You Should Be Excited For These Upcoming PS Plus Retro Titles

Sony have recently announced the upcoming titles for its constantly growing range of retro games in the PlayStation Plus Premium Classics Catalog. When December’s PS Plus titles arrive, subscribers will not only have access to Naughty Dog’s superb 2001 hit Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, but two of the finest platformers of the PlayStation 2 era developed by Sucker Punch Productions. These titles are Sly 2: Band of Thieves, and its sequel Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, released in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and this is the first time these two games will be available to download on modern PlayStation consoles.

In the Sly Cooper series, players step in the shoes of the titular anthropomorphic raccoon, with a compelling blend of humor, stealth, and platforming action, as Sly and his gang of thieves perform heists across a variety of exotic locations around the world. The first title launched on the PS Plus catalog in June 2024, becoming the most played debut of a classic in the PS Plus Premium range. Due to this, fans and newcomers to the series were anticipating the addition of its sequels, which are now scheduled to be added in early December.

Sly 2: Band Of Thieves Introduces Semi-Open Worlds

Excellent Gameplay And Level Design Updates

Sly 2: Band of Thieves evolved significantly from the original Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. The first game followed a linear level design, whereas Sly 2 introduced semi-open hub worlds. Each of these environments are full of secrets, enemies, and opportunities to pull off mini-heists, with the player even free to take on levels as they desired on many occasions. These detailed cel-shaded worlds include urban Parisian streets, an Egyptian museum, the jungles of India, and many more. In addition to these expanded environments, the overall gameplay was significantly improved.

The core stealth mechanics of Sly 1 were dramatically refined in the sequel, as players could now track and pickpocket guards, in exchange for upgrades to make Sly and his gang more powerful. Sly could now seamlessly hide in the shadows, scale rooftops, and navigate the world intuitively. The combat was improved too, as Sly’s friends Bentley and Murray were now unique playable characters, with more gadget-based and brute strength approaches respectively. These improvements earned Sly 2 critical acclaim on release, cementing itself as one of the most memorable PS2 platforming titles and one of the best stealth games.

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves Has Lots Of Unique Mini-Games

Sly 3 Features Constantly Fresh Ideas

Building on the excellent open-world structure of its predecessor, Sly 3 expanded on the level design and gameplay even further. Retaining the unique geographical locations per level, Sly 3 introduced a plethora of engaging mini-games. This includes biplane dogfighting, pirate ship battles (not unlike Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag), RC car driving, and several more. These mini-games aren’t filler, they’re essential to the completion of levels and are therefore thoughtfully integrated. These breaks from stealth and action constantly bring fresh and dynamic mechanics to Sly 3‘s experience.

The three main characters from Sly 2 return, along with four new playable members of the Cooper Gang, and Inspector Carmelita Fox. This diverse cast of characters all have their own unique gameplay and abilities, as the overall plot of Sly 3 revolves around assembling the world’s best thieves to raid Sly’s family vault. These characters include the mind-controlling Guru, the tech whiz Penelope, as well as returning villians from previous Sly games, Dimitri and The Panda King. Bringing back old characters reflects on the overall themes of legacy and was an excellent way to wrap up the trilogy.

How The Sly Trilogy Holds Up Against Other Platformers

Sly Benefits From Timeless Graphics and Gameplay

The early 2000s was a goldmine for excellent platforming titles on the PlayStation 2, with the aforementioned Jak and Daxter, as well as Ratchet and Clank, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and Rayman, as just a few other cartoonish contemporaries. The Sly Cooper trilogy stands out in comparison to these titles due to its evolving gameplay, stylish visuals, and engaging humor. Every game in the series built upon the core stealth mechanics, and the semi-open world level design with innovative mini-game challenges consistently felt fresh and well-thought-out.

Sly Cooper 2 received a
Metacritic
score of 88 for its PS2 launch, whereas
Sly 3
received a score of 83 on
Metacritic
‘s aggregate.

Due to the vibrant cel-shaded art style of the Sly Cooper series, the games have aged very well and feel timeless. In comparison to the realistic graphics of its contemporaries in the PlayStation 2 era, the cartoonish art direction of the Sly games, along with its whimsical tone and clever writing, creates a unique and memorable trilogy which players will be sure to enjoy in 2024. This will only be bolstered by their addition to the PS Plus Classics Catalog. Custom save files, visual presets, and gameplay rewinding will satisfy the demand for the Sly Cooper franchise on PlayStation 5.

Source: Metacritic: (1, 2)