Sly Cooper COMPLETE SERIES Retrospective - The Golden Bolt

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Thanks so much for sharing your time with me today! Make sure to let me know your thoughts on the Sly series, and of course if you haven't checked yet, make sure you're subscribed to catch these videos right as they land!

[@Dirvinator]

Finally, a video on a day I'm not working. Hero.

[@timhaas6021]

Wish I could play it, I own the trilogy, but I get motion sickness from it. AC Black Flag does the same thing to me. 😣

[@Unpar_Guki]

appreciate the work u did for this u need more subs

[@CooperGal24]

Having the storyline and character plots be completely OOC is like trying to make the Looney Tunes Show or Jellystone be written as the new "Ren & Stimpy Show". It sounded good in everyone's minds, but some of the writing's sound too...Meh and such...!

[@elijahsherratt8895]

I haven't even played the game but the pure context and connection you have with you content is compelling, I formally believe your emotional attachment to your content . You cover points throughout the game giving very reasonable explanations and explain it well and over all make people who haven't played the game want to play. So Thank You for making good content.

[@oskarwangdahl2791]

One huge thing that is often overlooked in sly retrospectives is the fact that from sly 2 and onwards the games were dubbed in 13 different language, so for many of us Scandinavians, Portugese and Italians sly 2 was one of the first mayor console-game where the full plot could be understood by kids. Also it's quite fun to have versions of the game where Carmelita and Bently are the strongest voice performances (swedish) and the Finnish voice work is a real treat.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Absolutely, it's a massive part of why Sly's European sales broke usual trends and actually _increased_ game after game! Sony's localization support at the time wasn't anything particularly top-notch either, so it's even _more_ impressive.

[@dirkpostma4057]

Thank youbfor this comment sir! I will hopefully be studying abroad in Sweden next year, guess how ill be increasing my Swedish vocabulary!

[@voxelarc7378]

you can add dutch kids to the list :)

[@truckeronska4019]

Yeah I fell in love to this franchise bc it was one of the only games in Finnish back when I was younger and didnt understand Ednglish so well. And nowdays in the Ghost Of Tsushima its nice to have Finnish text atleast.

[@smeipalmu5970]

the finnish dub is quite literally the only reason i have the biggest nostalgia to this game... god i love their finnish voices.

[@ShadwSonic]

Correction: The Mz. Ruby boss having "slightly off" presses is a porting issue. The original PS2 did NOT have that problem.

[@FelisImpurrator]

I could swear I had that exact issue playing the original Mz. Ruby stage on my PS2 once upon a time. It could be one of those ancient PAL/NTSC artifacts.

[@thatbigbear6438]

Agreed, I literally played the PS2 version on an emulator and I had no problem with the fight, but the port version is.. pure garbage.

[@Greenspy.]

Dude, have you ever played the Mz. Ruby boss fight? You can literally just spam the buttons when they come to you, there is no punishment for spamming.

[@jerrodshack7610]

I never had this issue on ps3

[@kyuketsukirook]

I don't remember ever having a problem with the Mz. Ruby fight on both the PS3 and Vita versions.

[@FlameOfUdun96]

I feel like Sucker Punch is still the underdog even to this day. They put out bangers every time but never get the same recognition as their peers. Kinda weird tbh

[@TheGoldenBolt]

I'm hopeful that Ghost of Tsushima is the game that really starts to buck that trend. It seems like that game went through such a long production cycle, and despite whatever struggles the team had, they absolutely killed it from top to bottom!

[@FlameOfUdun96]

@@TheGoldenBolt Here’s hoping!

[@erichfiedler1481]

@@TheGoldenBolt still not over the fact it lost Game of the Year to Last Of Us 2, SUCKER PUNCH DESERVES MORE RESPECT THAN EVER

[@peternagy9310]

@@erichfiedler1481 last of us 2 was veery good tho imo

[@erichfiedler1481]

@@peternagy9310 Ghost of Tsushima is better

[@FelisImpurrator]

Oh, and here's a hot take: Sly Cooper is the best Assassin's Creed trilogy.

[@Idazmi7]

Agreed.

[@cryguy0000]

Pretty cold take tbh, you're just speaking facts

[@TheReZisTLust]

Batman is tho

[@suzuplaza]

any stealth game is a better assassins creed game.

[@naytny5819]

The worst actually lol, The ezio trilogy all have better leagues better climbing, and stealth systems, and the worlds aren’t empty like they are in Sly 2 and especially Sly 3

[@jahquestanderson9471]

R.I.P. to Kevin Blackton. He did a great job voicing most of the villains in Sly 1.

[@shannonbateswillis5022]

Wait, he’s dead! Sorry to hear that! I loved him as Both Muggshot AND The Panda King!

[@buddyabiz8650]

Yes Thank You The Full Series Of Sly Cooper This is a Perfect One AndnI Want This To Be The Best Cartoon Tv Series Of Sly Cooper For The First Time I Can't Wait J

[@buddyabiz8650]

And Also This New Year I Want a New Cartoon Tv Series Of Ronald McDonald And The McKids Cause I Think Ronald McDonald Deserves a New Series Of Ronald McDonald For First Time Ever And I Want Ronald McDonald Show Series To Happen Right NOW So Yeah I Can't Wait For The Cartoon Series Of Sly Cooper (And Ronald McDonald) For The First Time So Let's Get a Cartoon Series Of Sly Cooper Ok Guys

[@Benjamin-rj7ds]

@@shannonbateswillis5022 He also voiced Clockwerk.

[@KegOfMeat]

Damn I didn’t know this. That’s awful. RIP Kevin Blackton

[@RTDice11]

Personally, I'm most fond of Sly 3. I appreciate 2's great level design and exploration incentive, but there's something about 3's bright, poppy, sprawling levels and unique gameplay sections (Tsao's wuxia fight and the pirate ship especially) that really grabbed me.

[@RTDice11]

@@3DHDcat Absolutely! That's my favorite sequence in the whole franchise

[@tevinanarchy774]

I also love 3 the best 👍🏽

[@benzohhhhh]

Sly 3 is a masterpiece

[@acedagreat25]

Facts

[@BlueisNotaWarmColour]

Yeah Sly 3 is an excellent ending to the trilogy, gimmicks and all (aside from difficulty BS)

[@Pupppeteer]

I love the sly cooper series. He has such a great character design and the character feel is some of the best in 3d platforming.

