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** This fourth mainline entry in a UsefulNotes/PlayStation franchise sees the retired thief protagonist having the desire to get back into his old lifestyle before being pulled back in, putting great strain on his relationship in the process. Three years later, [[VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd Nathan Drake]] would experience the same scenario.

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** This fourth mainline entry in a UsefulNotes/PlayStation Platform/PlayStation franchise sees the retired thief protagonist having the desire to get back into his old lifestyle before being pulled back in, putting great strain on his relationship in the process. Three years later, [[VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd Nathan Drake]] would experience the same scenario.
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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly and Murray for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]] and wants to kill them as a result, even though the Cooper Gang were no longer active anymore, neither as criminals or as part of their lives. [[spoiler:Now, Bentley is shown to be overtly focused on his time machine in the intro, which could have left Penelope feeling ignored and resentful, but any fault for that can only be attributed to Bentley himself, who Penelope still holds in high regard later on.]]

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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly and Murray for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]] and wants to kill them as a result, even though the Cooper Gang were no longer active anymore, neither as criminals or nor as part of their lives. [[spoiler:Now, Bentley is shown to be overtly focused on his time machine in the intro, which could have left Penelope feeling ignored and resentful, but any fault for that can only be attributed to Bentley himself, who Penelope still holds in high regard later on.]]
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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly and Murray for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]] and wants to kill them as a result, even though the Cooper Gang were no longer active anymore. [[spoiler:Now, Bentley is shown to be overtly focused on his time machine in the intro, which could have left Penelope feeling ignored and resentful, but any fault for that can only be attributed to Bentley himself, who Penelope still holds in high regard later on.]]

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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly and Murray for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]] and wants to kill them as a result, even though the Cooper Gang were no longer active anymore.anymore, neither as criminals or as part of their lives. [[spoiler:Now, Bentley is shown to be overtly focused on his time machine in the intro, which could have left Penelope feeling ignored and resentful, but any fault for that can only be attributed to Bentley himself, who Penelope still holds in high regard later on.]]
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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly and Murray for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]] and wants to kill them as a result, even though the Cooper Gang were no longer active anymore. [[spoiler:Now, Bentley is shown to be overtly focused on his time machine in the intro, which could have left Penelope feeling ignored and resentful, but any fault for that can only be attributed to Bentley himself, who Penelope still holds in high regard.]]

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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly and Murray for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]] and wants to kill them as a result, even though the Cooper Gang were no longer active anymore. [[spoiler:Now, Bentley is shown to be overtly focused on his time machine in the intro, which could have left Penelope feeling ignored and resentful, but any fault for that can only be attributed to Bentley himself, who Penelope still holds in high regard.regard later on.]]

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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]], even though Sly had long given up on his thief lifestyle. [[spoiler:Now, Bentley is shown to be overtly focused on his time machine, which could have left Penelope feeling ignored, but any fault for that can only be attributed to Bentley himself, who Penelope still holds in high regard.]]

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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly and Murray for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]], back]] and wants to kill them as a result, even though Sly had long given up on his thief lifestyle. the Cooper Gang were no longer active anymore. [[spoiler:Now, Bentley is shown to be overtly focused on his time machine, machine in the intro, which could have left Penelope feeling ignored, ignored and resentful, but any fault for that can only be attributed to Bentley himself, who Penelope still holds in high regard.]]

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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]], even though Sly had long given up on his thief lifestyle. [[spoiler:And Bentley's overtly focus on his time machine can only be attributed to Bentley himself.]]

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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]], even though Sly had long given up on his thief lifestyle. [[spoiler:And Bentley's [[spoiler:Now, Bentley is shown to be overtly focus focused on his time machine machine, which could have left Penelope feeling ignored, but any fault for that can only be attributed to Bentley himself.himself, who Penelope still holds in high regard.]]
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* InformedWrongness: [[spoiler:Penelope]] completely blames Sly for supposedly [[spoiler:holding her and Bentley back]], even though Sly had long given up on his thief lifestyle. [[spoiler:And Bentley's overtly focus on his time machine can only be attributed to Bentley himself.]]
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* EthnicScrappy: The Grizz very much comes off as a racist caricature, being a literal black bear street thug who's also a grafitti artist that speaks in exaggerated ebonics (and his voice actor is white, too). This results in what is perhaps the most cringeworthy character in the series..

