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| Playstation 2 Preview |  by Brian Gee |
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| Category | Action/Adventure | ||
| Preview Date | 6/02 | ||
| Planned Release | September 2002 | ||
| Publisher | Sony | ||
As I lounge in my comfy chair back in the posh confines of the GR compound, images of E3 still dance in my head like Michael Flatley, only with better hair. And though there were too many cool games to count, a few really stood out.
Surprisingly, two of the big themes from this year's show were platformers and cel-shading. The recent success of games like Jak & Daxter and the popular visual style of Jet Set Radio have infiltrated the minds of many developers. If you like jumping around in a cartoony world, you'll love the next year in gaming.
One game in particular has chosen to combine both of these elements to create an action-adventure experience like none other. Developed by Sucker Punch and published by Sony for the PS2, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus challenges players to use stealth, platforming abilities and a handful of nifty tricks to outsmart gangs of cel-shaded animal adversaries.
Naturally,
you play as Sly, master raccoon thief and heir to the Thievius Raccoonus, a
super-secret manual detailing the family's greatest thieving techniques. The
problem is that someone else has managed to steal it. You'd think there'd be
tight security guarding that little baby, now wouldn't you?
Anyway, to save your family's honor and regain the title of world's greatest thief, you'll have to steal it back. This is where the fun begins...
Unlike most platformers where you just run around bonking things, Sly Cooper throws some Solid Snake stealth into the mix. As you progress through the game, Sly will pick up a nice repertoire of nifty moves. You'll tiptoe around poles, dive-roll through laser beams and even curl up into a ball and speed-roll your way out of a sticky situation. Of course, if you don't really feel like sneaking around, you can always run in head first with your big whacking stick. As the old saying goes, 'walk softly and carry a big stick'...although I don't think Roosevelt was thinking about an angry walrus with a big hammer.
In addition to these moves, Sly will also have plenty of things to interact with in the environment. You'll slide down zip lines, crawl across tightropes, or even grab some camouflage for some fun cartoon sneaking sequences.
One of the levels that I played involved getting through a dark library full of armed guards. True to the toon rules of engagement, guards never spot intruders as long as they've got some kind of silly camouflage and are not moving, so all I needed to do was jump into a barrel and use it to sneak up to them when they weren't looking. It's moments like these that provide Sly Cooper with some classic cartoon attitude.
And what would it be without smooth toon graphics? Thievius Raccoonus is chock full of top-notch cel-shaded animation. According to the folks at Sucker Punch, Sly Cooper features "triple pass polygonal rendering" for a quality visual experience. What does that mean? We're not entirely sure, but it looks cool. Just rest assured that everything from the animations to the lighting effects to the details on the wall will look their very best.
With an interesting twist on stealth gameplay and a blend of unique visual elements, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus looks to be another steal for fans of the platforming genre. Check it out this fall!
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