#it's really fun! i don't know why it gets flack for the stylus controls

[inspector-montoya-fox]

i’ve finished Sly 3 and it’s actually the first time i did all the challenges and got 100%. Here are my final thoughts on this recent playthrough (mostly bitching):

it’s an honest mistake but after completing an entire section centered around the ancestors, you’d think they’d get the spelling of Thaddeus correct

Dr Matthew’s bossfight is very underwhelming. as a bossfight on its own, it’d rank average but considering that it’s the game and series’ final one, they could have come up with something better, something more dramatic than... him controlling the elements ? also, at the beginning of the fight, Sly says ‘Come on, aren’t we supposed to banter a little?’ and i was like uh yea?? for them to point it out feels a bit lazy. like where’s the final bossfight dialogue? if the Contessa, who didn’t even know ConnEr, gave the iconic you’re an ignorant, young child playing dress-up in his father’s legacy, then you’d expect Dr Michael who actually knew ConnEr to say something similar?

on that note, while i was playing the bossfight, i realised what my biggest issue has been with the game. i could never really point out why Sly 3 felt lesser to me. i mean, there are a couple of reasons like the small number of episodes or some of the missions being annoying, but those were never enough to make me go meh towards the entire game. i think it’s the narrative and more specifically, the way it’s handled. Sly 3 has a handful of story beats and only a few of them actually get the attention they need, whereas sometimes focus is placed on stuff which wouldn’t have mattered otherwise. for example, Dr Micah’s pre-bossfight dialogue being non-existent whereas Lemon Rage is given so much attention (which is what makes it such a great mission). Sly 2 was extremely cinematic and its cutscenes helped preserve the story’s flow: Sly dancing with Carmelita while the camera focuses on the wings smoothly being stolen behind the statue; all of Neyla’s scenes, from flying by the train on her little jet to her crushing Arpeggio and escaping into the night; SHE’S GOT THE EYE !?!?!?!? These are all so eye-conique because they are treated like scenes from a movie. Sly 3 on the other hand, lets a lot of its pivotal story moments go to waste. Penelope getting abducted by LeFwee is basically him holding a sword to her throat and the dog guards behind her muddling the dialogue because of their audible yawns. Jing King’s escape is literally just her silhouette getting lowered. major events like the opera recital and Tsao’s wedding are literally non-existent. where. are. the. cinematic. scenes ? i think this deserves its own post but, catch my drift?

first time completing the challenges and honestly, some of them are genuinely challenging. like beating Tsao with limited health? it took me a few tries. i feel like they could’ve gotten more creative with these instead of just slapping ‘under time pressure’ or ‘with limited health’ on every mission, like, let’s say, maybe have Sly complete a mission with Carmelita constantly chasing him? and also, when i got 100%, nothing happened. like not even a message saying congrats? maybe like a secret cutscene as a reward??? Goodbye, My Sweet ??? no???

i wish they’d go with one of their original concepts for Octavio instead of what we got. i like the idea of him being genuinely scary, i think villains that are scary is what’s missing from the Sly 3 rogues gallery when compared to Sly 2. i mean, 4 out of the 6 villains are Bentley’s height with their short tempter played for laughs. and the other’s a mask. it doesn’t have to do with stature and size, it’s more like, Octavio being a lion and being associated with the mob would be the most appropriate to strike fear. his get-up and singing outbursts serve... Liberace? idk

Operation: Reverse Double-Cross is, um, cute. she’s cutesy yea, ig. but how does Sly avoid getting blown up by the Penelope bomb? it’s never explained. was it part of the plan? if so, why does Sly enter the room and fall for the bait? and how does he survive the blast?

i can’t find the in-game unlockable concept art anywhere online, but i went over it after years of not checking it and... Sly smokes? like Sly genuinely has a lit cigarette in his mouth in most of the concept art, especially the Venice ones. it took me by surprise, it’s such a bizarre detail. Lol