Sly 2: Band of Thieves is a stealth-action video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. As the second installment in the Sly Cooper series and the direct sequel to Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, it was originally released for the PlayStation 2 on September 14, 2004.
The game was later remastered in high-definition by Sanzaru Games as part of The Sly Collection, releasing for the PlayStation 3 on November 9, 2010, and the PlayStation Vita on April 16, 2014. An emulated version was subsequently released for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on December 10, 2024, alongside Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves.
Gameplay
Overview
Band of Thieves significantly expands upon the gameplay of its predecessor by introducing three fully playable characters, each with a unique moveset and role within the Cooper Gang. While Sly Cooper continues to utilize stealth and agility to navigate environments through techniques like the Ninja Spire Jump and Rail Walk, he is now joined by Bentley and Murray as permanent field team members. Bentley employs an indirect approach, using sleep darts and explosives to disable enemies or hacking into computers via a top-down shooter minigame. Conversely, Murray serves as the team's brawn, engaging in direct combat with powerful moves like the "Thunder Flop" and the ability to pick up and throw objects or guards.
The game's structure has evolved into an open-world format divided into distinct episodes. Rather than a traditional hub-and-spoke design, players explore large, open hubs where they can freely roam and return to a safe house to switch characters. Each episode consists of multiple setup jobs leading to a large-scale heist; unlike the previous game, these missions are not replayable. Within these hubs, players can locate 30 clue bottles to unlock a vault containing a special power-up.
Economic progression is tied to the new pickpocket mechanic, allowing Sly to steal coins and valuable loot directly from unsuspecting guards. This loot, along with larger treasures found in the environment, can be sold at the hideout to acquire new gadgets from ThiefNet. The experience is further refined by a revamped health system, replacing one-hit deaths with a Thief Meter that can be replenished with health pickups, and a Gadget Meter that limits the use of special abilities. This is all to account for the number of newly added forced combat scenarios, where the members now actively strafe around any nearby enemies when in combat whenever they move.
USB Headset compatibility
If a Sony PlayStation 2 USB Headset is connected and activated via the "Options" menu, players can use the microphone to distract nearby guards. Additionally, "binocucom" chatter from characters outside of Sly's vocal range is transmitted exclusively through the headset, while environmental sounds continue through the primary audio output.
Synopsis
Setting
Band of Thieves takes place two years after the events of the previous game. The narrative follows the Cooper Gang as they travel across the globe to recover the stolen Clockwerk parts from the Klaww Gang. The journey spans several diverse international locations, including a nightclub in Paris, a sprawling palace and a jungle temple in India, a gothic castle and a high-security prison in Prague, a lumber camp in Canada, and a massive blimp hovering over the Atlantic Ocean.
Plot
Sly pondering on Neyla's tip on the Klaww Gang
The Cooper Gang broke into the Cairo Museum of Natural History to recover the Clockwerk parts. However, they were intercepted by Inspector Carmelita Fox and Constable Neyla, who revealed that the parts had already been stolen. Neyla suggested that the Klaww Gang, a global criminal syndicate, was responsible for the theft. After escaping the museum, the Cooper Gang began tracking the members of the Klaww Gang to recover the remains of Sly's ancient nemesis.
The trio first traveled to Paris and stole the Clockwerk tail feathers back from Dimitri Lousteau, a club owner and "underworld celebrity" who was using the feathers as a printing press for forged money due to their unique alloy being unaffected by wear. While there, Sly was confronted by Neyla, who claimed that she wanted to help the gang collect and destroy the Clockwerk parts. After putting the forger behind bars, the gang set off for India, where they stole back the Clockwerk wings from Rajan, a tiger who controlled the Klaww Gang's illegal spice operations and used the wings to earn prestige.
The Cooper Gang in the getaway van
After pursuing Rajan into the jungle, the trio managed to steal back the Clockwerk heart. Unfortunately, the gang was double-crossed by Neyla, who had them, along with a framed Carmelita, arrested by the Contessa, a high-ranking prison warden whose mastery of hypnosis to "re-educate" criminals had earned her a reputation within INTERPOL. Being the only one not captured, Bentley traveled alone to Prague to free Sly and Murray from the Contessa's prison. In the process, he learned that the Contessa was a secret Klaww Gang member, using illegal spice as part of her hypnosis techniques so that the thieves in her care would confess to where they had hidden their wealth. Though the Contessa initially escaped, the gang tracked her down and stole the Clockwerk eyes from her, freeing Carmelita in the process. The Contessa was brought to trial for her crimes, and Carmelita reluctantly accepted Sly's help in an escape.