[@CooperGal24]

I know, right? I only wish the movie and tv series would've been made and released as planned, instead of being cancelled by one PlayStation movie's unsuccessful reviews.

[@kodywatts6886]

I’ve never been so excited to watch a game retrospective/review. I liked the Jak series & the Ratchet series as a kid but Sly Cooper was my childhood obsession

[@DaeTye]

Same here man

[@Kooaid-9]

Same criminally underrated series imo

[@Dr._Orange]

One thing that they talked about in Sly 1's developer commentary is that they spent a lot of time implementing a custom lighting engine that made it so that darker areas are desaturated instead of actually becoming dark. This really does a lot for the mood of the games, as it allowed them to make the levels dark without having the problem of being unable to actually see anything. All of the first three games have this lighting system, and the fact that they did it on the Playstation 2 without programmable shaders is amazing. Unfortunately Sly 4 does not have this lighting model, and I really think the art direction suffers for it, making dark areas look less interesting.

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

Something about Sly 4 was totally off. I liked it, but anytime I went back to the first three it instantly felt way better. The controls and the graphics

[@justyahz796]

how was that impressive to desaturize textures in ps2? do you know what shaders are? they’re not required for this method of ‘darkening’… that’s why nothings actually too dark to see

[@Dr._Orange]

@@justyahz796 Well, they had to implement it entirely using the PS2's built-in multitexture functionality since the PS2 had no support for programmable shaders. But what is important is not how advanced the technology is, what is important is what it means for the aesthetics and readability of the graphics. The desaturation approach means that dark areas, which the games have a lot of since most of the levels (at least in Sly 1 and 2) take place at night, become a lot more visible and readable compared to a more traditional lighting model.

[@justyahz796]

@@Dr._Orange bro if that’s impressive in 2008 then i’d be the next Einstein in that era

[@Dr._Orange]

@@justyahz796 Again, I never said it was technologically impressive, just that it was important to the aesthetics and readability of those games. And Sly Raccoon came out in 2002, which really was a time of rapid development and experimentation of new graphics techniques.

[@Acruxicon]

I feel as though the Sly Cooper series ended prematurely. It has so much promise as a gaming franchise, and even more as a tv series or film…it’s such a shame both mediums have been shelved and forgotten.

[@TheMeditorEditor]

With the greatest of respects I have to disagree. Sly works because of its self contained narrative and more importantly its character driven narrative rather than plot driven narrative (although Sly 1 contained the latter). By Sly 3, everyone's character arcs were wrapped up pretty well, and that open ending at the end of Sly 3 was meant to be a hope for things never to come and to reminisce on how everyone involved got a happy ending and yet in the background are all actively doing things with their lives, not just "retiring" on their laurels (like Bentley actively building a time machine with his new girlfriend or Murray pursuing a career as a race car driver, or even Sly pursuing a romantic relationship with his long time rival).

[@vladthecon]

@@TheMeditorEditor if they did the time shenanigans right they could have used the entire cooper clan giving the franchise the spice they would need for the next console but game 4 was trash making it impossible to progress the story.

[@jfb173jb]

@@vladthecon it's not that bad. Though frankly, it would have or could have been better if they waited a bit longer and removed some things. Like the motion control aspects. I can get behind some story pieces like say Penelope backstabbing everyone, given she's done similar before. But they needed better motivation for her. Le Paradox makes sense as a villain, but he needed a bit more time to flesh out.

[@TaRAAASHBAGS]

"Sometimes it's better something ends before you WANT it to end." I wasn't a huge fan of 4 and if that or modern Ratchets were any indicator, I'm glad it ended with, relative, grace.

[@elitef40]

Hard to believe it's been almost a whole decade and we still have yet to get a new Sly Cooper game. Not even a bundle. It's kinda sad because I've always loved this series more than both Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank.

[@gnomebody2371]

I’m actually happy, Sly Cooper got to die unlike call of duty or metal gear solid.

[@elitef40]

@@gnomebody2371 while I do agree with you, I still feel the need of a new Sly Cooper game. But at the same time, I feel like it might turn out to be a disappointment. I literally can't stand the sight of my childhood getting butchered like the FlatOut series.

[@Yonan_]

@@gnomebody2371 cod isn’t anything against sly, both story and gameplay wise imo

[@oftheBlazingNinjas]

The PS5 feels like a perfect console for a new remaster of the trilogy. (Sly 4 can come along too, not fussed on that regard). But not like, the HD remaster, like a Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy remake from the ground-up.

[@DemonAngels7]

@@gnomebody2371 But nowadays not all the call of duty games get the same rep that used to when they first came out some of those games are not even that good anymore somewhere but some aren’t

[@masked_majora6475]

Jak was the oldest brother Ratchet was the youngest brother Sky was the forgotten middle child All 3 are great

[@itsDjjayyArt]

Indeed I hope one day they all come back together in one game just say PlayStation heroes

[@jadesgay444]

the irony of you even misspelling Sly’s name is actually pretty hilarious

[@masked_majora6475]

@@jadesgay444 I know how I spelt it

[@Kyharra]

Oh..

[@iNfantK2]

Spyro is the forgotten one

[@Sharty_McFly]

One of my favorite little details for this trilogy is how the little booklet that came with PS2 games on the inside of the front cover, is the Thevius Racconus. Also after each subsequent game, it would be designed to look like it was suffering from deterioration amd like it was being aged.

[@MetalGildarts]

I loved that as well. Great example of art.

[@MichaelMcCallister097]

@@Sharty_McFly that’s the main reason I never got rid of my physical copies of the PS2 games. Those instruction booklets have SO much care put into them. It’s completely lost playing digitally.

[@generaljohnston501st]

literally one of the greatest series ever. It's like playing one long game very nicely paced because of the amazing story and mission structures. This series is a masterpiece in character development unlike many others

[@patmcmiller3379]

yeah, sure mate... Drop a almost 2 hour long retrospective on one of my favorite PS2 series a minute before i was going to bed... Well, sleep is overated anyway.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

I take no prisoners.

