Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

The Games Cabin (9.6 out of 10) (96%)

In short, hardcore Sly fans (like myself) will be overly impressed with the game. Not only has Sanzaru done a fantastic job with the game, I’d go as far to say they bested the original three made by Sucker Punch. That’s a pretty big statement for me, especially since Sucker Punch is my personal favorite studio.

GamesRadar ( ) (90%)

Sanzaru Games did its homework with the Sly series, and the result is a sequel that handily does justice to Sucker Punch Productions' originals. It doesn’t have to change the face of platforming as we know it to be a thoroughly delightful trip through time, with gameplay that will enchant you no matter your age. If you’re a fan of the classic PS2 platformers, consider the budget-priced Thieves in Time a steal.

Gamers' Temple, The (86 out of 100) (86%)

Playing Thieves in Time took me back to the time when the PS2 boasted a number of great platformers - games that are a lot fewer and farther between on the PS3. Whether or not you were a Sly Cooper fan back in the day, Thieves in Time's charming characters, goofy (in a good way) story, and colorful, enchanting environments will make you a Sly fan today.

PlayStation Universe (8.5 out of 10) (85%)

A faithful send-up of cartoon humor and polished platforming, Sly Cooper's long-awaited return keeps things fresh with astounding and compelling variety.

Jeuxvideo.com (17 out of 20) (85%)

Depuis le temps qu'on attendait ce grand retour de Sly Cooper, on ne peut que s'incliner devant la façon dont le développeur a su restituer l'atmosphère si particulière de la série dans cet épisode inédit. La multiplicité de personnages jouables, la diversité des situations proposées, l'humour omniprésent et le gameplay aux petits oignons rendent l'expérience de jeu inoubliable. Si vous ne connaissez pas encore la série, c'est sans doute le moment de réparer cet oubli !

Worth Playing (8.5 out of 10) (85%)

Whether you're a longtime Sly Cooper fan or new to the series, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is really enjoyable. Story-wise, the game gets you up to speed if you missed the first three games, and the gameplay is intuitive and easy to pick up and play. It certainly left me wanting more Sly Cooper in the future, and I think you'll feel the same way after playing this title.

COGConnected / Canadian Online Gamers Network (85 out of 100) (85%)

I really can’t find a lot of fault in the newest iteration of Sly Cooper. I found it to be truly enjoyable and rather charming. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and it doesn’t stretch itself out to try and be anything more than what it is, a fantastic platformer. The real kicker here, in my mind, is the low price tag. Hitting your wallet at a mere $40, please excuse the obvious pun here, you are quite literally getting a steal of a deal. If this is what Sanzaru Games can offer up on its first true attempt at the world of Sly Cooper I certainly look forward to them attempting it again.

Game Over Online (85 out of 100) (85%)

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is an excellent platformer/stealth hybrid, just like its predecessors, and something long-time fans of the series will love, but newcomers may be better off picking up the HD trilogy since it doesn’t do all that much new and gives you far more value for your money. Franchise fans that have experienced them get plenty for their money too, especially if they own a Vita since the PS3 version throws that one in for free. The $40 launch price is about perfect for it since it would be hard to recommend at $60, but getting two versions for $40 makes it hard to not recommend unless you’re new to the franchise.

Gaming Nexus (8.5 out of 10) (85%)

Minor annoyances aside, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences that I have had in a long, long time. It has its flaws, but what game doesn’t? Sanzaru Games has done a phenomenal job at crafting a new and enjoyable adventure for the Sly that maintains everything that made the past entries great. The discounted price and the cross platform capabilities of the game only work to strengthen the experience. Definitely check this one out if you want to be reminded just how fun games can be. Despite a couple of technical hiccups along the way, Thieves in Time is some of the most fun that I have had with a video game in a long time. It translates well between the two platforms without losing any charm and has a ton of gameplay variety which keeps things fresh every step of the way. Anyone who says platform and portable games weren’t created equally definitely needs to play this game!

Gaming Age (B+) (83%)

After a nearly 8 year hiatus, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a worthy 4th installment in the Sly Cooper series (especially for under $40), and Sanzaru Games did a great job picking up where Sucker Punch left off. Overall, it’s an interesting take on the Sly formula, though ultimately, a fairly safe one. If you’re a fan of the Sly franchise, own a PS3 or PS Vita (or both ideally), and/or are looking for an enjoyable action platformer, then definitely consider Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time.

