Sly 3 Initial Impressions
I know I'm late on this one. I have quite a back catalogue of games that I've yet to play on the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox. Hell, I even have a couple of 360 games that I haven't played yet. Fortunately (not really), my 360 died two days ago, freeing me up to deal with my plethora of 'last gen' games.
I'm in the middle of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath on the Xbox, and I didn't really feel like continuing it at the moment, so I popped in Sly 3: Honor Among Theives, a game that I'd really wanted to play for quite a while.
The presentation is really slick. The art is very cartoony and stylized, and the music exudes an Austin Powers-calibur mojo. The cutscenes are done in a sort of animated stills style, and the story-telling overall is very strong.
My biggest complaint with the first couple hours, though, is that there was too much story telling. The missions were so short and as soon as I'd finished, there would be a sizable chunk of dialogue/cutscene. Of course, that's not too damning, considering how well done the dialogue and cutscenes are.
As the missions get a little more difficult, though, the gameplay time and cutscene time begin to balance out. When this balance is achieved, it really allows you to appreciate both the gameplay and the dialogue.
The dialogue is fantastic. I don't laugh out loud (or even inside) with most games, but I've laughed at least three times in the four or five hours that I've played so far. The dialogue, like the characters that deliver it, is perfectly crafted, filled with character, and quite funny.
And of course, I've barely mentioned the gameplay. The gameplay in Sly 3 is very tight, and wonderfully varied. The gameplay structure is elegant as well. You are placed in a level with a handful of missions to take on as several different characters. You can tackle these missions in any order, whenever you feel like it, or you can just sneak around the level, pickpocketing enemies and causing trouble.
But it's the missions that make the game so great. They are widely varied, but uniformly fun. Whether you are jumping from rooftop to rooftop, stalking a mob boss so you can take incriminating photos, participating in an opera contest, or busting heads as the burly pink hippo, Murray, you will have a blast.
Playing as different characters is interesting as well. As Murray, for example, you might miss Sly's ability to scamper across the landscape like a ninja, but you'll appreciate his ability to take out enemies with just a punch or two. Each character has his/her own unique play style, and impressively enough, they're all fun. Moreover, it looks like the game will continue to introduce new characters as I recruit them into my band of theives.
Like I said, I'm only four or five hours into the game, but I'm really impressed so far. This is one of the rare games that I can't stop thinking about. I'll let you know my final impressions when I finish.
-Joule
I'm in the middle of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath on the Xbox, and I didn't really feel like continuing it at the moment, so I popped in Sly 3: Honor Among Theives, a game that I'd really wanted to play for quite a while.
The presentation is really slick. The art is very cartoony and stylized, and the music exudes an Austin Powers-calibur mojo. The cutscenes are done in a sort of animated stills style, and the story-telling overall is very strong.
My biggest complaint with the first couple hours, though, is that there was too much story telling. The missions were so short and as soon as I'd finished, there would be a sizable chunk of dialogue/cutscene. Of course, that's not too damning, considering how well done the dialogue and cutscenes are.
As the missions get a little more difficult, though, the gameplay time and cutscene time begin to balance out. When this balance is achieved, it really allows you to appreciate both the gameplay and the dialogue.
The dialogue is fantastic. I don't laugh out loud (or even inside) with most games, but I've laughed at least three times in the four or five hours that I've played so far. The dialogue, like the characters that deliver it, is perfectly crafted, filled with character, and quite funny.
And of course, I've barely mentioned the gameplay. The gameplay in Sly 3 is very tight, and wonderfully varied. The gameplay structure is elegant as well. You are placed in a level with a handful of missions to take on as several different characters. You can tackle these missions in any order, whenever you feel like it, or you can just sneak around the level, pickpocketing enemies and causing trouble.
But it's the missions that make the game so great. They are widely varied, but uniformly fun. Whether you are jumping from rooftop to rooftop, stalking a mob boss so you can take incriminating photos, participating in an opera contest, or busting heads as the burly pink hippo, Murray, you will have a blast.
Playing as different characters is interesting as well. As Murray, for example, you might miss Sly's ability to scamper across the landscape like a ninja, but you'll appreciate his ability to take out enemies with just a punch or two. Each character has his/her own unique play style, and impressively enough, they're all fun. Moreover, it looks like the game will continue to introduce new characters as I recruit them into my band of theives.
Like I said, I'm only four or five hours into the game, but I'm really impressed so far. This is one of the rare games that I can't stop thinking about. I'll let you know my final impressions when I finish.
-Joule
posted by Voomp at
7:57 AM
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