[@elijahj.alfred6632]

Sly 3 was my favorite sly game I have the fondest memories of it. The lemonade-drinking contest has been in my head rent free for years.

[@Ratatoohey]

I thought i was the only one lol

[@dowhatiwantc7637]

Lol and Bentley just spills it and still barely can drink it

[@kgisabeast]

“This just happens to be, a lemonade bar” “He spilt more than he drank!”

[@paulpavlus6664]

23:42 Jean Bison also had the Clockwerk Lungs and Stomach to keep his trains running non-stop day and night. Along with MORE than his fair share of the parts. 23:47 As did Rajan with the Clockwerk wings to attach to his Golden statue at his party. And who could forget the Contessa using the Clockwerk eyes to fixate her subjects in a trance.

[@austinhoward9052]

23:47 This point is delivered as a bit of a throwaway joke, but it's kinda crazy how much the "spice" operation mirrors a real life event, namely the opium crisis in China in the 18th century. Basically, the British had vast amounts of opium shipped from India by train to China to try and destabilize the population by getting them addicted, and easier to conquer. And in this game, a British guy has "spice" shipped from India by train to try and destabilize a population for his own ends. It's not one to one, of course, this is a cartoon, but the parallel does exist. And it might even be intentional, because if you closely at the "spice" plants in the one mission you collect them, you notice they look an awful like poppy plants, aka the thing opium is made of.

[@cameron6538]

😯

[@TheMeditorEditor]

Your observation is pretty on point. One minor nit pick however: Rajan is Anglo-Indian, not solely British. Meaning he's a native Indian (being an Indian Bengal Tiger) but was raised in an English-occupied Calcutta therefore he has an English accent (some modern Gen X Indians also have British accents because of England's occupation of india). Same is true of Neila, although the game cut the connection between the two (Neila was meant to be Rajan's daughter. Again, evidenced by her head scarf, English accent, and the fact she's a white tigress with stripes similar to Rajan's).

[@austinhoward9052]

@@TheMeditorEditor The British guy I was referring to was actually Arpeggio, not Rajan. I guess I should have clarified that, he dies so quickly in the game that it can be easy to forget he was technically behind everything haha. Still, Rajan having a British accent is yet another nod to British occupation of India that I hadn't drawn a connection to before, so thank you for adding that.

[@pegwin7743]

Having replayed the Sly trilogy in the past couple years, I hard agree with the idea that Sly has the superior PS2 platformer trilogy. I used to think it was Jak, but it just isn't. Thanks for doing these vids!

[@mattmas6628]

I played jack 2 recently and damn do we all look back on that game with rose glasses

[@Tyranniod]

@@mattmas6628 Really? I still think the jak trilogy holds up really well.

[@pegwin7743]

@@Tyranniod I think the series is great still, including Jak X which is IMO the greatest racing game ever made. Sly just has more character and heart when compared to Jak and Ratchet. The rough parts about Jak 2 are the huge difficulty spikes on some missions (like destroy the hellcats).

[@conkergemini6489]

Jak I is a platformer with vehicle sections. Jak II is GTA clone with platforming. While the shooting does combine well with the platforming, that is the most innovative part.

[@slappytheclown4]

Agreed. The quality of the original Sly trilogy just stayed much more constant than the Jak trilogy. Jak floundered in a lot more areas as the series went on than the Sly series did.

[@seen_n_unseen]

Honestly, out of the ‘holy trinity’ of that decade of playstaion platformers, The Cooper series always seemed more *grounded* compared to Jak or Ratchet. Like its not a plot thats extremely OUT THERE. Not going to outer space or fighting literal GODS. You’re just a suave dude tryin’ to find that last bottle clue in Paris, France while jamming to Dimitri’s disco fever 😆

[@C_Arson]

Well, aside from a giant owl somehow becoming an immortal robot in ancient times that is literally fueled by spite. That part's a _little_ out there.

[@calamityknyte]

@@C_Arson And a time travel machine made from a van.

[@poisonxdagger6670]

@@calamityknyte Like Antman

[@TaRAAASHBAGS]

@@calamityknyte Further proof 4 didn't understand the originals' appeal at all

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

My main issue with the character designs in Thieves In Time is that Carmalita's model looks like a poorly animated blowup doll.

[@KaimArgonarEyyyy]

Sanzaru treat her like one in the game too!

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

@@KaimArgonarEyyyy Especially in the dreaded belly dancing minigame.

[@charKT-7461]

They put her waist in Dimitri's money printer

[@guywithtrash231]

Whats the problem with that

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

@@guywithtrash231 "I have several questions."

[@waylander9265]

One thing you have to appreciate about the Sly series is how well it holds up visually, even after all these years. Who needs graphics when you have style

[@Fatalbeast22]

Sly 3 was always my favorite. When it comes to the money, I never actually had an issue with it, I pickpocketed every time I saw a shine, so I had tons. Also the story and extra gang members are great to me

[@MegCev]

Sly 3 was huge part of my childhood. And the game was really popular in Finland, it’s one of the few instances where I think the dubbed voices are better. There also was a story we told to each other when we were younger, something alongside the lines of “70% of the copies Sly3 sold in Europe were sold in Finland”. I remember it ALWAYS was exactly 70% but this is most likely false.

[@roonkolos]

When Sly first came out, I wasn't big on it until my brother more or less made me play the first Ever since I've been a massive fangirl and I agree. This series will never get the love & respect it deserves. But as much as it's had its ups & downs & will sadly forever stay on an unceremonious cliffhanger, i will forever be a fan of the illustrious Cooper Gang ♡♡♡

[@spyrelle3970]

Honestly, I just don't really consider Sly 4 canon. 'Helps me feel less bitter, y'know?

[@DemonAngels7]

The only thing we don’t share in common is the fact that I’ve always been a fan of the series all the way back when the first one came out that was one of the very first games I grabbed when it was announced love the series ever since I will always be a part of this fan base sly Cooper forever 😎💪🏽

[@roonkolos]

@@DemonAngels7 funny thing is my brother got Sly and I got Kingdom Hearts. He ended up the KH fanatic and I the Sly one. So it's a weird sort of reversal that happened in a way

[@andrealopriore9062]

Ditto. I was drawn to Sly Cooper ever since I played the Sly 2 demo hidden in Ratchet & Clank 3. Hunting down all of the games wasn't easy (back then, stores sold much more PS3 software than PS2) but definitely worth it.

