Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Encyclopedia
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (Sly Raccoon in Europe and Australia and in Japan) is a platform
stealth video game created by Sucker Punch Productions
, and released on the Sony
PlayStation 2
in 2002, subsequently republished as a "Greatest Hits" title. The game was followed by two sequels, Sly 2: Band of Thieves
and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
. On November 9, 2010, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, as well as its two sequels were released together as The Sly Collection
, a remastered port of all three games on a single Blu-ray disc
as a Classics HD
title for the PlayStation 3
. On June 7, 2011, a fourth Sly Cooper title, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
, was announced at E3 2011.
The game focuses master thief Sly Cooper
and his gang, Bentley the Turtle and Murray the Hippo, as they seek out the Fiendish Five to recover his family's "Thievius Raccoonus", a book with the accumulation of all of Sly ancestors' thieving moves. The game was praised for using a variation on cel-shading
rendering, which is used to create a film noir
feel, while still rendered as an animated movie, though criticized for being too short.
, raccoon
who descended from a long line of master thieves
. However, that lineage became crippled when a gang known as the Fiendish Five, led by Clockwerk, a cyborg
-like owl
with a hatred for the Cooper line, killed Sly's father while Sly was still young. The Five also took the "Thievius Raccoonus", a book recording the journeys and skills of all the ancestors of the Cooper line. The Thievius Raccoonus was split into five pieces among the Five, and dispersed to their various personal lairs. Sly was taken to the Happy Camper orphanage
where he became close friends with the intelligent Bentley the Turtle
, and the happy-go-lucky Murray the Hippo
. Sly and his friends eventually left the orphanage and formed a gang called The Cooper Gang , pulling off amazing heists and robberies. Their activities attracted the attention of Interpol
Inspector Carmelita Fox, who made it her mission to capture Sly, though Sly takes a subtle romantic interest in her.
At the present of the game, Sly learns of the location of the Fiendish Five by stealing the information from Carmelita's office, and plot with Bentley and Murray to retrieve the stolen book. Sly is able to defeat the four underlings of the Five and their minions, and discover the location of Clockwerk's lair, all the while furiously chased by Carmelita. After an assault on Clockwerk's fortress using Bentley's and Murray's help, Sly is able to defeat Clockwerk and retrieve the "Thievius Raccoonus", though Sly is cornered by Carmelita. However, Carmelita gives Sly the ten second head start she had promised. After using nine seconds of it, Sly takes an opportunity to kiss Carmelita, and handcuff her to the railing while she is distracted, and the gang is able to make their escape. Unknown to everyone, one of Clockwerk's eyes open, revealing that he still lives. A second ending cut scene is unlocked when Sly has opened every vault, showing him talking about instead of inheriting the book like his ancestors, he earned it. He decides to put his own stories into the book, before jumping off the rooftop, which is followed by an alarm going off and police sirens.
sneaking". The player controls Sly Cooper, the title character, as he moves between each uniquely themed lair of the Fiendish Five and the sub-sections of those lairs, avoiding security systems and the watchful eyes of enemies. While Sly is equipped with a cane to attack his foes, he can be defeated with a single hit, thus the player is urged to use stealth maneuvers and the environment to evade or silently neutralize potential threats .
To assist in these stealth moves, the environment contains special areas colored with blue sparkles of light, identified in the game as Sly's "thief senses". The player can trigger context-sensitive actions in these areas, such as shimmying along a narrow ledge or wall, landing on a pointed object such as an antenna or streetlight, climbing along the length of a narrow pole or pipe, or using the cane to grapple onto something. The player must avoid detection by security systems and enemies, otherwise an alarm will sound and the player will either have to destroy the alarm, avoid or defeat foes alerted by the alarm, or hide for several seconds until the alarm resets. The game uses a dynamic music
system that changes depending on the state of alarm in the area: the music will increase in volume and pacing when Sly attacks or is detected, and then will quiet down as the disturbance goes away.
