Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

As a gamer, this Sucker Punch Studios game intrigued me. As a fan of raccoons, this game intrigued me more. I was probably more excited for this game than I should have been, but it couldn't be helped really.

I'm pretty sure all I did was just hear about the game and was already out purchasing but my memory is a little foggy. Needless to say Sucker Punch did not disappoint and I not only thoroughly enjoyed Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus but the following sequels were also quickly in my collection as soon as they were released. The game has that much charm.

As you can see above, Sly Cooper does not only look good as a street punk but he's also not human. In fact, he's a raccoon who comes from a long line of master thieves. Each ancestor had a distinct special skill that they would add to a book known as the Thievius Racoonus, which got handed down from each generation to the next young thief-to-be.

But before Sly was old enough to receive it from his father, a group that called themselves the Fiendish Five broke into his home, killed his father, and stole the book all while Sly hid in the closet watching the whole thing. Pretty rough for a young raccoon. Also, as far as I can remember, no mention of Sly's mother. It's possible they'll visit that in the eventual Sly 4 (evidence as seen in Sucker Punch's latest PS3 release, inFamous).

Sent to an orphanage he met two other outcasts who soon became his close friends, and the only thing he had that he could call a family. Bentley is the typical nerd character who's good with electronics and building things, and also a turtle. Murray is the muscle, a big hulking pink mass of hippo who is not too smart but he has a heart of gold, he also acts as the driver in the team when they grow up. When they're old enough to leave the orphanage, the others agree to help Sly take back what is rightfully his and stop the Fiendish Five.

On the way, Sly has another person to worry about who is not so much evil as she is... annoying, but in that officer-of-the-law kind of way. Officer Carmelita Fox is a no-nonsense gal with a spicy attitude and perhaps a secret softspot for Sly. She's been on his tail for quite a while for his thievery, despite his many claims that he's only stealing from thieves so why should it matter, she thinks he needs to spend some time in the slammer. With his charismatic ways he always seems to be able to slip out of her grasp, much to Carmelita's chagrin.

The art style in this game is awesome, with the cell-shading environments are crisp and clean. Though Sly always tries to blend into his surroundings there are plenty of bright colours and unique environments to stave off any ennui. You can interact with almost anything, you can crawl under a table, poise yourself on top of a pole, or even jump on top of a tree. Once you unlock all the special skills and gadgets it becomes more fun seeing how you can incorporate them with your surroundings and get different results.

Other than the great voice acting, the best thing about this game is the gadgets. Thanks to Bentley, you get such things as a para-glider that shreds into pieces once you land so as to get rid of evidence. Or binoculars that will give you details about your enemies, and a decoy Sly that will temporarily distract your enemies. Bentley and his nasally-voice really give you an appreciation for intelligent turtles who aren't necessarily teenaged or mutant. Murray on the other hand, makes you want to facepalm multiple times and just mumble to yourself, "He means well, he means well." An endearing character and the token "big, dumb, but loyal" personality.

The game is mostly action but requires a handful of stealth to complete, as not being detected by guards and enemies is preferable to having to really fight, especially when you only have so many lives (but endless Continues, it seems). The cut-scenes play out like an animated comic in ways, with voice-over narration and cut-out animation. I like it, it's very stylish and different than the mini-movies you get with a lot of games.

Spoiler Warning

The ultimate villain in this main game is Clockwerk, a now-mechanical owl who had been hunting Sly Cooper's family line for centuries trying to get to the Thievius Raccoonus. As he got older, Clockwerk replaced his organic parts with mechanical ones so that he could pretty much be immortal and continue to be an ass. After the final fight, there is a touching moment between Sly and Carmelita as she attempts to arrest him, but Sly gives her a smooch on a cheek- disorienting her long enough for him to get away. Ain't love grand? Or something akin to love, anyway.

But there's something else during the end of the movie that keeps it open for a sequel, and that sequel was left open for a third game. All of which are great. Perhaps they deserve an entry of their own.

In closing, Sly Cooper is a fun game that is safe for all ages but not dumbed down to the point where older gamers couldn't enjoy it. Pick this up if you like stealth-action games, or talking animals, or both!