Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

The Good
I hate platformers. I truly do. Even the term itself sounds extremely mundane. When I was a lot younger, I would enjoy the Marios and Sonics of yesteryear. Of course, like most gamers, I've grown up and moved on from the kiddy platforms. With all that behind me I have delved into more crazier, darker games or just much more complex ones. However, along comes a preview and some screenshots of its graphics and I found myself playing this game and finishing it. Despite its cartoony tone and cheeky dialogue, Sly Cooper is a very good game. If given a chance, the game not only appeals to families who love Disney collections but to a much bigger group of gamers than what one might expect. The direction, cutscenes and characters are well designed and animated but what really amazes me is the pacing of the game. There are many games where you play a character that gains abilities as he traverses through the levels gradually. This is one of them. But, when it is tightly wrapped around some pretty interesting puzzles and good story, it is a game that is truly hard to put down. The difficulty of this game isn't that high considering the target audience it was aimed to sell for but it does its job with some really unique game situations not tried in many "platformers". In Sly Cooper, you are mostly a thief trying to retrieve the separated parts of the holy grail known as the Thievius Raccoonus. This is nothing new but the way the game tells the story is. Sly Cooper makes heavy use of cinematic gameplay meaning the game looks plays like a real life cartoon where the camera is always changing. And although you jump around a lot in this game, it isn't frustrating. It is actually enjoyable. In fact, there are parts of the game where the character has the ability to jump at precise spots. Gone are the die-from-the-edge-of-the-cliff days where most platform type games have jump over or under p a particular block floating in mid air. Not Sly Cooper. In the game, you are given a series of objectives but none of the objectives feel pointless, nor do they feel like tedious play. There is actual purpose for everything you do in the game and the objective does not feel like something small you go after. In my own experience, it seems that the bigger the objective the more dire the challenge. Sly Cooper's execution is so well thought out that it would be worth playing again. The boss fights are hilarious and in some cases a puzzle in itself. There is even a sequence in the game where you must sync with the rhythm of the buttons a la Parappa.

The Bad
Other than the fact that it was a platformer, there weren't too many weaknesses. There maybe the occasional annoying dialogue but for the most part it is actually entertaining. You may also get sick of the cel-shaded look of the game. The colors are very vibrant but sometimes too vibrant that you may need to take a break once in awhile. The other gripe is that it is a short-lived ride. Very short. Just when you think the crescendo approaches, it ends.

The Bottom Line
Bottom line? Sly Cooper is a good game that can be easily overlooked for its kiddy and cartoon-like direction. But a deeper look says alot more about what the game offers for all of its audiences.

radcastro.com

The Good
Sly Cooper is a modern platformer made by some nobodies named Sucker Punch. Fortunately, this game will make them famous.

The visuals, firstly, are amazing. Cel shading was an appropriate method for a game of this story and plot. Sly Cooper moves with a brisk frame rate across amazingly eye-catching backgrounds. These backgrounds are one of the highlights. They are so well made, they look so good, that you have to see them again.

In the topic of backgrounds, it is also mentionable that these areas are created so well, so logically. Unlike other games, you will always know what to do, instead of walking around deciding what to do. This makes playing the game fun, but not repetitive.

Fun little mini-games are also in here, like a crab game, and a shoot on a platform game. These are fun and nice to play over and over. The control scheme is refreshingly simple. Jump, attack and a special sneak action button. Its amazing how much this button can do in different scenarios.

The Bad
No flaws in this game at all.

The Bottom Line
Sucker Punch has made a winner. If Mario'd enough, and are looking for a good platfomer, I truly believe that this game will make you think Mario was a joke. The visuals, smooth gameplay makes playing it so fun. Some people think it's short, but they just can't admit that the reason they finished it in three days, was because they just couldn't put the controller down for hours when they played. If you have a PS2, i pity you for not having this game. Go get it right now. Sly Cooper and the Thieivus Raccoonus deserves a solid 5 out of 5*

The Good
Ever since Mario, platform games have been the type of games nobody can hate. It's just not possible. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus is no different. You control Sly Cooper, a suave, debonair racoon thief who is trying to steal back his family heirloom, the Thievius Racoonus. It is a book passed down from generation to generation, filled with the legacies and wisdom of Sly's ancestors. As a kid, it was stolen from Sly Cooper, and now he wants it back.

In the game you are pitted against five devious villains, in five different worlds. Each has his own unique setting, from the casinos and alleyways of a Las Vegas type setting, to the dreary swamps of the Haitian jungle, and all of them have their own special attributes and skilled enemies. You have to use your trusty cane to smash, swing, slide, and smack your way to victory. Each of the five worlds contains seven levels, and all seven levels have a key at the end, and when you have all seven keys, you battle against one of the "Fiendish Five".

Along the way you'll get help from your two trusty pals: Bentely, the mastermind of your operations (who happens to be a turtle), and Murray, the skilled driver (who happens to be a pink hippopotumas). And in most levels you can collect clue bottles, to which Bentely will put all the clues together and figure out the combination to a safe, where you will find new skills to help you along the way. These skills include using your hat as a landmine and fooling the enemy with a silhouette cutout of yourself.

Along with the varied mini-games, silly but challenging bosses, and excellent graphics, you've got yourself a fresh new platformer no gamer can do without.

The Bad
Some of the mini-games can become quite irritating, but it's all the more rewarding in the end.

The Bottom Line
An all around good game. It is the type of game you can just sit down and have fun with.