It is well known that I am an enthusiastic follower of the Sly Cooper series. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves is no exception. It is the best game in the series, improving on the already impressive groundwork set by its predecessors Sly Cooper and the Thievious Raccoonus and Sly 2: Band of Thieves. Most of the praises I have for this game have already been stated in my previous reviews.

Sly 3 is even larger than Sly 2, yet throughout the game, it demonstrates the same superb level design that its precursors were known for. Sly, Bentley, and Murray return as playable characters, and joined by a motley crew of four additional characters. Most of the core action is done by the three original characters. The new characters are all specialists, used for highly specific tasks in each stage. For example, the Guru is a tribal witch doctor able to change into inanimate objects and control the minds of animals or weak-minded henchmen. Trust me, Sly 3 finds creative ways for you to use his talents, and the talents of your entire crew.

Gameplay is nearly identical to Sly 2, complete with its exactingly precise controls. The main three characters begin with a wide array of abilities — especially Sly — and they can buy new abilities and gadgets through ThiefNet, just like in Sly 2. Most of the skills from the previous games return, and a few new ones have been added as well. Most notably, Sly picks up an impressive array of combat abilities during the game. The combat system in Sly 3 is the best of the series by far, and while the focus remains on stealth-based play, the characters can hold their own in a decent fight.

A major strength of Sly 3 is the creativity in the design of the stages and missions. One of my criticisms of the middle portion of Sly 2 was that the missions became repetitive. Not so in this game. Sly 3 showcases a vast array of mission objectives, most of which take the form of imaginative mini-games, with some old-school platforming thrown in for good measure. Some of the classic mini-games return, such as Bentley’s computer hacking, and they are supplemented by amusing activities like an opera singing contest, a bar fight, biplane dog fighting, a lemonade drinking contest, radio controlled helicopter flying, fighting off vampires with fireworks, a pirate insult face-off, scuba diving, ship-to-ship combat on the high seas (far more enjoyable than the ship in Suikoden 4, by the way), and many, many more. The best part is that they all manage to be interesting. The pacing of the game is so exquisite that these missions rarely, if ever, become tedious.

Sly 3 picks up where Sly 2 left off. At the end of Sly 2, Bentley was injured and is now confined to a wheelchair. Murray blamed himself for the incident and left the gang to meditate in the Australian outback. However, an old friend of Sly’s father appears and tells Sly of the ancient Cooper Vault in which the Cooper family horded all of their loot over the generations. The vault could only be opened using Sly’s family cane. But a diabolical genius called Dr. M has discovered the vault and will stop at nothing to break it open. Dr. M has set up a massive fortress around the vault. Only the full Cooper Gang, with the help of some highly trained specialists, could hope to bypass Dr. M’s security and reach the vault. And so, Sly and Bentley start their new adventure, resolving first to get back their old friend Murray.

Sly 3 continues the tradition of having excellent characters and character interaction. The main characters are still their lovable selves — Sly is still the smoothest, coolest character ever, Bentley is still the eccentric genius, and Murray is still, well, Murray. Bentley has not let his injury hinder him at all; wheelchair or not, he is probably an even better character this time around. Carmelita also returns, sometimes as a playable character!! Her missions are some of the most fun in the game. Don’t worry though, she has not switched sides — she’s still a cop who is hot on the trail of Sly and the gang. Some of the villains from Sly 2 and even from the first game make an appearance in this game as well. Two brand new characters are also introduced, the spiritual magician known only as the Guru, and the cute mechanical genius and R/C specialist Penelope. Everyone will probably have their own favorite new gang member, but I really like Penelope. The scene where she is in an online chatroom with Bentley is really funny.

The designers at Sucker Punch have proven themselves to be masters of creating gorgeous cel-shaded graphics. Similarly, the sound design is as excellent as you would expect from the previous games. The voice acting is once again top notch, as most of the cast returns, clearly comfortable with their roles. Carmelita mysteriously regained her Spanish accent, but that is the only inconsistency.

Sly 3 has two minor flaws that keep it from a perfect score. First, in certain stages of the game, you use the enclosed glasses to play in 3D. Maybe others would have better luck, but the 3D mode only served to give me a headache, and typically was not worth the negligible improvement of the game experience. Luckily, Sly 3 always offers the option to forego the 3D option. The other flaw is also minor – you can’t skip the dialog options during the original story mode. This is insignificant if you enjoy the wonderful character dialog and interactions, but it is inconvenient for those wishing to rush through the game.

Sly 3 is the largest Sly game yet, but not because of the main Story Mode, which is only a little longer than Sly 2. It is because the Story Mode only accounts for about two-thirds of Sly 3’s content. After you complete each stage, you have the option to go back an attempt a series of Master Thief challenges. These challenges are usually the missions from the game, but with added restrictions such as time limits, or getting through a difficult section without taking damage. Some of these challenges are difficult, but generally easier than the brutal Master Thief sprints from the original game. Also included are some limited two-player options, such as a game of Cops and Robbers where one player is Sly and the other tries to catch him as Carmelita, or a cooperative computer hacking game. These features add a much-needed boost of reply value to the franchise.

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves is the best game of the series, and one of the very best platformers available on the Playstation 2. The entire series has been a wonderful entertainment experience. I am eagerly looking forward to what Sucker Punch will produce for the next generation of consoles.

Players Status:
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Completion Time: 18 - 40 hours
Highest Level Achieved: ~70% (still working on Master Thief challenges)
Ratings: Gameplay 9; Battle 9; Story 8; Visuals 10; Characters 10; Sounds 9; Replay Value 7

This entry was posted on Monday, October 24th, 2005 at 7:25 pm and is filed under Sly 3: Honor Among 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.