PlayStation Hardware & Games

Stealing is fun again!

Video: 4
Sound: 4
Gameplay: 4

The roguish raccoon Sly Cooper, despite his felonious behavior, is just one of those fun characters to play, a nimble master thief who seems to always find himself in the middle of another grand adventure. In his latest outing, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, the strangely sympathetic purloiner of other people's property is joined by longtime allies like Bentley the turtle, now a handicapable sidekick in a rocket-powered wheelchair, as well as some new playable characters. As always, Sly can pull off lots of clever moves and tricks, with an overall feel that is accessible to youngsters and still very appealing for us old folks. Some players might find it a little too easy, but no one would deny that there is a tremendous amount of satisfying new content in this platformer. The longer we play, the better it gets, including unlockable two-player games, and of course the much-touted 3-D levels. Sly 3 has more of a mature, even epic feel to the story than ever before and yet is very faithful to the spirit of the series.

The 3-D effect does indeed work, although the red/blue glasses bound inside the instruction booklet are astoundingly dorky (and a little awkward over prescription eyewear), so think twice about who might be watching you while you play—or it may be better to just lock the door. As with every 3-D video solution I've ever seen, the illusion creates depth going back into the TV, adding a rarely achieved sense of realism, but I never feel compelled to duck as objects allegedly come out at me. Note that the entire game is not presented this way; rather, selected key scenes offer this option. Even in 2-D, it is pretty lovely, despite some serious aliasing. It has simple yet boldly rendered characters seen against some wonderfully detailed environments, with cartoon-style graphics and often cartoony sound effects. The biplane scene and the pirate battle—with its booming, directional cannons—are the most cinematic and the most exciting. The game is presented at 480i, and the menu contains a handy tool for centering the image on my 16:9 screen. The audio defaults to Dolby Pro Logic II, offering a genuine sense of envelopment, as in the stormy opening animation.

I was unphased by some occasionally unfortunate camera angles and controls: Sly 3 is an enjoyable game for anyone simply looking for a little lighthearted diversion.