[@TheKaiser416]

I hard disagree on Clickworks delivery being dry. It's *subtle* What makes his delivery so good and part of what makes him so threatening is that subtle delivery. Listen to when he's listing off all of the things Sly has done to him, if you listen closely, he let's out an aggravated sigh as he calls his accomplishments remarkable. There's something Infinitly eerie about how despite everything you've done to him, there is no anger, just mild annoyance, like he's constantly speaking down to Sly. Combine that with the choice to make him look less like a person and more like a soulless machine mimicking a real creature, and it fits in so well on communicating that Clockwork truly is nothing more than a monster

[@SecondAftermath]

Not only a monster but now more a machine than an Owl. His dry delivery just makes sense.

[@mamakitkat3180]

its almost like he didnt even listen to clockwerk's voicelines at all 😂😂😂😂

[@stephenallen4625]

I was so obsessed with the trilogy when I was younger. So many summer mornings saying, "I bet I can beat Sly 1 before 3 P.M." gun to my head i might say Sly 3 is my favorite.

[@veikkomultivitamiini4858]

The Finnish dub for Sly 2 and 3 is actually really good. It's also translated well. No idea how they managed it with such a low budget.

[@V-Jes]

2s dub is bit flawed here and there but for 3 they really went above and beyond on making it 1 if the best Finnish dubbed games of all time, what is why Sly became so popular in Finland as they also came at a time where almost no game had a Finnish dub, let alone localization outside of some Disney games made for younger children in mind.

[@nevaendingjoker5449]

Sly 3 gets a bad wrap for story and gameplay, but it literally has so much going for it in the story instead of stopping clockwerk for a 3rd time. It’s arguably the most mature game in the franchise, and shows that things can’t always stay the same in their prime (Sly 2), and that things change as stories do, and that it was time to put an end to the franchise. Dr. M was the manifestation of what the Cooper line had created unintentionally, creating jealousy & envy. What would’ve really been great for the series to end on would’ve been if Dr. M had told Sly the reason he found the island is because of that fateful night where Clockwerk visited his father and killed him, finding out that Dr. M made a deal with Clockwerk due to their jealousy of the Cooper line… causing Dr. M to be manipulated by Clockwerk. Would’ve been great to see them tie it all together. Yes it was rushed, I wish there were clue bottles and collectibles too, but if it was given the same amount of time Sly 2 was it would’ve been universally praised by all Sly fans, because everyone’s main issue with Sly 3 is the extra characters and how rushed it was… they should’ve just released it as a launch title for the PS3, then many more people would’ve been introduced to the franchise. Same for Sly 4, if they waited to release it on the PS4 it would’ve done much better, instead of waiting to the last year of the PS3.

[@cheeseburgah563]

As someone that loves sly cooper to death this makes me extremely happy

[@dirkpostma4057]

I don't remember Sly feeling similar in sly 4, I remember him having sort of simplified controls, and double jumping never felt "Sly-ish" in the fourth game. Then again, i only played through thieves in time once. After this video I think i'll have to give it a second chance and see how I like it!

[@xalen9379]

For my 10th birthday my friend said he’d get me Jak 2, but ended up giving me Sly 1 bc it was cheaper and Jak 2 was still new and too expensive. He felt so bad about it but within a week I was profusely thanking him bc I fell in love with Sly 1. Thank you Andrew for introducing me to an amazing and woefully underrated franchise 🙏

[@tubefan1995]

I think while the Penelope “twist” in 4 makes sense it just feels off, something about it just doesn’t feel right, I can’t verbalize it but it just feels wrong and weird and it sticks out so sharply that it’s hard to reconcile the plot point as a fan of the first three, I mean dimitri and panda king were former villains in prior games but it’s Penelope who betrays them. It doesn’t fit.

[@SloodermanSloodin]

Because there was no motive for her doing it. Her motive is she’s evil now and her bf isn’t, and her good friend sly prevents bf from being evil. It makes no sense

[@kesha.m]

10 months late, but I think one big thing in her betrayal is the way it is done makes little sense. Mainly because if she's so smart did she not realize that without Sly literally existing she literally wouldn't have met Bentley in the first place? Literally the only reason they met was because the gang went to where she was at was for a mission involving Slys family vault. No Sly means they wouldn't met so how would her plan work if the actually succeeded ending the Cooper line. It's one of those things that's small, but also kinda story breaking if you think about it too hard because that takes a lot of momentum out of what's supposed to be a twist. It's something that probably could have worked, but not presented as it is because it feels out of character.

[@toonman5099]

Plus there's the whole thing of, while her mentality and reasoning was weird in 3 with the "no cheating" thing, she still went through a positive character arc to become a good guy. Bentley being the good guy is WHY she fell in love with him and getting over Sly's cool factor. Her becoming the villain for no reason other than having a "mole" character (saw a thumbnail saying there was going to be a mole character but it was then turned into Penelope, didn't watch so I'm not sure behind the thought) is honestly pointless character regression because it didn't have any setup. There IS a possibility that she's putting up an act the whole time to lead Bentley to the truth based on how the game ends, but it was all payoff with no setup. Also it seems like Sanzaru DOES have a repeating aspect of them having a good first few steps but then fumbling things along the way afterwards, seeing as how things went with their development on Spyro 3 in the Reignited Trilogy. Mostly in where someone in another video I watched mentions the first couple of ancestors are fantastic in feeling both familiar but also unique from Sly, but then the last 3 basically have a handful (at best) reused abilities from past Sly games (2's ice wall climb for Bob, the wall hook for Sir Galleth, the parachute for Salim) with few new gimmicks. Honestly, I personally feel like Sly's disguises (at least their extra mechanic functions) should have been used for the ancestors instead, then allowing Sly to unlock the abilities afterwards in the next era. Also side note while I'm thinking about it, Bob really feels like a case of "we had an idea first and retrofitted him into the lore despite him not really needing to have been a factor in the first place" along with the whole pre-historic setting really. Like, we already had Sly with said ice wall climb but only Bob can do it? It's weird they don't let Sly have his ice wall climb, yet they reference Dev Cooperinda & Matthew de la Coopeur's ability to slow time to possibly be inspired by the random costume Sly gets while in India? Yes, a Bootstrap paradox is a thing, but it feels weird that an ability that's basically tied to people that were named after team members of the first game to say "yeah it's based on our version of the power."

