Sly Cooper
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Sly Cooper is the main protagonist of the Sly Cooper video game series (the first game in the series is known as Sly Raccoon in Europe, but the character's name remains the same in both versions) as the main character and hero of three platform games developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the Sony PlayStation 2. He is voiced by Kevin Miller in all three games. In the Japanese releases of the first two games, he is voiced by Tomokazu Seki.
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[edit] Story
Sly is a raccoon who is descended from a long line of Master Thieves. As an eight-year-old child, his parents were killed by a ruthless gang called the Fiendish Five, who stole the Thievius Raccoonus, a book containing the Cooper family's thieving techniques and moves. Sly was sent to an orphanage, where he met Bentley, a genius turtle, and Murray, a comically self-confident and muscular hippopotamus. Bentley was the plan maker, Sly was the stealthy "field agent", and Murray was the muscle. Sly's quest to recover his family's book forms the basis for the first game.
Sly and his friends make their base of operations in Paris, France but their nationality is never explicitly described in the games. However, it is strongly hinted that they originally hail from America, as Sly states that "...it had been a long time since I had been back in the U.S." when visiting Mesa City, Utah in the first game (Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus). Mesa City was also given several passing mentions in Sly 3. The main characters all have American accents as well, with the exception of Inspector Fox's Sly 1 and Sly 3 incarnations. The world in which Sly Cooper and his friends live appears to be inhabited only by anthropomorphic animals.
Sly's arch enemy is Clockwerk, a mysterious robotic owl. Clockwerk is revealed to have been hunting Sly's family line for thousands of years. In the pages of the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly noticed that in each picture, there was a shadowy outline of a large owl. This hunt provoked his decision to replace his body with machinery. It is also revealed that Clockwerk spared Sly's life in the attack on his family to prove that the Cooper Clan would be unable to be great thieves without the Thievius Raccoonus. In the first game of the series, Clockwerk serves as the final boss, as well as the one "pulling the strings" in the end. The manical owl meets his end, and is left in pieces at the top of an active volcano in Russia.
The second game, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, focuses on a new set of villains: the Klaww Gang, who have stolen the pieces of Clockwerk's body, and Sly's attempts to recover them. The Klaww Gang is led by Arpeggio, a flightless bird who wants Clockwerk's body who he can fly and be immortal, but the real villain of the game is Constable Neyla, who seems to be Sly's ally until she betrays them in episode 3. Neyla, in service of the Klaww Gang and in kahoots (as Bentley says) with Arpeggio, betrays her supposed partner and bonds with the newly-assembled parts of Clockwerk. She then kills her former mentor Arpeggio by crushing him, and begins a rampage with a trance-inducing 'hypno-light'. Sly and the gang destroy Clock-la and Bently takes out the Hate Chip, which had kept the original Clockwerk going for so long. While taking out the hate chip, Bently's legs got crushed by Clock-La's mouth and became permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Carmelita easily crushes the chip under her boot, destroying Clockwerk's body forever, then wastes no time in arresting Sly (who nobly steps up to protect his gang). But, as to be expected, Sly makes a daring escape, and leaves his infamous calling card behind.
The third game, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, takes place roughly a year after Sly 2. Instead of Clockwerk, Sly's main enemy is now Dr. M, a mysterious mandrill scientist who attempts to claim the Cooper family vault for himself. Sly gains four more allies in this game, some of which are familiar--yet not so friendly--characters from previous games. Sly and the gang must use all their thieving power at their disposal to crack open the raccoon's birthright before the nefarious Dr. M takes it for his own. (If you play the games all the way through, more will be revealed.)
In all three games, Sly and his friends are pursued by Inspector Carmelita Fox, a detective from Interpol. Although the two are rivals, they team up on occasion to defeat common foes (Such as Clockwerk and Clock-La.) Carmelita is also the portrayed love interest for Sly (Sly suddenly kisses her on the last second of his ten-second head start in the first game). Sly's side of his conversations with Carmelita is flirtatious, but his comments are often sarcastic. This witty banter is typically exchanged between the two whenever they confront each other, and that gives way to a vicious contest between Sly's reflexes and the Inspector's shock pistol.
The first game is probably set in the year 1997 as claimed by the newspapers depicted after each boss. This means it is probably 1999 in Sly 2: Band of Thieves and 2000 in the last. Since the first game more than likely takes place in 1997, Sly and the gang were probably born in 1979. However, this is disproved by the postcard Sly sent Carmelita, depicting the date, August 25, 2005.
No further news has been given about any more Sly Cooper games, but there is a possibility that a Sly 4 might come forth on the Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable.
[edit] Current status
During the assault on Dr. M's fortress, Sly is almost killed by one of the doctor's genetic monsters. Thinking he is about to die, Sly regrets never having told Carmelita how he feels about her. After surviving and nearly defeating Dr. M, Sly saves Carmelita's life by jumping in front of a laser blast meant for her. After she defeats Dr. M, Carmelita discovers that the shock gave Sly amnesia. In a clip after the game's credits, Bentley is shown spying on Sly and Carmelita on a balcony. As Bentley zooms in on them, Sly winks at the screen, leaving Bentley to quip, "That sneaky devil," and implying that Sly is faking his amnesia so he could finally pursue a relationship with Carmelita.
[edit] Abilities
Sly's primary weapon in the games is his family's cane, which is a stick ending in a gold hook at the top. The hook is shaped as a "C", as in Cooper, or a "?", because Sly is mysterious. It bears a striking resemblance to the Egyptian Khopesh, likely due to the fact that the earliest known member of the Cooper Clan was from ancient Egypt. It also has the power to unlock the Cooper Vault.
Years of training have given Sly awesome agility and reflexes, allowing him to perform feats that few can equal. In addition, he has learned every ability detailed in the Thievius Raccoonus, including things like balancing on the tops of sharp points, rope and pole climbing, invisibility, and running on wires.
Sly has also been seen using a mounted cannon and operating a gondola.
Also, at the near end of Sly 3, he learns a new ability created by his father: Laser Sliding. This move is used in a way to defeat the evil Dr. M.
[edit] Awards
Sly Cooper won "Best New Character" at the Game Developer's Conference for 2002.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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