4Players.de (82 out of 100) (82%)

Sly Cooper: Jagd durch die Zeit ist wie eine Reise in die Zeit guter alter 3D-Plattformer. Sogar die dezent kantige Kulisse weckt Erinnerungen an die PS2. Im Gegenzug punktet das Spiel aber mit den Tugenden, die ich mit Jump-n-Run-Klassikern von Nintendo, Rare oder Sucker Punch verbinde: Es gibt knuffige Figuren, unterhaltsame Sprung-, Kampf- und Schleich-Sequenzen sowie jede Menge Kram zum Sammeln. Slys Fähigkeiten, Kostüme und spielbaren Vorfahren sorgen für erstaunlich viel Umfang und Abwechslung. Wer beide Versionen besitzt, kann dank Cloud-Spielstand sogar zwischen PS3- und Vita-Fassung wechseln. Dass es trotzdem nicht für Gold reicht, liegt vor allem an der zickigen Kamera, ein paar Steuerungs-Macken und am Mangel frischer Ideen. Slys neues Abenteuer hat mich zwar gut unterhalten, aber bei weitem nicht so gefesselt wie etwa Super Mario Galaxy und sein Nachfolger.

IGN (8 out of 10) (80%)

Sure, Sly 4 has ridiculous load times, occasionally frustrating gameplay and some bizarre, archaic motion controls, but don’t let that deter you: Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a worthy game to add to your library on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It does so many things right and harkens back to a different time in gaming while modernizing the experience for a new generation. It may not wow you like some of the best PlayStation exclusives have in the past, but needless to say, the wait for a continuation of the Sly saga was officially worth it.

Critical Hit (8 out of 10) (80%)

A perfect nostalgic nod to a bygone era of gaming. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time will keep fans of Sly happy, while also introducing newcomers to one of the best (yet surprisingly underrated) platform characters of the early noughties. I didn't even mention the top-notch voice acting, and awesome one-liners.

Hardcore Gamer Magazine (4 out of 5) (80%)

After three commendable HD ports, Sanzaru Games has done a perfect job capturing the essence of Sucker Punch’s original trilogy. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time features not only the addictive gameplay the series is known for, but the humorous and charming tone it’s loved for. The entire adventure is breezy, innocent fun that will prove nostalgic for fans of tight late nineties/early aughts platforming. Large worlds, multiple playable characters and an abundance of mini games and collectibles add up to a worthy entry in the genre, but considering its low price point and near-seamless Cross-Buy functionality, it’s a must-own for anybody who owns both consoles and has the good taste to once again enjoy a delightful, pulpy romp with the world’s most endearing raccoon.

ZTGameDomain (8 out of 10) (80%)

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a love-letter to fans of the series. For those of us clamoring for Sly’s return for the past eight years, we finally have something to fill the void. Fans of action platformers that have never checked out the series owe it to themselves to see what Sanzaru has accomplished. There are not enough of these types of games on the market anymore, and frankly that is a shame. This is yet another exclusive that Sony should be touting front and center. If you love the genre, Thieves in Time is definitely a must play.

Darkstation ( ) (80%)

Given it's spot on my most anticipated games of 2013 list, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time was more or less what I was looking for. While it wasn't as innovative as the Sly of my dreams, it was nonetheless a solid, worthy, and all together fun romp with the old gang. While Sony may have decided to sit this on the bottom shelf marketing wise, I hope it sells enough that we might see another on next-gen consoles. It would be an absolute shame for this to be the last Sly romp, but if it is, nothing could have been a more fitting tribute to one of Sony's most creative franchises.

The Escapist ( ) (80%)

It might have trouble holding a steady pace across the whole game, but Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is an enjoyable platformer with many differing styles of gameplay to keep things interesting. Plus, the sheer amount of collectibles and treasures to hunt down will make it hard for any completionist to put the game down for long.

Games Finder (8 out of 10) (80%)

Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time was definitely created with long term fans in mind and they’ll really love the direction that the series has taken in this game. Newcomers will also find a fun blend of platforming and stealth but won’t reach the same level of appreciation.

Impulse Gamer (7.5 out of 10) (75%)

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a good game but not as good as it should and could have been. A repetitive mission structure and motion controls damper what is otherwise an enjoyable trip down memory lane for fans of the series. Here’s hoping Sly sticks around a little bit longer before once again slipping into the shadows.

GameSpot (7.5 out of 10) (75%)

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time doesn't mess with the foundation set by its enjoyable predecessors. Rather, it adds an assortment of characters to the mix, each with his or her own moves, and this makes for an exciting and diverse adventure. Each location provides a number of eye-catching sights to please your artistic senses as much as your fingers, and considering all the collectibles to uncover, you can spend hours exploring this colorful world. There are occasional stumbles, but Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is another good entry in the platforming series.

