Sly 2: Band of Thieves builds upon the formula that made the original one of the best, and most underrated games of 2002. Drawing inspiration form heist movies like The Big Chill, The Italian Job and Oceans Eleven, Sly 2 requires players to use all three members in the Cooper gang to pull off heists that are bigger and much more involved than the original. The result is a game that not only manages to improve on the original, but surpass it.

The cel-shaded look of the original is back, but looks much sharper and more refined. Colors are a little more vibrant and things run much smoother. Some of the problems I noticed in the original, namely some slowdown and areas that felt a little too dark, have been resolved. Game environments will range from Paris to Canada, and even the deepest jungles of Peru. Each has its own look that really fits into the style Sly tries to portray –- which is somewhere between a flash cartoon and a stylized Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Levels are also much larger, which complements the game’s open-ended structure. Flash-style intros accompany mission briefings and story elements – adding a fun feel to the game.

Sound is top-notch. Vocal work is great with the only real changes being that Sly sounds a little older and wisened by his experiences in the first game. All of the other voices do a great job of portraying their character’s personalities –- like Bentley being the overly nervous computer nerd and Murray trying to act like a superhero (complete with third-person references). Music is very dynamic and not only fits the level locales, but also the action currently taking place in them. When Sly is sneaking around, piano scales play with each step (just think of the sounds that play when Bugs Bunny tiptoes behind Elmer Fudd). Once action kicks in, an upbeat music track begins to play until the threat is dealt with.

Sly 2: Band of Thieves picks up two years after the original. After defeating Clockwerk and reclaiming the Thevious Racoonus, Sly retired to a life of thievery in the proud tradition of the Cooper clan. Sly’s plans come to a screaming halt when he discovers that Clockwerk’s parts have been stolen. Given Clockwerk’s tendency to kill anyone in the Cooper family line, Sly sets out with his loyal companions Bentley and Murray to find out who stole the parts and stop them from reassembling them. Standing in Sly’s way is the eccentric Claw gang, the group behind the theft of the parts.

Each episode is set around a major heist, all of which involve the Clockwerk pieces. Heists are broken up into three major parts: Recon, Planning/Setup, and The Heist. Recon missions are usually the shortest of the three and will normally involve Sly locating the Clockwerk piece, assessing the situation, and returning to Bentley. Once the information is analyzed, Bentley briefs Sly and the gang on his plans to obtain the treasure. This step usually involves a series of smaller missions that must be completed by certain team members. These smaller missions will usually involve platforming areas in the vein of Sly Cooper, but also include some neat mini-games. One game will have you piloting a remote control helicopter and trying to bomb a security jeep, while another has you matching button presses with tango moves in order to impress (and distract) a certain fox of a police officer.

In between jobs, you can explore large hub areas and find more trouble. Just as in the last game, clues are scattered throughout the city. By collecting all of the clues, you can obtain a combination that will unlock a safe. You can also find other valuables around the game worlds to steal. If you’re able to make it back to the hideout without taking damage, you can fence it. Loot items can also be gained by picking the pockets of unsuspecting guards.

Sly 2: Band of Thieves provides just enough challenge to be hard without feeling too overwhelming. Level difficulty is solid throughout the game, and manages to work in objectives that are easy, as well as some hard ones. The balance is just right so that you always feel like you’re going somewhere instead of stuck in one spot.

Once again, solid. Sly Cooper’s control scheme is back and feels just as smooth as it did two years ago. Since Sly has already obtained all of the pages of the Thevious Racoonus, he comes into Sly 2: Band of Thieves with most of his moves. Over the course of the game, Sly can purchase new moves through the black market (the same place he sells loot). Bentley and Murray’s moves can also be upgraded in the same manner. Each of the three team members have their own moves and skills that will become useful during missions. In addition to Sly’s sneaky moves, Bentley is a master at demolitions and can also hack into computers. Murray is the muscle of the group and can lift heavy objects.

The only major difference as far as interface is that Sly can now take more damage. This was one of the more frustrating elements of the original since you could make it all the way to the end of a level only to die from one lucky hit from an enemy. Sly and crew now have life meters, which means the lucky horseshoe, which gave Sly an additional hit point, is out. Health can be obtained by defeating enemies or trashing objects in areas.

The jump between Sly 2 and the original feels like the jump Naughty Dog tried to make when going from Jak and Daxter to Jak 2, only with a little more success. The number of improvements in Sly 2 are staggering and give the game a fresh new face, without killing the elements that made Sly Cooper so much fun to play. If you enjoyed the original, there’s no reason you wouldn’t like this one. If you’re one of the people who never gave Sly Cooper a chance, you might want to give this one a look -- you’ll thank me later.