Sly 2: Band of Thieves

"Smash, blow them up, or whack them with your cane.."

The least known platformer of the big Sony three was a little gem known as Sly Cooper. It combined a bit of stealth along with platforming to produce a great game. With the third installments of each other game coming out soon, Sucker Punch decided to release a sequel to the first spy-platformer.

****GRAPHICS*****
Sly Cooper and Sly 2 have a unique presentation in my eyes. The graphics resemble cel-shading and don't differ too much from the first game. However, they're still quite impressive and offer something out of the ordinary in today's "realistic" age of graphics. There is also absolutely no slowdown and not many instances of pop-up happening in the game either. What you get is a seemingly flawless presentation.

*****CONTROL*****
The game controls extremely good as well. There isn't much difference from the first game control-wise, but there are a few new features in Sly 2. Since you can buy some new power-ups, they are assigned to the shoulder buttons (not including R1, which is used in unison with the BinocuCom).

*****SOUND & MUSIC*****
The sound effects are very well done, ranging from the noises when tip toeing close to an enemy to the noises when you swing your cane. The music, however, is mediocre at best.

*****STORY*****
The game starts out with you trying to steal the Clockwerk parts from the vault they're kept in. However, when you get to where they're being held, you find out that someone else has already taken them. Carmelita Fox accuses you of stealing them and chases after you while you attempt to try and steal back the parts from the people who stole them. Definitely not that bad of a story, plus it has a few twists here and there to not make it dull.

*****GAMEPLAY*****
There are a couple of new elements that were added to Sly 2. The first, and most obvious, one is the ability to play as Murray and Bentley. Bentley is the brains of the operation, while Murray is nothing but the brawn. They each have their unique ways of defeating foes and completing the missions given to them. Sly also gets a few new moves up his sleeves, including a pickpocket move that can steal items, keys and coins from enemies.

Speaking of coins in this game, they no longer affect your health as they did in the first game. The characters now have a life meter and coins can be used to purchase new power-ups from what seems to be the internet, only for thieves. Of course, only a few things are required during the course of the game, so you don't have to worry about buying every single thing.

The stages are presentated in a very excellent manner, almost as if you were watching a spy movie. You start by taking reconnaissance photos and continue on to setting up your heist, with the thieving going on in the end. Not every area will end in a boss fight, but the few in there add a lot of variety to the game. That leads me to the variety in the missions during each area, ranging from a dancing mini-game to a mission where you have to lure a blind polar bear with fish in order to smash things. Definitely impressive work put into the stages and presentation of them.

*****CONCLUSION*****
What we have here, in the end, is a well put together game with a few flaws that don't deteriorate from the overall enjoyment of the game. If you're a fan of the first game or just love platformers in general, then I'd say the $40 price tag should have you buying this game. Others might want to rent it first, because of the short amount of hours needed to complete it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/24/04