Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

"What other game has a hot Latin fox shooting you with a shock pistol?"

Be sneaky, or perish. This describes Sly Cooper. Sly Cooper is by far one of the best games on the PS2 this year, and IMO, the best platform game on the PS2. Going through the variety of levels, in different parts of the globe provides an experience like none before. Mini-games break up the monotony and bosses aren't just like normal enemies.

The storyline isn't corny or pointless, but it isn't anything special. The Fiendish Five, a gang of thieves, invade the Cooper mansion. Sly's father is killed, and the Thievus Raccoonus, the book which contains all the Cooper family's thieving secrets, is stolen. Each of the Fiendish Five take a page and and split up to different parts of the globe, from Haiti to the Kunlun mountains in China. The wide variety of locations inject freshness into the otherwise dull environments. Music is changed for each area as well, so each never feels like the last. A great touch.

Sly Cooper is a platform game, but with less emphasis on jumping and more on stealth and action. Sly only can take 1 hit from an enemy before dying, but with horseshoes the number of hits he can take is increased. Horseshoes are very important in this game. You never know when you might need one. If you fall into water or pits, horseshoes will make you go right back up onto your perch. Easily the most important item in the game, as you will die many many times.

Sly Cooper is mainly an easy game, although there are some parts of the game which become frustratingly difficult. Like most games, the earlier levels are extremely easy. You'll have to go through the level 3 times if you want to experience everything the game has to offer, the first for the treasure key (the main item), the second for clue bottles which allow you to open the level vault which provides new moves and lastly for the master thief sprint. The master thief sprint, which is one of the best aspects of the game, is also one of the hardest. You'll have to guide Sly through the level in a certain time, usually two minutes.

Mini-games are mainly to break up the monotony of going through similar levels. They range from killing chickens while avoiding bomb-toting roosters to racing a bunch of rabid monkeys in your van. These are fun the first time around, but after playing them 2 to 3 times, they get repetitive and boring. Still, they are needed to get treasure keys.

Sneaking and stealth plays a major part in Sly Cooper. You'll have to avoid spotlights and beams that turn red when you step in them. When they are red, 1 hit and you're Sly toast. Fortunately there are always alarm horns nearby that deactivate the beams when you hit them. However once you get the invisibility page of the Thievus Raccoonus, these detection devices become easy to cross as they cannot spot Sly when he is invisible.

Combat is done using Sly's golden cane. This cane is used not only to fight, but also to hook onto objects to swing across gaps. Combat is pretty easy, as each enemy has their own individual pattern, which when you figure out, the enemies become easy. Boss fights aren't just typical fights, as they too have their own pattern. My personal favourite was the Parappa-like game with Mz Ruby where you have to dodge square, triangle, circle and X symbols by pressing the respective buttons as they reach you.

This game is pretty short. A skilled gamer can breeze through in approximately 10 hours, 13-15 to collect everything and get 100%. The collectables add tons to the replay value, without them there would be no reason to visit the level again. With only 5 bosses, it is a tad short. However the experience is a great one.

Control in Sly Cooper is almost perfect. You'll never need to refer to the instruction manual or any other reference to learn the controls, as they are simple and inituative. X is for jump, square for attacking, triangle for special moves and circle for various functions like walking on rails and hooking onto ... hooks. You'll never blame the controls for accidental deaths. Everything is easy to do. Easily one of the best points of Sly Cooper.

The graphics of Sly Cooper are amazing. Cel-shading may be overdone nowadays but in this case, it fits with the rest of the game. Cut-scenes are done in cartoon fashion and are surprisingly well-animated. Levels are beautifully designed and well-detailed. Sly's death animations are humorous at some points. Try falling into water and see what happens. The only flaw with the graphics is that at some areas there is slowdown, but it is nothing that would make the game unplayable.

The voice-acting in the game is really good. The voices fit the characters to a T. The music is also good, as they fit the different environments. The pace of the music increases when you get hit by spotlights and when enemies spot you, and decrease when over. A good touch.

Overall, Sly Cooper is a great game. Anyone who calls themselves platform fans should get this game. It is one of the best offerings of the genre. The graphics are excellent, the audio is great and the gameplay is innovative and manage to keep fresh throughout the whole game. The monotony is broken at various appropriate intervals through mini-games.
Definitely check this game out.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/02, Updated 10/14/02