Each sub-section of a lair contains a number of clue bottles which, when collected, allow Sly to access a safe in the level that contains a page from the Thievius Raccoonus. These pages grant Sly new moves to aid in movement, stealth, or combat, such as creating a decoy or dropping an explosive hat. Defeating each of the bosses also gives Sly moves, and these abilities are typically necessary to pass later levels. Coins are scattered about the levels and are also generated by defeating enemies or destroying objects. For every 100 coins collected, Sly gains a lucky horseshoe
that is the color blue and when you have two hoseshoes, it turns gold. It will allow him to take extra hits, or if he currently has one, an extra life. If Sly collapses and loses a life, the current sub-level will be restarted or at a special "repeater" that acts as a checkpoint; if the player loses all of Sly's lives, they must restart that bosses' lair from the beginning. Besides the regular gameplay, there are mini-games that include driving levels (based on Murray), shooting levels to protect Murray as he ascends certain levels, and a cyber-tank game representing a hacking attempt by Bentley. One notable boss battle includes a rhythm
-based sequence similar to Dance Dance Revolution
.
Levels can be returned to at any time to gain additional coins or to seek out special moves. When a level is completed, all of the clue bottles are collected and the secret move is found, the player can then attempt a "Master Sprint", a timed sprint
through the level to try to beat a set time. The player can unlock additional artistic content by completing all the levels in this fashion.
[they] wanted to create" to generate the backgrounds. The characters themselves underwent up to "six or eight major revisions" before the designs were finalized.
The music was inspired by the artwork from the game; Ashif Hakik, composer of the game's music, stated that "Stylistic influences came from a combination of instrument choices and musical character defined and inspired by the locales in the game, and similar composer works like Yoko Kanno and her work on Cowboy Bebop, Henry Mancini, and Carl Stalling." He continued to note that "the interactive music engine we used made us consider the gameplay for each specific level a sort of starting point that would influence the way the music would be written."
There are two different covers for the game and they both have two different names, depending on location. Sly Raccoon in Europe and Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racconus in North America.
, has a distinct Japanese accent, none of the lyrics are in Japanese and the entire song is in English
.
Another addition in the Japanese version not present in the other versions is alternate animated introduction and ending sequences. These sequences feature full animation
, as opposed to the limited
flash
-style animation seen in the other animated sequences present throughout the game. These alternate sequences are drawn in a typical anime
style. The Japanese introduction is unlockable for view in the North American and PAL versions, but the Japanese ending can only be unlocked in the PAL version.
Sly Cooper was generally well-received by the video game media. Most reviewers praised the unique look of the game. GameSpot noted that "The game has a fantastic sense of style to its design that is reflected in everything from the animation to the unique use of the peaking fad, cel-shaded polygons." Many reviews also appreciated the ease of learning the controls and gameplay; IGN states that "Sly is incredibly responsive, and though his size seems a little large at times due to his long arms and legs and the cane he carries, skillfully jumping and hitting enemies with precision is a quick study." Several reviewers appreciated the fluidity of the game between actual play, cutscenes, and other features.
The game was also praised for being a game that was accessible to both adults and children.
A common detraction of the game was its length; as commented by GameSpot's review, "The main problem is that just as you're getting into a groove and really enjoying the variety seen throughout the different worlds and levels, the game ends." The length was defended by Sucker Punch's developers; Brian Flemming noted that there was additional content to be unlocked at several levels, including "for each[Master Sprint] you complete, you get bonus commentary from the designers, artists and programmers here at Sucker Punch, something that people have reacted to really positively." The game was also cited as being too easy, with GameSpot stating that "The game's relative ease combined with a very short length prevents Sly Cooper from becoming the next big platformer. But it's great while it lasts."
However, OPM noted that in regards to the difficulty "There's a pleasant old-school feel to Thievius Raccoonus; the enemies are merciless but a bit stupid, and the platforming challenges come on strong and ramp up steadily in difficulty as the levels go by." Reviewers also noted some framerate slowdowns in latter levels of the game, as well as some camera control issues.
Sales of Sly Cooper were initially poor, overshadowed by two other PlayStation 2 platformers published around 2002, Ratchet & Clank
and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
. This, however, did not prevent the game from achieving at least 400,000 in sales a year since release to allow it to be included in Sony's "Greatest Hits" line, republishing it in 2003 and at a lower price. GameSpy considered Sly Cooper to be the 5th most underrated game of all time in a 2003 listing. The game has since yielded two sequel
s, Sly 2: Band of Thieves
(2004) and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
(2005) while a fourth game is currently in production.
