I’ve done it, I’ve completed my first Sly Cooper game (at a baffling 83%; I did get 100% of the PS3’s trophies for the game, however)!  I found all clue bottles and opened all safes.  I…never really used any of the extra moves I learned in those safes, but still.  It was a satisfying feat, nonetheless.  Since my last update, I have also completed several more locations and beaten their respective bosses.  Fighting Mz. Ruby was an aggravating experience, to say the least.  I had no trouble keeping up with her weird, little button-pressing game.  The game just didn’t like my timing, I think, so I kept inexplicably dying and being forced to start over.  The Panda King, fought in the high, snowy mountains of China, was easy.  The final stage…well, since they kept the fifth member of the Fiendish Five hidden so long, I won’t say much about who it is for anyone who, like me, is also new to the series.  Simply put, the final set of stages was tough.  And the final member of that dastardly group of criminals was by far the coolest.

So, what can I say about my first outing into the Sly Cooper universe?  First off, it was a lot of fun, and for anyone who likes platforming and a bit of stealth, I can’t see how you wouldn’t like it.  There was a fun collection of enemies, the challenges were varied, and I think there was enough difficulty, even though some say the game is too easy.  Yeah, it’s not that tough, but it’s still satisfying to play.  Bentley is definitely my favorite character.  I have nothing to really say about Murray at this time, as he had the smallest role of the three main characters.  And I hated the Master Thief Sprints.  Maybe I’m missing something, but I tried a few, and I never came close to completing any of them in time.  I gave up after about 15 minutes of non-stop failure.  I know when they have me beat.  Why prolong the humiliation?

To finish off, if I had to list any areas they could have improved, I would say I wish they had a regular health system.  Dying after one single hit is just unfair, and I’m grateful the game wasn’t tougher than it was because of this.  I also wish they had done more with the final chapter of the game.  It was tough, but I was hoping we would have gotten to explore this location in more the same manner as the previous levels in the game.  Instead, this place was comprised of a linear sequence of stages that included mini games and other different challenges, none of which were like the traditional levels of the game (and by that, I mean good, old-fashioned platforming and clue bottle collecting).  I just thought it could have been a bit more epic if the ending was longer because it was starting to get pretty tough at that point and stealth was becoming way more important than it had ever been before.  (Spotlights and darts…you’re joking, right!)  The game’s biggest flaw is that it just ended too soon.

But hey, the game is what it is, and I still really enjoyed playing it.  I should have never waited this long to check this series out, but I’m doing it now, and I can’t wait to start the second game.  At this point, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be buying the fourth game.  And let’s not forget the movie….

Duckius Raccoonus…Baboonus…What Can I Say, I Like Rhymes