History YMMV / SlyCooperThievesInTime

** As entries above and below will tell you, [[spoiler:some consider Penelope's betrayal to be a fitting development for the character given how she already had a history of being a villain in disguise, and some despise the twist for [[ShipSinking sinking]] Bentley's happy relationship with her and derailing her previous characterization completely. There's also a third camp who believes that the Penelope twist was an interesting idea ''in concept'' (for example, it could put Penelope in a unique position as a character, see TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot for more details), but that it was [[AssPull poorly executed]] in the game proper, and ultimately came off as a cheap twist for shock value.

* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: Gameplay wise, fans and 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 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.

** [[spoiler:Penelope became one of the most polarizing characters in the series after what happened during this game. Her actions in ''Honor Among 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.]]

** As entries above and below will tell you, [[spoiler:some consider Penelope's betrayal to be a fitting development for the character given how she already had a history of being a villain in disguise, and some despise the twist for [[ShipSinking sinking]] Bentley's happy relationship with her and derailing her previous characterization completely. There's also a third camp who believes that the Penelope twist was an interesting idea ''in concept'' (for example, it could put Penelope in a unique position as a character, see TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot for more details), but that it was [[AssPull poorly executed]] in the game proper, coming off as a cheap twist for shock value.]]

* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: 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. It is the ''story'' which garnered complaints, largely due to pacing issues and the resulting 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.

* 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]] despite being built up as a scary and mysterious villain, 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.]]

* BreatherBoss: The Black Knight, despite being a SequentialBoss, is considerably easier than both Toothpick and The Grizz beforehand. And unlike ''all'' other bosses in the game, their mission consists simply of the boss fight and nothing else, so it also qualifies as a BreatherLevel.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Carmelita's voice was criticized in both [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves the second]] and [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves third games]] for not attempting to give her a Latina accent, something that’s been part of the character since [[VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus the beginning]]. For this game they brought said accent back.

* NightmareRetardant: The Lantern Guards from "Of Mice and Mechs". They look like absolutely horrifying cyborg wolf beasts, that is until they start talking about going to company picnics or having some drinks at the nearby tavern.

* NightmareRetardant: The Lantern Guards from "Of Mice and Mechs". They look like absolutely horrifying cyborg wolf beasts, that is until they start talking about going to company picnics orhaving some drinks at the nearby tavern.

* CriticalResearchFailure: Bentley states that Henriette Cooper, Sly's pirate ancestor, found Sinbad's hoard of treasure in 1616. In real life, however, UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy didn't begin until the 1650s and lasted until the mid-1720s. Going by how elements people most associate with {{pirates}} such as the Jolly Roger flag were most prominent in the early eighteenth century, it would've made more sense for ''17''16 to be the year she found Sinbad's hoard instead.

* CriticalResearchFailure: Bentley states that Henriette Cooper, Sly's pirate ancestor, found Sinbad's hoard of treasure in 1616. In real life, however, UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy didn't begin until the 1650s and lasted until the mid-1720s. Going by how elements people most associate with {{piracy}} such as the Jolly Roger flag were most prominent in the early eighteenth century, it would've made more sense for ''17''16 to be the year she found Sinbad's hoard instead.

* CriticalDissonance: While most reviews for the game were very favorable, the fandom's reactions ended up extremely mixed due to the plot (especially with [[spoiler:Penelope's]] sudden FaceHeelTurn), and it's generally a ContestedSequel.

* FanDislikedExplanation: What little explanation given regarding [[spoiler:Penelope's]] FaceHeelTurn treats them as having been a {{Yandere}} and TheSociopath who [[EvilAllAlong was faking their prior niceness]] who [[spoiler:wanted to eliminate Sly Cooper (and possibly Murray) for holding back her genius boyfriend Bentley back, whom it she only "loved" out of planning to use him for making billions in weapon designs and/or world domination]]. This was panned to the point of {{overshadow|edByControversy}}ing the rest off the game (save [[AudienceAlienatingEnding the ending]]) for completely contradicting their priorly established character and motives this game[[labelnote:Spoiler]]The [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves previous game]] portrayed Penelope as a straight-up NiceGirl even compared to the other thieves Sly teamed up with, being [[ItsAllMyFault guilt-ridden]] when Murray was captured due to her plan. Despite seeing Bentley's genius firsthand only showed romantic feelings toward him after he rescued her from pirates, crushing on Sly until then. By this point Sly had retired from crime and thus wouldn't be holding them back until her actions forced Sly to un-retire, meaning her EvilPlan was contradictory to her alleged goals. There was nothing suggesting she was/developed bitterness or resentment to Sly prior.[[/labelnote]].Even the [[BrokenBase portion of fans]] accepting the twist believe it would have been more plausible and interesting if they were portrayed as having [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope slipped into such evilness]] between appearances.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The heavy criticism regarding [[spoiler:Penelope's poorly done FaceHeelTurn]] so blighted the game's reputation, despite its gameplay and most of the rest of the story being well-received, that once it was announced its cliffhanger [[ScrewedByTheNetwork wasn't going to see a resolution]], fans were quick to [[FanonDiscontinuity disown the game]].

* MisBlamed: Sanzaru Games alone is oft solely blamed for the game being a FranchiseKiller ending on a cliffhanger. However, they did want to follow up on it via DLC, and it was ''Sony'' who refused to allow them to continue with the series. Additionally, [[WesternAnimation/SlyCooper2016 other Sly Cooper project]] went into DevelopmentHell due to the unrelated circumstance of ''WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank2016'' being a BoxOfficeBomb. While Sanzaru's not blameless, there were factors and decisions outside of their control that contributed to the series ending on the bad note it did.

