The Sly Cooper series, a beloved staple of the PS2 era, is the story of a thieving raccoon and his group of technicolor animal companions who pull off a series of daring heists. The brainchild of Sucker Punch Entertainment (and later, co-developed by Sanzaru Games), Sly holds a place in the holy trinity of Sony platformers; shared by Jak Daxter, Ratchet & Clank. Unlike those series which prioritize frantic combat and explosive action, Sly's adventures are based around stealth and puzzle solving.
The games' brilliant writing style and tense heists have earned them critics' darlings in the industry, and Sly still enjoys a vibrant, devoted fan base today. Still, with his four main adventures, which one is the best? How do they compare to each other? Put on your thief mask - it's time to find out.
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| Credit _thegamer |
Updated on April 11, 2025 by Bobby Mills: Despite Sly Cooper being over two decades old now, he is a respected raccoon who continues to attract new fans with his unique blend of brilliant character design, heart-pounding stealth action and stylized visuals. There's really no other series like it - so we thought we'd honor its legacy by including the remaining games on this list, and making it even better. Enjoy Cooper clan.
1. The Sly Trilogy
To excite and prepare modern audiences for Sly 4, it was decided to re-release the original trilogy for contemporary systems, as it was moving on a decade since Sly first appeared. The Sly trilogy was Sanzaru's first punt at the combat sandbox - so how did they fare?
Compared to similar HD port works from the 2010s, such as the Ratchet & Clank trilogy, Sly and company pull it off pretty well. The graphics of all three games have been improved, and thanks to the timeless cel-shaded visuals, they actually look attractive, even on fancy flatscreen TVs. They now run at 60fps at all times (the original versions could sometimes go lower), making the stealth portions less frustrating.
Gameplay-wise, nothing has really changed. They could have used the opportunity to tighten up the limitations of some of the more infamous missions, but that's all part of the challenge. To complete the package, the PlayStation Move controller is supported; and we can't go without mentioning the gorgeous, attractive user interface that ties it all together. As you choose which adventure to go on, lovely little hand-drawn animations play across the title screen.
All in all, if you want to play three of the best games the PS2 has ever produced, this is probably the best way to go. They look better, play better, and you can't beat the convenience of having them all on the same disc. Top marks, Sanzaru.
2. Sly 2: Band Of Thieves
There's no doubt about it: Sly 2: Band of Thieves is the crown jewel of the series, and it has solidified its place in the hallowed halls of platforming greatness. Sly 1 was a decent effort, but this sequel perfectly reinvents the concept of being a thief, jumping across rooftops, and disappearing without a trace.
Sneak attacks, vent crawls, and pickpocketing figure prominently into this formula. After all, how can you afford the (extremely expensive) upgrades in the new in-game shop without lightening the load of a few guards?
This time Sly's friends play a more important role than just being background characters. Both Bentley and Murray are playable, and offer a completely unique gameplay experience. Bentley wields a long-range dart rifle to put his enemies to sleep (and can hack computers), while Murray is best for those times when you don't feel like staying hidden. There's guns and fists flying all the time.
The environments are also much more detailed than the previous title. Gone are the restrictive, A-to-B maps of old - they've been replaced by an open world, with nooks to explore, cliffs to swing from, and treasures to be found. Oh, raccoons away...?
It's no exaggeration to say how dramatic a jump in quality Sly 2 is, setting it apart not just from the first game, but from many of its platforming counterparts. After the critical acclaim it received and very respectable sales, it was clear this sticky-fingered procyonid wasn't going anywhere. Just don't mention that mission involving sleeping bears.
3. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
It's a very close contest between Sly 2 and 3. The formula was so perfected by the second game that the threequel didn't build on it much. It's the definition of 'more of the same'; the uninitiated will have a hard time telling the difference between screenshots 2 and 3. But as they say, if it ain't broke it's broken.
The story of Sly 3 centers on Sly, who finally discovers his family's fortune, locked in a vault on an isolated island. The only problem is that he's been killed by Dr. M, who believes he has a right to the treasure (technically) and spends most of the game trying to get him out. To no avail; Sly's wand is the only key that can open the vault. It's up to the raccoon and his companions to assemble a team large enough to infiltrate the island.
As in Sly 2, you'll once again roam a beautifully designed open world and complete a variety of tasks. Would you imitate guards in a ridiculously awful Italian accent? Would you knock over a Ferris wheel? Drive an R.C. car through a maze of lasers? Or - in a brilliant twist - incite violence between a rival team of pilots to ensure victory in an aerial combat competition?
