Sly 2: Band of Thieves

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Being able to play as all three members further fleshes out the mission variety - I couldn't tell you the last time I've had so much unadulterated fun playing a game. [Nov 2004, p.126]

GameShark

Sly 2 has set the bar almost impossibly high for any platformer that comes after it.

Computer Games Magazine

It's brilliantly structured and each step feels meaningful and important. [Nov 2004, p.NP9]

Cheat Code Central

It's not a mere continuation, it's a reincarnation. If you liked the first one, you'll drool all over yourself while playing this one.

DarkStation

Combines a great storyline with superb gameplay, and slick graphics, to give you an experience that is just non-stop fun.

Warcry

Every location, every one of Bently's ridiculous heist plans, every character mannerism contributes to an overall sense of satisfaction. The gameplay, story, sound and writing simply deliver.

Cinescape

The one other element that just makes this game so damn fun to play is the heist movie feel.

Gaming Target

The most stylish platform game of Sony’s big three and Sucker Punch Productions deserves a lot of credit for putting together an impeccable presentation.

eToychest

Probably the most impressive part of the game is that the story manages to weave this smorgasbord of gameplay into a single cohesive story.

TotalPlayStation

Hands-down the year’s best platformer. This is just a masterfully constructed adventure that drips with charm and ingenuity and never fails to keep you involved, entertained, and loving every minute of it. You can take our word on it: this one is a gem.

Gaming Illustrated

Absolutely terrific. I'm a big fan of the cell-shaded graphics, original characters, and fun gameplay. When you break it down to its core, that's really what makes this title a winner.

GamingTrend

This game is quite a bit longer than the first game, which was the biggest complaint of the first game. Sucker Punch has delivered a massive adventure game with a slick cohesion of 3 playable characters.

PGNx Media

The visuals are really pushed by the game’s excellent art style. Every level, even every character you’ll meet, although particularly the primary characters look excellent.

Gamezilla!

It’s all been done expertly, with huge, sprawling worlds that offer up a bevy of unique and engaging missions.

Gamers' Temple

Clever, enjoyable, and just plain beautiful, Sly 2 is an enjoyable interactive cartoon for gamers of all ages.

IGN

The amount of creativity that is packed into the different quests and the various characters is nothing short of amazing.

Inside Gamer Online

Not only are the graphics and gameplay solid, but the audio is just as good as each of those areas, and in some ways better.

Game Over Online

Takes the solid premise of the first title, captures the good elements and radically expands upon them to create one of the best platformers ever seen on the PS2, and indeed all of platforming history.

Play Magazine

The art direction, cinemas, sound design and control schemes are masterful, and the levels never stop giving. [Oct 2004, p.76]

GameZone

The environment is huge but the controls are simple enough to allow players to explore without complication.

GameBiz

Sly 2: Band of Thieves’s many innovative features and its unique and varied mix of platforming adventure, stealth and action make it a very refreshing game.

1UP

This is exactly how a sequel should be done, and if there's anything wrong with it, it's only that it makes you wonder how Sucker Punch can possibly make as big a leap with the next game as they did with Sly 2.

GameSpot AU

It's a great game, hampered by a release date very close to a number of very prominent titles that are likely to overshadow it in the holiday season.

Yahoo! Games

Although there's little more than 20 hours lurking under the cover, that time is packed with some of the best gameplay we've seen in the genre for some time, and more story than most platformers have in their entire franchise.

Australian GamePro

This is brilliant escapism. It's adventure platforming at its most hospitable and Sly 2 has the charm, wit and quality to transcend all demographics.

RewiredMind

A stylish challenge that – should you be able to get past the more repetitive sections – will keep even the most hardcore of gamers entertained.

GamePro

Action/adventure fans who dare to the take the plunge will find themselves drawn in to a compelling world of puzzles, traps, stealth, animal acrobatics, thumb-burning boss battles, and wise-guy humor.

My Gamer

Older players will still have fun with Sly's outrageous dialog and funny plot, but may find the cartoonish look a little too much. The only downfall is it is simply too easy to satisfy the thirst of heavy gamers.

GMR Magazine

The graphics are beautiful, the characters original, the story entertaining, and the control dead-on. [Nov 2004, p.128]

Gaming Nexus

To put it succinctly, the camera system is awful.

GameSpy

Few other games feature such effortless charm, refreshing originality, or just plain sharp character design. Sly 2 is a feast for the character-action connoisseur.

AceGamez

Playing as Sly's sidekicks is a treat and the overall feel of the game is excellent; each objective actually feels important and they all lead up to the grand heists that are an absolute joy to pull off.

Worth Playing

The spot-on controls, variety, and slick presentation prove that this little woodland creature can run with the big boys in Sony’s platformer stable.

