I'd like to preface this by saying I do genuinely really like this game. I think most of what's good about Sly 2 holds up exactly the same.

However, I feel that there is nothing in this game that is better than the previous iteration - the only steps taken are steps backwards. I could talk about the voice other than Bentley acting being surprisingly weak (especially Murray and Carmelita - did they change voice actors?), and the writing has fewer stand-out moments. I could also mention how there is an increased reliance on mini-games for missions - they're not executed badly most of the time, but it feels like they are frequent enough to get in the way of Sly's excellent movement and exploration.

But for me the biggest culprit for this game is the lack of bottle collectables. It sounds so trivial, but when you take out the driver of exploration in the levels, there really isn't any need to learn the environment, to master traversal, or to really engage in any of the world-building that is scattered around.

I think the game starts of especially weak here with the Venice level. It feels samey to walk around, and there's nothing there to make me want to learn or explore. I ended up running from objective to objective and that is all, which I think is a real failure to find what's fun about the Sly Trilogy. I will say I think the levels get better and better as the game goes on, and the final traditional level in the Pirate cove is excellent, minus some dodgy ship mechanics.

A good game by most accounts, but feels like a missed opportunity to make another great one.