From the Long List of Good Games I Skipped

I have a long list of games to play, and a lot of the list consists of games that I, for whatever reason, missed years ago. Among these was, “Sly Cooper and the Thevius Raccoonus.” Ridahkick suggested the game for me when I said I had a hankering for a good platformer, and I’m glad I took him up on his suggestion. While the game has a slight fetching element, with most of the levels having “clue” bottles strewn about, it never felt like a pain thanks to the incentive of new moves/skills for all the bottles. That’s what set it apart from other similar games for me. Most games that put you in a fetch quest scenario don’t really reward you for your efforts. Sure, you get that “100%” or maybe that slightly changed ending if you’re lucky, but throughout the game, there’s no reward for getting everything. With Sly, you’re rewarded for every level that you collect all the bottles in. Admittedly, I didn’t use many of these additional abilities, but I’m glad my efforts didn’t go unrewarded. Every level also had a speed run, but I had no desire to do those because unlike the clue bottles, you don’t get any immediate rewards for doing these speed runs. I’ll live with my less than 100% completion and enjoy it more for doing so. Speaking of enjoying the game, the final sequence of the game was immensely satisfying. It's always good when a game leaves a positive lasting impression, and Sly certainly left me with a smile on my face.

The game is rather short, but being 8 years old, it’s cheap nowadays, so “short” hardly seems like a valid complaint for the price. I realize I need to get with the times and play something relevant, but at the same time, I really loved Sly. I’m looking forward to playing 2 and 3 in the near future. Sly Cooper was stylish and overflowing with charm. Not to repeat myself, but just like Mega Man Legends, at times it felt like I was playing a cartoon. The game is simply fun, and I feel like there aren't enough games today that are just, "fun." I've heard the new Ratchet and Clank games might be right up my alley, so I'd like to give those a chance at some point. Still, I hope Sucker Punch brings Sly back at some point and into the next gen. I'd be far more excited to see Sly 4 than Infamous 2.