The expanded cast is also welcome. Murray's tribal guide, The Guru, offers spiritual support; while techie Penelope, whose character assassination has just been eight years in the making, brings a variety of gadgets. You never know what weird mission is going to come your way, and Sly 3 manages to hold your attention for its 20-hour duration. The only criticism that can be made is that, well, this isn't Sly 2.
4. Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time
For Sly's first step into the HD era, Sucker Punch handed the reins to Sanzaru Games, as it was heavily involved in the development of the latest inFamous installment. Sanzaru had previously worked on the series in a supporting capacity, and spearheaded the remaster of the first three PS2 titles for The Sly Collection on PS3 and Vita. So, it was no stranger to the universe, and it handled its responsibility in an extremely admirable manner.
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time hit shelves eight years after the previous main entry, Sly 3; but the wait was, more or less, worth it. As the title implies, Sly and his gang face a threat from the cosmic level. Bentley Sly 3 is wasting time building a time machine, but the plans to it get stolen by Cyril Le Paradox, a renowned museum curator from Paris.
It turns out that Le Paradox's grandfather was once humiliated by one of Sly's ancestors during a major robbery - and so Cyril intends to travel back in time to steal all of the Cooper family's cattle. By doing so, he'll make them a laughingstock and ensure that 'Thievous Raccoons' is never written. Obviously, Sly and company can't do that, so it's a race to travel to different times and foil Le Paradox's goons.
Gameplay-wise, this is every bit the follow-up you could expect. Sly and his companions play it out like a dream, and for the first time, Carmelita (who until now had only sporadically resurfaced in scripted segments) is a fully-fledged selectable character. Likewise, the Cooper ancestors you meet are fun to play with - special mention goes to the western Tennessee Cooper, who keeps a gun in his trunk.
However, Sly 4 sadly disappoints due to some narrative and character shortcomings. Murray seems to have forgotten all his maturity after the trilogy, and has become the same mindless overeater he was in Sly 1. Bentley's love interest Penelope is found working for Le Paradox, which not only nullifies Bentley's (well-earned) happy ending, but is also very weakly justified. And, worst of all, the game ends on a tragic note that has yet to be resolved, as Sly gets lost in a time loop and wakes up in ancient Egypt.
5. Sly Cooper And The Thievius Raccoonus
Sly Cooper burst onto the world stage in 2002 with the first title in the series Sly Cooper and the Thievous Raccoons. Getting started takes about an hour and a half to two. While it's not a bad game by any means, and it lays a solid foundation in terms of characterization and art style (it's definitely drenched in a cel-shaded, Saturday morning cartoon vibe), it differs so widely and grotesquely from its excellent successors that it can't really be judged in the same category.
The Thievous Raccoons is an ancient family book used to guide thieves on how to steal all sorts of things. Before young Sly can get his hands on the book, his father is murdered by villains called 'The Fiendish Five', led by the mechanical bird Clockwork, and he tears the book into several pieces. All things considered, our hero didn't have a very good childhood.
Then, your journey begins ten years later. Sly gathers his friends Bentley, a very intelligent turtle, and Murray, a very fast (but not so intelligent) hippopotamus - and embarks on a world tour to recover the pages. All the way he is pursued by hot-tempered inspector Carmelita Fox, on whom he has a slight crush - though he will never admit it.
You'll battle characters like Sir Raleigh Frog and The Panda King, which sounds fun but the issue is that it is all part of a mediocre Crash Bandicoot clone. Unlike the series familiar open world, these stages are linear corridors, with floating physics and a one-hit-kill health system. The difficulty keeps increasing, and the frustration keeps increasing as a result.
6. Bentley's Hackpack
Due to delays in Sly 4's release schedule, Sanzaru had a lot of extra time. How to fill this up he thought; until some clever person landed on the idea of a minigame collection starring everyones favorite tech-wiz turtle, Bentley. Looking back it's an obvious money-making tool, right?
Bentley's Hatchback,l however is absolutely phenomenal. It is a collection of rote arcade games that are expanded versions of the games you find in the Cooper Gang HQ in Sly 4. System Cracker is a Galaga-style topdown shooter Alter Ego brings 2D fighting action that reinvents Bentley as a fit athlete and Spark Runner is a reaction-based marble maze that utilizes the PS3 rudimentary motion controls.
Individually they are quite good, but you can tell they've always been part of a larger group rather than being complete experiences in their own right. Beat the high score on all of them, and you will unlock the secret fourth arcade machine which lets you listen to different music tracks. The Hackpack will make for a lazy afternoon, but nothing more.
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