Sly Raccoon.
Oh yeah, it's time.
To start out I fecking love this game and the series, I LOVE THEM! *coughs* Ahem! Excuse me. OK, on with the plot!
Bubble: There's a plot?
Me: Hey! There's a reason I keep you in a cage.
O_O
..................................................................
ON WITH THE SHOW!
The game focuses on the eponymous protagonist and master thief, Sly Cooper and his gang, Bentley the Turtle (A.K.A. The Brains) and Murray the Hippo (A.K.A. The Brawn), as they seek out the Fiendish Five to recover his family's "Thievius Raccoonus," a book with the accumulation of all of Sly's ancestors' thieving moves. Their activities attracted the attention of Interpol Inspector, Carmelita Fox, who made it her mission to capture Sly. Sly takes a subtle romantic interest in her. This platforming game is one the many famous titles from the PlayStation 2 era and let me tell you, I'd play this game any day of the week. Right onto the characters and what better way to start of our journey by taking a look at the villains of the game.
The Fiendish Five.
First up is Sir Raleigh. One of the richest and poshest frogs you'll ever see, and one who can pull of a evil and disturbing smile... He was born into a life of nobility and privilege, but grew bored with it. (Like ALL noble born nobodies who want more power and control!) On a whim, he tried his hand at piracy, and discovered that he enjoyed it. (-_-... HA!) Becoming addicted to crime, his tinkering genius earned him a seat in the Fiendish Five as Chief Engineer because of his fondness to make monster machines. (Let's hope he doesn't decided to make a Robot Godzilla or we're fucked!) After the attack on the Cooper home was completed, Raleigh took off with the notes of Rioichi Cooper. Years later, Raleigh had established himself near the Isle O'Wrath, situated in the center of his artificially created Welsh Triangle. Using his Storm Machine to wreck the local weather conditions, Raleigh also wrecked a large number of ships. All I've got to say is... GET A LIFE! Stupid rich frog... Next up is...
Muggshot. He is a massive anthropomorphic American Bulldog. (No shit! This dudes on fecking steroids!) As a young dog he was the 'runt' of the litter, and was frequently bullied by larger dogs. (See where this is going?) He found solace only in mobster movies, and came to admire the tough, brutal criminals and how they took no crap from anyone. Inspired, he strove to be like them and started to lift weights and take steroids. (HA! CALLED IT!) Growing to massive size, especially in the arms, he eventually took revenge on his former tormentors and became a well-known enforcer and gunman, eventually being recruited by Clockwerk (the leader and a character I'll get to.) and taking part in the raid on the Cooper household that killed Sly's father. Muggshot took the section of the Thievius Raccoonus that contained "Tennessee Kid" Cooper's notes on rail walking and rail sliding, liking the pretty pictures but not really understanding all the big words. (No surprise.) He eventually parted ways with Clockwerk, much later taking over Mesa City in Utah, installing a massive casino there and driving off the vast majority of the residents. This guy is just a bullied kid, who became the bully! Sad story really but... DUDE YOU NEED HELP! LOOK AT THOSE ARMS! Right... Next up is...
Mz Ruby. A large, anthropomorphic Haitian Alligator who came from a long family of voodoo mystics. (Holy shit...) She was feared throughout her childhood for her abilities, becoming incredibly lonely and finding solace only in her undead companions. (Yeah... and she wonders why she didn't have friends...) Growing up, this loneliness turned to bitterness; Mz.Ruby refining her art until Clockwerk recruited her as the mystic specialist for the Fiendish Five. She took part in the raid on the Cooper house, taking the section of the Thievius Raccoonus that contained Slytunkhamen's notes on how to become invisible. Once this job was over, she went out on her own, intent on using her magic to punish the world for fearing her as a child. According to her own words, her plans were to harvest bones and body parts and create an army of zombies to take over Mexico. OK, with have an alligator, who can use magic and posses people.... RUN FOR THE FUCKING HILLS!!!
