Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

"Most compelling cel-shaded game on the PS2."

When I first booted up Sly Cooper,I knew I was into something good.It's because of Sucker Punch,the creator of the PS1 Spyro platformer.Considering how good Sly Cooper is,I'd like to think that every platformer from now on shall be cel-shaded.

STORY:9/10
The story is pretty original.A story about a fox family of thieves never let you down,does it?You have to track down a book of thieving techniques passed down by generations,stolen by Sly's five monstrous enemies.With help by a genius turtle and a hippo,surely the story would be more than over-average,right?A few less useless plots and it might get full marks.

GAMEPLAY:10/10
Here,the creators have got it very right.Level design is slick and thoughtful,and guess what?That makes the game more fun!Progressing through levels feeling good after kicking a few monstrous butts never felt better.There's also a stealth element,just like in Metal Gear Solid.Sly has to avoid from being detected by searchlights,in which turns into lasers at the sight of intruders.Sweet!

It is also incredible to see that you would be doing every single element of the gameplay time and time again.jump over pits,close fire vents,looks like the creators have tried to put every bit of fun into Sly Cooper.

GRAPHICS:10/10
Trust me,cel-shading has NEVER been better.Now this IS what you call controlling a cartoon.Slick animations and character designs make it all look great,and believe me,it's very cool.Also,the transition between gameplay and cutscenes looks brilliant,bright and colourful.I haven't seen any signs of flaw for the graphics,except maybe the slowdown,but it still doesn't hurt the graphics which you will be watching in awe.

AUDIO:9/10,
I'm starting with the voice acting.Absolute brilliance,I must say.Sly Cooper sounds so cool!Almost imitating Solid-Snake's gruffy voice,I think.Bentley The Turtle and Murray(the hippo) doesn't hurt either,providing a lot of sarcasm and cynical jokes.And everything else sounded great too!While it need not be real,but you'd like the audio if you think certain things should sound like it is.

CONTROLS:10/10
Tight controllers,platforming-style.With the usual running and jumping,and a few more additional features,which is good,of course.While using one button to jump and one attack button,the action button is pretty useful.For example,you can use it for stealth moves and to hang onto canes.While the shoulder buttons provide the most essential views(R1/L1:binoculars,R2/L2:adjust the view).Full marks without hesitation.

No matter how you look at it,Sly Cooper's a great game.Sure,it is short,which is why I didn't give this full marks.But trust me,this has got to be one of the best platformer in years,and for me,currently the best on the PS2 platforming scene,and certainly the most creative and innovative use of cel-shading.I give it a 9/10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/02, Updated 10/21/02