After 18 years of playing this game,I finally finished it,all because i was dumb and ruined my disc.Loved it,an all time classic.I just wish Sucker Punch returns to this franchise.
Initially, I approached Sly 2 with excitement. The first game had some easily fixable issues that, with a few minor tweaks, could have resulted in an exceptional follow-up. However, Insomniac Games made significant changes to the core structure of the first game, and, to be honest, most of these changes were for the worse.
Gone are the Crash Bandicoot-esque levels, replaced by a vast amount of mini-games and tiny platforming levels scattered across various open worlds. Initially, I welcomed the variety, but I soon realized that Sly 2 was primarily composed of these mini-games. Unfortunately, almost every single one fell short. They often dragged on, requiring players to collect, defeat, or destroy a minimum of five or ten things instead of a more manageable three. The controls were consistently subpar, whether in aiming mini-games (too sensitive) or button-mashing challenges (awkward). Even vehicle movement suffered (the tank mini-game being a prime example of both bad aiming and movement controls). With several dozen mini-games, including repeats, playing Sly 2 became a a real slog.
Despite these flaws, there were notable improvements over the first game. Collectibles now emit a tiny noise, aiding in their discovery. Playing as Murray and Bentley added variety, although their lack of Sly’s fundamental traversal mechanics limited their appeal. The overall style of each level and their respective bosses improved significantly. Fighting bosses (except for the final one) felt relatively painless. Levels like Canada, Prague, and the final stage stood out with excellent music and well-designed open worlds. The game’s action also improved, offering more useful and fun abilities, including pickpocketing, which enhanced the stealthy thief experience.
However, the game’s excessive length hindered enjoyment. Spending eighteen hours wading through an endless miasma of mini-games in Sly 2 felt excessive. Late-period 3D platformers often suffered from bloat due to genre limitations and a fear of making games too short. I hope Sly 3 strikes a better balance, because it can’t possibly be worse than this.
Gone are the Crash Bandicoot-esque levels, replaced by a vast amount of mini-games and tiny platforming levels scattered across various open worlds. Initially, I welcomed the variety, but I soon realized that Sly 2 was primarily composed of these mini-games. Unfortunately, almost every single one fell short. They often dragged on, requiring players to collect, defeat, or destroy a minimum of five or ten things instead of a more manageable three. The controls were consistently subpar, whether in aiming mini-games (too sensitive) or button-mashing challenges (awkward). Even vehicle movement suffered (the tank mini-game being a prime example of both bad aiming and movement controls). With several dozen mini-games, including repeats, playing Sly 2 became a a real slog.
Despite these flaws, there were notable improvements over the first game. Collectibles now emit a tiny noise, aiding in their discovery. Playing as Murray and Bentley added variety, although their lack of Sly’s fundamental traversal mechanics limited their appeal. The overall style of each level and their respective bosses improved significantly. Fighting bosses (except for the final one) felt relatively painless. Levels like Canada, Prague, and the final stage stood out with excellent music and well-designed open worlds. The game’s action also improved, offering more useful and fun abilities, including pickpocketing, which enhanced the stealthy thief experience.
However, the game’s excessive length hindered enjoyment. Spending eighteen hours wading through an endless miasma of mini-games in Sly 2 felt excessive. Late-period 3D platformers often suffered from bloat due to genre limitations and a fear of making games too short. I hope Sly 3 strikes a better balance, because it can’t possibly be worse than this.
A sequel done right! The hub worlds are now way better and seen as pretty open-world, you get to play as Bentley and Murray, and there's a lot of story to this game. It's a fun time and by the end of the long journey, you will have learned how to play each character best. I will say the only downsides are lack of replayability after completing the game and design-favoritism towards Sly which limits what the other two can do when you play as them. It's the easiest of the three games to 100% as well. Fun, but lacking anything to do after completing the story.