History VideoGame / SlyCooper

* SmittenWithTheVillain: In a rare case of VillainProtagonist and HeroAntagonist, Sly has always had a thing for Carmelita, his opposer. While Sly and the rest of the Cooper Clan have always had a policy of stealing from villains (mainly because stealing from regular civilians [[PragmaticVillainy isn't a challenge]]), Carmelita is of the belief that AllCrimesAreEqual and always attempts to put Sly behind bars. Sly loves having her around as his WorthyOpponent, and won't hesitate to flirt with her out of a genuine romantic attraction to her. At first, Carmelita doesn't reciprocate, but as the series progresses, she eventually starts growing more and more fond of how clever Sly actually is, until it escalates into the two [[DatingCatwoman secretly dating]] off the clock.

** During the third game, Carmelita will use her pistol in this manner when foes get too close to shoot.
** During the fourth game, "Tennese Kid" Cooper's cane-gun is used in melee, in a manner similar to most Cooper canes.

* WorthyOpponent: Sly and Carmelita have a certain amount of respect for each other, which explains why Sly is willing to save Carmelita when she's in trouble, and why Camelita will help Sly during the times they have a common foe.

->Jump and hit the circle button to [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife ruin your life]].

A fifth game [[SequelHook was teased at the end]] of ''Thieves in Time'', but never came about. Creator/SanzaruGames, creators of ''Thieves in Time'', have expressed interest in continuing the series, but have confirmed that it's up to Sony whether or not another Sly game will be made. However, with Sanzaru now an Oculus subsidiary and Sucker Punch having moved on to [[VideoGame/{{Infamous}} new]] [[VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima projects]], the series' future remains unknown at this point.

* FamilyOfChoice: Main characters Sly, Bentley, and Murray met in an orphanage and became as thick as thieves (pun intended).

The gang is pursued by Carmelita Fox ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a fox, naturally]]), Interpol inspector and primary love interest. As with Zenigata in ''Franchise/LupinIII'', Sly normally sets the bad guy he's up against to be arrested by Carmelita after he's done with them, while he escapes. [[note]][[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist That little allusion]] should indicate just what Carmelita's role is. Well, aside from being {{Fanservice}} and the LoveInterest.[[/note]]

* AesopAmnesia: In the second game, Carmelita warms up slightly to Sly and comes to somewhat enjoy their game of cat-and-mouse like he does. In the third game, she's not only back to her old hard-nosed self, but also becomes [[{{JerkWithAHeartOfJerk}} cold enough]] to be considered an antagonist. Also happens in between the first and second games. Justified in that at the end of both the first and second games, Sly does something to irritate Carmelita and she vows to continue tracking him down. At the end of the first game, he used the learning moment to [[spoiler:handcuff Carmelita to a rail so that he can escape]], and in the second game, he [[spoiler:jumps off of the helicopter they were in carrying one of her prized possessions (only to give it back to her later).]] Though Carmelita wasn't that upset about the latter, if anything she seemed ''happy'' about it.

** First and foremost, the fact that she beats up criminals despite the fact they are incapacitated and already having suffered serious beatings from the Cooper Gang. In real life,, cops are explicitly forbidden from using force against criminals if they are in custody.

A fifth game [[SequelHook was teased at the end]] of ''Thieves in Time'', but never came about. Creator/SanzaruGames, creators of ''Thieves in Time'', have expressed interest in continuing the series, but have confirmed that it's up to Sony whether or not another Sly game will be made.

* StealingFromThieves: The Cooper Gang's modus operandi: they steal things from big-name criminals because there's no fun or honor in stealing from regular people. In Sly's words, "You rip off a master criminal, you ''know'' you're a master thief". This also helps them feel heroic to the audience, since nearly everyone they steal from is up to some horrible stuff that overshadow simple thievery, and often the Cooper Gang go out of their way to stop their operation alongside the thievery. This is [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]], however: in smaller stories such as the Sly 3 train robbery short, their victims don't appear to have done anything wrong and are robbed simply because [[ItAmusedMe it's fun to steal something valuable from them]].

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: There are ''plenty'' of moments in this series, [[Radar/SlyCooper enough to have its own page]].

[[quoteright:282:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sly_cooper_gang.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:282:The gang prepares for a heist. [[note]]From left: [[RascallyRaccoon Sly]], [[GadgeteerGenius Bentley]] and [[LargeHam Murray]].[[/note]] ]]

Set in a world populated by {{funny animal}}s, that takes pains to resemble a Saturday morning AnimatedSeries, the games in the ''Sly'' franchise tell the tale of the world's greatest, yet most honorable, thief. The Cooper family (all raccoons) have been thieves for generations, extending back to prehistory if the stories are to be believed. Sly, the latest in the line, is orphaned as a child when rivals show up at his father's home to finish him off. In the orphanage, he picks up two lifelong compatriots, [[TheSmartGuy genius]] Bentley (a turtle) and [[TheBigGuy super-strong]] Murray (a hippo). They grow up, and set off into the world to honor the Cooper legacy, mostly by robbing other criminals blind ([[ChallengeSeeker There's no honor, no challenge, and no fun in taking from good people; taking from thieves is a real test]]).

* SpiritualSuccessor: Some fans have also compared the ''Sly Cooper'' franchise to the original ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' series. Both franchises are 3D platformers where you play as a MascotWithAttitude. The [[VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus first]] [[VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon1998 games]] are subjected to EarlyInstallmentWeirdness before the respective series' would go on to codify the things that define the series in the [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves second]] [[VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage games]], which many consider to be the best of their respective franchises. The [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves third]] [[VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon games]] try to expand upon the very things that made the first sequel beloved - including the additions of many new playable characters - but are ultimately seen as inferior but still solid games. The [[VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime fourth]] [[VideoGame/SpyroEnterTheDragonfly games]] were the first console games of their franchises made by a different developer for the console generation that came afterwards and suffer from FanonDiscontinuity as a result.

* SpiritualSuccessor:
** Even though it's part of a different medium, the games have the same furry, noir tone as ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck''.
** Some fans have also compared the ''Sly Cooper'' franchise to the original ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' series. Both franchises are 3D platformers where you play as a MascotWithAttitude. The [[VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus first]] [[VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon1998 games]] are subjected to EarlyInstallmentWeirdness before the respective series' would go on to codify the things that define the series in the [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves second]] [[VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage games]], which many consider to be the best of their respective franchises. The [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves third]] [[VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon games]] try to expand upon the very things that made the first sequel beloved - including the additions of many new playable characters - but are ultimately seen as inferior but still solid games. The [[VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime fourth]] [[VideoGame/SpyroEnterTheDragonfly games]] were the first console games of their franchises made by a different developer for the console generation that came afterwards and suffer from FanonDiscontinuity as a result.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Even though it's part of a different medium, the games have the same furry, noir tone as ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck''.

** Sly himself in a way, having gone from a OneHitPointWonder in the first game.

* ColorCodedSubtitles: The subtitles for the dialogue is color coded to the character speaking. If it's Sly, it's blue subtitles. If it's Bentley, it's green subtitles. If it's Murray, it's pink subtitles. If it's Carmelita, it's orange subtitles. If it is a villain or other character, it's grey subtitles. Except for ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'', they can't be turned off.

* CerebusSyndrome: The final mission of the first game, and the entirety of the [[DarkerAndEdgier second game]]. Lets up in the [[LighterAndSofter third game]] then gets somewhat dark in the fourth.