PrinceWatercress plays Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time - Part 7 of 48

We take care of some Sly Mask collecting in Episode 1 before beginning work on Episode 2.

First | Previous | Next | End

Before we start Episode 2, we go back to Episode 1 for two Sly Masks. I mention them in the Secrets section below.

Episode 2: Go West Young Raccoon

Under Arrest

You'll need to play as Sly to start this job.

Sadly, Sherriff Toothpick already wants to hang Tennessee Kid high, so there's no time to waste. Sly will have to get himself arrested in order to find him and then break himself and Tennessee Kid Cooper out from within. In order to do that, Sly will have to gain "Outlaw" status by vandalizing posters of Toothpick's likeness to ensure being thrown into the maximum security wing.

Use L3 to get to the posters and banners with Toothpick on them, then interact with them with Circle to vandalize them. If there are enemies near them, get rid of them first.

The coyotes and rabbits here are the minor enemies, and the rabbits will spit fire and throw dynamite while the coyotes will shoot at you. The bulls are the flashlight guards, and they can attack with portable Gatling guns (which definitely did not exist in the Old West) in addition to hitting you with the guns.

The three items you can steal from the enemies here are the Gold Nugget, the Deputy Badge and the Silver Belt Buckle.

To go forward on the rails, always remember that you drive on the right side of the road with the Rail Slide here. Just watch for the train, because it will kill you upon impact.

Once you vandalize all six posters, you'll finally get under Toothpick's skin. From here, you'll need to find a display case with a rare imported Cuban lollipop that tastes like rice and beans. Use L3 and the radar to find that lollipop, then go up to it and take it.

Once you take the lollipop, use L3 and the radar to find the next marker. Bentley will tell Sly to take the "Viva Toothpick!" banner down in order to make Toothpick lose his cool. You'll need to climb and Rail Walk your way up to the banner, then smack the clothespins with Square to knock them off. Toothpick will catch Sly in the act, and Sly will get himself arrested. You'll also get the Jailbird Costume, which is going to be pretty useful where you're going.

Jailhouse Blues

You'll need to play as Bentley to get this job started. Sly will be unplayable until you get this job done.

When you get to the marker, you'll need to start going from marker to marker and taking pictures with the Binocucom. You'll be taking pictures of the prison tower, the arsenal and the back wall. Once you do that, you'll switch to Sly.

Sly will get taken to the cell where Tennessee Kid Cooper is held. When Sly tells Tennessee who he is, Tennessee does not take kindly to anyone jokingly using his family name. This is your chance to prove yourself to him. With the Jailhouse Costume, you can throw the ball and chain connected to Sly with the Square button. Just like with the Samurai costume, however, Sly moves slowly in this costume. 

Destroy the prison cell wall with the marker on it by throwing the ball and chain at it, then walk off the edge. From here, you'll need to use the ball and chain from the Jailbird costume into the giant crates with the flashing lights on them. Be sure to look around, as there is a room with a lot of coins in it. There are also spiders in this room, but you can switch out of the Jailbird costume to destroy them.

At one point, Tennessee Kid Cooper will stay put so you can push a crate into a pit of spikes to allow save package. You'll have to find a crawl space, crawl through it with Sly, and then knock the crate into the pit from there in order to continue.

The TNT barrels will kill you if you smack them, so don't do it.

From here, Tennessee Kid will have to carry some TNT around and you'll have to lead him to doors that he can blow up. Before you do that, go left to find an outhouse...and a Sly Mask. From here, knock the platform Tennessee Kid is standing on forward with the Jailbird ball and chain and rope walk forward.

In the next room, there will be searchlights moving back and forth. Push the coal carts forward with the ball and chain, then go up the stairs and jump from one cart to another without getting spotted by the searchlights. From here, hit the crate with the ball and chain to get to the next area.

In the next area, you'll need to push the melting pot forward, then catch up with it and hit it again. All the while, you'll need to avoid being burned by the flames that shoot out. If the vents that spit the flames open up, the hitboxes for the flames will activate immediately even before the flames are visible, so you'll need to be careful. You also want to make sure that there are no flames in the way when you knock the pot that Tennessee Kid Cooper is standing in forward, because if he gets hit, it is the same as you getting hit - with an added "Job Failed" message - and you'll be sent back a bit.

