History YMMV / SlyCooperThievesInTime

** The Murray Games, which isn't so much difficult as [[MarathonLevel very, very long and drawn out]]. (Justified, as it's essentially a playable TrainingMontage.) 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.

** 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.

* AssPull: the reveal of [[spoiler:Penelope's]] FaceHeelTurn comes out of nowhere nor fits what's been established. [[spoiler:She wanted to eliminate Sly Cooper (and possibly Murray) for holding her genius boyfriend Bentley back, it being implied [[EvilAllAlong she only "loved" Bentley out of planning to use him]] for making billions in weapon designs and/or world domination, and is shown to be a massive scheming sociopath [[DistaffCounterpart on par with]] Prince Hans from ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013''. The [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves previous game]] portrayed Penelope as a straight-up NiceGirl even compared to the other thieves Sly teamed up with, [[ItsAllMyFault guilt-ridden]] when Murray was captured due to her plan, and despite seeing Bentley's genius firsthand only showed romantic feelings toward him after he rescued her from pirates. She even held a genuine crush on Sly for most of the game. Even in this game, Sly had retired from crime by this point and thus ''wouldn't be holding them back''; in fact Penelope's actions force Sly to un-retire, which would be the opposite effect of what she supposedly wanted. While there was foreshadowing such as her disappearance prior to the beginning of the game and the mouse emblem throughout the level where the twist is revealed, nothing in the game hinted she's angry and bitter at the Cooper Gang instead of being held against her will and forced to assist Le Paradox]].

** 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 [[ShockingSwerve shock value]] with no further explanation or examination.

* FanDislikedExplanation: Even many who don't [[FanonDiscontinuity write off the twist]] are dissatisfied with it treating [[spoiler:Penelope's]] FaceHeelTurn as their being EvilAllAlong due to [[ShockingSwerve completely contradicting their characterization]] prior, believing it would be more plausible and interesting if they [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope slipped into villainy]] between games.

* FanWank: [[spoiler:Penelope's]] ShockingSwerve FaceHeelTurn. Fans have tried to handwave it by saying that they are either brainwashed or a clone.

* ShockingSwerve: the reveal of [[spoiler:Penelope's]] FaceHeelTurn comes out of nowhere nor fits what's been established. [[spoiler:She wanted to eliminate Sly Cooper (and possibly Murray) for holding her genius boyfriend Bentley back, it being implied [[EvilAllAlong she only "loved" Bentley out of planning to use him]] for making billions in weapon designs and/or world domination, and is shown to be a massive scheming sociopath [[DistaffCounterpart on par with]] Prince Hans from ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013''. The [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves previous game]] portrayed Penelope as a straight-up NiceGirl even compared to the other thieves Sly teamed up with, [[ItsAllMyFault guilt-ridden]] when Murray was captured due to her plan, and despite seeing Bentley's genius firsthand, only showed romantic feelings toward him after he rescued her from pirates. She even held a genuine crush on Sly for most of the game. Even in this game, Sly had retired from crime by this point and thus ''wouldn't be holding them back''; in fact Penelope's actions force Sly to un-retire, which would be the opposite effect of what she supposedly wanted. While there was foreshadowing such as her disappearance prior to the beginning of the game and the mouse emblem throughout the level where the twist is revealed, nothing in the game hinted she's angry and bitter at the Cooper Gang instead of being held against her will and forced to assist Le Paradox]].

* BrokenBase: To say that this game's fallout split the ''Sly Cooper'' fandom in every conceivable direction is an understatement:

** The game's art style has also received more flak in recent years--while some consider it a natural evolution of the Sucker Punch trilogy's style and beautifully constructed and detailed, others consider it tacky and unappealing compared to the more clear and angular comic-inspired visuals of the first three games.

* ContestedSequel: As the statements above and below can attest to, you either think ''Thieves in Time'' is [[LoveItOrHateIt a worthy followup to the first three games or an utter disgrace to their memory]]. Not helping matters is the fact that the game ended on a ''massive'' cliffhanger that Sanzaru confirmed wouldn't be resolved anytime soon, as well as the more vocal hatedom the game has received over the years.

* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: Half-and-half. Gameplay wise, most critics 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 even 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. Story wise though, as you can see on this page, was where most of the gripes start to rear their heads. Most pointedly [[spoiler:Penelope’s sudden and out of nowhere betrayal to the group and the ending which has Sly trapped in the past after the final battle, leaving the series on a cliffhanger]]. On one hand, before those points, most critics didn’t mind the story too much. It’s the standard Cooper affair, the time travel aspect is integrated well with the gameplay and levels, the characters (heroes and most villains) are still likable and there’s some genuine tension when it comes up. On the other though, most of the story has some pacing issues, some of the tension feels manufactured in a few areas (The Sly and Carmelita relationship drama especially) and [[spoiler:most cite the ending should’ve been more open-ended: conclusive enough to stop the story there and wrap up everything, but least leaving some bread crumbs if another studio wishes to make a sequel, rather than Sanzaru outright going for sequel baiting—especially given how said sequel never came.]] Currently, the Sly Cooper fandom is pretty much split when it comes to the story, with only the controversial ending being universally hated.

** 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? More importantly: was this all of her own volition, or is she BrainwashedAndCrazy or even an evil clone?]]

** 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? More importantly: is this even the Penelope we saw in ''Honor Among Thieves'', or a clone?]]

** 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?]]

** 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, so it is likely that she had some experience with forging and book-cooking.

** 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 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'').

** This fourth mainline entry in a 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.

** 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 and at times painfully immature. 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.

** 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 sounds childish and makes the characters sound painfully immature. 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.
** The game's art style has also received more flak in recent years--while some consider it a natural evolution of the Sucker Punch trilogy's style and beautifully constructed and detailed, others consider it too tacky compared to the classic angular and comic-inspired style.
** While general reception to the gameplay itself was positive, there are some who derided it for being floatier and less precise than the tighter controls from previous entries.
* ContestedSequel: As the statements above and below can attest to, you either think ''Thieves in Time'' is [[LoveItOrHateIt a worthy followup to the first three games or a disgrace to their memory]]. Not helping matters is the fact that the game ended on a ''massive'' cliffhanger that Sanzaru confirmed wouldn't be resolved anytime soon, as well as the more vocal hatedom the game has received over the years.

YMMV can't be PlayedWith.

* CharacterRerailment: A [[ZigZaggedTrope zig-zagged]] case with Murray. After ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'' had [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] him into a BloodKnight completely obsessed with violence destruction, ''Thieves in Time'' has him more in-line with his brutish but kind-hearted characterization from ''[[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves 2: Band of Thieves]]''. However, it instead focuses far more on making Murray a BigEater[[note]]sort of like he was in the [[VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus first game]][[/note]] with a lot of the comedy deriving from his weight and appetite.

* BrokenBase: To say that this game split the ''Sly Cooper'' fandom in every conceivable direction is an understatement:

** 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 simil]][[{{Foil}} arity]] had been acknowledged and explored (and Dimitri been in the game for more than a 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'').

** Third, [[spoiler:for those that don’t mind the Penelope betrayal. A nitpick is that the writers made it ''way'' too obvious she had done so. Her leaving out of the blue at the beginning of the game (instead of at least pretending to be kidnapped or something), with no word from her for the majority of the game until the medieval level (the surprise is not helped by it being called "Of ''Mice'' and Mechs", either). Then having her going for the Black Knight disguise and clockwork motif which, for those that played ''Sly 3'' (where she pretended to be the ''Black'' Baron who had his own share of machines) was a major tell before the eventual reveal. Most who analyzed this cited if they ''had'' to write this plot twist and have it make sense, would make it a bait and switch example; by having her be in contact with the team through most of the adventure, and any time they couldn’t reach her they could explain away as "interference" from moving through the timelines, especially around the time of the medieval levels. Once the reveal kicked in, either the Penelope they were talking to was a robot lookalike, hologram or just her in said timeline with an appropriate background to fool them. As for motive, making her a WellIntentionedExtermist is what most critics to this plot point cited as a better reason; like if Penelope wanted to prove she could provide for Bentley and her since Sly was retired, got tricked by Le Paradox into providing the Time Tunnel, and had to make a convincing performance lest he harm her, with maybe some trust issues between her and the Gang in the fallout, after they got her free. At the very least, it would’ve made her motives more sympathetic and still provided a nice twist to the story.]] But alas, [[spoiler:Sanzaru's poor writing instead makes Penelope come across as a [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] GoldDigger]].

