Sly 3 : Honor Among Thieves (PS2)
Publisher: SCEA Developer: Sucker Punch
Sly Cooper & his gang are a band of thieves, stealing only from other crooks and generally bad people. (There's no honor in stealing from regular people.) The first two installments of the Sly Cooper series were absolutely fantastic, and they're back in action again for the a third. Sly 3 picks up right where Sly 2 left off. The gameplay is just as crisp, the characters are becoming more and more refined, and the series is looking like has now cemented it's place as a mainstay. If you're playing the games back-to-back-to-back, you feel like it's one big game, and this is great. Enough prologue! Let's get on with the review.
Gameplay: 8
The gameplay in Sly 3 is exactly the same as in Sly 1 & 2. The only major change, is that you're playing with more than just Sly, Bentley, and Murray. You're adding new members to your gang as you go, so there are of course, new moves and things to do with those characters. Each character has their own set of abilities, and they are generally easy to work. No major control issues there.
Sly controls beautifully, as usual. Everything is done mainly with the O button, and it takes very little effort to make Sly do great things. Bentley & Murray have had a few tweaks to their move sets, but there's nothing major from keeping them fun to play. When you're playing as a character (Sly, Murray, The Guru, etc...) I have absolutely no problem with the control scheme. It's almost perfect. My only gripe about the gameplay is the increasing number of mini games that seem to be getting included in the Sly series.
The first Sly Cooper game had you mostly playing as Sly, with a few driving or shooting mini-games mixed in to earn keys. Sly 2 introduced a few additional mini-games, and they seemed to occur much more often. Sly 3 has now included all kinds of them, and they occur at any corner. Sure, I like the occasional mini-game, but I generally suck at them, so when they're frustrating to complete, it makes the game too hard for a casual gamer. Luckily, like in previous Sly games, the game senses when you suck a lot, and it starts to get easier after several failed attempts. This helps out a great deal. I still found a few of the games quite challenging. I just wish they'd add an option to skip a few of them after you've failed 20 times. I should note though, that the mini-games start to vary later in the game, and there's enough of a variety that even if you suck at one, you might be good at the next.
Mini-games aside, I have no other complaints about the gameplay in Sly 3. It's got excellent controls, and it's platforming at it's best. I absolutely love to play this game.
Graphics: 10
Sly 3 is like watching and playing a comic book that came to life. The first two games were done well, and this one is great too. (The graphical format is exactly the same, so it's nice to see that they didn't try to fix what wasn't broke.) It looks very good, and it's very easy to immerse yourself into the environments. Well done! There are also some 3D elements mixed into certain missions, but wearing the glasses doesn't really do it for me. Luckily, you can turn the 3D off. It was nice of them to give it a shot though!
Sound & Music: 9.5
Although I can't recall much music from the game, at least it wasn't annoying or anything. The voice acting was very entertaining, with only a few spots that were a little awkward. No real complaints here.
Story: 10
Sly 3 picks up right where Sly 3 left off. (Sly 2 Spoilers ahead!) After Bentley was injured at the end of Sly 2, Murray left the gang, and things sort of slowed down. Sly then learns of the Cooper vault, where his family has kept their treasures for generations. He needs to not only get Murray back in the gang, but also recruit some new help to get his family's fortune returned to him. The game starts with a boss battle in front of the Cooper vault, and shortly after it begins, Sly starts having flashbacks about how he ended up getting this new gang together. (You're basically playing through while Sly tells the story.) It's a great story, and another slam dunk for the franchise.
Replay Value: 6
Unfortunately, Sly 3 has little replay value. There are master thief runs that can be done to unlock a few minor secrets, but the game pretty much loses it after you've beaten the story mode. You might pick it up every few months and play through it again, but there won't be weeks of repeated playing.
To buy or to rent?Well, it's a pretty impressive game to play, and if you liked either of the previous Sly games, I'd definitely buy this one. It's fun to have and fun to play. The under $40 price tag, is also appealing. If you've never played a Sly game, just rent any one of them. You'll fall in love with the series instantly. It's fantastic.
Overall: 9
Overall, Sly 3 has a great look and feel, just like it's predecessors. Sly 3 has a great story, and the gameplay is nearly perfect, with the exception of annoying mini-games, but I guess that just adds challenge to the game. If you're a fan of video games of any kind, you'd be doing yourself a service to pick this game up. I love it.
Additional Information:
Genre: 3D Platformer
Players: 1 (There are some 2 player side games.)
Memory Required: 113K
Rating: E-10+ for Everyone over 10.
Extras: 3D Enabled, Glasses Included.
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