[@jjtheraccoon61]

Exactly. She's the second least shady person in the Cooper Gang (the Guru being the least shady), even when taking the Black Baron persona into account (his actions are more associated with him than Penelope herself). That's like Neyla's twist without any of the buildup that made it work.

[@TheSlnistro]

Man this channel is just my childhood. Every episode I'm reminded of these amazing games that got me into the medium. The production quality for a channel with only 40k subs (that deserves way more) and what seems like a 1 man team is just insane. Putting out big projects like this in such short time frames does remind me of all of these games retrospectives though. Anxiously awaiting the next one already :D

[@TheGoldenBolt]

You're far too kind, my friend! To pass along some credit, sometimes these are closer to two-man projects. Usually every video (or every other), I pass along the first run of editing to MykonosFan, and then produce the final cut after. With how long these are, though, sometimes that's more like "okay you edit the first half while I record the second half, and then I'll take over the rest." Either way, credit where it's due!

[@stephielynncrafts]

The villains may not be connected in Sly 3 but when you think about it, the obstacles in each world kinda are. When you get to the final level in the vault, Sly goes through most of the same challenges for climbing and going through different parts of the vault. So the worlds were really training courses to get through the vault section.

[@TheWordPlay]

I love the Sly series! Shame it doesn't get as much recognition as R&C and Jak. I remember having mixed feelings on Thieves in Time when it came out: on one hand I was just happy to get a new entry in HD after so many years; but I didn't like it as much as the original trilogy. Enough time has passed where I think I'll revisit Sly 4 again to see what I think now (though that ending is going to reopen old wounds)

[@Rman94]

The "Neela's betrayal of Arpeggio" plot twist in Sly 2 could've been handled better, for instance she could've sabotaged Clockwork's body so once Arpeggio entered it he would obey only her commands. Ordering him to kill Sly and the gang, Carmelita, and of Arpeggio's crew who knew she was involved with the KLAW gang. Then she as Interpol's agent on the case would "take down" Clockwork and become a hero to the world all while keeping most of the KLAW gang's ill-gotten gains to herself, and perhaps start the gang up again from the shadows to lure more criminals and thiefs in a new gang to "capture" later. Or have Neela secretly being Clockwork's subordinate the whole time working to revive him. Heck Neela would've made a much better villain in Sly 4 then Paradox. Still these just my ideas and at any rate what we did get might've worked better if we had a proper backstory in the games to explain Neela's backstory a bit more.

[@BAIGAMING]

28:00 Sly 2 has my favorite game ending out of any game I've played, it's just such a beautiful ending, I wouldn't even mind if that's how the series ended.

[@Estus1999]

I enjoyed sly 4. My biggest gripe with it is that I wasn't a huge fan of Penelope's betrayal. But when I thought about it more, in Sly 3 she started out as someone who lied and cheated to get what she wanted, now that's just upscaled to world domination with the only person she genuinely cares about, even if he's not on board.

[@FuckYoutubeAndGoogle]

No, it's just terrible. Her motivation is making money by selling weapons, but she already has access to the Cooper vault and weapons aren't the only scientific inventions/innovations that sell. Penelope is supposed to be a genius, but she chooses to be a 2-bit warlord, when she basically could've just become Elon Musk.

[@jjtheraccoon61]

That lying and cheating was more associated with the Black Baron than Penelope herself. She created that persona to get around the tight age restrictions in the dogfighting competitions, but then it became so famous it started to consume her and she kept putting on the costume and feeling the need to do anything to uphold the persona's reputation no matter the cost or ethics. She helped the Cooper Gang defend their hangar from the Black Baron's Muggshot-bribed guards on her own accord, which I see as ridding herself of the Baron's responsibilities and seeking out a new life for herself. She may have lied about being the Black Baron's mechanic, but she also told the truth about the personality being her boss (albeit metaphorically) since it wanted more and more fame and money that its real identity wanted to escape. Penelope also went out of her way to save Murray from Tsao's guards blasting him (she felt responsible for putting him in this situation because she told him about the wires and didn't take the toxic gas into account), fought LeFwee to save Bentley in return for his efforts in saving her, and also took out some of Dr. M's defenses to help Sly break into the vault (again of her own accord). Sorry if I'm sounding too preachy or if this is too long, I'm just saying my opinion, and I respect yours as well about Penelope. I do agree that _Thieves in Time_ gave our favorite RC specialist mouse a goal that's pretty out of character for her, and that twist wasn't foreshadowed properly.

[@thecommentsofyoutube7265]

The golden bolt is the best gaming retrospective channel on youtube hands down

[@shcdemolisher]

32:34 I legit wheat “What?!” When I heard that, and what happened next made me laugh. I should look at the cheat codes for sly 2.

[@jdulast]

Yo he really said that?! 😭🤦🏻

[@shcdemolisher]

@@jdulast i think he only says the second line, but since Tom is voiced by Steve Blum, i wouldn’t be surprised if that other line was in it.

[@Joe_Prinzo]

In my opinion, Neyla was the biggest waste of a character in the whole trilogy. As stated in the video, she lacked any kind of motivation. If I were to write it, Neyla would never have betrayed Sly and the gang in Sly 2. I would have most of the story of Sly 2 play out the same otherwise, but play up Neyla to be Sly's new love interest, fleshing out her character. (She's a reoccurring presence throughout Sly 2 and ends up being the last boss but what do we actually know about her???) Then in Sly 3 when they assemble the team, Neyla would join, but she doesn't love Sly, she loves what she can get out of him. Whereas Sly pictures Neyla as a Carmelita that wasn't a devout woman in uniform. I see it similar to Uncharted where Drake went from Elena to Chloe, but you knew Elena was always going to be the one. Over the course of the narrative, build upon their relationship, saving each other from danger here and there, proving herself to Bentley and Murray, ensuring that they truly trust her and that she's apart of the team. Much like Terra in the Teen Titans cartoon series. Then late in the story, Neyla would betray the gang to Dr. M. and later betraying him as well. All in the name of claiming the riches of the Cooper vault for herself, Dr. M. and Neyla would have this colossal fight causing the destruction of the vault, while Carmelita rescues Sly. Ending the series pretty much the same way it actually ended. These games are extremely well written, but if I could change one thing, it would be to make Neyla more meaningful.

