A Sly-tly Long Critique of Sly 2: Band of Thieves
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- In this nearly 4 hour long video I dissect the inner workings of Sly 2 Band of Thieves. This video is a follow up to my 2.5 hour critique of Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus which I would recommend watching before this one. Sly 2 is my favorite video game of all time, and I truly believe it ends up being more than the sum of its parts. Some of its' technical workings have diminished, but this game took a basic formula outlined by the first game and expanded on it greatly by revolutionizing the gameplay and crafting a much more impactful story with highs and lows along the way. It is an upgrade over the first game in every way and remains the pinnacle of the series for me and many others.
Sly 1 Critique: • A Sly-tly Long Critiqu...
Twitter: NopNapNarp
Time Stamps:
Intro: 00:00:00
Tutorial: 5:24
A Black Chateau: 10:28
Satellite Sabotage: 14:23
Breaking and Entering: 15:29
Bugging Dimitri's Office: 17:40
Follow Dimitri: 20:17
Waterpump Destruction: 22:32
Silence the Alarms: 24:40
Theater Pickpocketing: 25:46
Moonlight Rendezvous: 28:31
Disco Demolitions: 30:12
Operation Thunderbeak: 32:10
A Starry Eyed Encounter: 38:00
Recon the Ballroom: 40:46
Lower the Drawbridge: 42:41
Steal a Tuxedo: 46:32
Dominate the Dancefloor: 49:37
Battle the Chopper: 51:46
Boardroom Brawl: 52:56
RC Bombing Run: 54:55
Elephant Rampage: 56:18
Operation Hippo Drop: 57:22
The Predator Awakes: 1:01:04
Spice Room Recon: 1:03:34
Water Bug Run: 1:04:49
Freeing the Elephant: 1:06:05
Leading Rajan: 1:07:43
Neyla's Secret: 1:11:12
Spice Grinder Destruction: 1:13:17
Blow the Dam: 1:14:34
Ruby Rip-Off: 1:15:46
Operation Wet Tiger: 1:18:06
Jailbreak: 1:25:02
Eavesdropping on Contessa: 1:25:57
Train Hack: 1:28:25
Wall Bombing: 1:30:26
Big House Brawl: 1:35:47
Lightning Action: 1:40:51
Disguise Bridge: 1:42:28
Code Capture: 1:43:25
Close to Contessa: 1:45:11
Operation Trojan Tank: 1:46:36
A Tangled Web: 1:50:21
Know Your Enemy: 1:51:11
Ghost Capture: 1:53:18
Mojo Trap Action: 1:58:56
Kidnap the General: 2:00:54
Stealing Voices: 2:01:56
Tank Showdown: 2:04:01
Crypt Hack: 2:06:17
Operation High Road: 2:08:30
He Who Tames the Iron Horse: 2:17:35
Cabin Crimes: 2:19:59
Spice in the Sky: 2:24:22
A Friend in Need: 2:25:51
Ride the Iron Horse: 2:32:37
Aerial Assault: 2:34:00
Bear Cub Kidnapping: 2:35:12
Theft on the Rails: 2:39:02
Operation Choo-Choo: 2:39:59
Menace in the North, Eh?: 2:44:54
Recon the Sawmill: 2:45:49
Bearcave Bugging: 2:48:11
RC Combat Club: 2:49:17
Laser Redirection: 2:51:25
Lighthouse Break In: 2:53:24
Ole Grizzle Face: 2:55:04
Boat Hack: 2:56:34
Thermal Ride: 2:59:10
Operation Canadian Games: 3:00:28
Anatomy for Disaster: 3:07:53
Blimp HQ Recon: 3:08:51
Charged TNT Run: 3:13:02
Murray/Sly Tag Team: 3:15:20
Sly/Bentley Conspire: 3:16:40
Bentley/Murray Team Up: 3:17:36
Mega Jump Job: 3:21:01
Carmelita's Gunner: 3:22:04
Overall Story Thoughts and Theme: 3:28:02
Quick Character Arc Analysis: 3:31:23
Extras: 3:38:13
Conclusion: 3:39:58 - Hry
Like this video? How about another classic Sony franchise, Spyro the Dragon? Check out my 1.5 hour analysis of the first game!
czcams.com/video/Q1mlM13jtKo/video.html&ab_channel=NopNapNarp
bro i watched your sly 1 retrospective yesterday and watching this now today. i really love your content and would encourage you to keep going! (i will be watching sly 3 + 4 videos as well lol. got inspired from sly 1 coming on ps5)
@@neqativecreep8143 It's funny you say that because ever since Sly 1 released on PS5 these videos have seen an uptick in views which is awesome! So glad more people are checking out/re-visiting this epic trilogy of games! Thank you so much for taking the time to watch my videos! Glad you got some enjoyment from them.
I adore Sly's grin when he pickpockets something in this game. Something about the way one of his brows is cocked just reads as "the heck is this?" and it's wonderful.
A tiny detail worth appreciating
You can almost see parallels between the first and second halves of the game. The first chapters of each are almost across-the-board victories for the Cooper gang. _The Black Chateau_ has a smooth atmosphere, taking place in Sly's hometown of Paris, and ends with them getting the tail feathers and getting Dimitri put away, a total victory but for the fact that there are many more Clockwerk parts left and (at that point) who knows how many more Klaww Gang members, while _A Tangled Web_, the first chapter of the second half, ends with the Cooper gang freeing Carmelita, nabbing the eyes, and getting the Contessa arrested, but Neyla getting a promotion and more authority and Carmelita also being forced to go on the lam, not to mention the uneasy note the chapter ends on with "this Klaww business... spiraling out of control."