Right up next is the Panda King. resided in the Kunlun Mountains of China. He loved fireworks, and invested in them. One night, he showed them to the leader. However, the leader was not pleased, depressing the Panda King. Enraged, he started using his firework creation to bury villages in snow. This skill is what made him the demolitions expert of Clockwerk's Fiendish Five. Before acquiring the Thievius Raccoonus' section containing the blueprints of Otto Van Cooper, Panda King set up shop in the Kunlun Mountains of western China. Building a massive explosives factory, he disguised it as a large temple-like facility. In order to finance his crimes, the Panda King pressured local villages for avalanche protection. If they refused, he would set off a firework that would bring a megaton of snow down on them. This guy is just an asshole! I mean it, only because the leader of his village didn't like his work doesn't mean you need to destroy them with your work! But for what happens to him in Sly 3 I'll let it slide and when we get to Sly 3, you'll also know. Finally the leader of the Fiendish Five....
Clockwerk.
Clockwerk is a huge Russian Eurasian Eagle-owl, the main antagonist and arguably, the arch-enemy of Sly Cooper. A longtime rival of the Cooper Clan, Clockwerk is directly responsible for the murder of Sly's father and made it his goal in life to destroy Sly's line. This obsession led him to slowly replace his organic body parts with robotic ones until his entire body (including his internal organs) was mechanized.
(Now that's one fucked up bird.) This, combined with his jealousy and hatred of the Cooper Clan, and made him essentially immortal. (My god...) Ten years before the events of the first game, Clockwerk, along with his gang, the Fiendish Five, attacked Sly's father and killed him before stealing the Thievius Raccoonus, a book recording the journeys and skills of all the ancestors of the Cooper line. Despite his knowledge of Sly's existence, he spared Sly's life in an attempt to prove to the world that the Cooper Clan was nothing without the Thievius Raccoonus, a belief that Sly quickly proved wrong. This guy... My god, never in a game or a character I have ever seen and known has had that much hatred for one family line! When I first play against this boss and learned about his past and how long he's lived, I dropped my controller. This guy is... something else. Oh! This guy has SO much hatred in him he has, "Hate Chip" built into him. It's the power source of the Clockwerk Frame (body), the Hate Chip is what gave the Clockwerk parts their seeming immortality. My god! I will say this about Clockwerk, it's interesting to note that the technology to develop something like the "Hate Chip" didn't exist until things like computers were around, so how Clockwerk made or obtained the Hate Chip in the first place is a mystery. We'll never know about all of Clockwerk's past, but in truth... do we really want to know?
Right with the villains out of the way, it now time for the heroes! Please welcome...
The Cooper Gang.
First up is Murray, "The Brawn". He is very strong, muscular (In other words don't pick a fight with him), but slightly dim-witted and rotund hippopotamus who serves as the getaway driver for Sly's gang. He met both Sly and Bentley (characters I'll get to soon) when the three of them were growing up in the same orphanage. Murray's driving skills came from his job as a pizza delivery boy, during which he hot wired cars and was eventually fired for eating too many pizzas. Murray is quite large and has an enormous appetite. And no joke this guy will eat you out of house and home! Murray is just lovable, you can not help but love this character. Strong, faithful and reliable. And once you've become friends with him, your friends for life and he'll get you out of any trouble with no questions asked. Just don't ask him to race you, he'll beat you... brutally. Sadly he's not a playable character in the game like Sly, but you do get to race with Murray in the game. Right next up is...
