Title: The Sly Collection(Vita)
Format: PS Vita
Release Date: May 27, 2014
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Sanzaru Games
Price: $29.99
ESRB Rating: E
Sony has quietly released the Sly Collection for the PS Vita, a move that surprises me, seeing as how great of a transition the game has made onto the Vita.
Story and Presentation:The Sly Collection covers the first three Sly games, so if you want the full Sly narrative, you'll still need to pick up Thieves in Time. The original trilogy is a good enough jumping off point as well if you're new to the series. For those of you who missed out on Sly Cooper when it was first released on the PS2, you follow the thievish Sly Cooper and his partners in crime, Bentley and Murray. You three travel the world robbing criminals blind as you try and reclaim bits and pieces of Sly's family legacy. The game's narrative is told like an early morning cartoon you'd watch on a weekend. The writing is excellent, and the game exudes a level of charm that'll quickly attract and pull you in. Sly and his band of thieves continuously offer up clever lines and quips that'll consistently leave you smirking and even laughing out loud in some points. The HD remaster did the game's iconic cel-shaded graphics justice, and character models and environments appear much sharper this time around. The Vita's screen makes the game appear even more crisper than on the PS3, which is really saying something. The soundtrack is solid, giving you some moody and atmospheric tunes for you to listen to while committing various acts of burglary. This is the best game has looked, and it proves yet again that the Vita can produce some clean and crisp visuals.
Core Gameplay:Even though the gameplay is over a decade old, it seems to have weathered the time travel. Sucker Punch created a game that has extremely polished gameplay mechanics that have are still as rock solid as before. The game still has clever puzzles, and rewarding platforming never gets old throughout each game. There is a surprising amount of diversity present in each game, and across the series as a whole. Throughout the series as a whole, you'll gain new items, playable characters, and new moves. These don't drastically alter the game's formula, but hacking mini-games with new characters can break up the monotony from time to time. With HD remakes, I'm always weary of a sloppy port, and this is not one of them. Assassin's Creed Liberation HD could have been a great HD remake, but it ended up being a mess to play. The Sly Collection is smooth, and is still a blast to play. Vita HD remakes have been the biggest culprits of messy ports, this time there are no glaring technical issues that will hurt your experience. The framerate may dip occasionally, but it's as severe as other games that have come to the Vita. There is no Cross-buy in the US, so if you already have the collection on PS3, you'll have to double-dip. Also, you purchase the collection as a whole, but you'll have to download each game separately which can fill your memory space pretty quickly if you're tight on space.
Final Thoughts:The Sly Collection on the Vita is a great transfer to a portable system. It's smooth, looks great and it plays very well on the Vita. This would make a great jumping off point for anyone who's looking to get into the series.
+Smooth Gameplay
+Excellent Writing
+Crisp Visuals
-No Cross-Buy
-Minor Framerate Drops
S&S Rating: 8/10 @whatsPlay