_A Starry-Eyed Encounter_ and _He Who Tames The Iron Horse_, the second chapters of each half of the game are both chapters that have the breeziest tones of their respective halves from start to finish. The former has suave tango dancing, an enjoyable brawl, and RC shenanigans, while the latter is an excellent take on the classic criminal trope of the great train robbery, along with a buffoon of a main antagonist. But the victories enjoyed by the Cooper gang are incomplete, of course with Rajan escaping the former and Jean Bison being largely left alone in the latter, along with Sly being forced to contemplate turning himself in to clear Carmelita's name. Sly and the gang not taking measures to take their enemies off the board in these chapters only result in them being far more direct and active obstacles going forward, with grim ramifications for the team.
The third chapters of each half, _The Predator Awakes_ and _Menace Of The North, Eh?_ have much uneasier tones to them after the more romantic feel of their predecessors, as the baddies of their respective preceding chapters, now that they know of Sly's involvement, seek to be more of a direct opponent. Things only take longer and more difficult for the gang with multiple points of focus to deal with, with the gang having to infiltrate Rajan's spice facility while also trying to set up Rajan to put himself in a position to be robbed in chapter three, due to Rajan's halving of the heart, and with the gang's dual focus in chapter seven on scrambling to prepare for the lumberjack games and rigging the battery for their stowaway plans. The issues in both chapters result in total failures for the team. Perhaps the gang would have avoided jail entirely if not for Rajan using the entire heart in the spice facility, and perhaps without the time pressure of Arpeggio's arrival, they would have been able to come up with a better plan to obtain the talons than simply participating in the lumberjack games. In both cases, the gang incurs a near-total loss, with the chapters ending with the gang and Carmelita being jailed and Arpeggio getting the Clockwerk parts, respectively, only Bentley's escape in the former and the gang's successful stowing away in the battery in the latter leaving any glimmers of hope.
The final chapters of each half, _Jailbreak_ and _Anatomy For Disaster_ carry the most oppressive tones of any chapter in the series, taking place at a prison compound in Prague under a blood red sky with Sly and Murray in the clink and precariously up in an unnaturally purple sky respectively. Both chapters see the gang slowly clawing their way back from the brink, Bentley freeing Sly and the two eventually freeing Murray in the former, and the gang taking out the blimp engines to de-power Clock-La and successfully getting Carmelita's help in the latter. Both of the chapters have major ramifications for Bentley in particular, Bentley becoming far more confident and active in the latter parts of the game thanks to his crucible in chapter four, and of course his injury at the end of chapter eight. Both chapters end in bittersweet victories for the gang, the net result of chapter four's events for the Cooper gang being badly delayed in their mission, possibly contributing to their later defeats, and the finale of chapter eight ending with Clockwerk being destroyed for good and Sly getting his in with Carmelita before making his escape, but with Murray and Bentley psychologically and physically broken, respectively. A major victory, an incomplete win, a near-total defeat, and a much more affecting incomplete win.
“It's like poetry, sort of. They rhyme.” - George Lucas
Great breakdown
2:00:35 I think those are wolves, like werewolves to compliment the horror gothic aesthetic of Prague in this game
- The Purple lightning comes from Dimitri's ring
- Sly's motivation about infiltrating the ball is to use Carmelita as a dance partner to distract the guests while Murray saws the Clockwerk wings out from its hinges. In order to get Carmelita to be his dance partner, since she's picky about them, she has to impress / make her jealous by first dancing with Neyla.
I've only watched the first 20 minutes or so but this video is great dude for real, I can't imagine how long it took you to write or the editing hell you went through lol. Awesome work! Definitely earned a subscriber.
Thanks Owen. Each of these videos took about 2 months to make. I've been working on the Sly 3 video since early September. It should be up in about a month or so.
Man I played this game and the 3rd one on repeat as a child.. so much nostalgia ! Also the tank mission I absolutely love! The way they drive is easy to understand because it drives like a bobcat or forklift irl
Forklift certified person in the comments!?! LETS GO!! Thanks for watching.
My biggest issue is that they didn’t need to get all of the clockwerk parts. After getting the Wings,Head,Eyes, and Heart I would’ve removed myself and lay low
Just grab the tailfeathers and blow them up, problem solved
except that immortality hate chip I guess
ain’t no way sly would be satisfied with that after all he’s been through with clockwerk. if he has the opportunity to take it all, he will
Sly 2 and 3 are my favorite video games of all time. It just has such a unique cast of characters, charm, and sophisticated but retro cartoon style that makes the whole experience so whimsically memorable. The gameplay is also top-notch as well! You did an incredible job examining every detail in Sly 2! Much props!
Thank you so much for the kind words! Absolutely love Sly 2 to pieces
@@nopnapnarp8047 I still have the original on a PS2 that is a bit rusty. It was the second video game I ever attained and I was immediately captivated by the art style when I first saw the commercial on TV. I know practically every trick in that game along with glitches I don't think anyone's discovered. I will say that I found the glitches in Sly 2 to be a ton more compelling and interesting than the ones you can pull in Sly 3.
I truly appreciate and enjoy these Sly critique videos. You are well-spoken and decipher the narrative and mechanics of the game with great fluidity and focus. Although you barely play any background music your voice never becomes monotone and I managed to stay engaged with my listening throughout the whole video. I also like the way you structure your critique. Sprinkling e.g. the critique of voice acting, music, character development, etc - all throughout the video while smoothly transitioning back to the episode at hand again.
Thank you so much! For this series I don't think I used any background noise. I just left the gameplay audio on a light bit, but hardly at all. I appreciate you taking the time to check out my channel!
wow, i've never sat down and watched a 3hr video and was engaged the entire time, this was great! also my favorite game of all time. about to go watch sly 3, great content!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!!
omg finally someone who is positive about the clue bottles
The clue bottles are great, missed them in Sly 3
@@nopnapnarp8047 in sly 3 a lot more misssions take place in inside rooms so the overworld becomes less important to explore still i wish they had bottles
I love the clue bottles.
1:12:19 - I'm still watching through (finding this playlist a few years late, yay! that's fun) but I need to comment on this one.