Once you get to the other side, you'll need to get over the laser fields. With the Jailbird costume, you can press R2 to get on top of the ball, then move with the left stick to perform the Ball Roll. Avoid the searchlights and the TNT barrels. When you get to the button, you'll get Tennessee Kid to the other side.

Next, you'll see a door with some kind of locking mechanism, and you'll have to push a block into it with the Jailbird costume's ball and chain to unlock the door. You'll need to move two coal crates into the corner, then move the block to where the door is in order to push the block forward and open the door. By pushing things, whatever gets pushed does not stop until they reach a wall or another obstacle. Thankfully, this part is pretty easy once you get it.

In the next section, you have more Ball Rolling. Get off the ball in the areas that don't have laser fields so you can push crates, and go slowly on the narrow paths. Once you hit the button, you'll remove all the laser fields, then you can push one more crate so that Tennessee Kid Cooper can pass through.

You'll soon blow up the wall, then Sly and Tennessee Kid Cooper will get the heck out of there once one of the guards catches winds. From here, Tennessee Kid tells the Cooper Gang what is going on: Toothpick stopped him from stealing all the gold in the bank heist that was supposed to be his claim to fame, then stole the money and framed Tennessee Kid Cooper even though Toothpick already had him locked up when the heist occurred. We also learn that Toothpick is from present-day Eastern Europe and that he has a strong love for gold and cowboy movies that spans his life. After successfully pulling off some bank heists, Toothpick vanished, but when he was given the opportunity to become an Old West gunslinger by a mysterious antagonist, Toothpick took it. Toothpick is also known as a loose cannon, which may prove to be big trouble...

Achievements:

Gunslinger: Reunite with Tennessee Kid Cooper in "Jailhouse Blues"

Collectibles:

Sly Mask #11: In Episode 1, stand on this Shuriken with Rioichi and use the Focus Jump to get to the island on the other side as well as the Sly Mask.

Sly Mask #12: Stand on the shuriken here as Rioichi and use the Focus Jump to get to the area on the other side for another Sly Mask.

Sly Mask #13: At this point in "Jailhouse Blues" in Episode 2, turn left and enter the outhouse (shed?) for a Sly Mask.

Sly Mask #14: There is another Sly Mask in this corner here in "Jailhouse Blues."

Controls:

Left analog stick: move

Right analog stick: move camera

X: Jump and double jump (hold X on second jump for hover jets as Bentley)

Square: attack

Circle: 

• interact (usually with anything that has sparkles) (Sly)
• steal from enemies (from behind) (Sly, Bentley, any of Sly's ancestors)

Triangle:

• knock enemies upwards (from behind; press Square to slam enemies down for stealth slam) (Sly, any of Sly's ancestors)
• press Circle after knocking enemy upward to perform Silent Obliteration (Sly; replaces Stealth Slam; must buy on ThiefNet)
• spin attack (hold to charge) (Sly)
• throw bombs (Bentley)
• Thunder Flop (in mid-air) (Murray)
• spin attack (hold to perform) (Murray)

L1: bomb aim (Bentley)

L2: equip costume (Sly)

• hold for costume select menu (Sly)
• hold down to stay in menu; use D-Pad or left stick to make selection
• hold for weapon select menu (Bentley)
• hold down to stay in menu; use D-Pad or left stick to make selection

L3: activate compass

R1: run (hold while moving to perform)

• Paraglide (Sly; in air; must buy on ThiefNet)
• Adrenaline Burst (Bentley; double tap to activate; must buy on ThiefNet)

R2: Focus Jump (Rioichi; hold and press X to perform Focus Jump when arrow appears while standing on spire)

R3: Binocucom

• Right analog stick: move
• Left analog stick: zoom in and out
• R1: take picture (when applicable) (Sly, Bentley)

Start: pause menu

Select: map

• Left analog stick: zoom in and out, switch between map and status
• Right analog stick: move map
• Circle: back

PrinceWatercress plays Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time - Part 6 of 48

In this entry, El Jefe falls. Unfortunately, the enemy gets their hands on what it wants - Rioichi's cane - but at least Feudal Japan is safe. Next stop: the Old West.

