PS Now for something completely different
It might be called PS Now but lately when I’ve been logging into the gaming subscription service all I can do is think about the past. PS4 games are plentiful, but it’s the PS2 and PS3 games that grab my attention, and it’s a raccoon and his Scooby gang in particular…
With nary a word from Sucker Punch’s Sly Cooper series since 2013 (just the odd throwback here and there), it’s great to see all four games available on the service. On first sitting down I’m keen to jump into the original PS2 games as represented in The Sly
Trilogy – remastered for PS3. There’s still tons to enjoy here: colourful worlds, and even more colourful cartoony characters. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus is a more basic levelbased platformer than I remembered, but by the time I get to Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Sly 3: Honor
Among Thieves things really step up. Not only do Sly’s thieving moves, which see him walking tightropes and jumping on spires, feel wonderfully smooth, but it really opens up.
Hub worlds feel alive, and the missions you carry out all focus around the goal of completing a final heist. Different characters have different gameplay styles, though Sly’s remains the best.
With the third game, too many characters arguably dilute the mechanics a bit.
Developed by the devs of the remaster, Sanzaru Games, Sly Cooper: Thieves In
Time took the series to true HD in its sole PS3 outing. At the time overlooked, it’s a wonderful return to form. It takes the gang back to the basics of
Sly and his two best friends as they add on time-trotting to their globe-trotting heist antics. Revisiting now, it makes the series feel fresh again and leaves me wanting more. Could it be time to get the gang back together?