Neyla's chase mission routes make perfect sense when you think about her character in the overall narrative. She's _toying_ with Sly entirely in these sequences, and when you lean back to think about it it's easy to see she is getting a thrill out of how Sly obediently follows her wherever she goes to the point she can take a stupid, roundabout path and laugh to herself how gullible Sly is being. It plays into the arrogance we see from her later in the game quite nicely, and adds a lot of subtle depth to these missions with her early game on a repeat playthrough.
You know that's actually a really awesome point I've never considered. It's a bit of the gameplay subtly hinting at her true intentions.
Good point
i think one way to fix murray is to amplify the focus on his strength while making Sly’s viable option is stealth kills… basically nerf sly’s attack (except the stealth one-hit kills) & defense and boost murray’s, so when we do get to play as Murray we get to experience a real powertrip… it wont take away from the Sly experience since you’re a stealthy character with a lot of items under your belt
That would be a great way of balancing things! Both characters still shine but in different ways.
thank you for keeping the conversation going on such an awesome game!!
You're welcome! Glad to do so, it's my favorite game of all time.
Man, you haven't lived till you use the stealth slide on the railroad tracks in episode 6. Try it once, and you'll be doing it all the time just to see how much speed you can build.
One of my favorite moments is in episode 5 when Neyla gets caught in the web after the chase.
“You should really watch where you’re going. This place is dangerous!! ………😀👍🏻”
Classic Sly roast
Absolutely incredible review! I loved every second. Sly 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. You did this series justice in your detail. I think the beginning 4 levels of Sly 2 are a masterpiece but after that it sort of drops off a bit
I'm inclined to agree. After Jailbreak, the game struggles to reach the same emotional highs. Still a quality game throughout, but definitely stronger in the first half. Glad you enjoyed the video!
This is probably the longest commentary I have watched. And I did not regret it
Let's go!!!
Great video can’t wait for your Sly 3 review
Thanks, hopefully this summer or fall sometime.
Incredible video! I love that you talk about every single job in the game, analyzing every little piece of the game design. I have a few disagreements:
- I love the gadget system! Most of them are optional, but they're still more useful in general than Sly 1. They allow you to customize your playstyle and tackle the game's challenges in different, creative ways. The way gadgets are drip fed to you over the course of the game encourages you to experiment with all of them as well. Regarding the combat-centric gadgets for Sly, I think it's fine. They help make up for Sly's low damage output, but not to such an extent that the game's stealth elements are disincentivized. Stealth is still the better option, but it's nice having stuff like the Voltage Attack for when the only option is to fight.
- I'm generally happy with how Murray was implemented. The game focuses so heavily on stealth that Murray's ability to just tear through the enemies is a satisfying change of pace. I like mixing up attacks a bit. Two punches, uppercut combo, throw enemy at other enemy, use a fire attack, etc. It's not DMC, but it's entertaining. It does lack depth so it's probably good he gets so few missions, but his missions are quite fun! It makes me wish they thought of more ways to use his skills. I also think he shows his strength very often. He lifts a ton of stuff that the rest of the gang couldn't dream of. He doesn't need to take on thirty enemies at a time to show his strength-- he's a strong guy, not a superhero-- But a pack of three or four enemies is a lot for Sly, while Murray cuts through them like butter.
- On the note of Murray, I really liked Rajan's boss fight. His pattern is simple, but it's dangerous, and figuring out how to fight around it is fun. You can also pick up the enemies and throw them at Rajan, which knocks him down, allowing you to pick him up and throw him into the fence. His lightning attack is the cherry on top.
Again, amazing video! Can't wait to watch the next two!
I will say there is something so satisfying about using the mega jump pack as well as the feral pounce. I believe that's what it's called? Leaping around the maps like a bunny was always satisfying. I used to waste time as a kid just jumping around the map using that ability since it didn't cost gadget points, or whatever you'd like to call the orange bar. (I think it was in Sly 2 and 3).
Your point about Murray being a strong dude and not a superhero really connected with me. That makes a lot of sense when you view it that way.
Glad you're enjoying them! Thanks for watching!
Rajan actually has 2 different attacks the sweep and slam combo and one where he electrifies the water I think the trigger for the water shock might be player to boss distance
Awesome video, I fell asleep watching last night now I’m trying to find where I left off 😅
I think dimitri wears a ring that lets him do that . I remember reading it somewhere maybe in promotional material for the game?
yeah its his ring
I never knew how good Sly Cooper as a character was. I didn't expect to get a deep insight about a game.
I do love my themes and psychology in a game.
Me too! The sly series is deeper than it appears at first glance
To be honest I can completely explain the keys lore wise. Dude throws a key into the ocean from the docks to protect his the cage that would inevitably need a locksmith to open, placing more of the keys in various places rather than key key set in heavily guarded locations. If my security team fumbled this bad, man, they’re all fired.
This is my favorite game, and something I found interesting is you talked about Sly's voice. Every review I have seen said he was so amazing, so I different viewpoint on it was cool. I have always loved the voice of Sly, but I like to hear different options. Out of everyone, I would say Bentley is the best voice; super distinctive. If I ranked, the best three in the game for me are Bentley, Sly, and Murray. Also, love how in-depth you went into the game; it makes me love it more.
I'm really glad you enjoyed the video and share in the passion for this fantastic game. It's my favorite of all time too, still to this day. I think a lot of the game's most iconic lines come from Sly in this game, but as a whole, I think he's not always on point. A bit bare bones at times.
Awesome review! Such a pleasure to see my childhood given attention like this.
Dimitri’s lightning attack is from his special ring. By the time of Sly 2, it’s breaking, that’s why it flutters on and off during the fight and sometimes seems to not work/overheat. That’s also why he doesn’t have it in the third game.
That makes a lot of sense! I wish the game talked more about the properties of the ring in game!
My favorites in order are Sly 1, followed by 3 and finally 2. While it may be my least favorite of the trilogy, Sly 2 is a lot of fun and I have completed several playthroughs of it. Great video
Wow! That's an order you almost never see. I would love to hear more about why Sly 1 ends up being your favorite and why Sly 2 falls all the way to the end.