* ShockingSwerve: the reveal of [[spoiler:Penelope's]] FaceHeelTurn comes out of nowhere nor fits what's been established. [[spoiler:She wanted to eliminate Sly Cooper (and possibly Murray) for holding her genius boyfriend Bentley back, it being implied [[EvilAllAlong she only "loved" Bentley out of using him]] for making billions in weapon deigns and/or world domination, and is shown to be a massive scheming sociopath [[DistaffCounterpart on par with]] Prince Hans from ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013''. The [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves previous game]] portrayed Penelope as a straight-up NiceGirl even compared to the other thieves Sly teamed up with, [[ItsAllMyFault guilt-ridden]] when Murray was captured due to her plan, and despite seeing Bentley's genius only showed feeling toward him after he rescued her well afterwards. She even held a genuine crush on Sly for most of the game. Even in this game, Sly had retired by this point and thus wouldn't be holding them back; in fact Penelope's actions force Sly to un-retire thus would the opposite effect of what she supposedly wanted. While there was foreshadowing such as her disappearance prior to the beginning of the game and the mouse emblem thought the level where the twist is revealed, nothing hinted she's angry and bitter at the Cooper Gang instead of being held against her will and forced to assist Le Paradox]].

** Dimitri is shown being given the Thievius Raccoonus and told to watch and guard it while Sly and the others go through time. You’d expect to see a mission showing him doing that, but instead he does nothing throughout the entire game. He doesn't even talk despite his voice actor appearing in the credits! With the way they hyped him learning Sly’s moves in the trailer for the game, this comes as a disappointment.
** Carmelita becomes a fully playable SixthRanger of the gang, something fans have been waiting for since the ''very beginning''. The entire '''three missions''' you get to use her for are a spectacular letdown, leaving her as a character to mess around in free roam with.

** Third, [[spoiler:for those that don’t mind the Penelope betrayal. A nitpick is that the writers made it ''way'' too obvious she had done so. Her leaving out of the blue at the beginning of the game (instead of at least pretending to be kidnapped or something), with no word from her for the majority of the game until the medieval level (the surprise is not helped by it being called "Of ''Mice'' and Mechs", either). Then having her going for the Black Knight disguise and clockwork motif which, for those that played ''Sly 3'' (where she pretended to be the ''Black'' Baron who had his own share of machines) was a major tell before the eventual reveal. Most who analyzed this cited if they ''had'' to write this plot twist and have it make sense, would make it a bait and switch example; by having her be in contact with the team through most of the adventure, and any time they couldn’t reach her they could explain away as "interference" from moving through the timelines, especially around the time of the medieval levels. Once the reveal kicked in, either the Penelope they were talking to was a robot lookalike, hologram or just her in said timeline with an appropriate background to fool them. As for motive, making her a WellIntentionedExtermist is what most critics to this plot point cited as a better reason; like if Penelope wanted to prove she could provide for Bentley and her since Sly was retired, got tricked by Le Paradox into providing the Time Tunnel, and had to make a convincing performance lest he harm her, with maybe some trust issues between her and the Gang in the fallout. At the very least, it would’ve made her motives more sympathetic and still provided a nice twist to the story.]] But alas, [[spoiler:Sanzaru's poor writing instead makes Penelope come across as a [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] GoldDigger]].

** Penelope. 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?]]

* AngstWhatAngst: Sly isn't unhappy when Carmelita catches him stealing in the tutorial, putting an end to their relationship or at least making it much harder to maintain.

** Carmelita’s redesign to a miniskirt and bikini top was ''incredibly'' controversial — some people had no problem with it, while others thought it looked completely ridiculous and indicated that Sanzaru only saw Carmelita as a sex symbol rather than a strong character in her own right who just happened to be good-looking. The presence of [[spoiler:the belly dancing minigame from the last episode and her kidnapping at the end of the game]] didn't help with this discourse at all.
** 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 sounds childish and makes the characters sound painfully immature.

** While general reception to the gameplay itself was positive, there are some who derided it for being floatier and less precise than previous entries.

* 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 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.

* TheScrappy: [[spoiler:Cyrille Le Paradox is one of the most widely disliked characters in the entire ''series'' as of this game, in part due to having a weak backstory and [[DisproportionateRetribution petty reason for messing with Sly's family]], in part because of having an insufferable {{Jerkass}} demeanor towards everyone around him, and in part 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.]]

