Sly Cooper Review by: NVTaks - 7.6/10
Stealth + Furries = Gaming Win? There are very few decisions we make in childhood that we remember for the rest of out lives. For me, one of those rare decisions occurred when I was faced with whether or not to buy a PS1 or PS2. Although the decision might seem obvious now, I was 9, so it was…… well…… a bit more challenging. I ended up with the PS2, and one of the first games I ever received was Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. The game revolves around a daring raccoon named Sly who, with his friends Murray (the brawn) and Bentley (the brain) works as a world class thief. The plot is centered on a group called the Fiendish Five who ransacked Sly's house when he was younger and killed his parents. Sly is forced to quest for his birthright, the Thievius Raccoonus, a book which has been split into pieces by the Five.
As a kid I remember loving Sly and all his seemingly impossible adventures as an honorable thief, stealing from criminals for the fun of it. I became immersed in his story, his failure of a love life, and his daring exploits. Suffice to say, Sucker Punch Productions hit the nail so hard on the head that it went through 4 times, and gave the gaming world 4 great games.
Review time? Review time.
Graphics 8/10The graphics Sly 1 are superb, albeit somewhat problematic
A major problem I had when playing the game as a kid was seeing what the heck I was doing. In Chapter One, Tide of Terror, I found myself constantly squinting at my TV too see through the marshy scenery. After that chapter was over I thought I was done with it, but no. In Chapter Three we return once again to a marshy/bayou-like landscape that really tested my eyes, and this leads to my next point, graphic originality.
While the 5 chapters in the game are diverse in nature, Chapter 1 and 3 are incredibly similar to one another in terms of setting.
The only other thing I can think I can think to complain about is how Sly's face looks. Outside of cutscenes, Sly's face looks like an expressionless piece of gray wood that an amateur artist decided to paint on. But I'm not gonna stay on that point. Let's just chalk it up to technological limits of 2002 and move on.
My few complaints aside, the graphics are for the most part phenomenal. Your surroundings do a lot to immerse you within the gaming world, and the cartoony explosions help to lighten the situation when you're being shot up by flashlight guards.
Sound/Music 8/10
There's no music like Sly music. While the jewel-crazed raccoon might not have any #1 Records, he certainly does have a memorable soundtrack.
The tricky thing about the music in Sly was the need to balance calm, quiet music with loud, action-filled, panic-y, crap-yourself-out-of-fear music. The Sucker Punch music staff did an excellent job creating the perfect tones. Because he quiet music in Sly isn't just quiet, it's foreboding. The music creates an almost eerily quiet scene that pushes you to the point where if something doesn't happen in the next 5 seconds you're going to loose your mind! This, coupled with upbeat, fast-paced action music creates a great combination.
The combination of the two music types is so powerful, that when faced with actual combat, you WANT to run away. Sly is one of the few games in which the music actually influenced my unconscious decisions, and forced me to act like my character would.
Bravo Sucker Punch, bravo.
Addictiveness 9/10Once again we reach the point in the review where it's basically impossible to make a judgment on one game without evaluating the others in the series.
But here's the truth. Sly Cooper is a game that I come back to over and over again. The plot progression from game 1-3 (not Thieves in Time) is phenomenal, and thinking about the ultimate outcome of the series makes me want to start all over again. The keystone in Sly's residual addictiveness is the game's endless original missions. From Thievius Raccoonus to Honor Among Thieves, each mission presents an original method to loot and pillage (the bad guys of course).
So in the end Sly solidifies it's spot as an incredibly addicting game for all RPG players. It's like every time you try to leave you're lassoed and dragged back…. except in a game.
Story 9/10*spoiler warning*
Sly's storyline is actually very dark for a cartoon-y, E10+ rated game.
You forget while playing the game that
both of his parents were violently murdered… when he was like 5. Sly spent his entire childhood in an orphanage, and while he did meet his best friends there, it's still really sad to think about. Thievius Raccoonus is basically just Sly's attempt at getting revenge for the death of his father, and collecting the separate parts of the Thievius Raccoonus that the Fiendish Five stole.
As the series progresses, one of his companions becomes permanently disabled, he narrowly evades death multiple times, and he's betrayed again…and again……… and again. It's a miracle that Sly is able to trust anyone after the digital torment he's been forced to endure.
Despite the story's seemingly dark undertone, it's incredibly immersive, and serves as an example of excellent, non-convoluted, game writing.
Depth 5/10One area in which Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus is definitely lacking is depth. The game present a plot in which you enter 5 different chapters and kill 5 different bosses. However, the game offers little else to do afterwards.
Each chapter's world is set up to house the missions of that chapter. However, the worlds aren't infinite…. in fact they're rather small. After beating a chapter and returning to it's world in search of things to do, there's almost nothing. The only in-game extra that Sly Cooper offers is clue bottles. Each chapter has a certain number of levels in which there are a certain number of clue bottles. If one manages to collect all the bottles in a level, they're rewarded with the combination to a safe that contains some form of thieving power.
Clue Bottle collection is completely optional, and it's actually pretty dull for people who don't enjoy using walkthroughs. Some clue bottles are insanely difficult to find, and after spending an hour on searching for something that will open a safe and give you a sub-par ability. Well, it's pretty damn frustrating.
Difficulty 6/10And the final category is difficulty! Which…it isn't. Sly 1 is a fairly easy game that has a clear plot beginning and end. As long as you can proceed from point A to point B, you should be able to beat the game with relative ease.
I will say though that the game's difficulty is slightly increased by the fact that it's a one hit K-O. In game there are items called Lucky Horseshoes that allow Sly to survive a hit if he takes one. But, if the player does not have one equipped, well, then if that action-packed music starts playing, they need to start running as fast as they can.
However, after a few deaths and getting a feel for the level, beating the game is like a walk in the park.
Graphics = 7*20% = 1.4
Sound/Music = 8*15% = 1.2
Addictiveness = 9*25% = 2.25
Story = 9*15% = 1.35
Depth = 5*20% = 1
Difficulty = 7*5% = 0.35
Overall Score : 7.6An overall excellent start to a series that would only improve as the years passed.
Thanks for reading!
Graphics
7 Sound
8 Addictive
9 Depth
5 Story
9 Difficulty
7
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