Despite difficulty frustrations, Sly 1 provides engaging variety and structure to create an adroit platforming adventure
Strong Story/ Likable Characters
Great Platforming
Slick Music
Challenging Bosses
Satisfying to Play From Beginning to End
Spectacular Set Pieces
Variety in Mission Types
Cons:
Occasionally Frustrating Due to Old-School Health System
Glitches from PS2 Era
Key Quests Can Get Annoying
To be perfectly clear, I am not reviewing the PlayStation 2 version of this game. I recently purchased "The Sly Collection" for PS3 at Target for only $15. Since this collection has been on my "Games to Buy List" for quite some time, I quickly decided to grab the game and head home to play the older platforming game. Since I wanted to review each game while I had them fresh in my mind, I figured it be easier to label them under the PS2 games, instead of reviewing them separately in a final review of "The Sly Collection". So, as of right now, I have only played "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus".
When I was younger, I always enjoyed playing a good platforming game. My favorite was the "Jak" series, and to this day I still consider it to be one of the greatest series of games ever created. I had heard of the PS2 era heroes, known as "Jak and Daxter", "Ratchet and Clank", and "Sly, Bently, and Murrary", but only got around to playing the first two. That was, until, I happened upon "The Sly Collection" at Target on clearance for $15. Thanks to Target's dumb-founded reasons for wanting the games out of the store, I was finally able to enjoy the old-school platforming that had left it's place in my heart.
In "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus", you play as Sly Cooper, a thief born and raised to be a thief. With all of his ancestors being notorious thiefs from past generations, it's no wonder Sly inherited most of their tricks and triumphs. Unfortunately, Sly was orphaned a long time ago as a child when his father tried to protect him from the evil "Clockwerk"; and while Sly escaped, the family's secret book, "The Thievius Raccoonus" was stolen and separated among "The Fiendish Five" for their own personal gain. As soon as Sly grew older and met his best friends Bently and Murray, the trio set out in order to recover the lost pages of the Cooper book and find a plethora of riches in the process. Although, their journey won't be easy, since Carmelita Fox has been after Sly for as long as both of them can remember, and will stop at nothing in order to finally capture the thief.
It's kind of difficult to state just exactly how I feel about "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus". Although I was having a great amount of fun playing the game from beginning to end, I also found myself becoming equally frustrated with the old school health system. At times, I wanted to give this game a low score because of how ready I was to give up on the series. Thankfully, I played the game to the very end I found myself enjoying the game more than hating its flaws.
I love how great it feels to be Sly. He;'s a completely likable guy despite his profession. As you learn while playing the game, he doesn't just steal from anyone. Sly and his family have only stolen from the corrupt or greedy because there is a great sense of honor in doing so; otherwise, theft has no purpose or respect behind it. In addition, this is what platforming should be. Simple, yet addictive fun jumping from place to finding new discoveries and battling strange and challenging foes in the process. Sly does this wonderfully. IT feels so nice to revisit the genre I haven't been with in some time. The music fits the game so well, the voice acting is almost always spot on, the missions have a good amount of variety to them. Exactly what a platforming game should consist of.
The only problem is, Sly 1 can be very frustrating. Let me explain; since this game was released back in 2002, the health system isn't like the modern day one. In Sly 1, if you get hit once, you die instantly! You can extend your life with horseshoes, but that only means you can take about 2 or 3 hits before you die. With most platformers, you need a larger health system than that since exploring can lead to tough enemies or unexpected injuries. At times, the health system didn't seem so bad, but there was plenty of times where I was about ready to strangle the raccoon for not being stronger or able to swim! He's a freakin' raccoon!!! You'd expect him to know how to survive just about anything or how to swim!!! Also, the fact that the only real way to progress is to find keys to unlock certain stages can get pretty annoying as well. It's the the fact of actually going through these quests that's annoying, it's just that it sometimes feels a little overdone or repetitive and sometimes feels like it's taking the fun away. That was, until, I found later that the key system still exists, but becomes less irritating as you go along, since the mission variety between each key keeps things interesting. Whether they be races, shoot em ups, stealth missions, etc, the game provides enough for the player to do without sucking our brains dry in the process.
Graphics:
A clear and crisp update from PS2 graphics, the artistic design and creativity shine in the game's excellent structure.
Gameplay:
The health system is incredibly frustrating and the key missions can become a little redundant, but playing as a mischievous raccoon couldn't be more fun than this.
Sound:
Music is amazing as suits the game very well. Voice acting is well done, but some may find the accents stereotypical.
Story:
Well laid out and engaging to anyone who plays Sly 1; thanks to likable characters, strong story, and plenty of locations to explore.
Replay Value:
Moderately High. It'll be likely that you'll revisit Sly 1 at least once in order to play through the story again, but it's even more likely that you'll revisit the game to find missing codes and pages from the "Thievius Raccoonus".
Final Verdict:
Overall, "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus" is fun, engaging, and a trip back to memory lane. I had a great time playing this game and recommend you buy the Sly Collection to see that this game is great and worthy of anyone's attention. Remember though, this game is not for the impatient; it will take time in order to master the games changes from the modern day formula. If you can bare the game's frustrating health system and over-usage of key quests, there is a rewarding and satisfying experience to be had in "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus".
BUY (Impatient Gamers Beware)
8.5/10 or 4/5