* 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 [[AssPull completely contradicting their characterization]] prior, believing it would be more plausible and interesting if they [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope slipped into villainy]] between games.

* 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. 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 giving time travel to Le Paradox causes Bentley to regroup the Cooper Gang and leads directly to Sly un-retiring, 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 this game or ''Honor Among Thieves'' hinted she's angry and bitter at the Cooper Gang instead of being held against her will and forced to assist Le Paradox]].

* AudienceAlienatingEnding: It's cliffhanger ending was always contentious, but once it was announced there would be no sequels retroactively turning it into a DownerEnding for the franchise what fans it had wound up disowning and rejecting the game, with backlash over the ending and how it tanked creator Sanzaru Games reputation.
* AuthorsSavingThrow: Carmelita's voice was criticized in both [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves the second]] and [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves third games]] for not attempting to give her a Latina accent, something that’s been part of the character since [[VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus the beginning]]. For this game they brought said accent back.

* MisBlamed: Sanzaru Games alone is oft solely blamed for the game being a FranchiseKiller ending on a cliffhanger. However they did want to follow up on it via DLC, it was Sony who refused to allow them to continue with the series. Also the [[WesternAnimation/SlyCooper2016 other Sly Cooper project]] went into DevelopmentHell due to the unrelated circumstance of ''WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank2016'' being a BoxOfficeBomb. While Sanzaru's not blameless, there were factors and decisions outside of their control that contributed to the series ending on the bad note it did.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The heavy criticism regarding [[spoiler:Penelope's poorly done FaceHeelTurn]] so blighted the game despite it's gameplay and most of the rest of the story being well received once it was announced it's cliffhanger would [[ScrewedByTheNetwork no foreseeable resolution]] most fans have already [[FanonDiscontinuity disowned the game]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Carmelita’s voice was criticized in both [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves the second]] and [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves third games]] for not attempting to give her a Latina accent, something that’s been part of the character since [[VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus the beginning]]. For this game they brought said accent back.
* 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 giving time travel to Le Paradox causes Bentley to regroup the Cooper Gang and leads directly to Sly un-retiring, 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 this game or ''Honor Among Thieves'' hinted she's angry and bitter at the Cooper Gang instead of being held against her will and forced to assist Le Paradox]].

* MisBlamed: Sanzaru alone is oft solely blamed for the game being a FranchiseKiller ending on a cliffhanger. However they did want to follow up on it via DLC, it was Sony who refused to allow them to continue with the series. Also the [[WesternAnimation/SlyCooper2016 other Sly Cooper project]] went into DevelopmentHell due to the unrelated circumstance of ''WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank2016'' being a BoxOfficeBomb. While Sanzaru's not blameless, there were factors and decisions outside of their control that contributed to the series ending on the bad note it did.
* MoralEventHorizon: Le Paradox gets this when he [[spoiler:[[KickTheDog abandons Ms. Decibel]], his supposed love interest, [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty gets all creepy-feely towards a kidnapped Carmelita]], and [[EvilGloating smugly gloats]] about it all the while.]] And if ''that'' wasn't enough to make him completely irredeemable, he [[spoiler:repays Sly for saving him from falling to his death at the end of the game by stealing his paraglider and [[WoundedGazelleGambit leaving him to die on the crashing blimp]].]]

* OvershadowedByControversy: The heavy criticism regarding [[spoiler:Penelope’s poorly done FaceHeelTurn and the major DownerEnding with [[ScrewedByTheNetwork no foreseeable resolution]]]] has blighted the game to fans despite the rest of the story and gameplay being largely well received.

* 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.

* 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.

** 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 similar to 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 also lied to Sly about him being her partner, but she never gets called out on it.]] And that's not even getting into her redesign or her SpicyLatina traits [[{{Flanderization}} being given more spotlight]].

** 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 female character in her own right who just happened to be good-looking. The presence of [[spoiler:the belly dancing mini-game from the last episode (which is both beloved and loathed by different camps) and her kidnapping at the end of the game]] didn't help with this discourse at all.

* FanficFuel: Since it is unlikely that a fifth game will be made in the foreseeable future, 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]].

* CriticalBacklash: Despite the game's backlash and [[FanonDiscontinuity disownment]] becoming more and more vocal over time, even today there are still some fans who consider ''Thieves in Time'' to still be an enjoyable experience or at least not a ''bad'' game outright, even if still acknowledging that it has a lot of story or even gameplay flaws. Some reasons include these fans originally being introduced to ''Sly Cooper'' through it, the Cooper ancestors, the art style or potentially appreciating some good ideas it had.

** [[EnsembleDarkHorse Dimitri]] was shown to have learned how to be as nimble and sneaky as Sly himself in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2e7EwnRPnI the game's E3 2011 announcement trailer]], and he was even the first character to be shown throughout the entire trailer, but he doesn't get to put any of those Cooper abilities he showed to use in the actual game, as the Cooper Gang asked him to stay in the present and watch over the Thievius Raccoonus. Even that role is minimal at best; Dimitri only appears in a handful of cutscenes where he acts as MissionControl, and he does so with no dialogue (Sly simply summarizes what he says) despite his voice actor appearing in the game's credits.

** 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 also lied to Sly about him being her partner, but she never gets called out on it.]] And that's not even getting into her redesign or her SpicyLatina traits [[{{Flanderization}} being given more spotlight]].

** Dimitri is shown being given the Thievius Raccoonus and told to watch and guard it in the present day 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.

** 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.