The Playstation 2 had some of the best platformers out there, something last generation and the new generation are sorely lacking. Instead of having a huge array of Ratchet and Clanks, Jak and Daxters and Sly Coopers to play, we’re given a couple really great Rayman games, and not too much more. Sony being very advantageous with their blu-ray technology and their Vita systems has opted to bring back some of these great platformers for newer gamers to enjoy in beautiful HD collection quality. Sly Cooper is the newest HD collection to grace the Vita system, and boy is it a doosey. This collection allows you to play through the original PS2 trilogy before you snag Thieves in Time for your PS3 or Vita system. The only downside to some gamers is the fact that you have to download the third game to your Vita memory card. So take heed, if you buy The Sly Cooper Collection on Vita, you may have to get a memory card to go along with it. Other than that, the collection is a great trip down memory lane for an older gaming generation.
Sucker Punch and Sony did a great job making Sly look great on the Vita’s larger screen. The cel shading aged very well and if you didn’t know the games were almost ten years old you’d think that Sucker Punch took a break from Infamous and graced gamers with some nice platformers to enjoy. Unfortunately that time in my gaming life I was more of Xbox connoisseur so I rarely played my PS2 and I missed out on these platforming gems. I tried them out a few years ago on the PS2 and enjoyed my brief moments with them, knowing that I have some awesome backlog platforms to get to. Now with the Vita I can relive some great platformers from gaming’s yester-year, and do so on the go. Like I said the games run and look great on the Vita’s big screen, there are no hiccups in the cut scenes and the game flows great. Had you not had to opportunity to purchase these originally or on the PS3, the Vita is your chance to get in on the action.
The stories haven’t changed over the years, in Sly Cooper you have to fight against your nemesis Clockwerk and see that he is surely defeated. In Sly 2 you have to make sure that Clockwerk stays defeated and finally in Sly 3, Sly must recruit all of his friends to defeat the evil Doctor M. The stories keep you engaged as you sneak around mansions, ships, and museums to steal the best loot to save the day. The humor that Sucker Punch has injected the game with sometimes make one laugh out loud, and it’ll surely do the same for a younger gamer. Just the opening scene in Sly 2 was enough to make me chuckle out loud before I got to all of the sneaking. This humor is in all of the games and you’ll find yourself laughing out loud multiple times.
The controls ported over very well to the Vita, the dual analog sticks allow you to move Sly quite nicely with very little mistakes. The camera moves fluidly with the right stick and Sly runs in the direction you want him to run with no hiccups. I didn’t find myself getting hurt as much or dying as much from what I remember from my short time with the originals, so that’s a bonus with the Vita. Unfortunately they didn’t implement many touch controls with the games, which would have made for a nice switch for those who have already played the game. In Sly 2 if you tap the back touchpad you get to see waypoints and how many collectibles you have gathered. If you touch the front screen you are put into first person viewer mode to scan where to be sneaky. While none of this is groundbreaking, it takes nothing away from the game, it would have been a nice addition is all. The fighting gameplay works great, all you have to do is mash square or triangle and you will fell all the enemies. You still have to hit circle to climb a pipe, to balance on a beam and to shimmy over thin ledges. None of the controls really challenged me at all, and if you do get stuck a nice little tutorial pops up on the top of the screen.
Sly Cooper was born to be played on the Vita, the only negatives that I could see came with the original games, so there was nothing to be done. The games transferred over amazingly, unfortunately the one hit kill followed Sly Cooper 1 with it, but the game is still a joy to play. For those who have not picked the game up in a few years, this would be a great refresher to the time when platformers ruled the land instead of first-person shooters. Or for first time Sly Cooper fanatics this is another great way to experience it on the go, while the PS3 collection is a bit better looking, the Vita plays the same and looks pretty amazing on that little screen. Not to mention you get three full length games for a nice tidy price, about 45 hours of gameplay if shoot for all the trophies and collectibles, which I usually do. I don’t really think immediate replay for these titles is a big seller for the game, but I can see someone dusting these off every five or six years just to remember the good old days. Should you have some nostalgia for the series or want to start a new adventure in it, this collection is a definite must for any gamer worth their salt.