Sly 2: Band of Thieves Review | Huge Heists, Playable Pals, Big Bloat

There were a lot of big games out 20 years – many of those games we’ve reviewed on this podcast, this year. But this game involving a raccoon, a turtle and a hippo is a special game for us, as it is the first time we are going back to a series for a look at a second game. We’re going back to 2004 to look at a 3D platformer that has big Ocean’s 11 energy. We’re talking Sly 2: Band of Thieves.

On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we take a look at what developer Sucker Punch Productions were thinking going into this sequel, including how they really wanted to put a big emphasis on the game’s heists. We also discuss the improved AI the team was striving for, a Ratchet & Clank demo, the inspiration of Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, and a woman named La La Anthony.

Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: patrolling guards and their flashlights that are basically vision cones; a health bar; enemies that can hear you run; tables you can now hide under; improved stealth fundamentals; fluidly moving around the rooftops of these large hub worlds; the brilliance and inconsistency of the Stealth SLAM (and also Silent Obliteration); spending coins in the new upgrades shop, and the fiddliness of equipping those upgrades; pickpocketing and too much of a good thing; Bentley’s strong but heft-less tranq crossbow; the fists of The Murray; boss battles; the mission structure and how everything you do is in service to a big heist; a duration that is way too long and impacts everything; a mini-game mixed bag; going back to the base to switch characters; one of the world’s biggest drug operations; and a narrative that is both dark and contains a lot of nice lads being nice.

After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Sly 2: Band of Thieves is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.

For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Untitled Goose Game on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.

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