The gang then tracked down the next Klaww Gang member, Jean Bison, to recover the Clockwerk lungs and stomach and Clockwerk talons. However, Bison captured the trio at his lumber camp and sold all the gathered Clockwerk parts to the final Klaww Gang member, Arpeggio. The trio eventually defeated Bison and snuck aboard Arpeggio's blimp as part of a "Trojan Horse" maneuver, though they were forced to leave the Cooper Van behind.
The trio's journey culminated in a confrontation with Arpeggio. They learned that he and Neyla had been working together to reconstruct Clockwerk's body. Arpeggio revealed his intention to hypnotize the citizens of Paris—who had consumed spice from Dimitri's nightclub—into a state of pure rage and hatred, which would grant him immortality once he merged with Clockwerk's frame. However, Neyla double-crossed him and bonded herself with the Clockwerk body instead. Dubbing herself "Clock-La", she killed Arpeggio and flew out of the blimp's headquarters.
The end of Clockwerk
Knowing they had to act fast, the gang worked together to disable the blimp's engines and cut off Clock-La's energy supply. With assistance from Carmelita, the mechanical hybrid was defeated and crashed into Paris. Bentley managed to secure Clock-La's Hate Chip, but his legs were crushed by her beak in the process. Murray freed him just before Clock-La exploded. Carmelita, frustrated at missing her chance to take the final shots, crushed the Hate Chip herself, which killed Neyla and permanently ended Clockwerk's reign of terror over the Cooper Clan.
Carmelita subsequently placed the entire gang under arrest, but Sly surrendered peacefully in exchange for Bentley and Murray's freedom, acknowledging the injuries they had sustained during the adventure. Carmelita, who was reinstated as an INTERPOL agent and promoted by her boss, James Barkley, took Sly into custody on board a helicopter. During the flight, the two reminisced about their history, leading Sly to liken the moment to a first date. However, as Carmelita prepared to share the champagne she had saved for his arrest, she realized the short flight had taken over two hours; Bentley and Murray had rigged the helicopter to fly in circles as a parting gift. Sly made his escape by paragliding out of the chopper, while Carmelita remarked that she would see him again soon.
Development
History
Sucker Punch began development on Band of Thieves immediately following the release of Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. The game was first mentioned in an advertisement broadcast on MTV on March 9, 2004, and was officially announced by Sucker Punch the following day. It was later featured in the April 2004 edition of the Official PlayStation Magazine and showcased at the Electronics Entertainment Expo later that year, where two gameplay videos and a trailer were presented.
From September 6 to 18, 2004, Sony sponsored a Toonami giveaway to promote the game. To enter, viewers watched Toonami on September 11 and 18 to obtain a toll-free number. One grand prize winner received a copy of Sly 2: Band of Thieves, a 42" Plasma WEGA Integrated Plasma Television, a DVD Dream System, a fully automatic turntable, and a limited edition PlayStation 2 console. Additionally, 500 first-place winners received a copy of the game.[1] This event marked the second Toonami giveaway for the Sly Cooper series.
Behind the scenes
Developmental plans originally included a level set in Monaco, which featured a mission where Bentley crashed a yacht into the docks. Several UI elements were also changed before the final release; the original Thief Meter displayed the current character's health as a percentage, and bosses initially featured health bars styled after those in the first game.
Beginning with Band of Thieves, the game utilized the "Blambot Casual" font for most text, including the "Sony Computer Entertainment presents" screen (though this was not retained in The Sly Collection). The "Badaboom" font was used sparingly for cinematic cutscenes, most notably during the post-credits prompt to "go outside". Starting with this installment, cinematic cutscenes were animated in the style of Travis Kotzebue, replacing the Dev Madan-led style of the first game.
For the Japanese release, the voice cast was entirely replaced, and the dialogue was heavily revised. This new cast, including the actors for Sly, Bentley, Murray, Carmelita, and Dimitri, was subsequently carried over for the Japanese release of Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves and the remastered Sly Cooper Collection.
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 88/100[2] |
| IMDb | 8.8/10[3] |
| Publication | Score |
| Eurogamer | 8.0/10[4] |
| IGN | 9.2/10[5] |
| GameSpot | 8.4/10[6] |
| GameSpy | 4.5/5 [7] |
| Game Revolution | 4/5 [8] |
| IMDb | 8.8/10 |
Band of Thieves was critically acclaimed upon release. It holds an 88/100 score on Metacritic, the highest rating for any entry in the Sly Cooper series. Critics praised the title for its evolved gameplay, narrative depth, and visual style. However, some reviewers noted a lack of difficulty and criticized the game's length and the inability to replay individual missions.
