Sly Cooper Trilogy
APRIL 08, 2006
On the Sly, With Sly Cooper and the Gang.
-- By Dustin Lloyd Curran, Staff Writer,
Phoenix Genesis
When you take into consideration the best that the PS2 has to offer, one of the main titles that must come to mind is Sucker Punch's Sly Cooper series. Starting with Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus--where we first meet the gang. There's Sly--the dashing field man, Bentley-- the turtle tech expert, and Murray-the fun loving, rubber peeling wheelman. In the first game, you are only able to control the master of stealth himself-Sly, in what had and continues to be hailed as the pinnacle of 3D platformers for its innovative and fun approach to gamplay.
For its second heist, Sly and co. returned in full-form in Sly 2: Band of Thieves. Unlike its predecessor, it expanded the gameplay by making the environs more vast and free roaming, as well as adding two more playable characters into the mix. (Bentley and Murray) In addition, spice it up with a whole bunch of new and varied minigames-as well as some old "mother approved" favorites and you not only got yourself a winner, but the sequel to a game that was said to be the best at what it did-- period.
The third caper in this "crazy-cool" cel-shaded tour de force is Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, the most recent
installment in a perfect trilogy. Not afraid to improve on its own self-concept and design; Sly 3 offers the
best of both, its familiar friends and treading into uncharted territories. Unique and interesting characters,
charming locales, intuitive game play, and owning intelligence that can only be called "too sly for its own
good"; Sly 3 entertains as well as proves that you don't have to be "sly" in order to get the girl.
(…but it does help!).
Beginning with their long and arduous journey to reclaim his family's most treasured of all treasures- the Thievius Raccoonus from the Fiendish 5. Sly and the gang- who met as children- must retrieve all the pieces and secrets of the book belonging to the Cooper clan all the while facing their most dangerous foe, the archenemies of the Cooper clan, Clockwork
The second installment picks up literally, where the last left off. Clockwork has fallen and his remains must
be put to rest so that they never may rise again. However, a new network of criminals steals the spotlight and
the various remnants of Clockwork for their own personal uses and nefarious plans. Sly and his band of thieves
must regain the remains before Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox can get her hands on Sly-much to his delight-
however, only cold nights in jail await him; so their impromptu date must be put on hold. Throughout the game,
both the agony and ecstasy of accomplishing their task is felt, for often in triumph, great tragedy strikes.
With great tragedy, comes the potential for great strength to shine through. With the third installment of the Sly Cooper series we see many things come to bear, travel full circle, and grow and harvest. The whole gang is back for another encore; including the definitely much-improved Bentley as well as some new faces and old notorious fan favorites. In this current episode, Sly finds out that he is the heir to a vault on his ancestors' hidden island home to all the Cooper fortune and trade secrets. The only thing that stands between Sly and his birthright is a villainous delusional baboon. With the help of fresh faces, old enemies, and Bentley's girlfriend; Sly may just get what he truly wishes for.
Concerning the gameplay in any Sly Cooper game, the controls have always been stellar. With one exception,
in the second game, Bentley was of little to no use as a playable character. With the addition of the wheelchair,
Bentley went from zero to hero in no time flat as the wheelchair became a totally positive asset to Bentley
and a complete benefit to the gamer.
Minigames ahoy! With each evolution of the Sly Cooper franchise, minigames are stuffed into every little "byte". Sucker Punch pulled out all the stops on this one; allowing the player to revisit any mission, challenge, and favorite minigames to their hearts content. New gadgets and challenges equal big fun in Sly 3 and like any honest thief; you must steal and use stealth to fully acquire them.
For innovation in gamplay and storytelling, we salute Sucker Punch in their revolutionary efforts to stem the
tide of mediocrity in games-Bravissimo! Vive le troupe de Sly Cooper!
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
(Final Score: 10 out of 10)
(Final Score: 10 out of 10)
(Final Score: 10 out of 10)
Links
- More Video Game Reviews by Dustin Curran
- Go to Dave's Gaming Domain
- Go to Dave's Slaves
- Phoenix Genesis Online Game News
- E3 Expo
- GameSpot