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* EthnicScrappy: The Grizz very much comes off as a racist caricature, being a literal black bear street thug who's also a grafitti artist that speaks in exaggerated ebonics (and his voice actor is white, too). This results in what is perhaps the most cringeworthy character in the series..series.
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* EthnicScrappy: The Grizz very much comes off as a racist caricature, being a literal black bear street thug who's also a grafitti artist that speaks in exaggerated ebonics (and his voice actor is white, too). This results in what is perhaps the most cringeworthy character in the series..
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** [[spoiler:Bentley finding out that Penelope had pulled a FaceHeelTurn will be sure to make you feel sorry for him, especially since her vanishing is the big kickoff in the overall storyline.]]

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** [[spoiler:Bentley finding out that Penelope had pulled a FaceHeelTurn will be sure to make you feel sorry for him, especially since her vanishing is the big kickoff in the overall storyline.storyline and he keeps a photo of her in his Binocucom view.]]
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Edit Tip 9: An example that is almost completely spoilered out doesn't work very well as an example


* TheScrappy: [[spoiler:Cyrille Le Paradox is one of the most widely disliked characters in the entire ''series'' as of this game, and it goes beyond merely being a HateSink. In part, due to having a weak backstory and [[DisproportionateRetribution petty reason for messing with Sly's family]] despite being built up as a scary and mysterious villain, having an insufferable {{Jerkass}} demeanor towards everyone around him, and because his FrenchJerk traits are seen as annoying and immature as opposed to entertaining like with previous villains, as many of them have other entertaining traits to despite a few of them also being based off of stereotypes. The fact that he's also ''why'' the game has a SuddenDownerEnding with Sly lost in Egypt is what caps off the fandom's dislike for him.]]

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* TheScrappy: [[spoiler:Cyrille Cyrille Le Paradox is one of the most widely disliked characters in the entire ''series'' as of this game, and it goes beyond merely being a HateSink. In [[spoiler:In part, due to having a weak backstory and [[DisproportionateRetribution petty reason for messing with Sly's family]] despite being built up as a scary and mysterious villain, having an insufferable {{Jerkass}} demeanor towards everyone around him, and because his FrenchJerk traits are seen as annoying and immature as opposed to entertaining like with previous villains, as many of them have other entertaining traits to despite a few of them also being based off of stereotypes. The fact that he's also ''why'' the game has a SuddenDownerEnding with Sly lost in Egypt is what caps off the fandom's dislike for him.]]
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** Another mention needs to go to the in-game 3D models; which are all very fluid and expressive, and quite the step up from the models in [=PS2=] trilogy.

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** Another mention needs to go to the in-game 3D models; which are all very fluid and expressive, and quite the step up from the models in the [=PS2=] trilogy.
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** Everything related to [[spoiler:Penelope]] in this game is subject to this: had she been [[spoiler:manipulating the Cooper Gang for a shot at their vast wealth in the third game, only for Dr. M to ruin her plans and force her to stick around a bit longer? Is her love for Bentley genuine, or was she a GoldDigger who just wants to use him to become wealthy? Does her hatred of Sly (and Murray) stem from jealousy, or did she only grow to hate them because Le Paradox manipulated her into seeing them as [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness useless]]? And is she a FallenHero with a chance of redemption, or was she EvilAllAlong who spent the third game as TheMole? Also, is she a {{yandere}} who wants Bentley for herself, or a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who would dispose of Bentley when she's done using him? On the flipside, Kevin Miller's [[https://youtu.be/SZBYWuumVIM?t=2055 stated]] (possibly half-jokingly) that his opinion on [[spoiler:Penelope's betrayal]] is that "[[spoiler:she]] just needs a hug".]]