[@Shadow977]

I haven't watched this video far enough yet to know if they mention this, but at one point Neyla was supposed to be Rajan's daughter, but it was changed during development. I don't know how much it would've changed the plot if they kept it that way, but it's an interesting tidbit.

[@cameron6538]

i really hate love triangles so i wont lie, im glad that didnt happen. I think neyla's betrayal was actually quite strong, a very memorable moment in the game and series. It's how they backseated her for the rest of the game and relegated her to miniboss in each episode she appears. We have no idea why she's doing what she does, but it didn't have to be that way. There's a very strong motivation that doesn't require her to be the big bad in a twist. She's a cop, her goal is to repossess exhibits stolen from a natural history museum. That makes her different from Carmelita in two important ways: she's not obsessed with sly specifically, and she's willing to use underhanded means to accomplish her goals - even going so far as to undercover in the klaww and cooper gangs in order to get the clockwerk parts back. Now you can get rid of the neyla-Carmelita double cross, and those two can work together to help you take out a clockwerk or arpeggio-clockwerk boss. This would make neyla a mainstay of the series at least into 3 though, and i don't feel like sucker punch wanted to do that.

[@matthewdelaney5366]

I will forever hold Sly Cooper in my heart. I had some of the best memories playing these games back when I was a kid. Thanks mate, was a really great watch keep it up.

[@sirjedisentinel]

I'll say this, one thing Sly 1 & 3 have over 2 is Replayability (putting 4 aside right now as I don't recall it well. In 1 & 3, if you wanted, you could replay any mission. Want to do a boss fight? A mission you like? You can do that! In 2 though? Once you beat the mission, it's done. You can't play it at all. Going back to the levels only let's you free roam the overworlds. You have to start a new game if you want to do that

[@Diphenhydra]

My main problem with sly 4 has always been that they took back sly’s ending. The third game might not have been great on its own, but it wraps up the story and character arcs. Sly coming to terms with his true passions in life is why I hold honour among thieves in high regards, and why I never liked thieves in time. It’s why I wouldn’t buy a fifth game. I’d buy and play a remaster or reboot, but a game that continues to retcon the entire point of the trilogy seems like a slap in the face to me. I also do want to clarify that I of course respect your opinion and feelings towards the games but I just want to throw in what I think as a point of discussion and understanding of where someone who doesn’t like that game is coming from.

[@AlRoderick]

They just framed it wrong, if they'd had Sly reluctantly come out of the perfect retirement he'd built for himself to stop his family from getting deleted from history that would be one thing, but they just had him get bored.

[@Diphenhydra]

@@AlRoderick sly 4 walked so uncharted 4 could run.

[@elharvey5032]

The greatest franchise that's never been recognized

[@GamerSlyRatchet1]

Thanks for the refreshing view in these games, especially Sly 4. From what I understand, the reason that game had a lackluster final boss is because the developers were running out of time and budget towards the end, so they had to decide whether to bring in all ancestors to rescue Sly and Carmelita or do a proper final boss. They ended up choosing the former.

[@HiiiGuardian]

I love all the Sly games but Sly 2 is that one game I still go back n play over n over again. Definitely one of my favorite games of all time. I actually just beat it again within the past week because we were moving and had no wifi lol.

[@chewybits3662]

I was absolutely OBSESSED with these games when I was a kid!! I wish another one would be made!

[@amunnamed]

Recently hot the PS Now subscription. Saw the Sly Cooper Trilogy and Thieve In Time are all on there. Currently having the best time of my life playing these games. Just finished Sly 1 and starting Sly 2. Its so amazingly charming and fun to play. There may be some times where the game is bugged or something weird happens but it never took away from the fun. I even wanna go back and 100% Sly 1 by doing all the Master Thief Dash trials

[@BugsyFoga]

While not being the biggest fan of the series, I can appreciate all the really cool aspects it had to offer (also I like believe thieves in time to be non canon and the series ended at the third game, the way sucker punch intended it to be ).

[@Zer0_Ph34r]

Sly 4 deserves so much more love than it ever gets. You're literally the only person I've found online that likes this game. The hatred I've seen for Sly 4 is just so high, thank you for showing it a light that too many people are incapable of seeing

[@joshuahicks7798]

Sly 4 is alright but respectfully it doesn't have the full sly Cooper feeling. It has the shell of it put onto something else in my opinion.

[@undertakernumberone1]

No it doesn't deserve "much more love than it gets". It DOES NOT. NOT as SLY 4! I might agree that - on it's own - it's an OK game. But as part of hte Sly Series IT SUUUUCKS. Gameplay is OK but hte writing is "eh". at best with a fucking Cliffhanger ending that Sanzaru had no interest in resolving and a fucking stupid Heel Turn just for the shock. I put it in a similar category as MI 4. OK on their own. Crap as part of their respective Series. More Minor stuff - Carmelita's outfit was crap. Sly's redesign imho didn't really work. And worst of all - for me - is that Sly at the beginning was just back to being a thief. Could've at least used him working for INterpol with Carmelita in the opening. Could've been a NICE twist on the established formula - having the tutorial be Sly and Carmelita doing a sting for example.

[@Zer0_Ph34r]

@@undertakernumberone1 Look, you can think whatever you want, I can't change your opinion, but unless you want to back up some of your claims, I can't see a single reason why Sly 4 isn't a good game on it's own and a good sequel to Sly 3. The Golden Bolt does a great job covering this games strengths and weaknesses and between his analysis and having played the game myself, I can't fathom why anyone would believe this isn't a good Sly game.

[@Zer0_Ph34r]

@@joshuahicks7798 I'd love for you to elaborate on why you feel that way. I played the game, and while I didn't love everything about it, I think it's a pretty perfect entry into the sly cooper series

[@Zer0_Ph34r]

@@joax5955 I think your opinion on the game is just as valid as anyone else's. I might avoid discourse about the game online for other reasons, but your perspective is always valuable. Sometimes people think that, since they aren't long time fans, they are somehow second class citizens in enjoying a property. This is total bullcrap. If you enjoy something, you're a fan. That's all it takes.

