GraphicsWhile Sly Cooper might appear to use cel-shading as its main graphic effect, after about 10 minutes into the game, I found there was much more visually to ogle over. Sucker Punch's eclectic band of artists and designers have created a truly lavish game that shines with a long-list of creative touches all the way to the very last level. Characters are outlined with cels, but ornately designed and intricately animated, casting off the initial perception of simplistic artwork. Not only that, but the worlds in which the characters play are remarkably well organized, highly animated, carefully colored and distinctly different from one world to the next. You can't mistake the first level's various shades of blue for the last level's hot reds, oranges and yellows. Likewise, the trip to the Kumlum Mountains in China is far different in look and play than the forage to Las Vegas or the swamps of Haiti. With regard to imagery, the game offers an unusually appealing 2D, Saturday morning-style set of cutscenes that feel like a cartoon or even a little like an old Saturday afternoon movie short, but look more like Flash technology from a Website, which, when you think about it, is a very weird concoction indeed. Does it work? Yes, and it¿s highly original as well, highly likeable, in fact. The only thing that feels a little too contrived is the van. The technical van looks far too close the Mystery Van from Scooby Doo, which really doesn't have the same intelligent ring that Sly Cooper has. And vans may have been overused too, thanks to the A-Team always-coming-through-at-the-last minute vehicle in the mid-'80s. But all in all, Sly Cooper boasts the talents of a skilled art team having fun with an original character.SoundMusically, the tunes in Sly Cooper perform a sneaky trick. Fitting perfectly into that Netherlands of poppy, ear-catching songs, and music that is so vague, unassuming and meant-to-be-heard-in-the-background, this collection of songs is almost perfect for my liking. It changes dynamically depending on the scenario, speeding up when you're in danger and slowing down when the coast is clear. While many lead characters and mascots are mostly mute, Sly Cooper speaks during cutscenes and his voice is perfect for the character. The voice-over actor has a crisp, clean delivery and he doesn't over do it. The character voices for Bentley and Murray, however, steal the show. Bentley is a stuffy-nosed nerd who sounds like the biggest geek on the planet, and while at times his voice is a little trying, 90% of the game Bentley is truly enjoyable. Murray is just the dumbest guy on earth. He's dull-witted, fat and a huge potential liability, yet he's got so much heart it's hard to resist his genuine likability. He, too, is perfectly voice acted and I eagerly anticipated hearing his next speaking role.
GraphicsWhile Sly Cooper might appear to use cel-shading as its main graphic effect, after about 10 minutes into the game, I found there was much more visually to ogle over. Sucker Punch's eclectic band of artists and designers have created a truly lavish game that shines with a long-list of creative touches all the way to the very last level. Characters are outlined with cels, but ornately designed and intricately animated, casting off the initial perception of simplistic artwork. Not only that, but the worlds in which the characters play are remarkably well organized, highly animated, carefully colored and distinctly different from one world to the next. You can't mistake the first level's various shades of blue for the last level's hot reds, oranges and yellows. Likewise, the trip to the Kumlum Mountains in China is far different in look and play than the forage to Las Vegas or the swamps of Haiti. With regard to imagery, the game offers an unusually appealing 2D, Saturday morning-style set of cutscenes that feel like a cartoon or even a little like an old Saturday afternoon movie short, but look more like Flash technology from a Website, which, when you think about it, is a very weird concoction indeed. Does it work? Yes, and it¿s highly original as well, highly likeable, in fact. The only thing that feels a little too contrived is the van. The technical van looks far too close the Mystery Van from Scooby Doo, which really doesn't have the same intelligent ring that Sly Cooper has. And vans may have been overused too, thanks to the A-Team always-coming-through-at-the-last minute vehicle in the mid-'80s. But all in all, Sly Cooper boasts the talents of a skilled art team having fun with an original character.SoundMusically, the tunes in Sly Cooper perform a sneaky trick. Fitting perfectly into that Netherlands of poppy, ear-catching songs, and music that is so vague, unassuming and meant-to-be-heard-in-the-background, this collection of songs is almost perfect for my liking. It changes dynamically depending on the scenario, speeding up when you're in danger and slowing down when the coast is clear. While many lead characters and mascots are mostly mute, Sly Cooper speaks during cutscenes and his voice is perfect for the character. The voice-over actor has a crisp, clean delivery and he doesn't over do it. The character voices for Bentley and Murray, however, steal the show. Bentley is a stuffy-nosed nerd who sounds like the biggest geek on the planet, and while at times his voice is a little trying, 90% of the game Bentley is truly enjoyable. Murray is just the dumbest guy on earth. He's dull-witted, fat and a huge potential liability, yet he's got so much heart it's hard to resist his genuine likability. He, too, is perfectly voice acted and I eagerly anticipated hearing his next speaking role.
Verdict
While the instant charm and accessibility of Sly Cooper outweighs its criticisms, it should be noted that there are some noticeable problems in this game, enough to keep the game from reaching higher scores.
Sly Cooper is an excellent looking game, probably one of the best-looking games of the year -- at least in terms of art direction -- and it's beautifully animated as well. All of the characters are lovable and the story is well scripted and well written, too. So there is much to like about it's overall presentation and graphic appeal. Gameplay wise, the final score comes down to the speed and skill at which you're able to apply to a platform game, but it's pretty clear that Sly Cooper is brief game. The thirty-five missions are briefer than they sound and the game is just plain easy to beat. There are those niggling technical issues I have written about in detail, so I won't elaborate again, but all in all, they do hamper the game's overall likeability.
I would highly recommend this game to platform fans, because Sly Cooper is truly something special, but don't expect to be playing it too long.