and dismantled him at the end of the original game. This heroic act avenged his family and proved Sly to be a capable thief in the process. Sly 2 finds our boy all grown up and doing well as a thief, along with his homies, Murray and Bentley. However, Sly's thieving groove is thrown off when he discovers that Clockwerk's parts have been stolen. Realizing that Clockwerk has a thing for killing anyone in his family line, Sly is understandably concerned and sets out (with his posse in tow) to find out who stole the parts and prevent them from reassembling the surly mechanoid. The quest will pit Sly against the Claw gang, a band of criminal folks who have helped themselves to Clockwerk's parts. We got a glimpse of one of the gang's members during the demo, and it was pretty clear that the development team's sense of humor is intact. Dimitri is a lounge lizard, literally, and is an art school dropout who has embarked on a life of crime as a forger and counterfeiter to punish those with bad taste. Despite his snobby motivations, the scaly one isn't a very snappy dresser.

As far as the gameplay goes, Sly 2's development has been focused on one key phrase that has served as a mantra of sorts: "Sly and the gang work together to pull off a string of big heists." The unassuming phrase has had some far-reaching implications for the gameplay design. At its core, Sly 2 will once again be a third-person action game. However, the game mechanics have been given a fresh and inventive spin, thanks to the team's desire to expand on the original game's mechanics. Sly 2 will be broken up into episodes that will feature assorted objectives. The game will be much less linear than its predecessor, and you will actually be able to control Sly, Bentley, and Murray. Each character will have his own unique handling and abilities, which will come into play during each episode.

The main objective in each episode will be to pull off a heist of some kind, and you'll be able to pull off that heist any way you like. The episodes will have an open-ended structure that will let you play with each character in whatever way you prefer. The level we played started the gang out at a safe house and initially let you play as Sly. Once you complete Sly's objectives, you can check to see if there are any others available. These are shown as spotlights in the city when looking through your binoculars, and you'll trigger them by traveling to them, or you can return to the safe house and play as Bentley or Murray.

When selecting the other two characters, you'll run through a brief tutorial that will walk you through their unique abilities. Bentley is a reluctant demolitions expert who isn't thrilled about field work but is managing to cope pretty well. He'll be able to use bombs to blow things up, and he has a sleep-dart gun that he can use to incapacitate foes. Murray, on the other hand, has grown nicely into his role as muscleman and getaway driver for the group. Outfitted in a smartly designed Mexican-wrestler-inspired outfit complete with fringed gloves, Murray is perfectly suited for combat. He commands an array of powerful punches and belly flops, and he also has the ability to lift inanimate objects or foes and throw them. In some cases, Murray's throwing ability will come into play for puzzles, such as extinguishing a fire with blocks of ice so he can access a new area.

As for Sly, the devilish raccoon sports a broad move list that incorporates his abilities from the original game and features some new additions as well. Sly will now be able to pick enemies' pockets, crawl through air vents, and use gadgets such as parachutes, ice axes, and spy cams. Sly also has an improved set of attacks designed to take on enemies via the newly implemented combat system. Each character will have unique attacks that reflect their personality types. Murray is the aggressive brawler of the trio, Bentley is all about ranged attacks, and Sly will feature fast stick-and-move attacks, in keeping with his character. This new system also gives the trio health bars, which does away with the one-hit deaths from the original game.

One of the most unique elements of the three-character system is the way in which the game mixes and matches how you'll use Sly and his friends. For example, the demo showed us a level that put you in control of all three characters at different points. The level required you to guide Murray and Bentley to a control tower--you played as Bentley, while an AI-controlled Murray followed. Upon reaching the tower, the control shifted to Murray, who picked up Bentley and threw him through an open window in the tower. Once Bentley landed, you took control of him again and solved a puzzle that challenged you to direct the flow of water through a series of pipes. Once that was sorted out, a cinema showed a fountain in a plaza area losing water pressure, which caused some repairmen to be dispatched.

As the repairmen entered the area, you took control of Sly in order to get a key off of them. Once Sly snagged the key, it was passed off to Murray and Bentley. Control then shifted to the duo, with Murray again being AI-controlled, as they made their way to the repair truck operated by the key. Once they reached the truck, control then shifted back to Sly, right after he handed the key off to Murray and Bentley. Your goal then was to simply position yourself at a set point and wait for the pair to bring the truck into the plaza. Once you were in place, the truck arrived and threw a rope up to Sly, whose main goal at this point was to bring down a statue. Once you caught the rope and secured it, you were then forced to defend the truck from enemies intent on stopping the pair from completing their task. This tightly paced sequence showed off the influences of such films as The Italian Job and Boomtown.

Now, while it may seem as though the action will be smooth sailing, it won't be that easy. Sly, Murray, and Bentley will face formidable odds as they attempt to pull off their assorted capers. The guards in the game (surly rats in the level we saw) are aggressive and smart, at least to varying degrees. Your foes will be able to use the environment much like you can and will actively chase you down once they see you. They'll even throw rocks and explosives to try to take you down. The lower-level grunts are manageable hazards, although they're tough in packs, but the larger guards are really dangerous.

One of the key gameplay elements tied to your playable character and the guards is sound. A new audio component has been folded into the action in Sly 2, which will force you to tread lightly as you go about your business. Basically, the guards will react to the sounds you make in the game, so if you're too loud as you slink around, the guards will investigate. You can also use this to your advantage, however, by tossing items to distract them as they make their rounds.

The graphics in Sly 2 have been beefed up over the original game, thanks to what amounts to a total overhaul. The game uses an all-new graphics engine that ably cranks out the large and functional multilevel environments that act as large jungle gyms for you to guide the characters through. The large levels offer a variety of options as you try to complete your objectives. You can run on the ground to reach your target, or you can stick to the rooftops or slink through air vents or tunnels. Sly 2 still maintains the cel-shaded look used in the original game, but the art style has been tweaked to offer a greater variety to the visuals.

The game will offer up colorful interpretations of Paris, Prague, Canada, and a mountainous area to keep the visuals engaging. As for the characters, Sly has undergone a makeover of sorts. The bright-eyed, bushy-tailed raccoon of yore has been replaced with a more adult-looking player who doesn't use a backpack. Bentley is still a bit of a nerd, but he now sports a safari hat, which we imagine passes for cool in his world. As we mentioned, Murray sports a wrestling costume and goggles, which help him cultivate a superhero mystique that likely appeals to him. The enemies we saw were suitably menacing and a little goofy, which fits the game's tone nicely. One of the key touches to the new game is the animation, which has been fleshed out to offer an even smoother look that's heavy on the charm. You'll find slickly animated cinemas on display that are much like the ones used to move the narrative along in the original game. In addition, you'll find some tongue-in-cheek touches to add to the game's light tone.

The audio in the game, while still coming together, will feature some notable improvements over the original game. The cast of characters will all be voiced as before, but the game's soundtrack will now feature orchestration and will stream off the disc. In a bit of coding fun, the tunes will change dynamically based on the action, such as when you engage in combat.

From what we've seen so far, Sly 2: Band of Thieves is shaping up to be an impressive sequel. Our demo and hands-on time showed us a number of the improvements made to the game, and in talking with the Sucker Punch crew it sounds like we've only seen the tip of the iceberg. The game will include minigames, side quests, branching gameplay that will change your path through the game based on your decisions, and a longer overall quest that should have greater depth than the original game. Sly 2: Band of Thieves is currently slated to ship this fall for the PlayStation 2. Look for more on this promising title in the coming months.