Hands On: The Sly Collection

I’ll be the first to admit – I love platform games.  So it was with great excitement that I approached the area with The Sly Collection playing.  There is a fair chance you will already know whether you are getting this game or not – it appeals to a certain type of gamer.  It isn’t groundbreaking, and it won’t make your jaw drop – but it has one key factor that makes up for all of that; it is a lot of fun.

The level I played was comprised of some traditional jumping sections; some combat; some climbing and a fair bit of laser dodging.  The controls are good, although Sly could do with feeling a bit weightier.  Combat is basic, and is really just a case of mashing square over again – but thankfully the focus is on platforming.  Most importantly though is the fact that the camera behaved itself and can be controlled manually as well.

The 3D works really well, giving a sense of depth that really makes a difference to a platform game.  At first it’s a little off-putting – but a couple of minutes messing about and you’re all set.  The best example of the effect is when Sly is crawling through some ducts.  Peeking through the gaps reveals enemies below, and in the background, and because of the 3D you can actually judge where they are.  The graphics are bright and bold, and whilst they won’t be winning any awards, they certainly do the job admirably enough.

My only concern from the very short demo is the fact it might be too easy.  I was warned at the beginning that the particular level shown was a difficult one; however I breezed through it with no lives lost.

Still, even if it is easy – there are three full games to play.