Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
Encyclopedia
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (also known as Sly 4), is the fourth title of the Sly Cooper
series of platform
stealth video games. Thieves in Time is a PlayStation 3
exclusive game set to release in mid-2012. Though the original series was developed by Sucker Punch Productions
for the PlayStation 2
, this game will be developed by Sanzaru Games
, who had previously ported the original games into high-definition versions for the PlayStation 3. The game was formally announced at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo during Sony's presentation on June 7, 2011.
The game, set in a world populated by anthropomorphic animals, follows from the end of Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
. Sly Cooper, a raccoon from a long line of master thieves, reunites his gang to locate and recover the Thievius Raccoonus, a book chronicling the Cooper family line that has been lost in time. The player controls Sly, Bentley, and Murray and uses his thieving skills to pull off heists and recover the missing parts of the book over the course of the game.
rendered through cel-shading
, the player controls the master thief Sly Cooper, equipped with a cane, and can run, jump, and perform melee attacks on enemies. Sly is gifted with thieving skills, allowing the player to execute actions like parkour
, running along thin railings, landing atop narrow platforms, and sneaking around undetected. A new feature of the game are collectible costumes earned through the course of play. The costumes can be activated through the controls, giving Sly a different set of abilities. In an E3 2011 demonstration, Sly is given a suit of armor costume that includes a large shield that can reflect projectiles back at a foe. In another part of the demonstration, Sly is able to don a gypsy outfit that grants him the power to slow down time for a brief period. The player, after collecting these costumes, can go back to previous levels and use these costumes to unlock secret areas or complete the level in a different manner. Bentley and Murray will also be playable characters in the game. The larger game is structured similar to the second and third games, using levels that feature a central open-world-like hub and missions that are launched from certain points. More gameplay was revealed during a PAX 2011 interview. It was revealed there will be a compass to help the player find the objective throughout the hub world.
; Bentley had constructed a time machine, but in its use, the Thievius Raccoonus, the book that has chronicled the history and techniques of the Cooper family of master thieves, has been lost to time. Sly Cooper reforms his gang to recover the missing book to protect his legacy. In addition to the return of Sly Cooper, Bentley, and Murray, other established characters may appear; the 2011 E3 trailer included Dimitri working with Sly's gang. New enemies will be introduced; the E3 demonstration included an ego-centric tiger named El Jefe, voiced by Nolan North
. El Jefe is an old war general with much prestige who topples governments and sells the country to the highest bidder. At least one of Sly's ancestors established in earlier games appears, and are playable characters once met within the game; Rioichi Cooper, a ninja from Feudal Japan, has a unique technique, the Leaping Dragon, that allows the character to scale great distances. Rioichi will be voiced by Steven Blum
.
, who previously created The Sly Collection, PlayStation 3
-enhanced versions of the first three Sly Cooper games. According to Sanzaru's Glen Egan, the developers were interested in developing the Sly Cooper franchise further after Sucker Punch Productions
, the original developer, had moved to the Infamous
series. They worked out a prototype game engine for the PlayStation 3 which they presented to Sony Computer Entertainment
. Sony was impressed with the prototype and gave them the development duties for the PlayStation 3 conversion of the original trilogy, and then subsequently green-lit Thieves in Time.
Thieves in Time represents a return to the series after a six year hiatus following the release of Sly 3. Several hints of the series' revival have been included in both Infamous games by Sucker Punch. In addition to other nods to the series, such as Sly Cooper's calling-card logo patch on Infamous protagonist Cole McGrath's backpack in both games and the ability to use Sly's cane as an alternate melee weapon within Infamous 2, both games features marquees that included the title "Sly 4". A teaser trailer included in the The Sly Collection released in late 2010, titled "Sly 4", was believed to be an indication that a new game would soon be announced. The game was formally announced during Sony's presentation at the 2011 E3 convention on June 7, 2011. The announcement also included a new trailer.
Sly Cooper
Sly Cooper is a series of platform stealth video games for the Sony PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. The series was developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the first three games, and then it was passed on to Sanzaru Games while Sucker Punch continued work on the Infamous series...
series of platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
stealth video games. Thieves in Time is a PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
exclusive game set to release in mid-2012. Though the original series was developed by Sucker Punch Productions
Sucker Punch Productions
Sucker Punch Productions is an American production company founded in 1997 and based in Bellevue, Washington. It was an independent company until August 2011, but had worked exclusively with Sony Computer Entertainment since 2000. Sony acquired Sucker Punch on August 2, 2011.-History:In late 1999,...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, this game will be developed by Sanzaru Games
Sanzaru Games
Sanzaru Games is a video game development company founded in 2007 in California. Their first game was Ninja Reflex, released on March 1, 2008 for PC, Nintendo DS and Wii. Their second game was a port of the High Impact Games developed PlayStation Portable game Secret Agent Clank, released on May...
, who had previously ported the original games into high-definition versions for the PlayStation 3. The game was formally announced at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo during Sony's presentation on June 7, 2011.
The game, set in a world populated by anthropomorphic animals, follows from the end of Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves is a platform stealth video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. It is the third game in the Sly Cooper franchise. Sly 3 has optional 3-D stages, and it comes with a pair of specially designed 3-D glasses inside the manual...