** Carmelita’s redesign to a miniskirt and bikini top was ''incredibly'' controversial — some people had no problem with it, while others thought it looked completely ridiculous and indicated that Sanzaru only saw Carmelita as a sex symbol rather than a strong character in her own right who just happened to be good-looking.

** The game's art style has also received more flak in recent years--while some consider it a natural evolution of the Sucker Punch trilogy's style or at least enjoy it, others consider it too tacky compared to the classic angular and comic-inspired style.

* ContestedSequel: As the statements above and below can attest to, you either think ''Thieves in Time'' is [[LoveItOrHateIt a worthy followup to the first three games or a disgrace to their memory]]. Not helping matters is the fact that the game ended on a ''massive'' cliffhanger that WordOfGod confirmed won't be resolved anytime soon.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:

** Carmelita. Some still considered her to be an UngratefulBitch who didn't warm up to the Cooper Gang until the very end. Others who weren't happy about her behaviour in the last game said she got RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap now that she TookALevelInKindness, started working with the Cooper Gang, and finally realized that she's NotSoDifferent from Sly, since they both fight for justice (albeit do so using different methods). A third group said she had ''every right'' to be upset at the Cooper Gang and Sly in particular since [[spoiler:Sly deceived her through their entire relationship, which borders on "rape by fraud" territory, and that her turnaround toward them was the thing that was unwarranted. Then there are those who considered her a flat out {{Hypocrite}} since she lied to Sly too about being partners and is never called out on it.]] And that's not even getting into her redesign or her SpicyLatina traits [[{{Flanderization}} being given more spotlight]].

* TheScrappy: [[spoiler:Cyrille Le Paradox is one of the most widely disliked characters in the entire ''series'' as of this game, in part due to having a weak backstory and [[DisproportionateRetribution petty reason for messing with Sly's family]], in part because of having an insufferable {{Jerkass}} demeanor towards everyone around hi,, and in part 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.]]

** The game's fans and detractors alike point to the Spark Runner levels being some of the worst moments in the game, due to the motion controls not being precise and often sending the player careening to the death more often than not. Other sections of the game which use these motion controls, such as the Murray Games, receive similar flak.
** The larger and more expansive worlds to explore in the game have an unintentional negative side effect: they make Clue Bottles ''far'' harder to find, [[GuideDangIt even with a walkthrough]]. One of the safe items, the Clockwerk Eye, gives the location of the clue bottles but you need to ''collect all of them in that world first''.

** “Apollo Wins”. You have to complete the final montage in "Getting Stronger" without screwing up once. At least you can always reset from the last checkpoint (which is before the montage begins) if you mess up.
** “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, 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.

** [[MusicalAssassin Ms. Decibel]] is surprisingly tough. Think [[VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus Mz. Ruby]] with the rhythm segments replaced with NintendoHard platforming. She hits pretty hard in a straight fight too. Fitting, considering [[spoiler:she's the last “real” boss fight of the game]].

** The Murray Games, which isn't so much difficult as [[MarathonLevel very, very long and drawn out]]. (Justified, as it's essentially a playable TrainingMontage.) 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.

* WhatAnIdiot: Sly leaves a calling card after stealing the artifact in the tutorial. Even if Carmelita hadn't walked in, that would have ruined his relationship with her by blowing his amnesia cover.

** Carmelita. Some still considered her to be an UngratefulBitch who didn't warm up to the Cooper Gang until the very end. Others said she got RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap now that she TookALevelInKindness, started working with the Cooper Gang, and finally realized that she's NotSoDifferent from Sly, since they both fight for justice (albeit do so using different methods). Others said she had ''every right'' to be upset at the Cooper Gang and Sly in particular since [[spoiler:Sly deceived her through their entire relationship, which borders on "rape by fraud" territory, and that her turnaround toward them was the thing that was unwarranted. Then there are those who considered her a flat out {{Hypocrite}} since she lied to Sly too about being partners and is never called out on it.]]
** [[spoiler:Penelope became one of the most polarizing characters in the series after what happened during this game. Her actions in ''Honor Amongst Thieves'' either justified her FaceHeelTurn in this game and retroactively made sense (her tenure as the Black Baron saw her doing rather extreme things to keep her championship) or she's the victim of sloppy writing on Sanzaru's part (detractors often point to Penelope's friendship with the Cooper Gang), with absolutely no middle ground in sight]].