Bentley, "The Brain". The brains of Sly's gang, Bentley is a turtle, a trusted friend of Sly, and an expert in computer-hacking and other electronic devices. (Might come in handy if your computer's broken, and he'll make it a Super Computer!) He's also quite well-read, often stating "I've read about this..." when deducing something new and alien to the team. As I've mentioned before, Bentley is also a loyal friend of Sly's and would come up with the plans with him. He met Sly and Murray in the orphanage. Bentley is as you've guessed a nerd, but a nerd you really would want to be on your side. Seriously, this guy can hack anything! And if you anger him, oh boy... Don't be that guy because.... well he'll destroy all your operations in one tap on his keyboard. He is very loyal to the Cooper Gang, and will do anything to project his friends. Being the smartest of the group he tends to feel that he could accomplish anything on his own. But that is also is weakness. Right next up is somebody who's not a part of the gang, but I feel needs mentioning as well.
Meet Carmelita Fox. Carmelita is a fourth generation Interpol agent. Her outlook on crime was very black and white, firmly believing that any lawbreaker must be brought to justice, regardless of how minor or major the infraction was. Pursuing this vision with her shock pistol, Carmelita was extremely rigid in this view and pursued all criminals with equal determination, from murderers to jaywalkers to thieves, such as Sly and company. Of course, deep down, she has romantic feelings for Sly. (Awww!) Before Carmelita met Sly, she was at an opera house with her mentor Inspector Barkley (A character we see in the series). She was there because the opera house was old and so was its security system. This was also her first big assignment from Inspector Barkley, who did not completely trust her abilities. She eventually finds Sly on her first encounter on the roof. Dozens of cops tried to catch him but Sly fought them off. But eventually, he was captured, but what Carmelita didn't know is that Sly let himself get captured for a chance to meet her. When Sly escaped (thanks to the janitor who opened the closet), Carmelita got in trouble for letting Sly escape and that the diamond necklace she was supposed to be guarding was missing. So Carmelita went to search for him. Sly discovered the thief, knocked him out, and sent him to Carmelita with the necklace as a present, helping her get a good review from her mentor. Eventually, Carmelita decided to hunt Sly down, vowing to put him behind bars. This is one girl you don't want to be running away from that shock pistol of hers is shocking! (No pun intended.) And she when she wants the job done right, oh boy! It get done my friends. And with a sassy personalty like hers well... I'm glad she's Sly's girl. Speaking of Sly....
Sly Cooper.
Sly is, as the first game describes him, a "cunning, devious, Thievius Raccoonus." He uses his wit, his courage, and his skills to pull off jobs, and he usually has a sarcastic remark in hand. However, he remains loyal and dedicated to his friends; especially Bentley and Murray, his two close friends since childhood, and Carmelita Fox, his love interest. Sly was born into the lineage of the Cooper Clan under the tutelage of his father. Sly grew up learning about his family's history as master thieves and was to follow in his family's footsteps; inheriting their legendary legacy, the Thievius Raccoonus, at the age of 8. On the night Sly was to inherit the book, a mysterious gang of criminals known as the Fiendish Five infiltrated the Cooper residence. Try as he might, his father failed to defend himself, his wife, and his son from the brutes, ending with Sly's parents being murdered. The Fiendish Five ransacked the house in search of the book, Sly helplessly watching while hiding inside the closet. After finding it, they tore out its pages and split it among themselves before leaving. Sly, without parents, ended up in an orphanage where he met his lifelong friends, Bentley and Murray. Sly was determined to grow up as an accomplished thief and live up to his namesake. Ten years after the Fiendish Five stole the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly had garnered a reputation as a cunning thief and had entangled the interest of Carmelita. Sly embarked on the quest to steal back his inheritance and avenge his father and mother's deaths. Sly is by far one my favorite characters of all time! I love this character, and would play the game any day. Growing up with the Cooper games I found myself at times acting and speaking like Sly, with his sarcastic come backs and witty answers. Anger him by threatening his friends or worse Carmelita, oh boy! He'll let you know my friend. Don't mess with the Cooper Family! (Gang.)