. Sly Cooper, a raccoon from a long line of master thieves, reunites his gang to locate and recover the Thievius Raccoonus, a book chronicling the Cooper family line that has been lost in time. The player controls Sly, Bentley, and Murray and uses his thieving skills to pull off heists and recover the missing parts of the book over the course of the game.
Gameplay
Demonstrations of Thieves in Time show it using similar mechanics as the earlier games in the series. As a platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
rendered through cel-shading
Cel-shaded animation
Cel-shaded animation is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make computer graphics appear to be hand-drawn. Cel-shading is often used to mimic the style of a comic book or cartoon. It is a somewhat recent addition to computer graphics, most commonly turning up in video games...
, the player controls the master thief Sly Cooper, equipped with a cane, and can run, jump, and perform melee attacks on enemies. Sly is gifted with thieving skills, allowing the player to execute actions like parkour
Parkour
Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...
, running along thin railings, landing atop narrow platforms, and sneaking around undetected. A new feature of the game are collectible costumes earned through the course of play. The costumes can be activated through the controls, giving Sly a different set of abilities. In an E3 2011 demonstration, Sly is given a suit of armor costume that includes a large shield that can reflect projectiles back at a foe. In another part of the demonstration, Sly is able to don a gypsy outfit that grants him the power to slow down time for a brief period. The player, after collecting these costumes, can go back to previous levels and use these costumes to unlock secret areas or complete the level in a different manner. Bentley and Murray will also be playable characters in the game. The larger game is structured similar to the second and third games, using levels that feature a central open-world-like hub and missions that are launched from certain points. More gameplay was revealed during a PAX 2011 interview. It was revealed there will be a compass to help the player find the objective throughout the hub world.
Plot
Thieves in Time follows from the conclusion of Sly 3: Honor Among ThievesSly 3: Honor Among Thieves
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves is a platform stealth video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. It is the third game in the Sly Cooper franchise. Sly 3 has optional 3-D stages, and it comes with a pair of specially designed 3-D glasses inside the manual...
; Bentley had constructed a time machine, but in its use, the Thievius Raccoonus, the book that has chronicled the history and techniques of the Cooper family of master thieves, has been lost to time. Sly Cooper reforms his gang to recover the missing book to protect his legacy. In addition to the return of Sly Cooper, Bentley, and Murray, other established characters may appear; the 2011 E3 trailer included Dimitri working with Sly's gang. New enemies will be introduced; the E3 demonstration included an ego-centric tiger named El Jefe, voiced by Nolan North
Nolan North
Nolan Ramsey North is an American actor and voice actor born in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as "the nearest thing the games industry has to a bona fide leading man."-Biography:...
. El Jefe is an old war general with much prestige who topples governments and sells the country to the highest bidder. At least one of Sly's ancestors established in earlier games appears, and are playable characters once met within the game; Rioichi Cooper, a ninja from Feudal Japan, has a unique technique, the Leaping Dragon, that allows the character to scale great distances. Rioichi will be voiced by Steven Blum
Steven Blum
Steven Jay Blum is an American voice actor known primarily for his work in anime dubs and video games, using his distinctive deep voice. Among his credits include the voice of Spike Spiegel of the anime series Cowboy Bebop and Mugen of the anime series Samurai Champloo...
.
Development
Thieves in Time is being developed by Sanzaru GamesSanzaru Games
Sanzaru Games is a video game development company founded in 2007 in California. Their first game was Ninja Reflex, released on March 1, 2008 for PC, Nintendo DS and Wii. Their second game was a port of the High Impact Games developed PlayStation Portable game Secret Agent Clank, released on May...
, who previously created The Sly Collection, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
-enhanced versions of the first three Sly Cooper games. According to Sanzaru's Glen Egan, the developers were interested in developing the Sly Cooper franchise further after Sucker Punch Productions
Sucker Punch Productions
Sucker Punch Productions is an American production company founded in 1997 and based in Bellevue, Washington. It was an independent company until August 2011, but had worked exclusively with Sony Computer Entertainment since 2000. Sony acquired Sucker Punch on August 2, 2011.-History:In late 1999,...
, the original developer, had moved to the Infamous
Infamous (series)
The series has received critical acclaim from most of the major video game review sites/magazines. Review scores range from 70% to 100% approval ratings.-External links:** at Wikia...
series. They worked out a prototype game engine for the PlayStation 3 which they presented to Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
. Sony was impressed with the prototype and gave them the development duties for the PlayStation 3 conversion of the original trilogy, and then subsequently green-lit Thieves in Time.
Thieves in Time represents a return to the series after a six year hiatus following the release of Sly 3. Several hints of the series' revival have been included in both Infamous games by Sucker Punch. In addition to other nods to the series, such as Sly Cooper's calling-card logo patch on Infamous protagonist Cole McGrath's backpack in both games and the ability to use Sly's cane as an alternate melee weapon within Infamous 2, both games features marquees that included the title "Sly 4". A teaser trailer included in the The Sly Collection released in late 2010, titled "Sly 4", was believed to be an indication that a new game would soon be announced. The game was formally announced during Sony's presentation at the 2011 E3 convention on June 7, 2011. The announcement also included a new trailer.