1:58:04 Ghosts and souls being captured in cameras and mirrors/reflections are a common folkloric tale, appearing in a variety of stories for centuries. Heck, even in the world of video games there's a whole horror series stretching back to the PS2 focused on capturing ghosts in photos, Zero/Fatal Frame, and the concept appears in other media as well, from Harry Potter evoking the concept in a roundabout way, to SOMA mentioning it in a tongue in cheek way to reference a major theme of the story, to the Taiwanese indie horror game Devotion (if you're somewhat familiar with some background religious significance of mirrors) using it as a subtle way to hint at the antagonists being fulla shit.
Thanks for the comments, you've given me a lot to consider. I love when viewers are able to contribute to the video by offering up further insights and thoughts! Thank you!
Decent video. You're certainly right about many things.
Thanks!
Just finished the Sly 1 video. Time to sit down and get comfy for Sly 2
Hope it brings you some entertainment and enjoyment!
How did Jean Bison figure out where the Safe House was? He is smart but that should have been explained.
Yeah the lack of explanation always stuck out to me
@@nopnapnarp8047 I always assumed it was overconfidence that got them there. Like they have guards walk by the parking spot for the van quite a few times. You're in the area, and theres only so many houses. They'll find it eventually
i mean the whole safehouse was see thru w the huge windows 😅 really easy to see them in there. my question that whole time was how did he not find them sooner?
A few things of note, but you don't actually have to fight those guards at all in the first bug mission. If you time your jumps and climbing right, you can slip past all of the rats easy. I've never had to fight when I've played it.
Dimitri isn't firing purple lightning. He's launching shots just like Carmalita would. He just does it through his rings rather than a pistol.
As for the "disguise" in the ballroom thing, it's kind of like a Clark Kent Superman sort of scenario. Like they wouldn't believe he'd show himself that way or that there was no way he could be Sly.
Also what were you talking about with the options not being there in Thieves in Time? You could do that in quite a few sections.
Can you time stamp your last question? Not sure what you're reffering too.
Yes, you can climb past the rats without fighting if you time it right. You can also alert them and still get past them without fighting. You may take some chip damage, but won't die.
Yes it's Dimitri's rings, although it's hard to tell that based on what's shown.
The Clark Kent disguise is stupid here, and in Superman. Just unrealistic.
*referring*
@NopNapNarp it's an hour and 4 minutes in. Right when you start in about water bug run.
Also not a fan of Superman? His disguise makes sense if you remember that his appearance really isn't that outrageous when he's Clark Kent. He's just like me. In more than one way since we're both from small town Kansas. Though I doubt you'd believe a third of the things I've experienced based on that. Few ever do.
1:57:39 I've played this game about half a dozen times, and I just now realized that you could climb on those traps. Otherwise, great video!
Thank your for this videos!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
Dimitri actually fires the lightning from his ring! which is why sometimes it backfires on him and he shakes his hand, which gives you an opportunity to approach and hit him.
Yeah a few commentors have pointed that out now, and I went back and noticed it. That's a cool little detail I'd had missed. I just wonder what powers the ring.
@@nopnapnarp8047 it's probably Dimitri's greasy sweet suit lol
"I have no idea what you're saying... and your suit sucks"
Simple. Sly’s camera is the camera obscura in fatal frame! Thats how it gets rid of ghosts!
I love Sly 2 I really do, probably my favorite in the series, but I reallly think what would’ve fixed/helped Nilah’s character would’ve been an episode about her as the villain wether that’s before or after Aropeggio or even after Contessa’s levels i think it would’ve helped flesh her out
I thought Tank Showdown was fine to be honest. I'm used to the whole "turning by moving the sticks in opposite directions (front/back together)", due to playing a lot of Katamari games before, and this is how you rotate in these games. I get it's not a control scheme for everyone, but it works.
Functional perhaps, but very blindsiding in this game
@@nopnapnarp8047 I guess it can be hard if you're not used to the controls, I get it. I do recommand trying out the Katamari games though if you haven't, they're pretty fun! It's also good practice for the Sly 2 tank controls xD
I actually watched my college roommate play Katamari Damacy years ago and I never realized it was tank controls lol
@@nopnapnarp8047 That's fair xD
Oh by the way, really enjoying the Sly critiques! Really good recaps of the games while also hearing about what makes them fun mechanically/story-wise/etc, along with their shortcomings when there are some! Currently watching the Sly 3 one and then will watch the Thieves in Time one, so I'll have watched them all! I hope there's an 8 hour critique of Bentley's Hackpack too, I'd watch that xD
HAHAHHAHA an 8 hour critique of Bentley's Hackpack, now we're diving into the true fandom there. I'd consider making a "hopes for Sly 5" video some day, but I just feel the franchise is dead to Sony, sadly.
I once heard someone say that Sly 1 is Crash Bandicoot with a hint of thief while Sly 2 is thief with a hint of Crash Bandicoot and I don’t know about you but I feel that’s a pretty apt description and it makes sense why this is what would become the main format for the series going forward.
Yeah I totally agree. I think Sucker Punch realized that the mechanics could be applied to a new format, going mission based instead of having platforming levels. I think they knew that they had some strong characters and bet on that, emphasizing the story much more in Sly 2 versus 1, and the strong reception indicated they made the correct choice. Sly 2 feels like such an evolution compared to Sly 1.
I always looked at the hate chip as something that Arpeggio created to harness hate. Not something Clockwerk always had
That's a better way to look at it
so fun fact during murry's fight with rajan he can actually strike the ground with the staff electrifying the ground hence why the lily pads are there to avoid that attack but since you never let him breathe he never got to use it since he just used his retaliation attack lol
you even show it at like 2:42:20 but surprisingly forgot to mention it lol
Sly 2 did a lot good but tbh i miss the platforming, i miss thematic areas that were more varied, and i liked how the bottles were in smaller locations so they were easier to realistically get.
