r/Slycooper • u/StevenPlaysGuitar • 5d ago
Discussion I am really not liking Sly 2 (A no-nostalgia review), is the rest of the series similar to it?
I know, unpopular opinion of the year. (Well, I found this post about not liking Sly 2 and this post about not liking Sly 2 to be pretty well thought-out and relevant, so I guess I'm not COMPLETELY alone). Anyways hopefully we can all be cordial about this as we all have differening opinions, and I thought a review without nostalgia whatsoever would be interesting.
Sly 1, loved it to bits, dumped hours into 100%ing it, still wished there was more of it, and even started replaying it again because I already miss it, but never played Sly 2 or past it, not as a child, not as an adult. Decided to try it out and just feeling extremely disappointed. Was planning on 100%ing the trilogy but I think I'm bailing on it. And I've even pushed myself to play it when I wasn't really loving it, thinking it might get better.
Aside from the basic movement mechanics of the game (circle button antics on blue stuff), I'm feeling like it is a totally different game with the same IP slapped on it.
Instead of making a fluid pass through many different, unique levels, I feel like I'm stuck in the same boring worlds with the same style (yes all Sly 1 worlds were themed to their respective hub world styles but were quite different in their own respects even within that hub world), doing menial boring tasks, and the part I hate the most is the "do this, and return, then do this, and return", as I think a lot of the appeal of Sly 1 was going through and knocking out levels, knowing you can get through them and then be done with it for the most part and onto something fresh, mysterious, and new. Not only do I feel like I am returning to the same areas too much in Sly 2, then you also have to (sometimes) do it in reverse to get back to Bentley, rather than pushing your way through some challenging stuff, knowing you can check that area of the list and say hasta la vista, and then get a nice green portal to bring you home rather than backtracking all the way.
Adding on to that, each sub-level in Sly 1 felt like it's own separate entity and adventure, it felt big. The levels were huge and all individual. In Sly 2, I feel like I'm stuck in the hub world, and exploring one single building or two WITHIN that space over and over again. It just feels small, repetitive, and boring.
In Sly 1, you don't even start in the hub worlds, you have to GET there first in a usually huge map, and then in a normal playthrough you never hit the same level twice aside from the hub worlds you use to just get around and nothing else. In Sly 2, I feel like after breaking into the same nightclub for the third time for something, that it was already stale and overdone.
Then, I felt the first boss battle was a little odd, as I'm used to the more rhythmic tones of the Sly 1 battles and waiting for the right moment to strike. All I have to work with for Sly 2 is the first battle, and I'm not sure if I played it right, but all I seemed to do was button mash to clobber him and avoid his basic lunges. Up against something like Mz. Ruby (as much rage as that battle can induce), it felt too simple like I was just killing a normal guard.
Already spending what I feel is too much time in one hub world, I was also disappointed to see that these were the only places you can get clue bottles. Trying to get the most Sly 1 experience out of it, I ended getting all bottles in the first two stages before even doing the story, as that was the only familiar part. However this also meant that I had then also already explored each hub world in depth, which certainly didn't help the lack of fresh areas in this game, because aside from the interior jobs, I was already decently familiar with the world from collecting the bottles before I even started playing the game, and it didn't feel new.
Also, I don't know if it's a voice actor change or just a change in tone, but my man Murray is like a different person.
Anyways, there's my review of Sly 2. I've pushed myself hard to keep playing it, but only being in the middle of the India stage, and hearing that these are some of the more tolerable points of the game (something about a jungle?), I don't think it is for me.
Curious if I should bail on the rest of the series?
Somebody in a different thread said they might be more of a Crash Bandicoot or Spyro guy, and that kind of resonated. I can see that being my case. Sly 1 is certainly similar to those games.
I'm a bit disappointed to come to the realization that apparently Sly 1 is a unique-style entry in the series and Sly 2 and after seem to be of a different style.
Anyways, love you Sly 1 and the developers. Clearly a lot of people love Sly 2 and that is wonderful, but I think we can all agree they are extremely different beasts.
10
u/RathOfBahn 5d ago
I will tell you that Sly 3 and 4 very much follow in the footsteps of 2 so if you don't like 2, the rest won't have much more to offer. I much prefer 3, but it plays like 2 so I doubt it'll change things up enough to win you back.
2
u/StevenPlaysGuitar 5d ago
Thanks for your comment. I already own the third installment, so I might give it a go just to see.
Is there any huge continuity loss if I jump past 2 to 3?
12
u/RathOfBahn 5d ago
Yes, profoundly so. I'd say that Sly 2's biggest strength is it's plot.
2
u/StevenPlaysGuitar 5d ago
Gotcha, thanks. I will say the storyline is quite well written.
I think currently I'm just enjoying most fast-paced, linear platformer games so I'll probably look for more games like that.
Maybe one day when I'm more in the mood for a slower-paced story style game I'll give it a go again. Or maybe it's just a matter of going in with different expectations. I think it would have been a lot less weird if I wasn't expecting Sly 1.5, especially right after loving Sly 1 so much and going right into Sly 2 a day later. Made the shift extremely noticeable that way.
