Sly 2: Band of Thieves is a worthy sequel the fantastic 2002 game Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus. While it falls short of its innovative predecessor in some ways, Sly 2 is still a shining example in modern game design.

Sly 2 is a much larger game than the original, with three playable characters, nearly twice as many stages, and much larger environments. This time, you can play as Sly, Bentley, or Murray, using each of their unique skills to overcome challenges in each stage. As you know, Sly is once again used for his stealth and agility, using his skills as a master thief to get to places the other can’t. Bentley is weak in direct combat, but he can take out enemies from afar with sleep darts or explosives, and he can hack into computer systems. Murray is the getaway driver and muscle of the team; he is used in the driving missions, and he is able to take on even the toughest enemies directly. During the game, each character gains several special abilities, and they can all use coins to buy gadgets that increase their versatility even more. However, given these added complexities, the controls in Sly 2 are not quite as intuitive as its predecessor. All the same, the controls are very smooth and precise for every character.

The battle system has significantly improved over the first game. Each character now has a life bar (instead of multiple lives). They have both a horizontal, combo-able attack and a vertical, juggling attack. Also, Sly now has the unique ability to instantly take out an enemy that he sneaks up on. The mini-games are also improved, being even more inventive and fun, and generally far less frustrating than before.

Level design is once again exquisite, with loving attention to detail given to every aspect of the stages. The stages are much larger than the first game, giving the player a lot of room to explore and different routes to get to each goal. Nevertheless, it is difficult to get lost because of the stages’ logical layout and the ability to see mission objective locations through the Binocucom. One of the main strengths of the first game was its superb pacing, due to its focus on old-school platforming action. This, unfortunately, is where Sly 2 falters somewhat, since there is a lack of pure platforming levels, especially in the middle of the game. As a result, during some of Sly’s missions, it feels like you are not using Sly to his full potential. For example, instead of a fast-paced, high risk acrobatic jaunt through a heavily guarded, high security area while avoiding lethal falls. you have the tiresome task of picking the guards’ pockets. Despite these shortcomings, Sly 2 is a tremendously fun game, especially toward the end.

Just like in Sly Cooper, the story is amusing and straightforward enough for kids, but entertaining for adults. The game is set a short time after the end of the first game. The cold mechanical parts of Clockwerk, the nemesis of the Cooper clan, have been stolen by members of the Klaww gang. While each individual piece is dangerous in the hands of each Klaww member, Sly realizes the real danger is if someone decides to reassemble Clockwerk. Hence, Sly and the gang launch their most daring scheme yet to stop the menace of Clockwerk once and for all. Much of the humor in the story comes from the ridiculously elaborate plans Bentley and the crew pull off in order to steal each piece. Additionally, Sly and Carmelita continue their romantic game of cop-and-robber. Overall, the plot is a bit more complex this time around, with some minor plot twists.

The characters are just as great as before. Sly Cooper remains one of the coolest characters in any video game. Bentley and Murray get a lot more screen time in Sly 2, and it is entertaining to see the interactions of the team. Carmelita returns and is just as persistent as ever. Her new partner, the mysterious and persuasive Constable Neyla, is a fascinating addition to the cast. The villains of the Klaww gang are even more eccentric than the Fiendish Five from the first game, which makes them very interesting foes.

Sly 2 is a beautiful game. The animation is fluid, the character designs are great, and the huge backgrounds are painstakingly detailed. The cel-shaded graphics blend the color and darkness, light and shadow seamlessly. Every aspect of the visual design is improved over the already superb work of Sly Cooper.

Sly 2 also shows significant improvement in the audio design. The cartoon-like sound effects are much more prominent and important, but rarely glaring or out of place. You can easily tell if you are sneaking up on someone just from the sound. The music is louder and more varied, appropriate to the mood but still not quite memorable. Once again, the voice acting is high quality, with most of the actors returning to reprise their roles. To the dismay of many fans, one notable exception is a change in the voice for Carmelita Fox. While the new voice work remains excellent, this change was jarring and unpleasant for those who liked the original Carmelita.

This game is much longer than the original, so the initial experience is a bit more fulfilling. Unfortunately, there is not much value to replaying the game, since it lacks the extremely challenging Master Thief Sprints found in Sly Cooper. You can go back to stages and collect items that you may have missed, but that is pretty much the extent of the replay value.

Sly 2 proves that bigger is not always better. This game has more and larger stages, more characters, more abilities, and more open-ended gameplay, but it sacrifices two of the aspects that made the original unparalleled: fast-paced platformer action and intuitive controls. Still, the Sly series is one of the very best available for the Playstation 2, and it is also fun for the whole family. I am very much looking forward to Sly 3.

Players Status:
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Completion Time: 15 to 40 hours
Highest Level Achieved: 100%
Ratings: Gameplay 8; Battle 8; Story 8; Visuals 10; Characters 10; Sounds 9; Replay Value 4

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 29th, 2005 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.