The Playstation 2 is a console that had so many great hits and classic, unforgettable experiences that you may have missed one or two of the Sly Cooper games from Sucker Punch when they originally released. The stealthy raccoon managed to make a return to Sony’s latest console dressed in higher resolution graphics, in what is surly one of the best values you will get this generation.
The Sly Collection combines all three Sly games onto one BluRay disc as developer Sanzaru Games has been tasked to give our friendly neighborhood raccoon the HD treatment. Right from the get-go I could tell that this disc contained the classic PS2 games with improved visuals, character models and a menu overhaul – this is not a bad thing. By all means, the Sly games were pretty great within their era and having them return to the PS3 is a real treat.
As I said, all three Sly games have been remastered in HD with increased resolution, while the third game was even rendered in 3D which I was not able to try out. All three games have their own set of collectibles and trophies, Sony made no sacrifices here as there are three full games in this package making it one of the best deals imaginable.
In addition to the three full games, The Sly Collection includes four Playstation Move mini games which satisfy for a little while before they become somewhat repetitive.
I have played a couple of the Sly games when they first released on the PS2 in the early 2000 era when the console dominated but never had the chance to return to the franchise. Sure, the games are cartoony and are based on talking animals with some cheesy dialogue but that is what made Sly great, this along with a lovable art style and solid platforming had me hooked again. Going from Sly 1 though 3 is a pretty neat progression as all games feel different, showing the improvements and experimentation Sucker Punch went through to create the trilogy. Playing as Sly Cooper makes me think of how much it played like inFamous and has my interest peaked in the teased Sly 4 game which we might see one day.
Sony has made a very good choice in bringing back some of its classic, platform defining titles such as the God of War Collection, the upcoming Team Ico Collection and of course this set of games. Sly Cooper is a great franchise and the games still play well to this day. I would be hard pressed not to recommend this game to everyone – The Sly Collection is a great opportunity to re-live the day when these awesome games first hit the Playstation 2 or perhaps introduce the younger generation to what helped define platforming.
Score: 8.5 / 10
The Sly Collections was originally developed by Sucker Punch, remastered by Sanzaru Games and published by Sony for the PS3 on November 9th, 2010. A copy of the game was provided to us by Sony for reviewing purposes.
