Can I run on the PSN version?

The digital PSN version is about 10-10.5 minutes slower than PS2, and the collection disc is even slower. In this guide I will present some numbers, and you can be the judge. If you don’t have easy access to an NTSC PS2 then I’ll definitely recommend the PSN version for starting out or for testing the waters.

List of versions, faster to slower

NTSC-U BC PS3
NTSC-U PS2
PAL BC PS3
PAL PS2
NTSC-U PSN
PAL PSN
Collection disc

NTSC-U = America
PAL = Europe, Australia

The difference between the NTSC and PAL PSN version is a concept called H&S Skip. It’s a method to skip the health & safety screen upon starting your game on any NTSC PSN version (works for Sly 1-3), allowing for ~7.2s faster start up of your game. To set it up, simply set the system language to one of a specific selection of languages; most european languages works (i.e. german or dutch).

PSN is considered an inferior version to run on mainly because of patched out skips/glitches:

Automatic cinematics skips Loses ~4:15 (can skip these by restarting the game, still loses ~40s per)
World 2 catapult Loses ~4:00 (has to do 2 extra levels in w2 hub)
‘Spinning’ Loses ~1:20 (has to do the level like intended)
Load to skip Mz. Ruby cinematics Loses ~0:38 (has to restart the game to skip cs)

In addition to this, here’s some more minor stuff:

Load to skip cutscenes Loses ~0:22 (has to either watch or exit to level)
Catapult in A Stealthy Approach Loses ~0:20 (has to go to cs and skip it by exiting level)
Menu locks during autosaves Loses up to ~0:35 (each "risky pause" saves 2s)

PSN (w/ SSD) loses ~11:30 to BCPS3 (~10:30 lost to PS2) if we assume perfect spinning.

This guide expects you to already know your stuff from elsewhere; I will mainly point at the differences. The PSN speedrun route is mostly identical to that of the PS2 version, but we have to do a few more levels in world 2 and have to skip cinematics manually if we wish to skip them.

Paris

In order to skip the post-Paris cinematics your file has to be saved in Paris. With us now starting the run timing from loading a pre-made file, we no longer have to manually save in Paris so we can jump right into the cinematics and reset like normal. Unfortunately we can’t set up a file with pre-watched cinematics like on the PS2 version.

Simply reset your game to skip the opening cinematics for worlds 1-4, it’s slower for world 5.

A Stealthy Approach

Since the sign catapult is patched on this version, we have to run into the tunnel, trigger the cutscene and skip it by pausing and exiting to hideout, then re-entering the level.

World 1 Hub

If you miss pipe jump, you have to exit to hideout in order to skip the cutscene. This does save your charm, however.

World 2

As soon as you enter the world 2 hub, load the game (like on PS2) to warp to the middle of the hub, then exit to hideout as soon as the next cutscene starts. Once you re-enter the hub the cutscene should be skipped.

From here, we have to get two extra keys in place of the World 2 catapult as it's patched out on this version. The fastest levels to do are Murray’s Big Gamble and Boneyard Casino. The fastest route is to go straight for Murray’s Big Gamble, then to run directly to Boneyard Casino. Make sure you have a charm leaving Boneyard Casino.

Murray’s Big Gamble

We can load right away to skip the first cutscene. This also applies for King of the Hill in world 4. We have to watch the key animation at the end as we can’t load to skip it like on PS2.

The infamous car catapult

While the traditional catapult you see on NTSC PS2 (and BC PS3) runs is patched, you can achieve a similar catapult from bouncing off of the car as seen in Ersen’s video. Feel free to go for this if you’d like, but getting this in a run is super rare. It saves ~10 seconds as it skips running all the way around.

Muggshot

Instead of loading when hitting the final mirror, on the PSN version we have to death abuse to skip the upcoming cinematics. Simply run off the edge or jump into the abyss as you hit the final mirror.

The Lair of the Beast

You can skip the opening cutscene by exiting to the hub and re-entering the level, but it’s actually faster to watch it.

Coin charm management

Since we can’t load to get charms back, and because of the extra coins from A Stealthy Approach, Boneyard Casino (as well as the coins scattered in the world 3 hub) you either want to get a coin charm to use (speed-up or safety) in A Ghastly Voyage (later in Descent into Danger) OR in A Perilous Ascent for the Lomaykay (as the charmless setup doesn’t work on the PSN version), but the latter option makes getting enough coins for a safety charm for World 5 tougher.

Mz Ruby

Since we can’t load after dealing the final hits to Ruby, we have to exit the game completely to skip the cinematics. This barely saves time over not skipping the last phase, and if you miss the phase skip you can simply map out after the hit on the third phase, skipping the game reset completely. Jumping always allows for a more lenient pause window (do this for Panda King as well).

A Perilous Ascent

If you have the extra lives to spare and no charm, you can skip doing the out of bounds by death abusing next to the auto save. This does lose a few seconds over the harder out of bounds strat. If you have a charm at the end of the level, feel free to do the Lomaykay (the super jump chain). You then have to re-enter the level and map out when you hit the key.

The charmless setup does not work on this version.

King of the Kill

Like in Murray’s Big Gamble, the opening cutscene is skippable by loading. In the level itself, some guards are harder to hit on this version as the walls feels thicker (or harder to shoot “through”).

The Unseen Foe

The cycles are a little different on this version as this level is very laggy on PS2 (making it nearly impossible to go “too fast”). With clean movement, expect to wait a little on the fireworks cycle.

Rapid Fire Assault

Since spinning is completely patched out, we have to do the entire level as intended. I aim for ~85 coins at the end of this level.

Panda King

Since we can’t simply load before knocking out Panda King, we’re forced to do the map out strat (harder but faster). I recommend jumping to get a much more lenient pause window. If you pause too early (before the autosave), exit back out of the menu and mash select to bring up the map manually to hopefully get the auto save then.

It’s faster to watch the opening cinematics for world 5 than to skip them.