Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves Update

LOS ANGELES--Washington-based developer Sucker Punch was on hand today to demo an updated version of Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, the third entry in its Sly Cooper platforming series for the PlayStation 2. The work-in-progress version of the game didn't show off a ton of new content over what we've seen previously, although we were able to mess around with the new shaman character, drink some lemonade in a competitive setting, and fight a mighty dingo boss. Though still incomplete, the updated build we had sported some more polish than when we last saw the game and had plenty of charm to spare.

The level we tried the shaman on served as a quirky introduction to the spiritual koala. Although he speaks unintelligibly, the powerful mystic is a whiz at action. The aboriginal warrior can disappear in a cloud of smoke and transform himself into a rock, bush, or pile of twigs to escape enemy notice.

The lemonade sequence was a button-mashing segment that required us to finish up three glasses of lemonade, which leads to a brawl wherein you’ll swap between Sly, Bentley and Murray. You’ll start out with the trio facing off against a gang who’ll try to outdrink you. You’ll simply mash buttons as each member of the gang tries to drink their glass before their opponent. When the Cooper gang wins, all hell breaks loose and the trio must square off against the surly dingoes. You’ll get control of Bentley first, who'll have to take out a set number of foes. Once you manage to do that with the wily turtle's tricked-out wheelchair, you’ll get control of Sly, who’ll have to do the same, and then you'll finish up by controlling Murray. Once that’s done and all the villains are defeated, you’ll have to take out a boss dingo. The most unique ascpect of the fight is that this boss is basically invulnerable. In order to hurt him, you’ll have to rely on the AI-controlled Murray and Bentley to stun him and let you get a shot in.

So far, Sly 3 is shaping up to be a solid entry in the series, with engaging gameplay that offers a good amount of variety while staying ture to the series' unique charm. The game is due out later this year, and we'll bring you more before then.