First | Previous | Next | End

Tiger Tail

You'll need to play as Bentley to start this job.

When you get the sleep ammo, any enemy that gets hit with a sleep dart will go down in one hit. This includes flashlight guards.

When you make it to the job marker, Bentley will launch his RC car and tail El Jefe. Use L3 and the arrow in front of you to see where you need to go. The left stick will help you steer, while X accelerates, Square reverses and Circle honks the horn. Pressing the L2 button will allow you to slip on the costume at a moment's notice so that the RC car looks like a chicken. While the costume allows you to get past the flashlights held by the flashlight guards, you go slightly slower while in costume. You only have a minute to catch up to El Jefe, so you'll need to be both careful and quick to get to him.

You can boost with L1 and you can shoot missiles with R1. You can hit enemies with the missiles, but if you do this, you'll get caught and you'll have to start this part of the job over. It does, however, let you get crates and other obstacles out of your way.

When you catch up to El Jefe with seconds to spare, El Jefe will mention his new statue fortress and mention that the switch for the palace gate is under the bridge, unaware Bentley is spying on him.

From here, you'll need to follow El Jefe. Once again, use L3 to see where you need to go and pay attention for signs with arrows to see where to turn next. Once again, you'll catch up with El Jefe with only a few seconds to spare. El Jefe will mention that his dragon gates are invincible as long as his lazy guard is not distracted by sushi, and that the switches for them are inside the mouth. Once again, Bentley has information and El Jefe doesn't know it.

You'll then need to follow the arrow to find El Jefe. The RC car is almost caught, but it is disguised as a chicken at the last second. El Jefe them mentions that he must find Rioichi so he can get a package to "the boss." Afterwards, Bentley - disguised as Madame Geisha - meets El Jefe. When El Jefe bows, Murray takes the plans from him and tosses them to Bentley, completing the job.

Altitude Sickness

You'll have to play as Sly to start this job.

When you get to the job marker, you'll get a briefing from Bentley. With the guards out like a light thanks to Rioichi's tainted sushi rolls, you'll need to open the dragon gates. You'll then need to open the palace gate, and you'll need to create a diversion at the bridge so that Rioichi can get to the switch and open the gate. From there, El Jefe is ours.

Once you're back to playing as Sly, pickpocket the guy ahead of you to get the Skeleton Key, then hit him with Silent Obliteration. As for the gates, go up to the keys and run on the wooden treadmills while holding R1 to open the dragons' mouths. When the mouths shoot fireballs, deflect the fireballs back with the samurai costume. Once you deflect the fireballs back into the mouths, you'll open the dragon gates and be able to make your way through.

Once you're through, you'll see a giant airship complete with giant time travel clocks similar to the one on the Cooper Gang van.

When you make it to the bridge, you'll have to fight a bunch of rat guards. The Cooper Gang will take on the enemies while Rioichi makes for the switch under the bridge. You'll play as Murray, and you and the rest of the gang will have to take down fifteen rat guards. Thankfully, any enemies Sly or Bentley take care of will be added to the turtle, so get to the nearest enemy and just pound on them.

After you take care of fifteen rat guards, you'll play as Rioichi. Jump from platform to platform and use the Focus Jump, then run on the wooden treadmill to open a path on the other side of the bridge. Run down the bridge with Sly. Rioichi will try to catch up, but he will be caught by El Jefe, who takes Rioichi's Cane and sets the bridge on fire. Sly will go after El Jefe while everyone stays behind.

Spire jump your way to the other side. When you reach the double doors, don't go in right away; instead, go left as soon as you are able to find another Sly Mask.

Once you go through the double doors, you'll go after El Jefe, who will start shooting fireballs and setting the path leading to the top of his statue on fire. Spire jump and rope walk to get to El Jefe, then chase after him without burning yourself. You'll then have to battle him.

