The Sly Collection Hands-On

Last year's God of War Collection brought one of Sony's most imposing heroes into the HD era and introduced many players to Kratos' unquenchable anger before its current-generation sequel hit shelves. Sony is once again rummaging through its PlayStation 2 catalog to provide entertainment for PlayStation 3 owners; only this time, the bloody barbarian has been replaced by a cartoony raccoon. The Sly Collection not only brings all three Sly Cooper games into HD, but it also pushes them into the third dimension. We spent a little time in this colorful world today.

The two scenes being demoed were pulled from the third Sly Cooper game, but all three are present in this compilation. The first was a forest battle that pitted Sly against an angry man with a shield. You can charge up your own attack, and when things get heated, leap away from his crushing blows--if you know what's good for you. When the bad guy went on the offensive, his shield would sprout spikes and he would toss Sly about like a raccoon rag doll. The other scene was a dogfight above a hilly area. You could pull off loops, speed up, or put the brakes on your plane to make your pursuing enemies zoom past you. It was a fast and fun blast from the past.

The new features come in the form of the improved visuals. The HD update worked really well with the cartoony art style, but the real star is the 3D. The extra dimension added a lot to the dogfight section. You could see the debris from exploding aircrafts blow into your face, and collectible power-ups leapt off the screen. The forest battle was also really well done. You can cut down trees, and the dead trunk would fall right into your face.

It's really cool that a beloved mascot is getting an HD and 3D update for a current system. Stay tuned to GameSpot for more coverage of this spy-themed compilation.