The Sting! Demo

Being a robber is not at all an easy job, not to mention illegal and extremely dangerous. However, some people prefer the thrill of having to put their lives in jeopardy for cash, or just enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that rushes over them when the plan goes by the book. Hence, there are plenty of video games out there on the subject, not all of which are very good, on the other hand.

The Sting! is an action-adventure game in which you get to see exactly what it means to plan a heist, as well as explore a fascinating city populated by a variety of interesting characters. Although your purpose is to gain enough notoriety and cash to finance one massive heist, the journey there is just as entertaining, especially because you are free to approach the task however you see fit.

As such, you play the role of Matt Tucker, a guy who was just released from prison for prior offenses. In order to regain his credibility as a big time booster, he must put together a few jobs and get some money, while also establishing connections around town. The biggest surprise at the game is the fact that the city is quite large and you have the liberty to roam wherever you want right from the start, which was a bold move from the developers at the time.

The heists themselves are planned using a recorder system, which basically allows you to set every move and watch the result unfold live in front of your eyes. This stage can take as much time as you want it to, because the entire plan is liable to fail because of the tiniest mistake. Naturally, you can try as many times as you want, with as many tactics as you wish.

The graphics are fully three-dimensional, which is yet again impressive when you consider the release date of the game. On the other hand, the engine is pretty glitchy and the camera can be a bit disorienting to handle at first until you get used to it. Even so, there are some bugs that might annoy you along the way, but they shouldn’t be game breaking and the rest of the gameplay should make you ignore them anyway.

All things considered, The Sting! is the kind of game that doesn’t come out twice, unless you count the somewhat similar Grand Theft Auto franchise or the heist-oriented Payday series. Even so, this is certainly worth a shot from any action fans, as long as you can stomach the rather outdated graphics and the annoying camera.