The game received an Editor's Choice award from IGN and was ranked #23 on GameSpy's list of the greatest PlayStation 2 titles of all time. GamesRadar+ also included the title at #23 in its own "25 Best PS2 Games" countdown. On IMDb, the game maintains a rating of 8.8/10, ranking it as the 17th highest-rated PlayStation 2 game on the platform. Additionally, WatchMojo featured the game in several rankings, including the #2 spot for "PlayStation Games That Still Hold Up Today", #10 for "Greatest PS2 Games of All Time", and #3 for "PlayStation 2 Games Still Worth Playing Today".
Soundtrack
The game's soundtrack was composed by Peter McConnell. As the score never received an official commercial release, the following list may be incomplete, and track titles are derived from unofficial sources.
| # | Name | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Museum | 3:08 |
| 2 | Museum Chase | 5:02 |
| 3 | Episode Menu 1[b] | 1:22 |
| 4 | Paris (Sly in Paris) | 2:59 |
| 5 | French Battle | 4:31 |
| 6 | Wine Cellar | 2:12 |
| 7 | Wine Cellar Fight | 0:29 |
| 8 | Dimitri's Disco Club | 4:49 |
| 9 | Operation: Thunder Beak | 3:32 |
| 10 | Operation: Thunder Beak Battle | 4:45 |
| 11 | Dimitri Battle | 4:55 |
| 12 | Episode Menu 2 | 2:07 |
| 13 | India | 5:19 |
| 14 | Guest Rooms | 5:01 |
| 15 | Rajan's Palace | 3:27 |
| 16 | Operation: Hippo Drop | 3:15 |
| 17 | Carmelita' Dance | 3:19 |
| 18 | The Jungle | 4:56 |
| 19 | Jungle Fight | 4:53 |
| 20 | Spice Factory | 5:20 |
| 21 | Spice Factory Fight | 5:11 |
| 22 | Follow Neyla | 3:19 |
| 23 | Operation: Wet Tiger | 5:02 |
| 24 | Helicopter Fight | 3:34 |
| 25 | Rajan Battle | 3:05 |
| 26 | Prague | 4:56 |
| Name | Length | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Sly's Escape | 3:08 |
| 28 | Prison | 4:51 |
| 29 | Jailbreak | 5:05 |
| 30 | Contessa's Castle | 4:57 |
| 31 | Contessa's Castle Fight | 5:04 |
| 32 | The Crypt | 4:58 |
| 33 | Crypt Fight | 5:07 |
| 34 | Contessa Chase | 4:06 |
| 35 | Contessa Battle | 3:17 |
| 36 | Canada | 3:07 |
| 37 | Cabins (Sly's Great Train Robbery) | 4:46 |
| 38 | Train Station (Canada Train Station) | 4:49 |
| 39 | Train Station Fight | 4:52 |
| 40 | Aerial Assault | 2:56 |
| 41 | North | 4:34 |
| 42 | Northern Fight | 4:32 |
| 43 | Sawmill | 4:40 |
| 44 | Sawmill Fight | 4:39 |
| 45 | Operation: Lumber Jack Games | 4:13 |
| 46 | Jean Bison Battle | 3:12 |
| 47 | Arpeggio's Airship | 4:50 |
| 48 | Clockwerk Assembly | 4:32 |
| 49 | Clockwerk Assembly Fight | 4:16 |
| 50 | Clock-La Battle | 3:15 |
| 51 | Episode Menu 3 | 2:11 |
| 52 | End Credits | 3:24 |
Gallery
Covers
.png "Band of Thieves front cover (EU).png (860 KB)")
.png "Band of Thieves front cover (JP).png (613 KB)")
.png "Band of Thieves front cover (KO).png (776 KB)")
.png "Band of Thieves packshot (PAL).png (2.79 MB)")
Manuals
Demo from Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
The PlayStation 2 release of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal included a playable demo for Sly 2: Band of Thieves. Players could access the demo by holding 
, 
, 
, and 
simultaneously and then pressing 
on the main menu.
The demo featured the majority of the Cairo prologue mission, concluding after Sly Cooper jumped through a window to escape Carmelita Fox. Additionally, the demo included several missions set in Paris, specifically "Follow Dimitri", "Disco Demolitions", "Silence the Alarms", and "Theater Pickpocketing".
Notes
- ↑ The entire Sly Cooper series was removed from PS Now during the relaunch of the service in May-June of 2022. June 13 is the date of removal in North America and is not accurate for other territories.
- ↑ The main menu music will become progressively more complex when more of the game is completed. When starting a fresh game, the main menu theme will be very simple. However, after beating every Episode, the music will be complete, with a much larger assortment of instruments and motifs used.