Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time PlayStation 3

Released on 28-Mar-2013

• Editor's Choice: Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (Preview)

  
  

  

  
  

  

  The PlayStation 2 fave hops, skips and jumps (ninja-style of course) on to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita at last in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time; a game that not only features a racoon as a hero and a turtle and a hippo as your sidekicks but also offers up incredible value for money...

  We're loving the concept - pay once, get two games. Well, two versions of the same game - one for your PS3 and a code to download the full game on to your PS Vita too so you can keep playing from your last PS3 save while on the move (thanks to the cloud, dude). It's one of the first examples of what SONY has been banging on about in its ads of late - that you can play anywhere, anytime. On the bus, on your lunchbreak, on the toi[That's enough - Ed]

  Sly himself has been skiving off work for nearly eight years now; his last third-person outing, the PS2-powered Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves now a distant, creaky memory. He's back though in this all-new HD instalment that sees our whiskered thief jumping, creeping and time travelling his way across five different eras as he fights to save his ancestors.

  Ancient Japan, Medieval England, the Wild West and more are featured, offering a myriad of hub-based, imaginative levels to enjoy while most importantly, the usual cast of Sly favourites are all present and correct plus there's a host of new ones - from cigar-loving tigers to rapping grizzly bears, the series' trademark humour is back and as demented as before.

  

  And as usual, it's those eclectic characters that maketh the game. Sly's chums Bentley and Murray are as funny and endearing as ever, love interest Inspector Carmelita Fox is hot on Sly's tail again, and then there's the racoon's ancestors themselves who you get to meet and actually play with.

  Framing these rich creations is typical Sly gameplay - a mixture of platforming and stealth action. While you can spank the nearest enemy, it's still refreshing to know that you can creep through a level without actually having to fight anyone (apart from the odd boss); all while trying not to giggle at the often laugh-out loud script and ridiculous scenarios - have you ever seen a hippopotamus performing in a geisha show? Thought not - Spearmint Hippo, anyone?

  Sly Cooper then mixes classic platforming packed with new characters and a smart cloud-based system that lets you get the most from your gaming systems. And if this kind of crossover is the future, you can count us in, SONY. Roll on PlayStation 4.
  

  Published: 28/02/2013

• The Best of 2012: PlayStation 3

  
  

  Although it may have wobbled in the early running, the PlayStation 3 approaches the end of the current hardware generation as one of the strongest and most eclectic gaming systems in history. Whether reviving and refreshing its big franchises for new fans, or supporting the more artistically inclined indie end of the development spectrum, a large debt of thanks for 2012's sterling games line-up is owed to SONY. Uniquely among the big platform holders, you could easily fill a list of the PS3's top titles with SONY's own first party exclusives.

  

  Also uniquely among its peers, SONY has done a superb job of dipping into its past without exploiting fans. High definition compilations of classic PlayStation 2 series such as Ratchet & Clank worked both as loving tributes to classic gameplay of yesteryear, and as highly polished introductions for generations of new fans. At the same time, new games featuring the same characters ensured they'll endure into the next generation, with Ratchet & Clank: QForce combining the crisp and humorous platform jumping of old with a frantic tower defence strategy twist.

  Also making a comeback was the mighty Twisted Metal. SONY's ferocious vehicle combat game is a representative of a genre that has faded from popularity, but the combination of fantastic multiplayer mayhem, addictive arcade driving physics and the sheer visual punch that the PS3 delivers makes this bratty, splattery action game one of 2012's unsung gems.

  

  Twisted Metal succeeded because it brought back classic gameplay that had been forgotten, but other SONY hits this year worked because they took popular characters and concepts off into new directions. LittleBigPlanet Karting, for example, found Sackboy reinvented as a cuddly textile version of Jenson Button. The introduction of kart racing into the LittleBigPlanet world was exciting enough, but when you factor in the boundless creativity that the game offers - allowing players to use the developer's own design tools to create their own tracks and mini-games - then you've got a game that is a more than worthy addition to the LBP lineage. Even if you never create anything of your own, the fact that the community is constantly producing new, free content is enough to keep you playing for months.

  

  SONY's roster of characters got an even more unlikely make over in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. This multiplayer fighting game pitted such unlikely stablemates as Parappa the Rapper, Sackboy and Sly Cooper against the likes of Nathan Drake, God of War's Kratos and Bioshock's Big Daddy. It's an insane mash-up of the whimsical and the fearsome, yet it works beautifully. The larger arena-based battles are frantic and hilarious - perfect party game fodder - yet the systems underneath are much closer to the classic fighting game standards you'd expect to find in hardcore genre titles. With former Street Fighter spokesman Seth Killian as the lead designer, it's perhaps no surprise that All-Stars is actually a seriously good fighting game that just happens to have some silly modes for everyone to enjoy. If you haven't picked it up yet because you thought it was just for kids, correct that mistake as soon as possible!

  

  SONY continued to innovate in other areas as well. The PlayStation Move controller found its perfect realisation in Book of Spells, the first in a planned series of Wonderbook augmented reality experiences. Produced in conjunction with JK Rowling, it sees players using an actual book which is transformed on-screen into a dusty old tome from the Hogwarts library. Casting spells and interacting with this magical world is genuinely spellbinding.

  

  Just as magical, in a more abstract way, was the critically acclaimed Journey. Created by esoteric designer Jenova Chen, this thought-provoking experience sets you down in a strange desert with only a distant mountain peak to guide you. As you wander, solving puzzles and navigating the ruins of a lost civilisation, you'll gain the power to float and fly, as well as meeting other players who can collaborate with you to find more secrets. Absolutely gorgeous to look at, and inviting all kinds of gentle emotional responses, it's a true work of art.

  Even far away from the arty indie scene, the PS3 had a cracking year. Fans of Assassin's Creed III, for example, were treated to exclusive bonus missions on SONY's console that wove legendary traitor Benedict Arnold into the game's Revolutionary War narrative.

  

  And, remarkably, 2013 looks like it will be even better. Intelligent blockbusters such as The Last of Us and Beyond: Two Souls will be available exclusively on the PS3, along with a new God of War and a new Sly Cooper adventure, and that's all before the summer arrives. The news may be full of rumours and guesswork about the next hardware generation, but there's plenty to be excited about on the consoles we do have!
  

  Published: 20/12/2012

• Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time dated and detailed

  Sly Cooper, SONY's wily burgling raccoon, last had a solo outing in 2005 when Sly 3: Honour Among Thieves launched on PlayStation 2. The character dropped off the radar, but has recently made a comeback. Most notably with the rather lovely Sly Trilogy HD compilation earlier this year, and also as a playable character in PlayStation Move Heroes and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

  Now, finally, the slinky and sly hero will be getting a proper sequel, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. Development has been handed over from original creator Sucker Punch to new studio Sanzaru Games, which handled the HD trilogy collection. Gameplay will once again revolve around platforming and stealth, with a delicious cartoon twist.

  Most interestingly, the game will be released for both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, and buying one version automatically grants you free access to download the game for the other platform. Save files can be synchronised, allowing you to carry on playing from one console to the other, while the PS Vita will also use its cameras for some bonus augmented reality gameplay.

  Anyone who played the previous games in the series will know just how smart and cool the Sly Cooper experience is, and after being patient for over seven years we won't have long to wait for the next instalment. It's out in the UK from March 27th.
  

  Published: 14/12/2012

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