Sly Cooper won "Best New Character" and nominated for "Excellence in Visual Arts" at the 2003 Game Developer's Conference for 2002. Furthermore, the character of Sly Cooper has also been come to be considered as a mascot for the PlayStation systems, alongside both Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter. This has further lead to collaboration between the development teams for all three series, Sucker Punch, Insomniac Games
, and Naughty Dog
, leading to subtle inclusion of some elements of Sly Cooper within the other titles. For example, a brief gameplay clip of Sly Cooper plays among several for Ratchet & Clank 1&2 and Jak and Daxter during the start menu for Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
.
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 game created 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,...
, and released on the Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
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...
in 2002, subsequently republished as a "Greatest Hits" title. The game was followed by two sequels, Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 2 Band of Thieves is a platform stealth video game develpoed by Sucker Punch and published by Sony Computer Entertainment released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2...
and 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...
. On November 9, 2010, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, as well as its two sequels were released together as The Sly Collection
The Sly Collection
The Sly Collection, titled as The Sly Trilogy in Europe and Australia and Sly Cooper Collection in Japan, Korea and Asia, is remastered port of the PlayStation 2 games, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, for the PlayStation 3 on a single...
, a remastered port of all three games on a single Blu-ray disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
as a Classics HD
Classics HD
Sony's High-definition remasters are a series of video games originally released on the PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable video game consoles, re-released for Sony's PlayStation 3 and Playstation Vita. A number of related programs exist, the most prominent two being "Classics HD" and "PSP...
title for the 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...
. On June 7, 2011, a fourth Sly Cooper title, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time , 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...
, was announced at E3 2011.
The game focuses master thief Sly Cooper
Sly Cooper (character)
Sly Cooper is the main protagonist of the Sly Cooper video game series and hero of three platform games developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the Sony PlayStation 2. Sly is voiced by Kevin Miller...
and his gang, Bentley the Turtle and Murray the Hippo, as they seek out the Fiendish Five to recover his family's "Thievius Raccoonus", a book with the accumulation of all of Sly ancestors' thieving moves. The game was praised for using a variation on 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...
rendering, which is used to create a film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
feel, while still rendered as an animated movie, though criticized for being too short.
Story
Sly Cooper is set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic creatures. The game uses cutscenes to present the background of the eponymous Sly CooperSly Cooper (character)
Sly Cooper is the main protagonist of the Sly Cooper video game series and hero of three platform games developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the Sony PlayStation 2. Sly is voiced by Kevin Miller...
, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
who descended from a long line of master thieves
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
. However, that lineage became crippled when a gang known as the Fiendish Five, led by Clockwerk, a cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
-like owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
with a hatred for the Cooper line, killed Sly's father while Sly was still young. The Five also took the "Thievius Raccoonus", a book recording the journeys and skills of all the ancestors of the Cooper line. The Thievius Raccoonus was split into five pieces among the Five, and dispersed to their various personal lairs. Sly was taken to the Happy Camper orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
where he became close friends with the intelligent Bentley the Turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
, and the happy-go-lucky Murray the Hippo
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
. Sly and his friends eventually left the orphanage and formed a gang called The Cooper Gang , pulling off amazing heists and robberies. Their activities attracted the attention of Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
Inspector Carmelita Fox, who made it her mission to capture Sly, though Sly takes a subtle romantic interest in her.
At the present of the game, Sly learns of the location of the Fiendish Five by stealing the information from Carmelita's office, and plot with Bentley and Murray to retrieve the stolen book. Sly is able to defeat the four underlings of the Five and their minions, and discover the location of Clockwerk's lair, all the while furiously chased by Carmelita. After an assault on Clockwerk's fortress using Bentley's and Murray's help, Sly is able to defeat Clockwerk and retrieve the "Thievius Raccoonus", though Sly is cornered by Carmelita. However, Carmelita gives Sly the ten second head start she had promised. After using nine seconds of it, Sly takes an opportunity to kiss Carmelita, and handcuff her to the railing while she is distracted, and the gang is able to make their escape. Unknown to everyone, one of Clockwerk's eyes open, revealing that he still lives. A second ending cut scene is unlocked when Sly has opened every vault, showing him talking about instead of inheriting the book like his ancestors, he earned it. He decides to put his own stories into the book, before jumping off the rooftop, which is followed by an alarm going off and police sirens.
