PlayStation Plus' latest PS2 free game is a mega-hit with fans

One PlayStation classic is standing out above the rest to fans. This PlayStation 2 banger is getting a tremendous amount of love and for good reason.

The game in question is Sly Cooper and the Theivius Raccoonus and it might have passed you by originally.

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If I had to die on a gaming hill, it would be this: Sly Cooper is a better mascot, character and franchise than Crash bandicoot, Spyro or any other 3D platformer from that era. Yeah, I said it.

Sly Cooper has bags of charm, an interesting premise with him being a master thief, plus the gameplay was, and still is, incredible.

As spotted by PlayStation Lifestyle, this PS2 title has edged out and stood head and shoulders above others released in the month of June and it’s well-deserved.

It probably helps that the game has a full trophy set, allowing those trophy hunters to improve their score, but honestly, it’s just a fantastic game.

Oddly, it never did big numbers in the UK and was much more popular in the United States, but Sly Cooper did get a full trilogy release for PS Vita, which was where I played it and often revisit.

Player data was analysed for 3.1 million users and Sly Cooper beat out The Legend of Dragoon with a 2.5% higher player count, making it the most successful PS2 classic for June.

If you haven’t played it already, you need to make the time. It has everything that made the 3D platformer such a standout genre for the PS2 age. Plus, it holds up despite being decades old. You can play it today through PlayStation Plus' premium tier.

The PlayStation 2 classic catalogue has recently been improved with Sony taking more care with emulation and adding in things like trophy support, save states and even a rewind feature.