On the first phase, jump over the shockwave, then run to the side to avoid the line of electricity that El Jefe moves across the arena. When he rears his sword back, jump to avoid the lightning slash. After this, he will slash the ground with his swords; equip the Samurai Costume and deflect the fireball that he throws at you back at him. Once you hit him, get in close and smack him with the Square button until he knocks you back. Never get right up to him if he is not stunned.

After this, you will have to jump over two shockwaves. Once again, run to the side to avoid the lightning, then jump to avoid the lightning slash and send the fireball back at him with the Samurai Armor so you can smack him around again.

As you go from checkpoint to checkpoint, take care not to run into fire or fall into the pit below.

For the second phase, use the Samurai Armor to keep the wall of fire from killing you, then run to the side while jumping over the domes of electricity to avoid the line of lightning that El Jefe moves around. From here, you'll need to jump over the thunder slash, then use the Samurai Armor to send the fireball back at him before smacking him around again. After this, the pattern repeats, but you'll need to jump over two lightning slashes instead of one before you can send a fireball back at him. After this, he only does the lightning slash the one time.

For the third phase, use the Samurai Armor to keep the wall of fire from killing you, then run to the side while jumping over the domes of electricity to avoid the line of lightning, just like in the beginning of the second phase. You'll have to jump over two thunder slashes before sending a fireball back at him. After this, use the Samurai Armor to avoid the wall of fire again, then immediately take it off and get ready to jump over the lightning from El Jefe's spin attack. You'll then have to jump over two lightning slashes again before hitting El Jefe with one more fireball and whittling down the last of his health.

After El Jefe falls, two rat guards cover for him and take the cane over to the airship while a shadowy figure watches, and one of the rat guards drops a sheriff's badge before the blimp zaps into the time stream. El Jefe is taken to Interpol and jailed somehow, and the Cooper Gang finds out that the Old West is the next place to go to, as Tennessee Kid Cooper's exploits in the Thievius Raccoonus are now being altered. Tennessee Kid Cooper is a famous outlaw responsible for some of the most daring of Cooper lore as well as the innovator of the rail slide and rail walk, but he has now been jailed by a new corrupt sheriff in town: an armadillo named Toothpick. In order to save Tennessee Kid Cooper, they will have to break him out from within.

With Episode 1 completed, you can now go back to Feudal Japan to pick up anything you missed. We will do this in the next video.

Abilities:

Sleep Ammo (Bentley): This lets you throw sleep bombs and shoot sleep darts at enemies. (To switch bomb and dart types, press and hold L2, then use the left stick or D-Pad to make your selection; release L2 to exit menu.)

Adrenaline Burst (Bentley): Double tap R1 to boost away from enemy. (Uses Gadget Meter.)

Bomb Kick (Bentley): Dropping a bomb and then pressing Square while in front of it allows you to kick the bomb forward.

Shock Ammo (Bentley): Allows Bentley to throw electric bombs and shoot electrical darts.

Silent Obliteration (Sly): This replaces and gets rid of the Stealth Slam. Knock an enemy into the air from behind with Triangle, then press Circle to move them into a black hole and silently get rid of them. Unlike the Stealth Slam, this move will not alert other enemies.

Looty Shake (Murray): Allows Bentley to get more coins as well as item drops whenever he shakes an enemy after grabbing them.

Achievements:

Low Calorie Sushi: Beat El Jefe in Episode 1.

Collectibles:

Sly Mask #9: As soon as you start "Altitude Sickness," turn around and go left to find a Sly Mask.

Sly Mask #10: Turn left before the double doors leading to El Jefe in "Altitude Sickness" to get another Sly Mask.