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** Everything related to [[spoiler:Penelope]] in this game is subject to this: had she been [[spoiler:manipulating the Cooper Gang for a shot at their vast wealth in the third game, only for Dr. M to ruin her plans and force her to stick around a bit longer? Is her love for Bentley genuine, or was she a GoldDigger who just wants to use him to become wealthy? Does her hatred of Sly (and Murray) stem from jealousy, or did she only grow to hate them because Le Paradox manipulated her into seeing them as [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness useless]]? And is she a FallenHero with a chance of redemption, or was she EvilAllAlong who spent the third game as TheMole? Also, is she a {{yandere}} who wants Bentley for herself, or a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who would dispose of Bentley when she's done using him? On the flipside, Kevin Miller's [[https://youtu.be/SZBYWuumVIM?t=2055 stated]] (possibly half-jokingly) that his opinion on [[spoiler:Penelope's betrayal]] Penelope's betrayal is that "[[spoiler:she]] [[CryForTheDevil "she just needs a hug".hug"]].]]
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** Everything related to [[spoiler:Penelope]] in this game is subject to this: had she been [[spoiler:manipulating the Cooper Gang for a shot at their vast wealth in the third game, only for Dr. M to ruin her plans and force her to stick around a bit longer? Is her love for Bentley genuine, or was she a GoldDigger who just wants to use him to become wealthy? Does her hatred of Sly (and Murray) stem from jealousy, or did she only grow to hate them because Le Paradox manipulated her into seeing them as [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness useless]]? And is she a FallenHero with a chance of redemption, or was she EvilAllAlong who spent the third game as TheMole? Also, is she a {{yandere}} who wants Bentley for herself, or a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who would dispose of Bentley when she's done using him?]]

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** Everything related to [[spoiler:Penelope]] in this game is subject to this: had she been [[spoiler:manipulating the Cooper Gang for a shot at their vast wealth in the third game, only for Dr. M to ruin her plans and force her to stick around a bit longer? Is her love for Bentley genuine, or was she a GoldDigger who just wants to use him to become wealthy? Does her hatred of Sly (and Murray) stem from jealousy, or did she only grow to hate them because Le Paradox manipulated her into seeing them as [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness useless]]? And is she a FallenHero with a chance of redemption, or was she EvilAllAlong who spent the third game as TheMole? Also, is she a {{yandere}} who wants Bentley for herself, or a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who would dispose of Bentley when she's done using him?]]him? On the flipside, Kevin Miller's [[https://youtu.be/SZBYWuumVIM?t=2055 stated]] (possibly half-jokingly) that his opinion on [[spoiler:Penelope's betrayal]] is that "[[spoiler:she]] just needs a hug".]]
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renamed trope


** In Miss Decibel's introductory cutscene, it is established that her StartOfDarkness was when the trumpet lodged in her nose gave her mind-control powers. How many times does she use this power? ''Zilch''. The closest we see to mind-control is when Salim's old crew is being kept pacified with brain-scrambling record players, but the design implies that either Le Paradox [[spoiler:or Penelope]] could have built them. If anything, it would have made more sense if Le Paradox recruited the Contessa instead, a preestablished villain who already had access to sensory-hypnosis tech, Bentley even comparing Decibel's tech to the Contessa's tech in the game proper. Either that or Decibel turning to crime could have been from the horn [[MakeMeWannaShout giving off sounds loud enough to create shockwaves]], something we actually see her do in her boss fight.

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** In Miss Decibel's introductory cutscene, it is established that her StartOfDarkness was when the trumpet lodged in her nose gave her mind-control powers. How many times does she use this power? ''Zilch''. The closest we see to mind-control is when Salim's old crew is being kept pacified with brain-scrambling record players, but the design implies that either Le Paradox [[spoiler:or Penelope]] could have built them. If anything, it would have made more sense if Le Paradox recruited the Contessa instead, a preestablished villain who already had access to sensory-hypnosis tech, Bentley even comparing Decibel's tech to the Contessa's tech in the game proper. Either that or Decibel turning to crime could have been from the horn [[MakeMeWannaShout giving off sounds loud enough to create shockwaves]], shockwaves, something we actually see her do in her boss fight.
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** [[spoiler:Bentley’s robot battle with Penelope was also ridiculously easy.]]

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** [[spoiler:Bentley’s [[spoiler:Bentley's robot battle with Penelope was also ridiculously easy.]]



** Plenty of people thought that the game’s humor stuck the landing and that it feels just like the old games, while others thought it was corny at best and childish and cringeworthy at worst. Similar thoughts were given towards the game's writing overall due to it being a tad looser in tone compared to the last two games.

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** Plenty of people thought that the game’s game's humor stuck the landing and that it feels just like the old games, while others thought it was corny at best and childish and cringeworthy at worst. Similar thoughts were given towards the game's writing overall due to it being a tad looser in tone compared to the last two games.



* FanficFuel: Since it is unlikely that a fifth game that continues the story will be made in the foreseeable future or at all (Sanzaru was bought out and now operates as a studio that makes only VR games), it has become quite common for fans to write their own explanations for [[spoiler:Penelope’s betrayal]], along with [[spoiler:undoing or [[FixFic retconning]] the DownerEnding]].