Gameplay
Sly Cooper is a third person platforming video game that incorporates stealth elements; as noted by an Official PlayStation Magazine retrospective, the game "tries to mix one-hit-kill arcade action with Splinter CellSplinter Cell
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a series of stealth video games, the first of which was released in 2002, and their tie-in novels. The protagonist, Sam Fisher, is presented as a highly-trained agent of a fictional black-ops sub-division within the NSA, dubbed "Third Echelon"...
sneaking". The player controls Sly Cooper, the title character, as he moves between each uniquely themed lair of the Fiendish Five and the sub-sections of those lairs, avoiding security systems and the watchful eyes of enemies. While Sly is equipped with a cane to attack his foes, he can be defeated with a single hit, thus the player is urged to use stealth maneuvers and the environment to evade or silently neutralize potential threats .
Dynamic music
Dynamic music is a concept used in many video games, whereby specific events cause the background music to change. Its first uses in major video games were Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge and Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss. It has since been used in such games as Mushroom Men and Guitar Hero...
system that changes depending on the state of alarm in the area: the music will increase in volume and pacing when Sly attacks or is detected, and then will quiet down as the disturbance goes away.
Each sub-section of a lair contains a number of clue bottles which, when collected, allow Sly to access a safe in the level that contains a page from the Thievius Raccoonus. These pages grant Sly new moves to aid in movement, stealth, or combat, such as creating a decoy or dropping an explosive hat. Defeating each of the bosses also gives Sly moves, and these abilities are typically necessary to pass later levels. Coins are scattered about the levels and are also generated by defeating enemies or destroying objects. For every 100 coins collected, Sly gains a lucky horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
that is the color blue and when you have two hoseshoes, it turns gold. It will allow him to take extra hits, or if he currently has one, an extra life. If Sly collapses and loses a life, the current sub-level will be restarted or at a special "repeater" that acts as a checkpoint; if the player loses all of Sly's lives, they must restart that bosses' lair from the beginning. Besides the regular gameplay, there are mini-games that include driving levels (based on Murray), shooting levels to protect Murray as he ascends certain levels, and a cyber-tank game representing a hacking attempt by Bentley. One notable boss battle includes a rhythm
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
-based sequence similar to Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
.
Levels can be returned to at any time to gain additional coins or to seek out special moves. When a level is completed, all of the clue bottles are collected and the secret move is found, the player can then attempt a "Master Sprint", a timed sprint
Time attack
A time attack is another term for time trial. The term is commonly used in Japan for individual time trial events for motor vehicles that involves a vehicle running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap and the term is widely adopted outside the country for tuner event and...
through the level to try to beat a set time. The player can unlock additional artistic content by completing all the levels in this fashion.
Development
Brian Flemming of Sucker Punch called the rendering style as "Toon-shading", comparing the detailed backgrounds with cel-shading foregrounds to that of animated movies. An interview with the Sucker Punch development team identified that they took this route because "We wanted Sly and his world to look illustrated, but one step away from a flattened graphic style." To prevent slowdowns with framerates, the team "had at least one engineer working on nothing but performance for the entire development of Sly." The game art team "collected hundreds of photos and drawings of areas that looked like the worldsThe music was inspired by the artwork from the game; Ashif Hakik, composer of the game's music, stated that "Stylistic influences came from a combination of instrument choices and musical character defined and inspired by the locales in the game, and similar composer works like Yoko Kanno and her work on Cowboy Bebop, Henry Mancini, and Carl Stalling." He continued to note that "the interactive music engine we used made us consider the gameplay for each specific level a sort of starting point that would influence the way the music would be written."
There are two different covers for the game and they both have two different names, depending on location. Sly Raccoon in Europe and Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racconus in North America.