The game is primarily a platforming video game presented in third-person that incorporates stealth elements. The game "tries to mix one-hit-kill arcade action with what the game Splinter Cell used; sneaking." The player primarily controls the title character, Sly Cooper as he moves between each lair of the Fiendish Five and the sub-sections of those lairs, avoiding security systems and the watchful eyes of the minions. While Sly is equipped with a cane to attack his foes, Sly typically cannot take even a single hit before collapsing; thus, the player is urged to use stealthy maneuvers to move around potential threats or to silently take down a foe from behind.
To assist in these stealth moves, the player is shown special points colored with blue sparkles of light, identified in the game as Sly's "thief senses". (Although at first I just thought Sly was high.) The player can trigger actions at these points, such as sidling along a narrow ledge or wall, landing on a pointed object such an antenna or streetlight, using the cane to grapple onto something, or climbing along the length of a narrow pole or pipe all by pressing the circle button. The player must avoid detection by security systems or minions, otherwise an alarm will sound and the player will either have to destroy the alarm, avoid or defeat foes alerted by the alarm, or hide for several seconds until the alarm resets (In other words DON'T GET CAUGHT!). The game uses a dynamic music system that is tied in with the state of alarm in the area. The music will increase in volume and pacing when Sly attacks or is detected, and then will quiet down as the disturbance goes away. And what lovely music is, and it really does help build the atmosphere in some places. Each sub-section of a lair contains a number of "Clues in a Bottle", which when all are collected, with the help of Bentley,will reveal the combination to a safe in the level that contains a page from the Thievius Raccoonus. (And let me tell you that they are bugger to find in the later games!)
These pages grant Sly new moves to use to aid either in movement, stealth, or combat, such as creating a decoy, or dropping an explosive hat. Defeating each of the bosses also gives Sly moves, these are typically necessary to pass later levels. Defeating enemies or destroying objects in the levels generates coins, and coins can also be found scattered about the levels; for every 100 coins, Sly gains a lucky horseshoe that will allow him to take extra hits, or if he currently has two, he'll get an extra life. If Sly collapses and loses a life, the current sub-level will be restarted or at a special "repeater" that acts as a checkpoint. If the player loses all of Sly's lives, they must restart that bosses' lair from the start. Besides this gameplay, there are mini-games that include driving levels (based on Murray), shooting to protect Murray as he ascends certain levels, and a cyber-tank game representing a hacking attempt by Bentley. One notable boss battle includes a rhythm-based sequence. (I'm looking at you Mz Ruby!)
Some levels can be returned to at any time to gain additional coins or to seek out special moves. When a level is completed, and all of the clue bottles and the secret moves are found, the player can then attempt a "Master Thief Sprint", a timed sprint on the level to try to beat a set time. The player can unlock additional artistic content by completing all the levels in this fashion. And let me tell you it's really interesting what the creators went through with the many changes they did to this game. It also includes a Japanese version of the opening and let me just say... I WANT A SLY ANIME SERIES NOW!!! It looks amazing!!!
Bringing up the binocucom will be the best way for finding clues and breakables. The binocucom won't move during the story lines, but the heads in the binocucom can be moved. The left stick is for Bentley and Murray, and the right stick is for Sly. This thing comes really handy in this and the later games of the series, because believe me when I say you'll need it to see what's ahead of you. If it's things you need to collect or enemies you'll have to watch out for the binocucom is one the most useful tool in the game series.
I will also like to mention that I love the comic book style of the cutscenes, it makes you not only feel that your playing a game it makes you feel your actually in the comic book world working alongside Sly and the gang. Well that raps up up the first game, and let me say this game is a gem and a brilliant example of a new classic game for the PlayStation. Also this game series got so big that it even got it's own comic book series!!
The Adventures of Sly Cooper.
I have sadly not been able to find any of them, but I'd like to one day read them. Because they give not only a good story, but also I've heard that it even goes on to explain a lot of the characters background and gives them more character development. Look out for them!
Right next time we'll be taking a look at...
Sly 2: Band of Thieves.
P.S. Yes, that's my pet chinchilla. Making his first appearance.
The Whalley.
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