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* FanficFuel: Since it is unlikely that a fifth game that continues the story will be made in the foreseeable future or at all (Sanzaru was bought out and now operates as a studio that makes only VR games), it has become quite common for fans to write their own explanations for [[spoiler:Penelope’s [[spoiler:Penelope's betrayal]], along with [[spoiler:undoing or [[FixFic retconning]] the DownerEnding]].



** When it was confirmed that Sanzaru are not working on a sequel, many disappointed fans began to claim that the series ended after the third game; not because they hated ''Thieves in Time'', but because they didn’t want the series to end on a massive {{cliffhanger}}[=/=]DownerEnding. The original trilogy, in marked contrast, ended on a high note that resolved all of its plot satisfactorily by the time that the credits started rolling, but still left room for AndTheAdventureContinues and [[FanficFuel further interpretations]] with Bentley's development of his time machine.
** [[spoiler:Some dismissed the game because of Penelope’s SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome, and the resulting ShipSinking between her and Bentley. These same fans also retcon her as either BrainwashedAndCrazy, or an evil clone]].

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** When it was confirmed that Sanzaru are not working on a sequel, many disappointed fans began to claim that the series ended after the third game; not because they hated ''Thieves in Time'', but because they didn’t didn't want the series to end on a massive {{cliffhanger}}[=/=]DownerEnding. The original trilogy, in marked contrast, ended on a high note that resolved all of its plot satisfactorily by the time that the credits started rolling, but still left room for AndTheAdventureContinues and [[FanficFuel further interpretations]] with Bentley's development of his time machine.
** [[spoiler:Some dismissed the game because of Penelope’s Penelope's SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome, and the resulting ShipSinking between her and Bentley. These same fans also retcon her as either BrainwashedAndCrazy, or an evil clone]].



** As awesome as Tennessee Kid’s Crackshot attack is, it does take away any form of challenge if you find yourself surrounded by guards.
** The Thief costume gives Sly the ability to slow down time. This rather simplifies the treasure fetch quests, in which a treasure item must be returned to the Cooper Gang’s hideout before a timer runs out. It makes each second last about four times as long, and any traps and enemies are slowed to a crawl.
** There's Carmelita’s charge shot attack. The charge up time is fairly brief and it can kill even a flashlight guard in one shot.

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** As awesome as Tennessee Kid’s Kid's Crackshot attack is, it does take away any form of challenge if you find yourself surrounded by guards.
** The Thief costume gives Sly the ability to slow down time. This rather simplifies the treasure fetch quests, in which a treasure item must be returned to the Cooper Gang’s Gang's hideout before a timer runs out. It makes each second last about four times as long, and any traps and enemies are slowed to a crawl.
** There's Carmelita’s Carmelita's charge shot attack. The charge up time is fairly brief and it can kill even a flashlight guard in one shot.



** A time-travelling villain called Paradox alters the past so that the protagonist’s most cherished possession ceases to exist in the present. [[Anime/YuGiOhBondsBeyondTime Sounds familiar.]]

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** A time-travelling villain called Paradox alters the past so that the protagonist’s protagonist's most cherished possession ceases to exist in the present. [[Anime/YuGiOhBondsBeyondTime Sounds familiar.]]



* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: Many fans felt this way towards this game since it is the only one in the series that was made by a different studio and not by Sucker Punch. The controversial aspects of the game’s story, [[spoiler:particularly Penelope's poorly written betrayal and the cliffhanger ending]], as well as the lack of a sequel on Sanzaru's part, have led many fans [[FanonDiscontinuity to pretend that this game never happened]] and to have ''[[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves Sly 3]]'' as the last game in the series due to its happier, more conclusive storyline.

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* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: Many fans felt this way towards this game since it is the only one in the series that was made by a different studio and not by Sucker Punch. The controversial aspects of the game’s game's story, [[spoiler:particularly Penelope's poorly written betrayal and the cliffhanger ending]], as well as the lack of a sequel on Sanzaru's part, have led many fans [[FanonDiscontinuity to pretend that this game never happened]] and to have ''[[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves Sly 3]]'' as the last game in the series due to its happier, more conclusive storyline.



* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: Gameplay wise, fans will admit it’s a worthy followup to the original three. ''Thieves In Time'' uses the level and mission-based structure of the previous games, has larger worlds, with the added benefit of being able to switch characters (though some did complain about the backtracking). Most liked the ability to play as members of the Cooper Clan which gave variety to the stages, and all characters had fluid controls to boot. It is the ''story'' which garnered complaints; mainly issues regarding the game's humor and characterization, and especially it's infamous cliffhanger ending. Most critics didn’t mind the story too much, but the Sly Cooper fandom is ''very'' split when it comes to the story, with only the controversial ending being universally hated.

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* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: Gameplay wise, fans will admit it’s it's a worthy followup to the original three. ''Thieves In Time'' uses the level and mission-based structure of the previous games, has larger worlds, with the added benefit of being able to switch characters (though some did complain about the backtracking). Most liked the ability to play as members of the Cooper Clan which gave variety to the stages, and all characters had fluid controls to boot. It is the ''story'' which garnered complaints; mainly issues regarding the game's humor and characterization, and especially it's its infamous cliffhanger ending. Most critics didn’t didn't mind the story too much, but the Sly Cooper fandom is ''very'' split when it comes to the story, with only the controversial ending being universally hated.



** "Navigate Like Drake". This isn’t hard, it’s just tedious. You ''have'' to remember to open the map every time you enter a new area (including the subareas of several missions), and if you don't, you'll have to remember what mission it was that you didn't open the map in. Failing that, it’s trial-and-error time.

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** "Navigate Like Drake". This isn’t isn't hard, it’s it's just tedious. You ''have'' to remember to open the map every time you enter a new area (including the subareas of several missions), and if you don't, you'll have to remember what mission it was that you didn't open the map in. Failing that, it’s it's trial-and-error time.



** The Murray Games, which isn't so much difficult as [[MarathonLevel very, very long and drawn out]]. It consists of ''six'' different minigames you have to complete. They're mostly easy, except for the balance and slingshot minigames. The former requires you to use [[{{Waggle}} SixAxis controls]] to keep an egg from rolling off the wooden beam "Bob" holds, all while penguins are jumping on the platform and shifting it constantly, and you have to last ''25'' seconds with this. The latter requires you to sling penguins at these targets that pterodactyls hold, but sometimes the controller acts up and refuses to sling a penguin (and you can only miss up to three). But once you beat all six of the minigames, you have to go through a lightning-quick barrage of these minigames. And there, hoo boy does the balance game ramp up in difficulty. You don't have to last nearly as long, but on the other hand the platform is tilting extremely quickly, back and forth, constantly. Worse, there’s a [[ThatOneAchievement Trophy]] ("Apollo Wins") for completing the entire training montage ''without a single screwup''. The egg balance game is utterly ''sadistic'' when the thing speeds up.

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** The Murray Games, which isn't so much difficult as [[MarathonLevel very, very long and drawn out]]. It consists of ''six'' different minigames you have to complete. They're mostly easy, except for the balance and slingshot minigames. The former requires you to use [[{{Waggle}} SixAxis controls]] to keep an egg from rolling off the wooden beam "Bob" holds, all while penguins are jumping on the platform and shifting it constantly, and you have to last ''25'' seconds with this. The latter requires you to sling penguins at these targets that pterodactyls hold, but sometimes the controller acts up and refuses to sling a penguin (and you can only miss up to three). But once you beat all six of the minigames, you have to go through a lightning-quick barrage of these minigames. And there, hoo boy does the balance game ramp up in difficulty. You don't have to last nearly as long, but on the other hand the platform is tilting extremely quickly, back and forth, constantly. Worse, there’s there's a [[ThatOneAchievement Trophy]] ("Apollo Wins") for completing the entire training montage ''without a single screwup''. The egg balance game is utterly ''sadistic'' when the thing speeds up.



** The archery shooting gallery from "Of Mice And Mechs". If your reflexes don't kill you, the small hitboxes of the targets will. Naturally, this one ''also'' has a trophy for performing it perfectly, but in this case it’s actually winning in the first place, not avoiding 'negative' targets, that's the hard part.

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** The archery shooting gallery from "Of Mice And Mechs". If your reflexes don't kill you, the small hitboxes of the targets will. Naturally, this one ''also'' has a trophy for performing it perfectly, but in this case it’s it's actually winning in the first place, not avoiding 'negative' targets, that's the hard part.



* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: [[spoiler:Le Paradox, like Sly, is from a family of thieves. His father once tried to frame Sly’s father for one of the biggest heists in modern times, only for the Cooper to pull the rug out from under him. Le Paradox, without a father figure to teach him how to be a thief, struggled until he built up a syndicate and his own gang in prison. After developing the Time Tunnel, he resolved to make up for his family’s mistakes by robbing all Coopers in the past and becoming a greater thief than any of them.]]
** Firstly, in a game about time travel, this would have been the perfect time to [[spoiler:introduce Sly’s father as a playable character, explore his time as a thief, and reunite him with his son so he can see how much he’s grown]], but the game only focuses on the Coopers introduced beforehand, and Le Paradox himself doesn’t care for [[spoiler:rescuing or absolving his father. And despite Sly’s father’s heist inspiring his motivation, he doesn’t go after the man himself.]]
** Second, the backstory is only brought up in the final chapter, and Le Paradox is only revealed as the BigBad the chapter before, so any interesting parallels between Sly and Le Paradox, their partners and their backstories is never fully explored.
** Third, [[spoiler:for those that don't mind the Penelope betrayal, many felt it would have come off better and make an interesting story if it went into depth about how/why someone seemingly so nice in the prior game would turn out so evil and the ramifications of such]]. But alas, it's only used for shock value with no further explanation or examination.
** Fourth, in Miss Decibel's introductory cutscene, it is established that her StartOfDarkness was when the trumpet lodged in her nose gave her mind-control powers. How many times does she use this power? ''Zilch''. The closest we see to mind-control is when Salim's old crew is being kept pacified with brain-scrambling record players, but the design implies that either Le Paradox [[spoiler:or Penelope]] could have built them. If anything, it would have made more sense if Le Paradox recruited the Contessa instead, a preestablished villain who already had access to sensory-hypnosis tech, Bentley even comparing Decibel's tech to the Contessa's tech in the game proper. If Decibel's importance was involved with forging documents, the Contessa could have done that too, since most of her crimes involved funding her own research with stolen property sourced from criminal patients with Interpol none the wiser, so it is likely that she had some experience with forging and book-cooking.
*** Either that or Decibel turning to crime could have been from the horn [[MakeMeWannaShout giving off sounds loud enough to create shockwaves]], something we actually see her do in her boss fight.
** The Grizz's plan to graffiti up cave walls so that his art will become world-famous and extremely valuable in the present day. It's the cleverest use of time-travel in the game's plot, but more importantly a scheme that ''Band of Thieves''-era Dimitri (who was motivated by the art world's rejection of his "kinetic aesthetic") probably would have killed for. If the [[ShadowArchetype similarity]] had been acknowledged and explored (and Dimitri been in the game for more than a silent cameo), it could have made for an interesting commentary on Dimitri's character, and how he had and hadn't changed since his days as a villain. Instead, the Grizz just winds up coming across as a cheap knockoff of Dimitri, Sanzaru recycling Sucker Punch's old ideas (a particularly unfortunate situation since ''Thieves in Time'' also has Miss Decibel, whose backstory is almost ''shot-for-shot a copy of Dimitri's'').
** The third game ends with Sly faking amnesia and becoming Carmelita's partner in Interpol. The only hints of what went on during that period of time was that Sly grew nostalgic over being a thief enough to throw it away to plan a heist, and that he and Carmelita grew close enough for her to take it personally, spending three levels giving him the cold shoulder. We never learn anything more than that. What did Sly do as an Interpol officer? What adventures did they go on? How the Hell did Carmelita convince the rest of Interpol not to throw the so-called-amnesiac Sly into a cell and leave him there?