In 2 the bottles felt tedious to get, and it could've been fixed by allowing the player to buy a map to the locations after the chapter is beaten or something similar. I liked the open world but i liked getting to explore areas too without having to watch 300 cutscenes prior.
Hm that's a fair point to make. Do you like Sly 1 more than Sly 2? I will say that the mission select in Sly 3 was a great addition and it's a shame that Sly 2 didn't have it.
Counterpoint to the anthropomorphic animals and the more regular ones
Is it strange or weird to see a regular human being standing next to a monkey? XD
I sorta joke but it's the exact same thing in this world, id assume
Rajan has 2 moves, he mainly uses the one you mentioned. But he has also a move that electrifies all the ground of the arena
Yeah you're right! It's funny because I 100% knew that going into the playthrough for this game but just blanked on it while script writing. An unfortunate error that made it through to the video.
35:00 Wait... "let birds and bees be free..." wait, hol' up-
ngl i kinda like the in game cinematic movements. Always found the "weird animatronic like" movement kinda stylized and charming, gives off a nice vibe to me.
Ranking Every Mission:
The Black Chateau:
11: Moonlight Rendevouz (Following Neyla is lazy and tedious)
10: Satellite Sabotage (A simple, but effective first mission)
9: Silence the Alarms (Solid enough, but not anything great)
8: Disco Demolitions (Bentley bombing…what’s not to love?)
7: Waterpump Destruction (Murray carries this mission)
6: Bug Dimitri’s Office (A classic Sly Cooper mission to me)
5: Breaking and Entering (Action packed and exciting)
4: Printing Press Duel (I love Dimitri and his boss rocks!)
3: Theater Pickpocketing (A classic, stealthy Sly mission)
2: Follow Dimitri (Getting up close and personal with the goat!)
1: Operation Thunder Beak (An amazing operation! Wow!)
A Starry Eyed Encounter:
12: RC Bombing Run (The beginning of the world minigame)
11: Clear the Way for Murray (God, I hate this RC chopper)
10: Ballroom Dance Party (Shouldn’t be considered a mission)
9: Elephant Rampage (I actually really enjoy this mission)
8: Battle the Chopper (Another hated one that I don’t hate)
7: Lower the Drawbridge (More classic Sly pickpocketing! Yay!)
6: Bomb the Bridge (I’m a bit of a pyromaniac so I love this)
5: Recon the Ballroom (One of the best recon mission)
4: Boardroom Brawl (Everyone’s abilities are put to use in an epic mission)
3: Dominate the Dance Floor (The dance missions are unique and fun)
2: Steal the Tuxedo (Ransacking is truly a blast!)
1: Tango w/ Carmelita (Do I even need to explain? Completely unforgettable)
The Predator Awakes:
9: Water Bug Run (This stupid fucking mission! God dammit!)
8: Spice Grinder Destruction (The TNT missions are THE WORST!)
7: Freeing the Elephant (I really hate it bc of the map itself)
6: Ruby Rip Off (Way too easy that it becomes boring)
5: Neyla’s Secret (The definition of lazy, boring level design)
4: Blow the Dam (A mission level being one of the best? Call me impressed…or unimpressed!)
3: Spice Room Recon (A recon mission being one of the best? That’s sad)
2: Leading the Rajan (Yes, I like this mission. Kill me!)
1: Operation: Wet Tiger (Easily the best. I love Rajan’s monologue and obv the twist)
Jailbreak:
9: Wall Bombing (I’m sick of these dumb RC missions!)
8: Code Capture (This one gave me some trouble many times)
7: Disquise Bridge (Quite difficult, but quite intense)
6: Lightning Action (This one’s easy, but I really like it)
5: Close to Contessa (Another mission where you get close to the villain)
4: Eavesdropping On Contessa (Contrived, but innovative)
3: Train Hack (The first of many awesome hacking missions)
2: Big House Brawl (Entirely epic, yet easy Murray action)
1: Operation: Trojan Tank (Murray under hypnosis is the highlight for me)
A Tangled Web:
8: Tank Showdown (Worst mission ever! Ugh! The controls!)
7: Kidnap the General (Too short to be considered a mission)
6: Know Your Enemy (It’s a recon mission, nothing to say)
5: Crypt Hack (Very similar to Mojo Trap Action but with hacking)
4: Stealing Voices (My favorite pickpocketing mission tbh)
3: Ghost Capture (A unique take on a basic recon mission)
2: Mojo Trap Action (Another very fun action oriented mission)
1: Operation: High Road (One of the most FULL operations in the series)
He Who Tames the Iron Horse:
8: Aerial Assault (Even the best level isn’t safe from the RC plague)
7: Bear Cub Kidnapping (I love this mission, but others are better)
6: Ride the Iron Horse (The same old train mission but with Bentley)
5: Theft On the Rails (The train missions! Wow! I love these!)
4: A Friend In Need (Another intense mission in an intense episode)
3: Spice In the Sky (The paraglider is always a blast to play!)
2: Operation: Choo Choo (A solid mission perfect for this episode)
1: Cabin Crimes (Starting the level next to Jean Bison is insane!)
Menace From the North, eh!:
10: RC Combat Club (A good RC mission?! That cannot be!!!)
9: Recon the Sawmill (This episode is full of banger missions)
8: Bearcave Bugging (I like this mission, it’s very solid)
7: Old Grizzle Face (Using the bear is hilariously badass!)
6: Boat Hack (I always love Bentley’s hacking missions)
5: Laser Redirection (A surprisingly thrilling slow burn)
4: Thermal Ride (Yay! More paraglider missions!)
3: Lighthouse Break-In (A mission with a lot of cool stuff)
2: Brain vs. Brawn (Best boss in the entire series imo!)
1: Operation: Canada Games (The hardest (and best) operation imo)
Anatomy for Disaster:
8: Charged TNT Run (Makes me want to shoot my TV screen)
7: Bentley/Murray Team Up (Playing as these characters? Not fun here!)