[@RedTygon]

Sly Cooper is one of those hidden gems that is just begging for another chance to shine! Really hope one day it can.

[@rexxzec4324]

This game literally made my childhood. It was the first game that my father has bought from overseas on his way home. I enjoyed this game very much and it really feels like it didn't get enough recognition it deserves.

[@AtlasBlizzard]

Can this series come back already? I miss it so much! Just imagining a new instalment for modern consoles is amazing.

[@bamban_garcia5562]

Not unless Sucker Punch chooses to do so

[@literalcharlie4171]

I’m so happy that you gave the sly series the retrospective treatment. Thank you!

[@stuffydubz]

Is it just me or is looking at the laser traps on Sly 1 oddly satisfying?

[@robpgh159]

Carmelita has the best voice in Sly 2 and it’s not even close love the time you put into these + R&C 🤟🏻

[@vaiyt]

Rocket: Robot on Wheels was so awesome. The first four levels are the most fun a collectathon has ever made its levels to just explore and muck around. You could drive a buggy, paint the scenery, design a rollercoaster and even fly.

[@vaezax9527]

Amazing video, these games too are so close to my heart, even hearing the ost makes me happy. Just brilliant work with the pacing and overall quality.

[@JomaXZ]

Funny thing about the bit at the end about returning to Sly 4 and not finding it as bad... I actually liked the game well enough when it launched, and only came to loathe it the more times I played it after that first playthrough. I just started to notice a lot of little things that added up in addition to the bigger problems... And the localization and dub for Norway was a little too rough in comparison to the PS2 games, so that was a bit of a sore spot for me. (The acting was as good as in the old games, but there are several times that a character will suddenly have a line spoken by another random actor, some lines where edited together from other takes and just sound off, so I think the dub production had some scheduling issues) It made me appreciate Sucker Punch decision to lay Sly to rest with 3 in retrospect, after having wanted that fourth game for YEARS. Still, it's nice to hear the occasional positive review of Sly 4 that takes its flaws into account and can still find it enjoyable.

[@rylab1632]

The sly games were a staple of my childhood. Glad I stumbled across this video. Good work man. Hope they make more sly games

[@jumponeverything]

Man how do you get out these massive and really high quality videos out so quickly, It's absolutely insane!

[@TheGoldenBolt]

In fairness, this time around 70% of the work was already done by 2018 me!

[@Shinklaire]

I gotta say thank you for covering this. Listening to the whole thing brings me some kind of emotion as I remember my childhood of going to my friend's house to play the whole series since I couldn't at home until we got it. Good times.

[@hougen8695]

sly cooper was such an important series for me. played them, ironically, my whole childhood at a orphanage lol

[@zeemgeem]

One small note at 13:00 is that the timing is only off due to a bug on the ps3 ports. This issue doesn't exist on the original.

[@TheVortexmaster100]

With the references in Ratchet and Clank rift apart, I am hoping Sly and the gang can make their comeback soon. Or at least finish off thieves in time cliffhanger

[@Gabe-mq3hb]

I remember playing Sly 3 or 4 I belive on the ps2 and just being in love with it. The fact that you could freely roam around and just pickpocket or find secrets and such really blew my mind since I always played more story oriented games. The entire sly franchise holds a special place in my heart and I honestly owe it to them for getting me into stealth games entirely.

[@cryguy0000]

I love this series. The first three games are my childhood and all of them are great in their own way. I will always recommend it, and I dream of a day where Sly gets the love it deserves.

[@HipToBeeSquare]

The writing and set pieces of Sly 2 & 3 were amazing but something about the quick gameplay loop of the first one really gets me. Love it so much

[@xking_dicloniusx4680]

Channels talking about Jak and Daxter, Kingdom Hearts, Sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank deserve way more subs.

[@EnoxiusPrime]

the original trilogy was definitely my childhood, made me sad when I'd mention about me playing it at school and people would be like "What game? Never heard of it. Probably will never try it." I loved these games and wish more people would've gotten behind them so we'd get more Sly content

[@slylancey]

Sly Cooper is my favorite video game series of all time! The plot was comical yet surprisingly dark, the graphics/art style was great (felt like an actual comic book), and the characters had an authentic originality to them. I really hope they resurrect the series. It got such a premature death because it wasn't a cash cow like other Play-Station platform series EDIT: Also wanted to add that given that there are so many different theories and ideas out there, I would live to hear anyone's opinions on what they should do for a potiential 5th game

[@cheesemccheese5780]

I'd would like a prequel about Sly's dad.

[@baileypalmer103]

Sly Cooper has and always will be my favorite playstation series/character ever.

[@zeroshadeslayer3000]

Sly series was the best game on ps2 i ever played and will stayed there forever for me I think it deserves all the respect they deserves also thanks for making this vid I love seeing more sly content 👍

[@notsafef0rlife]

Sly Cooper is genuinely the best thing to happen to me as a child. I'm so happy I was blessed with having all the games the minute I was old enough to actually hold a controller. I was born in the sweet spot of old gen and new gen. I hope sly Cooper is never forgotten

[@sethmiles9436]

You good sir have earned my subscription. These games are my childhood. I vividly remember playing Sly 1 and having the most fun with a ps2 game ever. Then playing Sly 2 and Sly 3 and omg they were even better! My absolute favorite was sly 3. The only other franchise to make me thay happy, and sometimes frustrated when playing a game is the Dark Souls series. I truly do hope we can get a new Sly Cooper game soon, but as much as I hate to say it, I dought we will. Omg and the music! Oh man It was so good! Heck Ill hear people use that music in their videos and Im always like "gasp! SLY COOPER!" LOL

[@alphakakcmeddlakadoofahkii3362]

God, I loved this series growing up, so many great memories. Thank you for making a video about it and bringing so many memories back and maybe spreading it a bit!