Gameplay (Benelux) (73 out of 100) (73%)

Sly Cooper heeft na 7 lange jaren afwezigheid dit vierde genietbare avontuur meer dan verdiend, alleen jammer dat het zo zelden buiten de cel-shaded lijntjes kleurt.

Reboot (7 out of 10) (70%)

Uz zabavnu i raznoliku igrivost te odličnu atmosferu, malo koji ljubitelj platformera se ne bi libio odmah zgrabiti primjerak novog Slya. Unatoč tome, moramo navesti nekoliko ozbiljnih zamjerki. Igra je vrlo jednostavna, lagana i, u odnosu na prethodnike, ne donosi značajne inovacije. Struktura zadataka, ciljevi u misijama, mini igre... sve će to nekome tko je odrastao na serijalu biti strašno poznato, a i pomalo monotono. Nostalgični developeri samo su malo unaprijedili provjerenu formulu i ostavili Slya u eri PS2 platformera. Ako ste odigrali sve prethodne nastavke, gotovo ništa vas neće iznenaditi u ovom dijelu. Šteta. Uz potencijal koji Sly ima, mogli bismo dobiti mnogo više od tek solidnog platformera. Krajnji rezultat daleko je od razočaravajućeg, no nadali smo se pravom iskoraku na konzole trenutačne generacije.

TotalPlayStation (7 out of 10) (70%)

The only thing Thieves in Time does wrong is not try hard enough. Sanzaru didn't deviate enough from the PS2 plan and didn't take the time to create enough unique content. A lateral move from the previous entries in the series.

GamingTrend (70 out of 100) (70%)

For a game so involved in trekking through the Cooper family past, it’s a bit ironic that Thieves in Time’s gameplay seems to be stuck there. Sly’s effervescent charm and stealth-based gameplay is just as you remember it from almost a decade ago – to a fault. Sanzaru should be commended for being able to give us another Sly Cooper game, but after waiting so long to step back into the cunning raccoon’s shoes, they should have given us a better one.

Destructoid (7 out of 10) (70%)

In fact, "inoffensive" is probably the word that best describes Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time from the perspective of a fan. It fits right in with its predecessors, offering a rather lengthy campaign and a fair quantity of optional content that's fun to play, though not particularly challenging most of the time. While there may be an expectation that a series' arrival in a console generation outshine all that came before, Sanzaru has made a perfectly acceptable game that may not advance the genre, but feels comfortable with right where it is.

D+PAD Magazine ( ) (70%)

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is an easy purchase for fans of the series and may just win a few new hearts too. It’s not a console heavy-hitter, nor should you to expect it to offer the usual set-piece cinematics to which we’ve all become accustomed. What it does is try its hand at a good number of gameplay styles, building on the series and expanding the Cooper lore, albeit to varying degrees of success. There’s no escaping that it feels like something of a throwback to the PS2, but there’s also an undeniable charm in the story and characters that might just have you playing to the end. Sly and the gang haven’t quite brought their A-game, but for fans of the series and lovers of the long-forgotten platformer, Thieves in Time is a steal.

DarkZero (7 out of 10) (70%)

There is no doubt that Sanzaru Games played it safe with Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. Fans will feel right at home with the game’s structure and gameplay layout, almost like this was made exclusively for the fans, since they haven’t had a new entry in the series for quite some time. I personally don’t have a problem with that, mainly because this is the first time Sly has truly entered this generation. Hopefully, next time Sony won’t wait as long to bring the raccoon back, and maybe he will get an inventive and more challenging sequel. While we wait for that, anyone who is looking for a good and enjoyable platformer should give Thieves in Time a chance, because for £19.99 on the PSN store, I cannot deny that this game is a steal at that price.

Cheat Code Central (3.3 out of 5) (66%)

In the eight years that Sly Cooper has been absent from the video game universe, things have changed a bit. Pacing, characterization, and storytelling have become an important part of the industry, but all of these things are missing from Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. What we're left with is a schizophrenic collage of historical tropes, pop culture references, and antiquated storytelling.

Gameplanet (6.5 out of 10) (65%)

New series guardian Sanzaru Games has taken great care to emulate the gameplay of prior Sly Cooper titles, which gives Thieves in Time an overly familiar but comfortable feel. A polished experience, it nonetheless won't challenge adults, and its one-dimensional characters aren't likely to captivate.