6: Blimp HQ Recon (Adds some much appreciated difficulty to recon missions)
5: Murray/Sly Tag Team (Solid, but nothing great. Meh)
4: Sly/Bentley Conspire (I really love all the pickpocketing stuff!)
3: Carmelita’s Gunner (Luckily, the end of this level is 🔥)
2: Showdown the Clock-La (The epic finale of the game!)
1: Mega Jump Job (I like this one. It’s very, very fun!)
I've not yet finished the video but I've loved it so far. I wanted to offer up my take on the question of what decides if an animal is human-like or not in this setting: What if it was a matter similar to real life humans and monkeys? We see non-sentient elephants in Sly 2, but then we see entirely sentient elephants in Sly 4. One could chalk that up to a lack of thought, but I choose to believe it's that every single animal in sly cooper has a feral counterpart that's really just a evolutionary cousin of theirs, akin to our relationship with other primates. We have a lot of similarities, but a lot of very glaring differences.
Yeah I think that theory makes the most amount of sense. Some sort of evolutionary divergence where some of the animals became sentient, while others, even of the same species, never did.
Guards actually can die from triangle combos. You just continue to juggle them till they die from going to high.
Really? Just spamming triangle will kill them eventually? I must try it
2:01:42 the shortest mission is actually the one before steal a tuxedo.
Technically yes!
Sees length in comparison to the first one: Now this is an instance of a *dud* critique following into a *STUD* critique.
Now all seriousness this is also a really good analysis. Breaking down each level and it’s major improvements over first one, mainly in the story and gameplay was really enjoyable and put my general feelings of this game into perspective. My favorite part of this video was probably your section on A Tangled Web, mainly through how you able to mix your honest thoughts and comedy together to make it a enjoyable all the way through. Even if you were critical on one of my favorite heists and episodes in the series.
Unlike the first, I have some minor disagreements and criticisms to give. Mainly the glitch in Menace To The North, That episode is probably my least favorite episode and having to do the second half about three times got really annoying. The part on Murray’s gameplay, yeah it’s simple, but that’s kinda the point of Murray and I feel it reflects his character well.
I think the constant mention of the convolution of some of the missions got pretty stale and unnecessary, by the time of the second Neyla mission, you already made your point the first time, and think could’ve been used to talk more about her character.
I also think elaborating more how each villain relates to their level(s) and themes of the game more, could’ve been nice. Like how a running theme for each of the villains is them isolating themselves from society to let their egotism and insecurities fester. While, The Cooper gang matures and open themselves up to each other and allies throughout the series. This can tie back into the theme of brotherhood, because the Klaww gang members only use each other for their own motives, instead of being genuine comrades.
My favorite thing about this analysis, despite it being your favorite game, you were still willing to criticize it and shows were it can be improved. Even if it can get into nitpicking, shows the objectivity and honesty you were willing to put in. Strengthening both your conclusion and individual points.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and despite Sly 2 being only my second favorite, still satisfying. It was also surprisingly funny, so there’s that. Cutting down on some nit picking and exploring more of the character’s thematic relevance, would only make it better. Take as long need or want for 3 and TIT, as long as the quality stays consistent and doesn’t effect your health.
A very well thought-out and written comment with valuable insight and feedback for me to consider moving forward. I greatly appreciate the honesty and willingness to both praise and criticize. Moving forward into the third and fourth video of this series, I do want to try to minimize repitition of points as to not waste the viewer's time.
I agree that Menace in the North drags and my commentary on the glitch was more of a trivia fact to be quite honest. Never has it caused me to lose progress, but instead was something I exploited to play that section of the game over again when I was younger. I never considered that it would cause players to lose progress.
If I were to do this video over again, I'd expand the character arcs section, especially that of the villains. I'd also try to be less wordy and more direct. I've already started my review of Animal Crossing New Horizons, and am seeking to blend these approaches into that video.
Thanks again! Looking forward to making the Sly 3 and TiT video. If you know anyone who may enjoy these, feel free to share.
The reason why sly gets his hat off on the binocucom is because of his animation when standing still where he takes out his hat. The faces are in real time i believe
Oh that would make a lot of sense
59:47. Great reference :D
It's so damn true though lol
Arpeggio's backstory while a humorous red herring is technically a plot hole. With the odd exception of Clockwerk, Birds are consistently depicted as flightless meaning his motivation has no source.
I heard that the game was supposed to be 10 chapters, with Dimitri getting a part 2 while Arpeggio would have had a chapter to himself prior to the Finale. However I cannot find a source for this. The idea that a chapter might be missing would explain how Bison was somehow able to do what Contessa and Neyla could not (Taking the Cooper gang's stash of Clockwerk parts).
Lets Talk About Clock-La(Neyla-Werk in JAP version). Calling the fight a rehash is practically an insult. given that it is worse in all respects. When roaming they are just a platform with a spotlight(Heck you can even RIDE HER with a well timed jump).
The Hate chip kind of just materializes out of thin air, and to me feels like something left over from a cut plot-line.
By the time you land in Paris, Clock-La is an immobile husk, who can at best yell at people, I think it would have been a more interesting idea if she was hauled off and detained in the museum.
Those are some things I have to say.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts! I would have liked to seen Arpeggio get his own chapter no doubt.
I'm only about half way through this video and my only critique of your critique as someone who has finished Sly 2 well over 30 times is that a lot of the missions you considered boring are only like that once you finished the game a few times. Water bug run, kidnap the general, following Neyla, and similar traversal based missions are burned into my memory because of how long it took me the first couple times until I found the fast route. Playing those levels as intended was brutal lol. I do agree that these missions become less engaging after you figure out the best way to do it but since they're so quick I either use it as a breather or go the intended (or sometimes significantly harder) way to challenge myself
That's true! It's hard to look at a game divorced of all your biases, including having played it so many times before. But it's absolutely a fair point. How does it play on a first time experience is important.
