The Sly Cooper franchise has been a steady and reliable series of games exclusive to the PlayStation since the release of the original back in 2002. To anyone who has played all three titles it has been an enjoyable experience to see how the characters have grown and developed as the gameplay has been innovated to improve the quality of the player’s experience. With the third game, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, being released in 2005 for the PS3 it seemed like we wouldn’t get to see a modern version of the thieving raccoon but a teaser during E3 of 2011 proved otherwise. As of the 5th earlier this month the fourth installment of the Sly Cooper franchise was released to the pleasure of all Sly fans in North America; Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time was finally a reality.
When bringing back a beloved franchise on a new generation of consoles, especially so long after the previous one, there are a few perils most games can fall in such as trying to make their game so incredibly mainstream that it becomes an abomination or make it so identical to the previous iterations that nothing is given to the players besides tedious and stale gameplay. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, however, does not commit either of these developmental sins but instead brings a familiar and fresh feel to the PlayStation 3 proving that the Sly Cooper name is just as relevant as it once was.
After Sly Cooper Thieves in Time was released on PS3 in 2013, Sanzaru Games has not had the chance to revisit the raccoon and his gang.
Is it law that every Sly game from Sly 2 onwards end on a massive cliffhanger? I wouldn’t be as anxious for a Sly 5 if they just gave Sly 4 a succinct ending.
On another note we still have yet to hear anything about how that Sly Cooper television series is coming along.
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time Lead Designer talks about his passion for the project, how they would love to return the world of Sly Cooper, and how the first episode of the DLC is completely written.
Incoming unpopular opinion!
I thought Thieves in Time was decent, but a bit of a letdown to be honest. Sly 3 ended perfectly, giving a conclusion of sorts for the main 3 characters while still leaving a little room for imagination, and had some of the best moments from the entire series, (The fight with General Tsao, anyone?) then Thieves in Time comes along with its lame villain, destroys Penelope's character, (I legitimately thought she was being brainwashed or something. Plus, why the boss fight in that crappy little mech suit when she's a master combatant and tech wiz?) and logic that makes no sense even in a cartoon world, such as Sly purposely being sent to prison so he can break out by... Throwing the one ton iron ball he's chained to to break through the wall? When he's never showed this type of strength before, and never displays a similar feat ever again? Plus I thought the levels were better designed in earlier games, and the cast of controllable characters in 3 was much more diverse and interesting. Sucker Punch were the true masters of this series.
VGChartz's Adam Cartwright: "The stealth genre is one that some would argue doesn’t even exist – many titles include stealth elements, but actually fit into one of a number of other genres like action, platformer, or third-person shooter. Ever since the breakout success of the Metal Gear franchise (in particular Metal Gear Solid), though, the genre seems on much more stable footing and it demonstrated that you can have a veritable blockbuster on your hands relying only on stealth mechanics as the main gameplay element.
In recent years we’ve seen other things like Assassin’s Creed, Hitman and Splinter Cell continue to push the genre forward, although it still has somewhat limited appeal. Thankfully, the Vita has a healthy selection of stealth games available (and even more with backwards-compatibility), meaning if you’re looking to do some sneaking on the go then you’ll be well served with the console."
Should we have expected anything different? These guys did a great job with the HD collection. The demo was amazing as well. Can't wait to pick this sucker up.
@Entertainment_Fuse
I'd gladly pay $100 for a package like that. This is as great a deal as any Sly fan is going to get. I've loved all the Sly games so far, and I can get the latest one on TWO different platforms at $40? Count me in. This is freaking awesome.
Sad that I have to wait another month to get this :(