PS2 Game Review - Sly 3: Band of Thieves

A PS2 Game Review By
Le Chupacabra

Honour Among Thieves starts from the ending of the previous title. A harrowing battle left the bespectacled turtle Bentley wheelchair-bound. Placing the blame on his negligence, the powerhouse Murray decides to leave the trio, and his life of crime, behind and embark upon a journey of self-discovery. As timing would have it, the master thief Sly was about to pull off the heist to end all heists. How will he manage it now that the brains and brawns of the gang are out of commission?

As you can see, the story treads well-known territory. However, instead of becoming unnecessarily cliché, the plot has enough twists and quirks that ride on the feeling of familiarity and this leads to a warm, fuzzy feeling that only old Hanna-Barbera toons can evoke. The story is predictable in that you know good will prevail over evil yet fresh in that the situations and events are novel and relentlessly entertaining. When Bentley begins outlining the plan to next heist, you'll nod at each word and your eyes will grow ever wider as you realise how ingenious and compelling his ideas are. You only know that this heist is but one on the path to the big event itself and as a result you're always expecting the ante to be upped further - and that's exactly what happens!

The writing and dialogue are witty and humorous and doesn't degenerate towards slapstick or innuendo to provide the laughs. The combination of the zany situations the protagonists find themselves leads to the game encompassing humour that's subtly ingrained into the psyche of the whole experience. This leads to a level of sophistication that few can reach. The voice acting is equally engaging with the actors giving a lot of life and zest to some already compelling characters.

The graphics of Sly 3 follow the Sly tradition with vibrant locations and exaggerated edges and angles befitting of its cartoon atmosphere. The enemy come in all shapes and sizes and it's not unusual to catch yourself admiring the bizarre character designs much like those of the sublime DragonQuest VIII. The piece de resistance of the whole picture is the marvellous cel-shaded graphics that give truly unique definition to the characters. Complemented by some luxuriously smooth animation, Sly 3 looks every bit like a classic cartoon. Given the larger locales in this iteration, the game will slow down occasionally. Sometimes you can shrug it off, but sometimes it can cut in to the gameplay experience. I guess it's the price to pay for such brilliant artistry.

As it is, Sly 3 has all that it takes to create an entertaining and memorable cartoon that's perfect to sit down to when you're having lunch after a hot day at school!

However, Sly 3 is still a game. Therefore, does the gameplay match up to everything else?

Pretty much!
Sly 3 is a fusion of classic platforming and stealth-based gameplay ala Metal Gear Solid. While Sly has some mean combat tricks up his sleeve, his forte is sticking to the shadows and utilising his master thief skills. Sly is a rather athletic creature and this only adds to his formidable criminal abilities. He can balance himself on and run across narrow wires and slip into niches that his enemies can never reach. He can sneak on his tiptoes behind unwary sentries and pick their pockets dry! It's worth the extra trouble since that's the only method of getting keys and rare items. You can sell such items for coins and exchange coins to buy upgrades from ThiefNet which is essentially the Ebay of Sly's world. The fleet-footed Sly isn't the only character though! A successful heist works due to a collaboration of all the members and as a result, you get to play the parts of Bentley, Murray and other characters. Infact, Sly begins the Ocean's Eleven-esque task of enlisting the help of world class thieves so he can pull off the heist of the century. You get to use a diverse range of characters ranging from Sly's rival and love interest Carmelita Fox to the freaky Koala shaman that is Murray's spiritual mentor.

Being incapacitated has done little to dent Bentley's fervour for solving problems! He ends up inventing a wheelchair equipped with all manner of cutting-edge technology like rocket boosters, bombs and other sneaky additions. It's extremely amusing when you tap left or right and see Bentley hopping his wheelchair in the appropriate direction. While Sly and Bentley are more about evasion and tactics, Murray is all-out muscle and his levels involved you smashing around stuff. He doesn't pick pockets like his friends, no. He picks up the enemy and shakes the coins out of them! There's humour in every facet of the gameplay and as I said before, that is what makes it so brilliantly entertaining.

The multi-tiered heists of each level present some great gameplay potential. Carrying out Bentley's wacky plans is extremely fun and you never know what he'll ask you to do next! From cracking safes to donning sneaky disguises to taking part in biplane dogfights - the amusement never dies down.

Sly 3: Band of Thieves is quality gaming entertainment that's as charming as it is funny. If you're into an epic adventure of loony proportions, then you should pick this one up now!