* BrokenBase:

* ContestedSequel: As the statements above and below can attest to, you either think this is a worthy followup to the first three games, or you think it’s a disgrace to their memory. Not helping matters is the fact that the game ended on a ''massive'' cliffhanger that WordOfGod confirmed won't be resolved anytime soon.

* FanficFuel: Since it is unlikely that a fifth game will ever be made, 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]].

** Other fans refused to acknowledge the game at all, believing that even without the DownerEnding it failed to live up to the original trilogy.

* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound:
** The mere sound of Tennessee Kid using his Crackshot technique is badass.
** There's also the sound of his gun firing in his stealth slam, as well as [[TriggerHappy his whoops of enthusiasm.]]

** The “Getting Stronger” mission in the third level, in particular the egg balance game. 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.
** The archery shooting gallery. 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.
** ''Any'' of the maze levels that require the Sixaxis motion controller to navigate, with bottomless pits awaiting if you screw up.

** [[WordOfSaintPaul Sly's voice actor Kevin Miller]] [[https://twitter.com/thekevinmiller/status/1100851265603424256 has interpreted]] Sly's habitual return to thieving as being at least partially influenced by a desire for Carmelita to experience the kind of life he had as a thief.

** [[https://twitter.com/thekevinmiller/status/1100851265603424256 Kevin Miller has interpreted]] Sly's habitual return to thieving as being at least partially influenced by a desire for Carmelita to experience the kind of life he had as a thief.

** Penelope. 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?]]

* ShockingSwerve: the reveal of [[spoiler:Penelope's]] FaceHeelTurn comes out of nowhere nor fits what's been established. [[spoiler:She wanted to eliminate Sly Cooper for holding her genius boyfriend Bentley back, it being implied [[EvilAllAlong she only "loved" Bentley out of using him]] for making billions in weapon deigns and/or world domination. The [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves previous game]] portrayed Penelope as a straight-up NiceGirl even compared to the other thieves Sly teamed up with, [[ItsAllMyFault guilt-ridden]] when Murray was captured due to her plan, and despite seeing Bentley's genius only showed feeling toward him after he rescued her well afterwards. Even in this game Sly had retired by this point and thus wouldn't be holing them back, in fact Penelope's actions force Sly to un-retire thus would the opposite effect of what she supposedly wanted. While there was foreshadowing such as her disappearance prior to the beginning of the game and the mouse emblem thought the level where the twist is revealed, nothing hinted she's angry and bitter at the Cooper gang instead of being held against her will and forced to assist Le Paradox.]]

* FanDislikedExplanation: [[spoiler:Penelope’s reasoning for turning on the Gang, which essentially boils down to feeling she was living in the shadow of Sly. Fans naturally found this ridiculous as, before the events of the game, Sly had essentially retired and had left Bentley and her to have a happy life away from crime. Not only that, Sly had entrusted Bentley and Penelope to safeguard his family's ancestral Vault, she was ''part of his legacy and extended family'', and Sly had shared more than enough wealth and prestige with her. So her just up and throwing it all away for a sudden inferiority complex didn’t make a lick of sense.]]

* FanWank: [[spoiler:Penelope’s]] ShockingSwerve FaceHeelTurn. Fans have tried to handwave it by saying that they are either brainwashed or a clone.
* FanonDiscontinuity: As you can guess from many of the other entries here, fans don’t want to acknowledge ''Thieves in Time'' as canon anymore for the cited reasons below.

* ShockingSwerve: The reveal about what ''actually'' happened [[spoiler:to Penelope and why she went missing prior to the beginning of the game]] not only came out of nowhere, but seriously ticked off a sizable portion of the fanbase. Throughout the entire game, you're given absolutely no clues that [[spoiler:she left of her own free will]]. While the level in which this twist is revealed blatantly hints that the plot point will be ''dealt with'' (via [[spoiler:all the mouse emblems and such]]), there’s absolutely zero foreshadowing that [[spoiler:she’s angry and bitter at the Cooper Gang instead of being held against her will and forced to assist Le Paradox]].