Games

IN IRELAND, the word sly has a slightly darker meaning than it should.

When the Irish call someone sly, they usually mean the person can’t be trusted. We rarely use the word in its original context, which is to call someone clever.

Regardless of the name, you can definitely trust The Sly Trilogy (PS3, RRP €59.99). Despite being a compilation of PS2 games, this is still some of the best platforming you can buy. The Sly Racoon series holds up brilliantly, especially considering the lack of similar games in the current generation.

The titular Sly Cooper is a master thief (and cartoon racoon) who must use his acrobatic skills to dodge lasers, scale rooftops and generally confound his arch-nemesis, the mechanical Clockwerk. Joining Sly are his anthropomorphic sidekicks, Bentley the turtle and Murray the hippo. In the tradition of great Saturday morning cartoons, these characters will appeal to kids and adults alike. If the stars of Ocean’s Eleven were cartoon animals, then Sly Cooper would be George Clooney.

It’s that cartoon aspect that saves The Sly Trilogy from seeming dated. The game’s beautiful cel-shading gives the series a timeless quality that other games, such as the Prince of Persia trilogy, didn’t carry over from the PS2 generation. It helps that the graphics have been properly upscaled for high-def screens and there’s even a 3D option for those lucky enough to own the requisite TVs.

The Sly Trilogy is a great example of how to ‘remaster’ a classic series for a new generation, but whether Mr Cooper will appeal to gamers weaned on Uncharted and InFamous is another question. The gameplay certainly holds up. With a fourth game in the works, testing the waters with this collection is a sly move indeed.