I know this is an old video, but I'm surprised you weren't a fan of the music in the entire game, especially when it contributes to the game's noir, grittiness, and mystery. Especially Neyla's theme when you have to follow her. However, I wish the music in Contessa's theme was similar to Ms. Ruby's swamp.
In the years since this video, and even before it, I always loved Sly 2's music. Not sure why it didn't hit the same on that particular playthrough, but now-a-days, I for sure like it more than Sly 1's.
1:14:59 When you start the mission, the reticule is on the dam at the start. If you solely focus on the dam, you will destroy it before the choppers can kill you. This also means you dont need to move around to shoot the choppers. I know most people probably are casual players but speedrun methods are the easiest ways to do things.
I gotta try this out next time I play! I'm curious what the WR speed run is for Sly 2 without glitches
@@nopnapnarp8047 IMO, the glitches are what make the speedruns so cool to watch. Without, i feel it would just be a fast casual run rofl
@@rymatang10 Oh, maybe a glitched run is the way to go then. It's always cool seeing how they break the game
Regarding the northern light battery bit in Arpeggio's plan. Considering that he and Jean Bison were collecting light energy for a while up to that point, I'd imagine he had enough energy by that point for his plan to work. Still, it's nice to have more than what you need. That's my guess anyway.
Other than some parts I disagree with, you did a good job.
Decent point, could explain that plothole away. Thank you Punpun for the feedback!
Neyla’s actions are a cause of her power hungry nature
She’s a megalomaniac who simply strives at achieving authority and being a triple agent makes that come easily
For her it’s easy to gain others trust to put her in a good position for more power and it’s why she so easily betrayed the cooper gang, Carmelita, and Arpeggio
Because doing so netted her position and in the case of arpeggio climaxed to a god complex seeking the power of immortality just to look down on everyone else
As for what makes her like this, who knows since the game doesn’t explain her backstory just stating what I’ve observed from her character, she’s a blatant sociopath and gets a kick out of the downfall of others
Man how do your graphics look so good? I tried to emulate using PCSX2 and it looks so bad, even upping the resolution just breaks the game
I played the game on Playstation 4 through the Playstation Now streaming service. I also recorded it using an Elgato capture card.
this video is great but.. its too quiet i had to put my headphones to full volume to hear it better
Thank you! Yes, this video is a few years old now. I hope I've gotten better with audio in more recent videos.
I've gotta disagree with you on two core things. I think the music in this game is hands down much better than in Sly 1. I like that each level has a theme in Sly 1, but I find the themes to come out much stronger in Sly 2. Though it is down to preference, I think Sly 1 sounds nice, Sly 2 makes me feel things.
The other thing I think I disagree on is the powerups. I find they are not gimmicks and are instead ways to add depth to the combat and stealth. Just looking at Sly's gadgets: Smoke bomb can be used in combat to get back in stealth, knockout dive allows you to use knockout slam in the midst of combat, insanity strike can be used to make distractions in stealth or make an ally in combat, combat dodge helps make the combat more slill based and lets you actually dodge enemies somewhat consistently, stealth slide aids stealth navigation, voltage strike lets you one shot as Sly... great for combat, alarm clock is great as a distraction, long toss is a good passive for both Sly and Bentley, the paraglider adds depth to navigation, the rage bomb can be used both in stealth or combat similar to the insanity strike, silent obliteration is a great passive for helping stealth, the music box is good for stealth and combat, thief reflexes is maybe one of the only ones I dont have much of a point for, it is fun and can be good for dodging but largely not necessary, I forget the name but the lightning spin is great for when you get overwhelmed in combat, shadow power is great for stealth traversal, and feral pounce is the fastest eay to get around as Sly barring Mega Jump. Sly has a good mix of gadgets and upgrades that aid navigation, stealth, and combat. Even some of the abilities you bring up serve a purpose. The inferno flop kills enemies in a radius in one hit. This means Murray has the potential to take out multiple enemies in one single hit. For example if you had four enemies to kill as Murray that is one hit instead of 8. I feel that some of your criticisms of combat and depth are solved by experimenting and using these abilities. No matter how satisfying it is to sell multiple episodes worth of loot, I find it more satisfying to have a more fleshed out gameplay experience.
To show the impact of gadgets I highly recommend people who have played the games before use the cheat code to skip to world 8 and then play the game in episode order. This lets you buy any gadgets you want at any point in the game. For example, I had feral pounce and paraglide in world 2 for Sly. I had the hoverpack for Bentley in World 3 which makes that world much more fun as Bentley. In addition you can explore to areas you couldnt reach before, for example in World 4, I got into the prison as Bentley. It is super fun and a great way to experience the game in a new light.
Great video, just trying to give a different perspective on the music and gadgets.
Love the passionate take! As this video gets older and older, there are some things I feel differently about, and I think the music is at the top of the list. Sly 2's soundtrack has reclaimed a spot ahead of Sly 1's, although I still do really enjoy that OST. I think you nailed it. I find Sly 1's OST to be more upbeat and cartoony, while 2's is much more emotionally resonate.
I think you make a great argument for the power-ups, and although I still don't find them to be core to the experience, I can see how they add some flexibility to combat/mobility while out in the field. Thanks for taking the time to leave a thoughtful comment and I hope you enjoyed the video!
@@nopnapnarp8047Loved the video! I apologize if my passion for the game didn't make that clear. You put together some awesome videos and I look forward to watching more of them. You definitely earned my sub.
Dude says he experienced a weird lag..dude you’re streaming the game..😂😂😂
lolololol
Thats the way tanks turn. Also gadgets are all dope. I hate 4 for its LACK of them in place of costumes
Dude, I gotta say while I loved the hacking mini games when I was growing up with this game (loads of fond memories from the early 2000s) but legit fuck the hacking mini games
Older video and this doesn't excuse it but Sly's hat glitches like that in the binocucom segments because one of his idle animations has him pushing his hat up like that, so the cam follows suit.