PlayStation Lifestyle (6.5 out of 10) (65%)

At its core, Thieves in Time is an average platformer that has some pretty art and that Sly Cooper charm. Fans of the franchise will love it because it’s more Sly, but those looking for something that goes above and beyond will likely be left feeling a bit disappointed.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) (6.5 out of 10) (65%)

I love the Sly Cooper series, and I enjoyed playing through this first original entry in nearly eight years—but some of the classic Sucker Punch magic is definitely missing here. The capers themselves are still fun, but additional diversity in objectives would’ve been appreciated. Ultimately, Thieves in Time is still an above-average platformer, but it’s not nearly as good as it could’ve been.

Eurogamer.net (UK) (6 out of 10) (60%)

In many respects, then, Thieves in Time is a fitting successor to the PS2 titles: Sly Cooper games were always solid genre pieces first and foremost, where likable characters and decent mechanics masked a journeyman feel to some of the content, and the same is true here. Unfortunately, the rest of the world has moved on considerably in the intervening years, and so what starts off as a welcome regression quickly loses its verve. It's not enough these days to serve up some generic platforming, strap on a few ageing pop-culture jokes ("What are you doing, Bentley?" asks a HAL-style hacking computer that would have seemed out of date a decade ago), and wrap it up in primary colours and cutesy animals. Ni no Kuni, due out at around the same time as Sly, is a very different game, but vastly more artful, magical and affecting, despite making a similar appeal to all ages. Sly could learn from that.

Metro.co.uk (6 out of 10) (60%)

A classic example that sometimes less is more, as a deadweight of mini-games and side characters dilutes an otherwise fun, if unambitious, platformer.

Push Square (6 out of 10) (60%)

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a decent adventure with some memorable moments, but it’s hampered by repetition and a lack of desire to build upon the foundations of previous entries in the franchise. There’s still enough animal magic to make this platformer worth playing, but it’s more of a petty thief than a notorious armed robber.

Digital Spy ( ) (60%)

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time manages to make us nostalgic for the PS2, but this is an example of a game that fails to play to its strengths. Platforming is what it does best, yet the developers have diluted the experience by taking the series along avenues it didn't necessarily need to explore.

Polygon (6 out of 10) (60%)

The bad pacing in level design, the overwhelming mix of things to do without any sense of how to piece them together into a strong experience, the production values that veer back and forth between fantastic and non-existent — it feels like, well, a PlayStation 2 game. Sly's in exactly the same spot he was nearly a decade ago, while other games and franchises have spent that time improving AI and level design. The rest of the industry has moved on, and now so have I.

Game Revolution (3 out of 5) (60%)

When it comes right down to it, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a competent platformer that rests on the laurels its namesake and plays it far too safe. That said, hardcore fans will find plenty to love solely because it's more Sly. So if pretty art and average platforming sounds worth the price of admission, who am I to stop you?

Thunderbolt Games (6 out of 10) (60%)

Still, despite succumbing to some of the series’ pitfalls, which Sanzaru seems to have knowingly fell into, Thieves in Time is a remarkably faithful recreation of the classic 3D platforming the series was known for; and as such, it’s easy to get lost in the nostalgia of it all. Many of the hub worlds are an absolute joy to scour for clue bottles, treasures and masks. You’ll scale peaks and bell towers to survey the land, identify distant points-of-interest and be perpetually teased by locations and baubles as-yet unreachable with your current arsenal of costumes and relevant abilities. And during those moments it’s easy to look past the overall lack of ambition that permeates Thieves in Time and enjoy it for what is: just another Sly Cooper game.

1UP (C) (50%)

Thieves in Time makes me realize that the Sly Cooper series feels stuck in the post-GTA III world of the early aughts. It strives to deliver an open world, but that space feels sparse and unlived in. It leans on variety at the detriment of not allowing any one element to feel truly refined. It knows how to tell a long story, but doesn't quite know how to tell a particularly good one. Instead of stealing from others, perhaps it's time for Sly to learn how to create something unique unto himself.

Diehard GameFan N/A

If you’ve missed the Sly franchise in any capacity, this game will satiate your thirst. It picks up right where the last game off in every respect. This both serves the game well and creates some issues. The gameplay is intact, the story is classic Sly stuff, but nothing new has really been added. This game could have easily been made seven years ago and been a great addition to the PS2’s lineup. Thankfully, the game is a budget title, so that particular issue can be forgiven. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a fun platformer with plenty of charm and a strong sense of variety. It’s worth a look, and hopefully a sign of the a great future for the franchise.