A little shocked this wasn't a rhythm game, but I still liked it.
Sly 2: Band of Thieves is the second game in Sucker Punch's Sly Cooper franchise. Picking up a little while after the first game, the game starts with Sly, Bentley and Murray breaking into a museum to steal back the Clockwerk parts, only to be ambushed by Inspector Fox and her new partner Constable Neyla and to realize that somebody all ready stole the parts. You quickly learn that a criminal group called the Klaww Gang stole them and set off to steal them back and destroy them. Sucker Punch clearly knew what was less than ideal in the first game, and really upgraded it in this one. Sly and the enemies are no longer one hit one kill. Instead, enemies take multiple hits and Sly actually has a life bar. Also, you don't just play as Sly in this game. Bentley and Murray are now playable characters, each with their own moves and abilities. Stealth plays a much more significant role in the game. The area you are in is crawling with guards, and if one sees you an alarm goes off and you have to haul ass to somewhere safe. Sly has a stealth take down where he hits an enemy in the air and then slams him down. Bentley has sleep darts which he shoots enemies with and then plants a bomb on them. Murray hits an enemy into the air, grabs him, and then can either slam them or throw them as projectiles. As in platformer fashion, you are collecting coins and clues, just as in the first game. However they are used to different things this time around. Coins are used to purchase new moves from his ThiefNet computer. Clues are much harder to find and are used to open safes. Inside the safes are gadgets you can equip and use against guards. Unlike the first game, there is no hub world. Instead you are thrown into an open world sandbox and have a choice as to what missions to accomplish within that sandbox. Missions are character specific, so you can't play the entire game as one character. Sly has missions like recon and bug planting, Bentley is tactical destruction and luring enemies from A to B to C, and Murray is just breaking shit. This game is a massive improvement over the first, bringing better gameplay mechanics and an interesting story. Gather up your own Band of Thieves, put together an elaborate heist, and get yourself this game.
