Review: Sly 2: Band of Thieves (PS2)

Upon encountering a sequel, most gamers will immediately ask: is it as good as the original? Sly 2 certainly is a sequel and not a hastily cobbled remix with slightly yellower bangs and more guns. It’s clear that Sucker Punch have really thought about where next to take the series.

The emphasis in this title is very much on being a thief, and less on platforming. To this end, protagonist Sly Cooper’s list of abilities has expanded considerably. Sly can sneak behind guards and pickpocket them for keys or for a bit of extra cash. He is also a much more able fighter should things go pear-shaped, and can even assassinate enemies from behind. In most other games, this would make the character something of a dark hero; but, refreshingly, Sly Raccoon sticks to its cheerful cel-shaded guns. Despite this and the childish font used throughout the game, players shall quickly discover that this is by no means a kids’ title.

Joining the ringtail in the field are his friends Bentley (a computer-hacking tortoise) and Murray (a bright pink hippo good at lifting heavy things), and using the skills of all three is often necessary to get a job done. In between jobs, one can take any one of the characters out into the field to case the joint and look for clues (needed to find the codes for vaults which, when opened, unlock handy extra moves). It’s unlikely that you’ll want to, however: Sly’s repertoire of agile moves is far more versatile than Bentley’s tranquillise-and-destroy approach, or Murray’s punch-the-snot-out-of-everyone style. So you’ll likely end up playing as Sly most of the time and only switching to the reptile or the pugilistic perissodactyl when you have to.

The game shows a great deal more variety than the previous title, which for all its exotic locations often boiled down to the same old jumping and evading. Sly 2 shall see you piloting helicopters in top-down shooters, stealing radio transmitters from angry bears, competing in a rock-climbing contest against a bison, and riding atop elephants to smack the jewels off their headdresses.

That said, each episode starts in the same way: Bentley sends out Sly to take some reconnaissance photos (using a nifty gadget called the Binocucom, which is also handy for observing the surroundings from a safe distance), and then puts together a plan. It is then up to the player to decide in what order to carry out the required missions. This breaking up of the action into small chunks seems a little off-putting at first, but it works. It also helps one get into the mood of the game: it really feels like carrying out a team-based espionage mission.

Despite the variety and imaginativeness on show in the missions, the locations are disappointing. After Paris and India, the game then proceeds with another India episode, followed by two in Prague and two in Canada. The two Prague episodes are so short that they could easily have been condensed into one. There are only five different locations in total: the same as the previous game. Clearly, this isn’t much of a step up. Thankfully, Sucker Punch has done an excellent job of ensuring quality over quantity; something also evident in their intriguing slim and angular 'robot greyhound' graphics styling.

This is a solid sequel to an already-decent game. It’ll challenge you to the point of frustration but is saved by that just-one-more-go factor, and like a lot of music albums it is sometimes left wanting in the middle but starts and ends well. It’s above average, but falls short of greatness. Shame, really.

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Anna Ghislaine