An admission first - when we first heard that The Sly Trilogy was to be released, we genuinely had a brief 'who?' moment. Ask someone to name all the best 3D platformers of the 2000's, and you most likely won't hear the name of Sly Cooper ushered from their lips. The Playstation 2 Sly Cooper series is one of those strange lineages where everyone was head-over-heels about it at the time, but had quickly forgotten the poor raccoon existed shortly afterwards.

With a possible fourth title on the way, Sucker Punch are very keen to remind us just how good Sly was the first time around, and my, what a job they've done. The three Sly Cooper games were wonderful enough on their own, but now you've got the whole trilogy together on one Blu-ray, and looking more gorgeous than ever, with crisp HD visuals. Certain elements of the gameplay don't translate so well to this generation's way of thinking, but we can't possibly hold too much against such a glorious series.

Sometimes stealth is not the key!

Set in a film noir world full of animals who act like humans, The Sly Trilogy follows the exploits of Sly Cooper, a thieving, suave racoon who comes from a long line of stealthy burglers. The pack comes with all three of the Sly Cooper games - Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. Given that each game is around a dozen hours long, it's obviously from the get-go that you're getting plenty of value for your cash.

The plot for each game follows a set formula - Sly and his trusted friends Bentley and Murray are always looking to use Sly's stealing prowess for good, taking back what is rightfully his, such as a special family book or a giant family vault full of lovely money. All the while, a police vixen known as Carmelita Fox is always on his case, following closely behind and waiting for the right moment to catch him.

The best way to describe the Sly games in terms of recent platforming releases is to compare all three games with the Ratchet and Clank series. As Ratchet jumps around, destroying baddies and collecting goodies, as too does Sly, although our raccoon has quite the disadvantage in that he can only take a single hit before he dies. While R+C's missions involve plenty of firefights and action, Sly Cooper is more about being sneaky, and dodging around the enemy to get the upper hand.

What really set the Sly Cooper series apart from the fantastic level design, and it has really held up well over the years. Progression is made in a very Mario 64 style way - you have an overworld from which you can enter separate levels, and each level holds a way to unlock new paths in the overworld. Levels are always full of intrigue and variety, and you'll barely every find yourself bored as new ideas are constantly explored.

Sly's friends are back to help out

There are plenty of collectables to grab and secrets to find for those who are so inclined, and the stealth sections will appeal to gamers of all cultures. It really helps the game's personality that cutscenes are set out in comic book style, with a mix of panels and explosive fonts to keep the action fresh.

Those visuals are so much more pleasing on the eye this time around too, thanks to a gorgeous HD reboot. The game looks so much crisper, and the action moves along much more smoothly. When we see incredible visual work like this done, it makes us wish that someone would remake all of our favourite PS2 classics in HD. Of course, it still doesn't stand up to current releases, and there are visual polygons all over the place, but fans of the original Sly games will be in heaven.

The series was great fun in the early 2000's, and it still very much is now, but there are certain ideas that don't carry over so well anymore. For example, the aforementioned one-hit deaths now feels rather harsh and can lead to some frustrating situations. Fortunately you're always placed back down in the general area you died in, but then a second issue rears its head - the inclusion of lives.

Lives in modern day platformers are all but gone now, as developers have realised that they really didn't make much sense in the first place. Dying will send you back to the start of a level, which can be an utter nuisance. It all makes the game feel a little 'past it', although it also gives a great idea of how platformers have moved on.

He's nimble, is our Sly

Apart from the HD visuals, the game also now features a set of Playstation Move minigames, which are entertaining enough, but most likely won't take up too much of your time. When you consider, however, that you're getting a whole three games in this bundle, the added minigames bonus seems so much more excellent - it's effort like this that keeps us happy, Sucker Punch!

The Sly Trilogy is worth a punt whether you played the originals or not. It still plays fantastically, and now looks gorgeous too. Prepare yourself for the upcoming fourth release, and grab a copy of this 2000's legacy.

The Sly Trilogy is available now for Playstation 3.

Top Game Moment: Basking in those HD visuals for the first time. Niiice.