For a record-breaking fourth time – a second time this year alone – we are looking at a game from the back catalogue of Sucker Punch Productions. And this series is special to this podcast, because it is the very first game we ever reviewed. We’re going back 20 years to 2005 to take a look at a stealth action mascot platformer featuring a thieving North American mammal. We’re talking Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. 

On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we chat a little bit about some wonderfully silly telly ads, a box that is delightfully of the era, and how this studio was always planning to work on something different after this game. We also look at two workman-like trailers, and Sly Cooper taking the leap into 3D (we cannot confirm if Stuart or Hong Kong ever got to experience third dimension raccoon).

Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: stealth mechanics that were introduced in Sly 2 return – hiding under tables, staying out of the light emitting from baddies’ lanterns, being mindful of running because it creates more noise – but you don’t have to engage with them as much; Sekiro horn guys; limited disguises and face button passwords; a less repetitive mission structure because of FIVE new playable characters with their own gimmicks; a Crackdown leap; binge drinking lemonade and an overload of mini games; hub areas that don’t need to be nearly as big as they are; less of an incentive to pickpocket than the previous game; Doom Eternal’s upgrade screen; hoarding coins, just in case; Splinter Cell’s sticky cam; Bentley’s character growth; Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag naval combat; a disappointing, disconnected story with a forgettable antagonist; the best version of the series’ motion comic-style cutscenes; and Vita-specific VO. 

After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.

For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Alpha Protocol on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.

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