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* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: [[spoiler:Le Several.
**[[spoiler:Le
Paradox, like Sly, is from a family of thieves. His father once tried to frame Sly’s Sly's father for one of the biggest heists in modern times, only for the Cooper to pull the rug out from under him. Le Paradox, without a father figure to teach him how to be a thief, struggled until he built up a syndicate and his own gang in prison. After developing the Time Tunnel, he resolved to make up for his family’s family's mistakes by robbing all Coopers in the past and becoming a greater thief than any of them.]]
**
]] Two things:
***
Firstly, in a game about time travel, this would have been the perfect time to [[spoiler:introduce Sly’s Sly's father as a playable character, explore his time as a thief, and reunite him with his son so he can see how much he’s he's grown]], but the game only focuses on the Coopers introduced beforehand, and Le Paradox himself doesn’t doesn't care for [[spoiler:rescuing to [[spoiler:go after Sly's father or absolving rescue/absolve his father. And own father, despite Sly’s father’s heist inspiring them being the inspiration for his motivation, he doesn’t go after the man himself.motivation.]]
** Second, the *** Secondly, this backstory is only brought up in the final chapter, and Le Paradox is only revealed as the BigBad the chapter before, so any interesting parallels between Sly and Le Paradox, their partners and their backstories is never fully explored.
** Third, [[spoiler:for For those that don't mind the Penelope [[spoiler:Penelope betrayal, many felt it would have come off better and make an made for a more interesting story if it went into depth about how/why someone seemingly so nice in the prior game would turn out so evil and the ramifications of such]]. such]]; ''WebVideo/TheCompletionist'' in particular argued that [[spoiler:she should have been the BigBad instead of Le Paradox]]. But alas, it's the twist is only used for shock value with no further explanation or examination.
** Fourth, in In Miss Decibel's introductory cutscene, it is established that her StartOfDarkness was when the trumpet lodged in her nose gave her mind-control powers. How many times does she use this power? ''Zilch''. The closest we see to mind-control is when Salim's old crew is being kept pacified with brain-scrambling record players, but the design implies that either Le Paradox [[spoiler:or Penelope]] could have built them. If anything, it would have made more sense if Le Paradox recruited the Contessa instead, a preestablished villain who already had access to sensory-hypnosis tech, Bentley even comparing Decibel's tech to the Contessa's tech in the game proper. If Decibel's importance was involved with forging documents, the Contessa could have done that too, since most of her crimes involved funding her own research with stolen property sourced from criminal patients with Interpol none the wiser, so it is likely that she had some experience with forging and book-cooking.
***
Either that or Decibel turning to crime could have been from the horn [[MakeMeWannaShout giving off sounds loud enough to create shockwaves]], something we actually see her do in her boss fight.
** The Grizz's plan to graffiti up cave walls so that his art will become world-famous and extremely valuable in the present day. It's the cleverest use of time-travel in the game's plot, but more importantly a scheme that ''Band of Thieves''-era Dimitri (who was motivated by the art world's rejection of his "kinetic aesthetic") probably would have killed for. If the [[ShadowArchetype similarity]] had been acknowledged and explored (and Dimitri been in the game for more than a silent cameo), it could have made for an interesting commentary on Dimitri's character, and how he had and and/or hadn't changed since his days as a villain. Instead, the Grizz just winds up coming across as a cheap knockoff of Dimitri, Sanzaru recycling Sucker Punch's old ideas (a particularly unfortunate situation since ''Thieves in Time'' also has Miss Decibel, whose backstory is almost ''shot-for-shot a copy of Dimitri's'').
** The third game ends with Sly faking amnesia and becoming Carmelita's partner in Interpol. The only hints of what went on during that period of time was that Sly grew nostalgic over being a thief enough to throw it away to plan a heist, and that he and Carmelita grew close enough for her to take it personally, spending three levels giving him the cold shoulder. We never learn anything more than that. What did Sly do as an Interpol officer? What adventures did they go on? How the Hell hell did Carmelita convince the rest of Interpol not to throw the so-called-amnesiac Sly into a cell and leave him there?
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** Sheriff Toothpick is one of the most popular villains in the game, in large part due to his AxCrazy nature, his UglyCute design, and his accent and lines.

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** Sheriff Toothpick is one of the most popular villains villain in the game, in large part due to his AxCrazy nature, his UglyCute design, and his accent and lines.



* JustHereForGodzilla: Plenty of fans are only interested in the game because of the ancestors—[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aHjA1b1_9s one review]] even suggests that the only reason to play through it is for Tennessee Kid Cooper.

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* JustHereForGodzilla: Plenty of fans fans-- including those [[FanonDiscontinuity who have otherwise disowned the game]]-- are only interested in the game because of the ancestors—[[https://www.ancestors. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aHjA1b1_9s one One review]] even suggests that the only reason to play through it is for [[EnsembleDarkhorse Tennessee Kid Cooper."Kid" Cooper]].
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** Another mention needs to go to the in-game 3D models; which are all very fluid and expressive, and quite the step up from the models in PS2 trilogy.

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** Another mention needs to go to the in-game 3D models; which are all very fluid and expressive, and quite the step up from the models in PS2 [=PS2=] trilogy.

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