GameCritics

One of the stated goals of the developers was to immerse the player, allowing her to experience the sense of satisfaction of pulling off an intricate heist, tangoing with the law or paragliding across a Prague estate while remaining dapper and collected. In this I think Sucker Punch definitely delivered.

IC-Games

A lot of time has obviously gone into creating just the right blend of brilliant sound effects and instrumental pieces.

Armchair Empire

The game completely over-delivers and will surprise you at every corner with its diverse mission design.

Da Gameboyz

It is the best platformer you'll play all year, guaranteed. The pacing is wonderful, controls are intuitive and responsive, the gameplay is addictive, the worlds are beautiful and the plot will keep you coming back for more.

Game Informer

The real triumph of Sly Cooper's developer Sucker Punch is the way it has managed to make 3D platforming as fluid and effortless as the 8-bit 2D classics we cut our teeth on. [Oct 2004, p.130]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

The quality of the raccoon's second release is staggering, setting the bar awfully high for his jumpy brethren. [Nov 2004, p.142]

Just RPG

Fans of the original Sly Cooper will easily warm up to the sequel because it seems to stay very true to its roots.

3DAvenue

This single player only title is a great market contender to rival platformers such as Jak 3 and Ratchet and Clank 3, however there isn't too much extra to do besides exploring and collecting the clue bottles after the main story has finished.

Game Power Australia

A lengthy, wholly enjoyable game that, despite being rather easy, will keep young and old entertained for many hours to come.

PALGN

In two years the game has evolved from being a shallow linear platformer to a lengthy, creative and mesmorising title.

PSM Magazine

Devilishly easy to pick up and play, and damn hard to put down. And it's funny - both "haha" funny and "clever" funny. It's got a smooth style and charm that really endears itself to you. [Nov 2004, p.76]

GameSpot

The sequel delivers the same style of stealthy action found in the first game, but it wraps all the action up in a much more inventive and somewhat lengthier package.

netjak

Sly 2 is a fun game, but players will have to look through several layers of unnecessary makeup to find that fun.

Gaming Age

Those not familiar with the series and who are interested in a great looking, stylish and unique stealth/platformer, should give Sly 2 a try.

Game Revolution

You won’t want to invite the camera over for coffee or anything, as it can be quite unruly, occasionally getting stuck on terrain. The game also experiences some occasional slow-down and the very last battle seems a little unfinished. But make no mistake: Sly 2 is a great game.

RealGamer

The great thing about Sly 2 is that it never seems to get boring, you are always pushing ahead to unravel more of the story and to get that little bit further to the end (which incidentally is a long, long way from the start!) and with the free roaming environments, great controls and unique, switch-able characters.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

The levels are beautiful and are packed with things to do, but controlling Sly feels mysteriously cumbrous, and as a result the rest of the game suffers. [PSM2]

Computer and Video Games

Grumbles are few. There's a bit too much to-ing and fro-ing between your hideout and each objective, especially when you're forced to backtrack from one end of a level to the base in order to switch to another character. [PSW]

Gamer.tv

Developers sucker punch have done a great job of making you feel like you're playing an interactive cartoon.

GamerFeed

With the new team action introduced in the game, could it have been too much to ask for a multiplayer game?

G4 TV

But I feel like a thief has swiped the perfect pacing out of the series and replaced it with repetition.

Sydney Morning Herald

The dazzling presentation mimics Saturday morning cartoons and the charming cast bursts with personality. There is a wide repertoire of moves, many fun gadgets, and the controls are effortless.

Total Video Games

The new heist gameplay and co-operative sequences stand out in particular, and have been implemented with a level of execution that befits Sucker Punch.

Eurogamer

Sly 2 will make you smile your face off, and you can't ask for much more than that from a sequel that's far bigger and just as entertaining as the original, and still leaves you wanting more.

PSX Nation

Better-looking, more polished, funnier and longer (much longer) than its predecessor.

WHAM! Gaming

The best part is that the game is challenging and smart enough for adults without being so hard that the impatient or young kids can't pick it up and play well.

TotalGames.net

There's nothing here that will tax anyone who has ever played a platform game before and the game never hits you with a moment of pure genius or, indeed, innovation. What it does is provide you with a very attractive cartoon world to enjoy and a few light puzzles and situations to ponder.

Gamestyle

It’ll challenge you to the point of frustration but is saved by that just-one-more-go factor, and like a lot of music albums it is sometimes left wanting in the middle but starts and ends well. It’s above average, but falls short of greatness.

Boomtown

It may lack the cinematic punch of the big guns of Jak and Ratchet, but it never plumbs the depths of Ty or Crash.

Stuff

While playing, we began to wonder whether it would be cooler if the bad guys won? We tried joining forces with them, but died each time. Way to be cliquey, guys.

Edge Magazine

Over-dependence on legwork over the bulk of each world robs the game of its sparkle, making it feel more work-ethic sweatshop than well-paced sweetshop. [Dec 2005, p.111]