Controls:

Left analog stick: move

Right analog stick: move camera

X: Jump and double jump (hold X on second jump for hover jets as Bentley)

Square: attack

Circle: 

• interact (usually with anything that has sparkles) (Sly)
• steal from enemies (from behind) (Sly, Bentley, any of Sly's ancestors)

Triangle:

• knock enemies upwards (from behind; press Square to slam enemies down for stealth slam) (Sly)
• press Circle after knocking enemy upward to perform Silent Obliteration (Sly; replaces Stealth Slam; must buy on ThiefNet)
• spin attack (hold to charge) (Sly)
• throw bombs (Bentley)
• Thunder Flop (in mid-air) (Murray)
• spin attack (hold to perform) (Murray)

L1: bomb aim (Bentley)

L2: equip costume (Sly)

• hold for costume select menu (Sly)
• hold down to stay in menu; use D-Pad or left stick to make selection
• hold for weapon select menu (Bentley)
• hold down to stay in menu; use D-Pad or left stick to make selection

L3: activate compass

R1: run (hold while moving to perform)

• Paraglide (Sly; in air; must buy on ThiefNet)
• Adrenaline Burst (Bentley; double tap to activate; must buy on ThiefNet)

R2: Focus Jump (Rioichi; hold and press X to perform Focus Jump when arrow appears while standing on spire)

R3: Binocucom

• Right analog stick: move
• Left analog stick: zoom in and out
• R1: take picture (when applicable) (Sly)

Start: pause menu

Select: map

• Left analog stick: zoom in and out, switch between map and status
• Right analog stick: move map
• Circle: back

PrinceWatercress plays Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time - Part 5 of 48

Well, at least this video isn't as long as the last few have been. Expect the video lengths to keep fluctuating, though.

First | Previous | Next | End

Something's Fishy

You'll need to play as Murray to start this job.

When you get to the job marker, Murray will meet up with Bentley to do some fishing for the sushi house to get Rioichi back on track. In order to get to the fishing hole, however, Bentley will have to hack a computer terminal. When Bentley hacks into it, you'll get a brand new hacking mini-game: Alter Ego.

Alter Ego is a horizontal shmup-style mini-game where you move around in eight directions with the left stick and shoot in all directions with the right stick. It's another twin stick shooter, and one where you'll have to pay attention to quite a few things if you want to survive. Along the way, you'll be shooting down enemies that fly around and enemies that stick to surfaces to fire at you much like turrets. Thankfully, there are power-ups along the way.

The yellow stars will power up your guns when you pick five of them up. As you go from level to level, you'll upgrade your weaponry to be even faster and stronger, and you'll also be able to shoot things such as homing missiles at enemies. If you get hit by an enemy at any time, however, you'll go down one level. The maximum level you can reach is Level 10.

The blue stars act as logic bombs that can blow up anything nearby. To use one, you'll need to collect one first, then press R1 to detonate it. The logic bombs not only helps with all the purple slime walls that you have to shoot our of your way to get to power-ups and other things, but also against groups of enemies such as the one-eyed aliens that are flying around. These bombs are especially useful against any slime enemies that hang out on surfaces and snipe at you, as it can sometimes take a bit of effort to get rid of them.

The big red starts will immediately raise you one whole level, and you won't find them often. Grab them if you see them!

You'll also find health along the way, too, assuming you'll need it.

At the end, you'll face a big, flying one-eyed boss. Keep shooting at the eye, and when it closes, be ready to dodge and stay near a wall so that the green laser that comes out of the eye does not hit you. If you have any logic bombs, feel free to get in close when the boss is not attack and detonate them for big damage. Once you defeat the boss, the hacking mini-game is done. You'll be able to get in.

Once you're in the Sashimi Caverns, turn around to get a Sly Mask. After that, you'll need to follow the path and break things along the way for coins. At the next gate near the dragon statues, keep pressing Circle to get the gate open. Afterwards, you'll have to open another gate to get to the fishing hole much like you did last time. 

To get past the lightning bugs, you'll need to hit the glowing orange plant with Murray's normal attacks in order to attract the bugs to the flower and get them out of the way. Quickly make your way forwards, and watch out for the spikes before lifting another gate. Move quickly across the lily pads so that they do not sink when you are moving across them.