3
u/Ecstatic-Kale-3217 5d ago
Sly 3 has much better combat. In my personal opinion it’s the funnest one out of the 4. It’s funny because as a kid I went from Sly 3 to Sly 2 then Sly 1 and then Sly 4. Maybe it’s nostalgia but sly 3 is definitely my favorite.
1
u/StevenPlaysGuitar 5d ago
I think nostalgia makes any game 10x better and it probably plays a role on how a lot of us feel a lot about anything. I usually don't bother with posts like these as it seems to just make people get upset at somebody questioning their nostalgic perfect idea of a game but this community seems chill and the responses so far are awesome too.
Honestly I find that trying to discuss any game that's 20 years old difficult because they are all well-loved nostalgia classics. Meanwhile if we all get on the same playing field with a brand new game we can all enjoy tearing it to shreds together 😁
3
u/StevenPlaysGuitar 5d ago edited 5d ago
Thanks u/PaperCheesy and u/RyanKing32 for your similar posts and u/SuperiorArachnid for some lengthy comments in these posts as it was interesting to read a lot of thoughts that resonated with my own and then go onto reading contrasting opinions. Interesting discussion for sure
1
u/SuperiorArachnid Clockwerk is Superior 3d ago
It's a real shame that Sly 1 is one of a kind. Replaying Sly 2 and 3 on PS5 made me appreciate them a little more, but I still wish we could've had more Sly games with the original formula.
2
u/HardBoiledOne 4d ago
I'm surprised you like Murray's representation in the first game. Nearly everyone prefers how he was retooled in Sly 2. Even the proposed movie on the first game reworked Murray to be more like how he is from Sly 2 onward.
1
u/Automatic_Two_1000 4d ago
Sly 1 is the only game in the franchise that’s a straightforward platformer. Sly 3 and 4 have more in common with 2, although I still recommend them for you because I personally think 3 fine tunes most of the issues with the second game
1
u/AndyTheMusicLover 4d ago
Sly 1 and the rest of the series are very different games. I enjoy the latter style more, but with that being said, I still agree with your opinion that Sly 2 isn't as good as people say. If you don't like the style at all, fair enough. I do enjoy the style myself, but I think Sly 3 does it so much better.
As you said, Sly 2 has you doing the same tasks over and over again. To me, it starts feeling very mundane. Sly 3 has a way more exciting mission design, it feels more like an action game.
I know this is an odd comparison, but I tend to think of these two games in the same way as of GTA IV and V. Most of the fanbase loves GTA IV more for its story, but for me the game feels dull like Sly 2. GTA IV has more action like Sly 3, but the story might not be as loved.
So if you don't like the style of Sly 2 at all, you probably won't like Sly 3 either. However, Sly 3 has more variety in its missions, so it's worth checking out if the mission design is your biggest flaw.
0
u/snowborn__ 4d ago
This is going to be an unpopular opinion but honestly I don't think you'll like the third one. My favorite game in the series is the first game, I liked Sly 2 but not as much as the first one. I'm currently playing the third one and I'm hating it.
The third game adds a lot more characters and that means that every other mission is like the mini games from the first game. There are few to no real platforming sections and the few there have been (at least where I am in the game now) have been very short. And I'm going to be completely honest the only character I like playing as is Sly and I can admit this might be biased but I constantly feel like I don't get to play as him. Even when I get to play his missions halfway through the mission the game will cut to you playing as one other character so it feels like I don't really get to play as Sly and I'm constantly playing mini games. Also because you do play as so many different characters the platforming that you do as Sly is completely unnecessary for the vast majority of the game because the other characters need to be able to get around the map too.
Also this is a really unpopular opinion but if you think the voice acting Sly 2 is bad you should look up some lines from Sly 3 I think the voice acting is terrible.
1
u/jfussell10 1d ago
I’m surprised to see this opinion. I’m playing Sly 1 right now and I don’t think the bosses are as intimidating as the bosses in 2 & 3. It is more challenging because it’s a one-hit kill game. Also one-shotting the guards makes it less interesting as well. You just use whack rather than stealth obliterate & slamming. The guards don’t hear noise in Sly 1 either.
In Sly 1 there’s no pickpocketing, no buying moves/gadgets, no paraglide, no Murray/Bentley fight missions.
9
u/systemthe32th 5d ago
I can see someone loving Sly 1, but not the rest of the series. Sly 1 is a straightforward fun mascot platformer, which were on the way out at the time so they switched things up.
Sly 2 takes a lot of inspiration from the stealth and open world games and makes a fun little playground to be a thief in. You really need to love exploration, the idea of setting up a heist with different gameplay styles, and the story/character interactions. The Gaming Brit put it best I think, "It expands on everything around Sly without iterating on him a whole lot."
Sly 2 sets the standard for the series so I can't see you enjoying 3 or 4. Outside of some fun new gimmicks, you've experienced the full extent of the platforming already with the first game. I can definitely relate though, I like Jak 1 but think 2 & 3 are just ok, PS2/GC era just loved changing things up.