Oh that makes a lot of sense. Seeing his hair always gave me a chuckle.
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Did you know?
Dimitri is based on the marine iguana (due to his coloration and body shape, and also his role in sly 3) these creatures swim through the water and expel extra salt they don’t need through sneezing- you already know where this is going🙄 This salt sometimes STAYS on their nose. A “WHITE POWERED SUBSTANCE” staying on their nose. Now look at Dimitri: easily angered, increased libido, chill attitude, near “spice” shipments.
Dimitri was high throughout sly 2 and 3.
stomach is the "engine" that burns and makes heat while the lungs are the bellows on a different train providing superior air flow? idk
Not a bad explanation
1:30:00 I’d wager to say that the hacking mini games are better in sly cooper than most big games these days. Games that make hacking into a free to play iPad game. Stuff like Bioshock, Deus Ex Human Revolution, System Shock 2, Mass Effect 3
This feels like what hacking would look like in the sly cooper world.
1:34:00 mine was ruined by the Neila fight above the train
Unfortunately most if the remasters issues for ps3 is sanzaru not optimizing it for ps3 and clearing bugs after porting it
You think the tank controls are confusing? As someone who uses inverted only on vertical look, the tank has me pushing one stick forward and one backwrds to move the tank forward. So imagine turning xdd
Woah!! hahaha, that's tough
When the video is longer than the speedrun
For real!!
The laughed at the parts when you called the game out for its logic.
I must be a master on the tank missions cause I never failed once:)
Lucky!
Okay i know I've already put one comment up, but i have another to point out something else you're missing. Namely that Bison isn't an ecoterrorist. You're really missusing that term. The simple fact is, Bison is just a businessman. And one from a very archaic time compared to most (with an obvious exception of a certain chicken). His views and interpretation of the world is based on the 1850s era.
Thats not to say what he's doing isn't wrong. But hes just more simple and pragmatic about parts of it. Though not the kind we would think of.
I didn't spell it out but yes, that is Bison's character. Businessman in his time, villain by today's standard.
I think you're a little overly hard on the tank. Sure, it's complexity in just controlling it is out of place for a gameplay style that only appears twice, but I like it for that and don't find it that hard to control after a few seconds of getting used to it. Maybe an additional, easier intro to it would have been appreciated since I remember struggling with it as a kid. Maybe it's just my Katamari experience now, idk
its also how old school tractors, and in turn tanks, are controlled. Its not hard at all if trained in it. IMO should have had an easier objective to start with to ease into it
@@Tman2bard Definitely should have had an easier intro, maybe a sequence where you have to drive through a couple empty streets and blow up some stationary targets before enemies become involved. Heck, it's a Contessa tank, so her half of the map would have been a good place to try it out since in universe nobody would think it's presence is strange there.
The lag spikes are because it’s…streaming…how did that not occur to you
i am idiot
You still have that lag issue? I've been playing on RPCS3 for years and haven't had any lag spikes. Maybe a hardware issue
I believe it is because they are playing via the playstation cloud service and not the physical or digital versions
That's correct!
Yeah the latency issues i had with it were very similar and theree was a problem with input lag messing up a fair amount of precise jumps. If the lag was consistent it would be alright getting use to but it just happens randomly, not to mention losing connection for just a second will shut down the game. It runs fine most the time but there was just too many performance issues. Damn you sony! Just let us download and play them natively! But seeing as they’re probably not gonna let us do that you may as well just pirate the games. Thanks for this critique and for showing off some of the bs with sony’s terrible cloud streaming service
Yeah I have no idea why they wouldn't let us just download the games instead of forcing us to stream.
😮💨😮💨
I mean, a PS2 is like $50 and sly 2 is like $10 and a memory card is like $5. Compared to having to play the game on PSNow, its worth it. Or you could get the PS3 version, legitly or not, and it would still be way better than PSNow
PS2 are sold for $80-125 , goodluck finding one for 50 but ur right
@@SithYuta I found one for $50, but it's just the console
I have a PS2 slim and the original 3 PS2 games, but I just don't have a way to record off of it
@@IntelliPocalypse oh yeah i never took into account you can buy it without accessories my bad
@@nopnapnarp8047 I watched all of your reviews for sly last year and I’m catching myself listening to them again while I work this year😭
As nice as this vid is overall, if I hear "An thing tons of Sly fans have issue with" one more time in this. Just say you have an issue with it and move on. Trying to make it sound like its a common thing without bringing up numbers is just annoying.
I went back and checked the script. I used the word "issue" 18 times in the script (31,762 total words) and only twice was it about what fans have an issue with.
1 was in reference to the hate chip, which you can see many reviewers complain about in their videos.
The other was how many fans do not enjoy Clock-La as a villain, which I think is a fair point many would agree with.
I'm not sure how to give exact numbers because I can't poll everyone who has ever played.
@@nopnapnarp8047 Okay, fair. I can agree that Clock La was a bit left field. But I honestly never found these things to been too big an issue. To me, Neyla makes sense as a manipulator at heart. The hate chip was a bit weird but the guy was inventing stuff way beyond any level of technological level as seen with the little hover vehicles in the last game. I understand it's an analysis but most seem to harp just a bit too much on the hate chip and Neyla. Either way, I still enjoy the vid and the content.
@@Tman2bard Yeah that's true, many reviewers do bring up the hate chip and harp on it. I'm probably guilty of that too. Glad you're enjoying the video, thanks for taking the time to comment your thoughts.
Bro said I’m experiencing lag spikes I don’t remember from the original games. Buddy you’re playing a cloud game and wondering why you’re lagging.
Not my proudest moment
@@nopnapnarp8047 I’m yanking your chain I know you knew that already lol. I played the games on the ps now or whatever it’s called cloud service and it ate donkey balls. I tried it on vita and ps4 and it just lagged so bad it was unplayable
Yeah it wasn't too bad for me when I made this video, but still annoying. They need to bring it to PS5 just like they did recently with Sly 1