To hit the glowing yellow plant from a distance, you'll need to go up to the rock dropping machine nearby and press Circle to stomp, then throw the rock at the flower as normal. Hop on the spider web trampolines to ensure they do not break as you make your way to the fishing hole. If you need to, hit the nearby frogs for a few more coins.

At the fishing hole, Bentley with fish using his magnet. You'll need to use motion controls to move the magnet around, and when a fish is near, it will change color and the magnet will react. Keep moving the magnet so that it stays near the fish, and when the fish turns red, you'll get the prompt to press X to catch the fish. You'll have 90 seconds to catch eight fish, and if you know how to tilt the control well enough, you'll do just fine.

On the return trip, you'll have to take the basket full of fish with you. If you drop the fish, you will get sent back to the last checkpoint. If you need to grab something else, like a rock to throw at the glowing orange plant, find the cart and throw the bucket of fish to it so you can keep the fish safe. From there, you can stomp near the cart to get the fish back again. Watch out for the spikes and the gaps in the floor. At the end, throw the fish bucket into the cart to complete the job.

Spiked Sushi

At this point, you have two jobs to pick from: "Tiger Tail" with Bentley and "Spiked Sushi" with Rioichi. For this video, we'll be playing "Spiked Sushi."

The job marker will be near a doorway in a cave, and it is here that you will enter to start the next job: find a poisonous Spiky Wall Climber high up on the cave walls and get some samples to spike some sushi so that the guards will fall asleep when they eat it. 

At ground level, you'll meet the rat guards from the prologue again. Believe it or not, these guys have their own treasures if you can find any with shiny pockets and can pickpocket them (thankfully, Rioichi can pickpocket like Sly). Those treasures are the Tomato Juice Box, the Swiss Cheese and the Gas Grenade. You won't see the rat guards often, so pickpocket them for treasures when you get the opportunity.

For one of the two samples, you'll need to hit a glowing orange plant between two spike traps to attract the lightning bugs, then climb your way up to the Sticky Wall Climber, strike it and interact with it with Circle to extract the poison.

For the other poison plant seed, you'll have to take another path and climb your way up, then swing across some hooks as you go from platform to platform and use the Focus Jump to get to the other plant. Once you strike the plant, you'll have the other seed and you will complete the job.

Abilities:

Elbo El Drop'o Combo (Murray): Quickly press Square, then Triangle for a dashing punch.

Mega Charge Attack (Murray): A charge attack for Murray. Pretty much like Sly's charge attack. Hold Triangle, then release for a few dashing strikes.

El Drop'o (Murray): Press Square in mid-air to perform an elbow drop.

Collectibles:

Sly Mask #8: After you enter the Sashimi Caverns in "Something's Fishy," turn around at the entrance for a Sly Mask.

Trophies:

Downgrade: Play through an entire "Alter Ego" hacking segment without powering up your weapons.

Controls:

Left analog stick: move

Right analog stick: move camera

X: Jump and double jump (hold X on second jump for hover jets as Bentley)

Square: attack

Circle: 

• interact (usually with anything that has sparkles) (Sly)
• steal from enemies (from behind) (Sly, Bentley, any of Sly's ancestors)

Triangle:

• knock enemies upwards (from behind; press Square to slam enemies down for stealth slam) (Sly)
• spin attack (hold to charge) (Sly)
• throw bombs (Bentley)
• Thunder Flop (in mid-air) (Murray)
• spin attack (hold to perform) (Murray)

L1: bomb aim (Bentley)

L2: equip costume (Sly)

• hold for costume select menu (Sly)
• hold down to stay in menu; use D-Pad or left stick to make selection

L3: activate compass

R1: run (hold while moving to perform)

- Paraglide (Sly; in air; must buy on ThiefNet)

R2: Focus Jump (Rioichi; hold and press X to perform Focus Jump when arrow appears while standing on spire)

R3: Binocucom

• Right analog stick: move
• Left analog stick: zoom in and out
• R1: take picture (when applicable) (Sly)

Start: pause menu

Select: map

• Left analog stick: zoom in and out, switch between map and status
• Right analog stick: move map
• Circle: back

PrinceWatercress plays Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time - Part 4 of 48

In this entry, we get our first shot as playing as one of Sly's ancestors, which is a bit of a nice touch for this game.

