50 Games in 2012 – #5 Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus [PS3] (Completed February 2nd)

I always consider from a gaming perspective that I was born 2-3 years too late. My first console I owned was an N64 in the Christmas of 1998. Bowser caused me nightmares at 5 years old and the idea of travelling into a witches head in Banjo Kazooie was enough to make me stop at the first level. You can patch these two examples over to plenty of games that either scarred me or ones that I missed out on. After the N64 I got a Gamecube at launch but my Playstation playing days didn't start til 2004 when I got my first PS2. With this being said many major franchises at that time were already well established and at least for myself I didn't have the foresight to start at the beginning on some of these series. I adored the Ratchet and Clank titles, enjoyed parts of Jak & Daxter trilogy but never played Sly Cooper. Trophies are now a sick addiction of mine so HD Collections have been a gift from the gods in my eyes. Sly Cooper offered 3 classic games in HD that I always wanted to play and gave me over a 100 trophies to collect on top of that. What's not to like?

Immediately upon starting up the game I was into Sly Cooper's story. The idea of re-collecting the Thieveus Racoonus was something the game translated well to the gamer. Harkening back to the late 90's early 00's each crook your trying to catch has his base which acts as a homeworld. In these areas you set out into different levels from the main map to collect keys to advance forward to where the boss lies waiting. A long the way each home world and level possesses 30 bottles which you can collect to unlock the levels safe which holds a part of the Thieveus Racoonus. These pages teach you new moves that give you plenty of more options to work with later in the game. Not only does this help but the bottles aren't aggravating to find either.

Sly's movements in game are fun and enjoyable to control. The game's main basis is stealth with a second emphasis on attack. With lots of areas varying from lasers to guards more often then not your thinking of sneaky ways to get through which was a fun mix-up from most action adventures. On the flip side Sly does not possess a health bar and can only protect himself by collecting silver trinkets. If hit once without a trinket you die which again is a change of pace from today's norm but may be annoying to some.

Graphically after a decade of changes to games Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus holds up great. Much like Legend of Zelda The Windwaker stylized cartoon graphics hold there weight extremely well which made playing Sly Cooper a lot more enjoyable. There are game points where level design is a bit barren or a certain object sticks out but the HD remastering really gives Sly's design new legs.

Sly Coopers game design is simple yet it doesn't wane as the game progresses. There's enjoyable characters to follow and a story that works a long with a Platinum trophy that is achievable. Having sat back on HD collections previously Sly Coopers first installment made the purchase on by itself and is definitely an adventure to check out if you've missed it.

Game Summary:

Date Finished: 2/2 | Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (PS3)

Pros: Nostalgic adventure game with great premise and a fun cast/story.

Cons: Some areas show age and the health system is interesting yet frustrating at points.

Conclusion: PS2 classic that I'm glad I finally played. Overall a really great adventure game.

[9/10]