Improving upon its predecessor in almost every way, Sly 2 manages to make a great experience even greater.
Further Depth of Character In Every Member of the Sly World
Well Constructed Story
Lengthy, Enjoyable Campaign
Very Funny
Crisper, Clearer Graphics
More Open World Feel Adds More Reason To Keep Playing
More Involvement From Each Member of the Sly Gang
Music Fits Into Game Seamlessly
Much Better Health System
Murray Is A Lot More Likable This Time Around
Cons:
New Gameplay Frustrations
Questionable Physics
Missions Are Structured Almost Exactly the Same Way
Well ladies and gentlemen, here is the next review in my critiquing process of "The Sly Collection" for PS3. As you may know if you read my Sly 1 review, this isn't critiquing the PS2 version, only the PS3 version; in case you didn't get the hint in the first sentence.
Picking up directly where "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus" left off, this adventure in the hit platforming series, "Sly 2: Band of Thieves", sets the audience searching for the Clockwork parts that have been retrieved from where Sly previously left it smoldering in a lake of lava. Knowing the power and hate that comes from the parts, Sly and the gang must embark around the world and face off against members of the Klaww Gang; who each posses a retrieved Clockwork part. Once again, Carmelita Fox is on the gangs tail, and a new questionable ally emerges name Neyla; who appears to aid both sides of the cause. Progressing further along, players will be in for an immense amount of character development, plot twists, and instantaneous adventures to save both the Sly Gang and the world.
There's no need to wager when it comes to comparing the original Sly and the new "Sly 2: Band of Thieves"; if you had a pre-existing gripe from the first chapter in the Sly trilogy that you were worried would appear in the sequel, it is has most likely been taken care of. "Sly 2: Band of Thieves" is a superb example of what a developer should do for a sequel; change everything that needed to be fixed, and then add some flare to make the fire truly light. Sly 2 has better graphics as compared to the first Sly, since Sucker Punch had a better understanding of what to do with the PS2 (And now PS3) technology, and created a crisper, more colorful world to explore. Plus, the game is not longer as straightforward as Sly 1's campaign. The new maps created for each exotic location have been created to let the player choose what to do next. Sure, it still mostly tries to lead you to the mission over doing anything else, but it's nice to see such a welcome change to a previously linear objective line up. I should also mention as to how well Sucker Punch has made each character more relatable than before. You now discover that Bentley actually has a huge say as to how each heist is pulled off, and Sly's more of the go get it done guy. Which, honestly, has me a little confused. I thought that Sly 1 made it clear as to how independent each member of the Cooper clan had been in heists, and how they'd been the geniuses behind it the whole time. So, why do I feel like Bently deserves more of the credit than Sly? Maybe the franchise should be renamed. Further into new character development, Murray isn't just the driver anymore, he's also the brawn behind the missions. He isn't just a dumb loof who hangs around with Sly and Bently anymore; he's a legit part of the Sly gang and is vital to each missions success. I'm really glad Sucker Punch made Murray both funnier and more appealing than he was in the first Sly chapter. It just felt more fun knwoing that every character has a say in the matter behind each objective. It helps that each character has their own missions now; thanks to this change, the campaign is much longer than the standard 8 hours it took to finish "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus". It definitely took up more of my free time to beat the lengthier campaign, and I couldn't be happier knowing Sucker Punch gave their all into making this sequel a shining example of what a sequel should consist of.
Of course, one must realize that despite being such a good example of a true, ingenious sequel, "Sly 2: Band of Thieves" is far from perfection. With new mission types and a variety of locales come an array of new found problems. Although the previously frustrating health system has been abandoned, it feels like the enemies' strength and power capabilities have been revved up to basically match the frustration that existed before in dying so frequently. Almost every mission guarantees at least one or two deaths, and the later missions can have you dying up to 10 - 12 times! I know platformers are never easy, but sometimes I feel like Sucker Punch is just trying to mess with my head. Even if they aren't doing this on purpose, some of the mission control schemes are completely ridiculous! The tank mission has you moving both analog sticks forward to move forward, both back for back, and moving both in the opposite direction to turn. This may not sound that bad, but trust me, when you're trying to blow up other tanks, and you have trouble aiming at their bodies, you're going to die frequently and understand how frustrating this is. In addition, the first helicopter missions have no slow down, and make bombing enemies a chore instead of a grand ol' time. I know Sucker Punch doesn't want to make me mad, but I feel like they didn't really play these sections without a sense of maybe changing them. If they did test them out, they probably didn't want to force any further work on the game. Sometimes the characters even move oddly, or don't fall or get blown away like they should in a real life physics situation, but I guess platformers can't be perfect in all areas; especially when it's fa PS2 era game. Despite these occasional gameplay gripes, I still found myself paying more attention to the amazing moments in between those frustrations; so it's in no way a game to simply ignore.
Graphics:
Even though this game is just a graphical update from a PS2 era recreation, it still looks pretty damn colorful and brisk.
Gameplay:
Despite my new found afflictions with distinct gameplay problems, I found myself having a blast patrolling the city for treasure, battling baddies, and obtaining the Clockwork parts; all while being a humorous gang of thieves.
Sound:
Music has always been a strong point for Sly, and there's no change here as to how well it fits with missions, setting, and story.
Story:
Stronger than before, "Sly 2: Band of Thieves" sets the story straight with plot twists, location changes, and completely likable characters.
Replay Value:
Moderately High. Everyone is more likely to come back to "Sly 2: Band of Thieves", as compared to "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus" because of it's new open world feel, treasures to collect, and bad guys to screw with. You may not come back to it as often as say "Call of Duty: Black Ops", but, nevertheless, this adventure is one worth replaying all over again.
Final Verdict:
"Sly 2: Band of Thieves" is a superb adventure for anyone looking for a good 15 or more hours of game time. It has everything it needs to make it's mark over it's predecessor and does so exceedingly. The player may find some new problems they didn't see in the original, but this doesn't keep "Sly 2: Band of Thieves" from achieving a higher status than what it's predecessor laid before it.
BUY (Especially Since "The Sly Collection" is Such A Steal)
9/10 or 4.5/5