Sly 2: Band of Thieves

"Snake, come in.  This is Otacon."

"What is it?"

"I hear someone's mocking you in another video game."

"Blast!  It must be that rat from Sly Cooper!"

"He's no rat -- he's a raccoon."

"I hunt raccoons for breakfast.  When I get my hands on him I—"

"No Snake, you can't kill him!"

"Why?"

"Because...his game is very good."

"Fine, I'll let him live!  But only on one condition – that his game doesn't turn out better than Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.”

The Thievius Raccoonus is back!  And this time he brought along a few friends.  Co-starring in the first Sly Cooper as non-playable characters, Murray and Bentley bring new gameplay styles to the sequel.  Bentley is weak and must stay hidden, while Murray is a brawn-over-brain kind of guy.  Both new characters are integral parts of each mission, since each character has a strength that is necessary in order to complete specific tasks.

But that doesn't mean that this game is just another gimmick-filled, cram-in-as-many-playable-characters-as-you-can experience.  The new characters add to the fun, not take it away from it.  They don't steal valuable levels away from Sly, the real star of the game.

Since the control scheme is identical to the original, the first thing that caught my attention was the graphics.  It's not lightyears ahead of the original, but then again, how could it be?  The first game's cel-shading effects were some of the best ever designed for PlayStation 2.  Sly 2 looks the same, only with a richer coat of paint.  The colors seem brighter, the shadows are richer, and the cartoon graphics seem to be more emphasized.

The flashlight-carrying enemies are back, only this time they're a lot harder to kill.  You can't just sneak up behind 'em, whack 'em once, and expect them to roll over and die.  They'll fall down, get back up, and retaliate much faster than you'd expect.  This part of the game reminded me of the Donkey Kong Country series, requiring lots of skill to persevere.

Some missions give you an ultimatum: avoid detection or lose.  There are no second chances, no way to stop an enemy from warning the others.  If you're spotted the game sends you back to the beginning of the mission.  Complicating the situation further, enemy patterns are only set in stone once the mission starts.  In other words, they won't always begin or end the mission in the same location.

It took me a few minutes to realize that following the enemy from behind was not enough.  He'd spot me, or the flashlight baddies would, killing my chance for success.

Then I saw it – the roof!  I climbed up to the top and followed the enemy inconspicuously.

That was just one mission.  Other missions on the demo had me wearing boxing gloves to take down all the useless thugs that litter the area.  Murray's real mission was to take out the alarm system, but that doesn't mean he can't have a little fun while doing it.

Murray's controls are quite good.  He automatically locks on to nearby enemies, creating a Zelda-like scenario.  To battle outside the bounds of the targeting feature, just hold down the R1 button.  Murray not only runs when holding R1, but he also has a better chance of avoiding death from the powerful flashlight foes.  Murray's main attack points are a three-hit punch combo and the ability to pick up and throw most objects (tables, chairs, plants, benches, etc. – but not cars).

Bentley is slower and weaker than Murray.  Why would we want to play as him then?  Right now I can't honestly say that I would or wouldn't want to play as him.  I like his features: bombs and a tranquilizer dart gun.  But I don't like how weak he is and how slow he moves.  Those traits correspond with the kind of character that Bentley was in the first game.  Had he been playable then it's likely that he would have functioned no differently than he does in Sly 2.  Still, I always refrain from playing as the weaker characters, unless the developers give a major incentive for doing so.

Will Sly 2: Band of Thieves live up to the high standards of the first game?  If this demo is any indication, there's no doubt that the sequel will be every bit as good as the original, if not better.  Sly's new missions are awesome, Murray is a great bully-type character, and the music is perfectly suited to every moment.  It intensifies along with the mission, creating the perfect atmosphere for sneaking and stealing.  Like the original, Sly 2 pokes fun at the game that started the spy/mission genre: Metal Gear.  Sly Cooper is a lot like Solid Snake; Bentley is like Otacon; and Murray is...well, I'm not really sure who he's supposed to represent!  Maybe Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will have some insight...

Look for Sly 2: Band of Thieves to steal your last days of summer when it launches this August.