The Sly Collection Review

The Sly Cooper games on the PS2 rank right up there with Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter as some of the best platformers to grace the system. Now the sneaky raccoon and his band of thieves make their debut on PS3 with a great value package, well worth playing for fans and newcomers alike.

Each of the three games of the package follows a separate story. Sly and the Thievius Racoonus is a quest to win back the Cooper's titular book from the fiendish five, Sly 2 Band of Thieves picks up where the first left off with the gang destroying their arch nemesis, Clockwerk once and for all and Sly 3 Honour among Thieves, boasting the most interesting of the three; involves Sly organising a even bigger gang to access the Cooper vault. All three games pack some well told stories with many great characters added to the roster along the way that appeal to both children and adults. Awesome looking comic style cut scenes illustrate key moments and the rest unfolds through in game dialogue. Both work efficiently to present enjoyable story sequences and prove a decent break from the gameplay

With three full games, Playstation Move minigames and a shiny new HD coat jammed onto one blu ray disc; there's never been a better time to enjoy some of the best platformers in Playstation's history. Sly 1 is definitely the weakest link in the package however, sporting dated game design, one hit deaths and the HD graphics have little effect on the game. Sly 2 placed the series into modern gaming with it's sneakier and more varied gameplay, as well as being able to play as Sly's pals; Bentley and Murray. Sly 3 is the standout, offering many more characters to play, as well as the longest and best story mode in the series. The Playstation Move minigames are unlocked as each game is beaten and control quite accurately, but won't hold anyone's interest for long. The two player minigames from Sly 3 return though the lack of new additions to the other games or online play is an annoying emission. Trophy support has also been added for al three games along with a special surprise in store for die hard Sly fans willing to platinum all three games. Sly 1 will take around seven to eight hours to beat but it's sequels are significantly longer, add to this the trophy list to complete and minigames to play and The Sly Collection will be played for a long time after purchase, although there isn't much to old player's interest after all three games have been completed 100%.

Gameplay differs across Sly 1 and its two successors in that the first holds the same linear structure. You'll make your way into an area, beat a number of levels in whatever order to earn keys, do the same for another set before taking on a boss to go to the next environment. It's an acquired and nostalgic kind of taste that will most likely frustrate modern gamers accustomed to infinite continues and generous health bars. In Sly's first adventure you'll sneak into levels, climb objects, avoid lasers and even sneak around in barrels to avoid detection. In its sequel the gameplay was drastically switched up with the pick pocketing mechanic, gadgets to buy and open world exploration, which fails to impress due to the lack of collectables to find. The three characters all had their own strengths, Murray is stronger and can take more punishment whereas Bentley is more vulnerable and must use gadgets to survive. Knock back attacks from enemies can be annoying and if spotted the larger; gun wielding foes can quickly overwhelm all of the characters which can feel unfair though the whole game, particularly the bosses provide a tough challenge. Sly 3 was generally similar to its predecessor but included more refinements, variation and set piece moments. You may suddenly find yourself piloting a biplane and later in the game Sly's crew steal a pirate ship to sail the seas and take on other pirates and missions. The new characters also add variation. The guru cannot attack, instead possessing enemies and transforming into objects at the right moment, Penelope uses a remote control car and helicopter to take down foes and Dmitri switches the game to a first person, diving beneath the waves to avoid hazards and shoot sharks with harpoons among some others along the way. The great gameplay variation makes Sly 3 stand out from the other games in the package but the other two are no slouches either, all giving a relatively good balance between fun and challenge.

The HD visuals fit well with the package, most notably with Sly 3; effects for water, fire and cartoony effects have of received a great improvement. Environments are still varied through the entire series and have aged well with improved visuals. On the other hand a minor complaint is that sound design hasn't been changed or optimised very much for the HD generation of consoles. Voice acting and animations are still well done, selling the characters and their stories impeccably. Load times are kept to a minimum and all three parts of the package also have 3D television support for those lucky enough to own one.

With three mostly impressive games on one disc for only £25 the Sly collection is a steal, successfully bringing the series to the next generation while bringing in enough improvements to make it fun to play on today's console. Until Sly 4 is released, this package will give you a good share of proper platforming on the PS3.

Rating: 8.5/10