Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

Written by Matt Swider on November 12, 2002

Full Review: And for the last time, no, Winona Ryder does not make a guest appearance.

Like every year during May, E3 holds a handful of surprises for the videogame community and the announcement of Sly Cooper and the Thevius Raccoonus topped the list in 2002. After extensively playing the demo this summer, it's no shocker to me that Sly Cooper turned out to be one of the best platform titles to hit PlayStation 2. Even the skill that Sucker Punch put into developing Rocket: Robot on Wheels for N64 gave us great insight to what this team is capable of. Lucky enough for PlayStation 2 owners, Sucker Punch brings its creative talent to the system and in turn, steals the limelight from its competition even while its lead character slips under the cover of darkness.

Sly Cooper is not only crafty, but he's also well crafted. Other developers may stick a pair of paints on some tiger, kick him out their back door and name him Ty, but Sucker Punch has created the ideal super sleuth that boasts the stereotypical qualities of a raccoon. Underneath a blue jimmy cap, Sly is complete with raccoon eyes and Уmask.Ф Concealing his prints are a pair of gloves for his hands that always grasp a hook-shaped staff, which is the primary weapon of the game. Sly goes on the prowl with a hunched posture that would make anyone look suspicious and leaves behind his swanky calling card after every heist, making his career in crime official.

Beginning a new game means that players are pitted into the action from the start, unable to learn of any plot details and motives until the first objective is complete. The opening level is set under the midnight sky of Paris, France, where a full moon sits above the tall city buildings that surround the Eiffel Tower. Judging from the noise of the night, Sly isn't the only disturbance in the area. European sirens ring throughout the streets below and neighborhood dogs bark endlessly during the night. As Sly scampers atop the Paris police station, interactive elements come into play such as rotating ventilation fans, disposed mattress pads, and old-fashioned antennas, all of which can be used as jumping platforms. Rats can be found scurrying about the surface of the roof, but approaching them triggers panic. Each will dart for a rat hole, yet all can be exterminated for some small pocket change (No actual rats were harmed in this game). For such a minor segment, the city of Paris carries a complete environment that can be appreciated just as much as each world after it.

Finishing the level up is a run down with Police Inspector Carmelita Fox, hot on Sly's tail and hot in general. Like Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive, she always seems to be a second too late. Unlike Tommy Lee Jones, Carmelita is a sexy Spanish agent of the law. Each encounter that follows takes on a similar platform jumping, chase-oriented sequence. This is just one of the delightful variations that serves more as a mini-game and diverts players from the straightforward platform adventure scheme that is much to played out anymore.

Once Sly makes it to safety, the history of the Cooper family is revealed and is explained with a simple animated storybook presentation. It recounts the events of Sly Cooper's eighth birthday upon which he received a book known as the Thevious Raccoonus, the family heirloom that explains techniques to become a master thief. When a group of ruthless villains dubbed the Fiendish Five broke into the Cooper home, the pages were torn and Sly was the only Cooper spared. Growing up in an orphanage with his new buddies Bentley the genius turtle and Murray the slow-witted purple hippo, Sly vowed reclaim his birthright. After ten years pass, the three set out to do just that.

Throughout each world, Bentley serves as the brains of the operation. Dialogue between him and Sly clearly explains the tasks that need to be accomplished and moves that can be performed. His thick glasses, pessimistic attitude, and congested speaking voice make him the nerd of the game, but helpful in citing tips all the same. Murray on the other hand isn't very bright, but it makes him all the more humorous. His main purpose is to simply drive the getaway van, yet he always winds up racing for a key, which is another of the mini-games to partake in. Taking into account the complex makeup that went into all three of these characters, it proves that Sucker Punch, unlike other developers, refuses to use its thief abilities to reproduce the same old type of mascots. Furthermore, it attests to the fact that like the lead character, the software studio has one clever and cunning art department.

The cel-shading technique utilized in the game has been receiving a tremendous amount of praise, and is well deserving of the credit. Since each 3D environment remains intact, the hand drawn characters, enemies, and objects produce a stunning visual blend when fluidly moving about. Likewise, the platform end of the gameplay demonstrates several 2D gameplay elements from the past, now represented amongst the 3D environments. Sly Cooper even contains a level where lava is rising and players must literally Сbeat the heat.' It's a great reminder of Sonic the Hedgehog series and other games with such qualities. Additionally, this game takes on the standard of one hit and you're out, unless an extra hit point is obtained by collecting a lucky charm. More or less, much of the action involved in Sly Cooper identifies with the two-dimensional years and is now shrouded in a colorful world of 3D charm.

The gameplay component that has been receiving the most attention is Sly's stealth abilities to overcome many obstacles. Spotlights, lasers, and guards with flashlights can trigger alarms and thus, lights out for Sly. However, narrow escapes are always possible for this thief. In using tactics similar to the Metal Gear Solid series, players will be required to tiptoe inside a barrel and sneak around the ledge of a pillar and wall to avoid security. Dodging the eye of your enemy is unique in the platform state and quite thrilling as a result, leading us to the key reason why Sly Cooper is so enjoyable to play from start to finish.

Along with the stealth gameplay aspects, the audio kicks in a number of sneaky rhythms obviously influenced from a series of classic cartoon shows. During every instance that Sly approaches the fringes of a spotlight, the mood calls for some cautious footwork. The rest of the time, a jazz melody or upbeat tune will fit the bill for each level accordingly. Additionally, the voice actor that represents each character and enemy was carefully selected to fit the personality. Text is still available the spoken lines, but the quality makes it a pleasure to listen to.

Despite being a perfect example of how platform games should perform, Sly Cooper runs into several minor glitches. Thankfully, none of these downsides spoil the gameplay that exists. Cutting corners by jumping over lava pits or simply exploring a normal looking pipe running along the side a wall can sometimes spell death for this Cooper. During other points, problems ranged from being forced to assassinate Murray during a cover-shot level or having to restart a mini-game primarily because the final number of collected items doesn't completely add up. It's not of any great frustration, but it just doesn't seem to feel as sly when flaws cause you to die.

While the glitches can go unnoticed, the fact that Sly Cooper contains some nasty slowdown is quite apparent. Especially during cases where fire is being released, the framerate can drop a tremendous amount from its normal super sly speeds. Nevertheless, your eyes will be too fixated on the eye-popping cel-shading that this game puts forth to give much care or worry.