Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

"Sly will steal your time and you'll thank him for it"

Sly Cooper, the raccoon, is a thief.

He's not exactly a villainous type. His family has a tradition of stealing from master criminals as opposed to regular people - because stealing from the average person holds neither honor nor challenge. They don't play Robin Hood, but one may think of the Coopers as ''benevolently amoral.''

Only now there's one Cooper left. Sly.

His father was killed by the group of master criminals called the Fiendish Five, and Sly was left on his own. Worse, the family's ancient manual of thievery, the Theivius Raccoonus, was split between the Fiendish Five, denying sly his rightful, if criminal, inheritance of the family skills.

However, true to the Cooper line, Sly doesn't give up. Stuck in an orphanage, he makes the acquaintance of two more lost souls - Bentley the Turtle and Murray the Hippo. They grow into a new counter-criminal team, with Bentley's technical genius and Murray's driving skills providing backup to Sly's stealth and agility.

They're going to take down the Fiendish Five and find the Thevius Raccoonus. Each page, each secret, will be one more nail in the coffin of the Fiendish Five's careers.

However, the well-armed Detective Carmelita Fox has other ideas about Sly (and she and Sly share some odd romantic ideas about each other). And so, the chase is on . . .

Graphics: 10/10
Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.

Sly Cooper uses cell shading graphics to produce what is essentially a playable cartoon. There's also an incredible attention to detail in each environment's design. The combination is stunning, yet never distracting. The feeling of seeing a cartoon almost makes it easier to play - there's neither terrible graphics nor in-your face ''wow, look-at-this'' effects. It's both artistic yet understated in an effective way.

There is, occasionally, some slowdown in the game. This is rare, and the worst case takes place in a relatively non-dangerous ''hub'' level. It's annoying, but not devastating.

Gameplay: 10/10
Smooth. Gameplay is extremely easy and intuitive. Almost anything can be done with a button push or two, and the controls work like you'd expect. There's almost no learning curve because the controls make so much sense.

For instance, several special abilities are triggered by one button - and the ability use depends on what kind of environment or position your character is in. In one location it does one thing - take a leap to another area, and the button does something else. Sly also can intuitively ''see'' areas that may activate certain skills, making it easier on you, the gamer.

You also acquire special skills in the game. Some help you avoid hazards, others are accessible in a menu. You have one of these ''activation'' skills accessible at a time, chosen from cycling through the menu with L2 and R2. The triangle button then activates the skill. Very simple.

This means that, unlike many games, you challenge the game, not the controller.

So what does the game consist of?

Essentially every level you have an ''entry'' level that provides a 'treasure key' and leads to a hub. From the hub you access various levels to collect more keys that unlock more of the hub, and finally, a battle with the boss, a member of the Fiendish Five. Most levels are platform puzzle-jumpers, but some are odd and unusual mini-games.

Each platform-type level has a series of ''clues'' lying around. Find them all and Bentley can decode the combination to a safe on that level, which contains a page from the Thevius Raccoonus or some other useful information. The pages provide additional skills.

The platform levels are not simple hack-and-slash - though most enemies are easily clobberable, you usually have to contend with jumping, leaping, figuring out ways of access, and nasty security systems. In short, its far more about stealth, planning, and speed than combat.

Your character has multiple lives, and has lucky charms. Lucky charms prevent a life loss. You also collect coins - found out in the open or hidden in many breakable objects. One hundred coins buys a lucky charm. However, you can only carry two charms at once, so one doesn't want to get careless.

Each boss battle is very, very different. Don't expect to simply walk up to them and hit them, or easily dodge. In fact, its good you can go back to levels with extra lives and lucky charms, because some of the boss battles will cost you some lives unless you can figure them out very quickly. None of them are boring, and each is clever. The battle with Voodoo Crocodile Mz. Ruby is both funny, clever, and entertaining.

Sound: 10/10
Sound is quite good, with catchy music, good sound effects, and average-to-good voice acting (the voice of master villain Clockwerk is extraordinarily chilling, and Bentley's adenoidal voice, originally annoying, actually grows on you).

Sound does not dominate the game, but works well. Its use is subtle, but very effective.

Story: 10/10
Sly Cooper not only has a solid story (which is rare for many ''arcade-action'' games), the story is actually interesting, has a few twists and turns, and there's actual character development. Throw in camaraderie, humor, and a bit of twisted romance, and you've got something that keeps your attention besides the action.

In addition, there are many ''little'' touches throughout the game that keep the story-feel alive. Bentley has his own personal commentary on things. Pages of the Thevius Racconus reveal tales of Sly's ancestors as well as new skills and extras. The story stays with you throughout the game.

Combined with the graphics and sound, the story ties it all together to make it feel like you're playing a cartoon.

Replayability: 9/10
There are three different ways to ''win'' in the game:
*Beat all bosses (About 10 hours)
*Find and open all safe (about 2-5 more hours)
*Beat every platform level's ''Master Thief Sprint'' - a timed run through the level - to unlock commentary tracts on each level and more movies. This requires some careful planning and casing of each level. (Probably another 5-10 hours, depending). Doing this also unlocks another movie.

It can thus take you up to 25 hours to beat everything, depending on your skills, and they unlock all sorts of neat stuff. That's a pretty good bargain.

However, the levels are so interesting, that I'd easily play it again. The game is colorful, challenging, and interesting, and there' always something new to find or some jump or dodge to figure out.

Overall: 10/10
Sly Cooper achieves something that is needed for good games - synergy. Everything ties together in one solid, delightful package.

Rent or Buy: With Sony's latest price cuts, you can get this game for $40.00 or under. With the smooth gameplay, the replayability, and the sheer fun, it's worth buying. I had one game-fanatic friend pick it up after seeing it in action and playing for 15 minutes. So, buy it! Let Sly get some money HONESTLY.

And by the way, Cartoon Network, option this for a cartoon! Sly Cooper's got enough plot and personality that it could make it as a TV show.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/26/02, Updated 10/26/02