[@jgabe73]

This was a really awesome video. I love hearing people's thoughts on my favorite childhood games. I always go back to the Sly series when I feel creative block, because it was the first series that really inspired me. Sly 2 really was a masterpiece and I agree largely on your criticisms of Sly 3. I also had phantom memories of bottles in 3; very disappointing Sucker Punch didn't have adequate time to make 3 as good as it had the potential to be. Also, your thoughts on Sly 4 introduced me to a new perspective, thanks for that. Great job on this vid again dude, must've been a lot of effort.

[@undeadfiesta9811]

Thank you for this gem. Watching you talk about my childhood games likes this keeps 100% tuned even when there long like this and I have ADD. Great VID !

[@StutopianStudios]

i love how nostalgic the levels are when i see them again. my favorite out of the 4 games is sly 2. but i don't understand why there were only 2 types of open world enemies in the last open world (sly 2). i was personally always afraid of the big boy enemies for some reason (sly 2). specifically from the first open world thingy(sLy 2).

[@Rossjmann]

I’ve just finished watching your entire Ratchet and Clank series and then I saw this in my recommended, you are hitting it out of the park sir. Amazing stuff. You earned a sub for life

[@shouseyyy_6893]

Sly Cooper is one of the most underrated series of all time every single game is an absolute treat to play, and while sly 4 wasn’t perfect by any means Sly absolutely deserves a return to the forefront of gaming

[@paulpavlus6664]

Same with a Hat in Time.

[@thatbigbear6438]

I don't know if this is a coincidence, but I literally got to play these games for the first time some months ago, and I fell in love with the series! Though, I noticed that the community was a little quiet, and for reasons. Now out of nowhere people are talking about the game again, which brings me hope for some new stuff to come. Thank you for the video! I gotta comment about Murray, I haven't seen any in depth analysis of characters and how they change in each game, and my memory is fresh as I've been indulging myself with these games. I don't know if the changes had a character development purpose, demand, or if they disliked it. I love Murray's personality throughout the series really. I see him as a goofy and happy going character that loves food, scared and shy but with a courageous heart. His character development exploded from the first game to the second. It feels like he really wanted to be more useful, and previous missions made him realize what his real strength is. To me, it feels like he created a character for himself. As soon as he put on his mask, he is "The" Murray, a fearless hyppo with lots of confidence in his own strength, but he is still the same goofball behind that new mask, he is still the same to the core, but his weaknesses were improved. I love to see it that way, because it's so relatable. People find themselves creating this "mask" or "character" accordingly to their daily lives and personal needs. Maybe this "mask" gives him so much more confidence to be who he really wanted to be. It can be difficult to find character development such as this nowadays, in the games industry.

[@renrenthemadscientist]

this video's making me want to retry the sly games. I rented the HD collection for a bit but never found the time to really get into them.

[@caged3249]

I never noticed Clockwerk looming in the backgrounds of Sly 4 but that's such an awesome touch

[@PenguinBB87]

super great video. i thought sly 3 was so much fun when I was younger playing it. I really did miss the clue bottles though. Im going to try and go back and replay sly 4, hopefully it goes well. I have never understood why the original trilology was not more popular.

[@Rambl3On]

This series just had such a vibe that I enjoyed so much! Cool characters, slinky music, interesting worlds, and good stories for a game directed toward kids.

[@TheDanTheManShow]

Aw yeah, a 2 hour video on my favorite sneaky mammal, Spy Fox.

[@bamban_garcia5562]

You are missing 15 minutes & 5 seconds to reach that limit

[@kingnebz8211]

Unironically sly 3 and 4 were my favorite slys when they first dropped. The 3rd left me with that empty feeling of a series that I love capped off in a way I could accept. I'd made the claim that it might be better if it never got revived. But when the 4th dropped I preordered and loved it and craved more at the end.

[@mr.jeorgexiii1732]

I remember replaying the 2nd game so many times as a kid and was always awe struck at how the different parts of the game connected to Arpeggio's master plan. My child brain was like "this is peak story telling!" I also remember on the third game being stuck on the pirate insult mission, I always forget what insults have been used Sadly I never had the chance to play thieves in time

[@shyguy9793]

I have an explanation on how Clockwerk was able to enter the Cooper home. Since his consciousness mainly resides in the hate chip he constructed and as we see later in Sly 1, he created multiple smaller robotic owls. He could easily transfer his chip to a smaller body at anytime with the help of his fellow Fiendish Five members. Allowing him to storm the Cooper home with his fellow criminals. Little stuff like that is why I love this series.

[@Matthew_and_Ami]

Honestly never really play the sly series but the retrospective was great. Very informative well planned out voiceover wasn’t half bad. Still looking forward to the posting of the entrance/exit music but it’ll come when it’s ready. Looking forward to more great content. Stay Golden everybody!

[@Druidian]

The button lag in Ruby's boss fight and the optical glitches with the character models in Sly 2 aren't in the PS2 versions. They only occur in the HD remaster for the PS3. Also the enemy dying when being knocked off even a minor ledge is a design choice not a glitch. Great review tho, love the sly games and your video on them.

[@kamackmac]

Ugh, this game is such a masterpiece. My gripes with Sly 4 only ever came up when it came to the models and animations. I still agree with past you-- something is off about Sly's eyes or mouth or SOMETHING and I could never get over it. I also have a personal flaming hatred for "flash style" animation, which is what they used for the cut scenes. I still can't stand to look at that style, it just looks gross to me for some reason.

[@iansmith1369]

This was awesome! Sly was the first video game I ever played, so needless to say this series has always been special to me.

[@9aracna.]

One of my only real issue about Sly 2 (besides the boss) is that the second Rajan and second Contessa levels don't seem to be made with Bentley and Murray in mind

[@eyecontrol4900]

what did you mean by that ?

[@9aracna.]

@@eyecontrol4900 I mean that traversing level 3 and 5 are much less convenient than in other levels. They're perfect for Sly, but not them

[@eyecontrol4900]

@@9aracna. ahh ok. yea now that i think about it, i remember it took ages to navigate chapter3 with them, since the map is more vertical. forces the player to take the long way around to reach the top of temple.

[@Fartipidia]

that tom from toonami, was a special code you could only get from watching toonami at the time sly2 came out . it was so cool seeing the collab as a kid

[@MykonosFan]

notification cod BENTLEY'S HACKPACK GANG; RISE UP!