E3 2005: Level Up
Sly and the Samurai
Product: Sly 3 and Genji
Company: Sony Interactive Entertainment America
Date: 05/30/2005
Avaliable On:

Thievius Raccoonus returns for an all new heist. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves from Sucker Punch Productions takes all of the sneaky action and adventure from the previous two titles, and brings the game into a new dimension. Yes, I know that the previous Sly games were 3D action/adventures -- but now, the moving platforms and spinning wheels will fly out of your TV (provided you are wearing the needed 3D glasses, that is). That's right, certain levels and areas in Honor Among Thieves will jump out at you and make you feel like you are a part of the action all that much more.

After the last game, Sly's band of thieves was left in shambles. After the battle with Clockwerk, Bentley was hospitalized and now is forced to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Murray has left the team because he feels responsible for Bentley's condition and has chosen a life of non-violent solace.

Not only will you be able to control Sly, Bentley and Murray, but new characters join the team as well. Inspector Carmelita Fox and Lounge Lizard Dimitri join the game's list of playable characters. Each character has their own unique skill set and special moves. As you progress through the game, you will be able to learn new abilities for your characters. Sly learns new combat skills, Bentley gets high-tech gadgets for his wheelchair and Murray gets new brawler moves.

While Honor Among Thieves is an action-platformer game like its predecessors, the Japanese sword-play game Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is all about slicing and dicing your way through hordes of enemy solders. Genji's story is based off of the ancient Japanese myth on the creation of the samurai. Taking place in 11th century Feudal Japan, Genji lets you control two characters, one is a master swordsman and is quick on his feet, while the other is all about brute force.

The main character of Dawn of the Samurai is Yoshitune, one of the few living descendants of the almost extinct Genji clan. Yoshitune will now travel across Japan taking out demons and bringing down his rival clans. Authentic sword-based choreographed and motion capturing makes the attacks, blocks and moves of Genji that much more intense.

Look for reviews of both of these games when they hit the streets this Fall.

J.R. Nip aka Chris Meyer

GameVortex PSIllustrated TeamPS2