Localization differences
The Japanese version of the game sports a vocal theme song called Blackjack, set to a flashy intro not seen in the North American or PAL versions of the game. While the group singing the song, Tokyo Ska Paradise OrchestraTokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
, commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band officially formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene...
, has a distinct Japanese accent, none of the lyrics are in Japanese and the entire song is in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Another addition in the Japanese version not present in the other versions is alternate animated introduction and ending sequences. These sequences feature full animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, as opposed to the limited
Limited animation
Limited animation is a process of making animated cartoons that does not redraw entire frames but variably reuses common parts between frames. One of its major trademarks is the stylized design in all forms and shapes, which in the early days was referred to as modern design...
flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
-style animation seen in the other animated sequences present throughout the game. These alternate sequences are drawn in a typical anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
style. The Japanese introduction is unlockable for view in the North American and PAL versions, but the Japanese ending can only be unlocked in the PAL version.
Reception
| Reviewer | Score |
|---|---|
| MetaCritic Metacritic Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,... |
86/100 (41 reviews) |
| GameRankings | 85% (78 reviews) |
| IGN IGN IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment... |
8.5/10 |
| GameSpot GameSpot GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which... |
7.8/10 |
| GameSpy GameSpy GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current... |
91% |
Sly Cooper was generally well-received by the video game media. Most reviewers praised the unique look of the game. GameSpot noted that "The game has a fantastic sense of style to its design that is reflected in everything from the animation to the unique use of the peaking fad, cel-shaded polygons." Many reviews also appreciated the ease of learning the controls and gameplay; IGN states that "Sly is incredibly responsive, and though his size seems a little large at times due to his long arms and legs and the cane he carries, skillfully jumping and hitting enemies with precision is a quick study." Several reviewers appreciated the fluidity of the game between actual play, cutscenes, and other features.
The game was also praised for being a game that was accessible to both adults and children.
A common detraction of the game was its length; as commented by GameSpot's review, "The main problem is that just as you're getting into a groove and really enjoying the variety seen throughout the different worlds and levels, the game ends." The length was defended by Sucker Punch's developers; Brian Flemming noted that there was additional content to be unlocked at several levels, including "for each
However, OPM noted that in regards to the difficulty "There's a pleasant old-school feel to Thievius Raccoonus; the enemies are merciless but a bit stupid, and the platforming challenges come on strong and ramp up steadily in difficulty as the levels go by." Reviewers also noted some framerate slowdowns in latter levels of the game, as well as some camera control issues.
Sales of Sly Cooper were initially poor, overshadowed by two other PlayStation 2 platformers published around 2002, Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank is a 3D platformer/shooter video game for the PlayStation 2, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2002, it is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series....
and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a platform game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment and is the first video game in the Jak and Daxter series. It was released exclusively for the Sony PlayStation 2 on December 3, 2001 for North America, December 7, 2001 for...
. This, however, did not prevent the game from achieving at least 400,000 in sales a year since release to allow it to be included in Sony's "Greatest Hits" line, republishing it in 2003 and at a lower price. GameSpy considered Sly Cooper to be the 5th most underrated game of all time in a 2003 listing. The game has since yielded two sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
s, Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 2 Band of Thieves is a platform stealth video game develpoed by Sucker Punch and published by Sony Computer Entertainment released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2...
(2004) and 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...
(2005) while a fourth game is currently in production.
Sly Cooper won "Best New Character" and nominated for "Excellence in Visual Arts" at the 2003 Game Developer's Conference for 2002. Furthermore, the character of Sly Cooper has also been come to be considered as a mascot for the PlayStation systems, alongside both Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter. This has further lead to collaboration between the development teams for all three series, Sucker Punch, Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1994, Insomniac has released titles for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 video game consoles. It created Disruptor, the first three Spyro the Dragon games, and the Ratchet &...
, and Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1986 as an independent developer, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001...
, leading to subtle inclusion of some elements of Sly Cooper within the other titles. For example, a brief gameplay clip of Sly Cooper plays among several for Ratchet & Clank 1&2 and Jak and Daxter during the start menu for Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando is a 3D platformer/shooter developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony...
.