First | Previous | Next | End

Sushi House Startup

You'll be starting this one as Sly.

There is fodder such as chicken in stages that you can hit for money, and if you need health, they can randomly drop it much like the enemies and anything that contains coins. Keep that in mind.

For this job, you'll be reclaiming the sushi restaurant. Unfortunately, the front entrance is the only way in, and you'll have to be in disguise in order to get in, even if El Jefe does not want anyone going in or out. Put on the samurai armor and approach the entrance, and Sly will dismiss the guards and help Rioichi get in.

Once Rioichi is in, you'll need to find Rioichi's kitchen utensils in order to get further into the restaurant. Once you start using the spire jump that Rioichi himself perfected, you'll learn the Focus Jump. To do that, you'll need to be standing on a spire point, then you need to hold R2 and jump. If you see a brown arrow pointing at something while you are holding R2, you can continue to hold R2 and press X to jump to it. You'll have to be looking at the point that you want to jump to before you can use the Focus Jump, however.

You'll eventually reach another room in the sushi house. Watch out for the spotlights, as you will be zapped if you get caught. As for the guard, get behind him and pickpocket him to get the carving knife, then go up to the door and press Circle to open one of the locks with the carving knife. If you want, you can perform a stealth slam on the guard much like you did with Sly. The Cooper ancestors all have stealth slams, and each ancestor does theirs a specific way. 

From here, you'll need to spire jump onto the horns of the rhino statues and use the Focus Jump to get across the laser grid. Wait for the guard to fall asleep, then get past him. At the spotlight, jump off the trampoline and get on the metal bar to get to the next guard and pickpocket the fillet knife from him. Use it to unlock the next door.

To get past the laser trap, spire jump onto the nearby bonsai tree, then Focus Jump from one bonsai tree to another so that you don't run into the moving lasers on the way to the other side. Make sure you do not waste too much time on the bonsai tree, as they will break under your weight and send you crashing into the laser grid where you will get shocked and forced to start the section over. In the next room, get up top and stay there are ou go around the room to another area. 

After another laser trap, pickpocket the guard that you see so you can get the cleaver. Stealth slam the guard if you wish, then unlock the nearby door. Before you pull the lever, climb up the nearby pole to find a Sly Mask. After that, you can pull the lever to turn on the ovens and lights. The sushi house is open again. You're done here.

Pretty In Pinker

You'll need to play as Rioichi to start this job.

The ancestors have charge attacks that you can execute by holding Triangle and then releasing it when the whirring sound stops. Riochi's charge attacks allow him to throw shurikens a short distance.

To use a hook, latch onto one with Circle, then hold Down on the left analog stick. When you're ready to launch upwards, immediately move the left stick up and jump at the same time to get a big jump. While I do it here with Rioichi, Sly can also perform this move.

For this job, Bentley reveals that El Jefe only goes outside to head to the Geisha House to talk to Madame Geisha, and the Geisha House is usually locked up tight. At the moment, however, Madame Geisha is on vacation, but El Jefe does not know this. The plan this time is to break into the Geisha House and steal her costume so that somebody can disguise themselves as Madame Geisha. The only way to get in will be through the roof, and this is where Rioichi comes in.

Get to the roof of the Geisha House and press Circle at the hatch to drop in. You'll find out that Madame Geisha's costume is under glass, and the container for the costume is only opened remotely. Rioichi will have to find and active the control devices in order to get the costume.

Go up to the balcony and make your way through the doorway. From here, you'll need to watch out for the spotlights as you follow the path, as some of them can move suddenly. The rats and frogs act as fodder that give coins and health. At the areas where you have to use the focus jump to get across the pools of water, watch for the searchlights so they do not spot you. You'll eventually have to go to ground level when you see the fans, but if you spire jump onto the fans and break the boxes at the platform on the other side, you'll find a Sly Mask.

From that Sly Mask, drop down. and make sure not to alert the rat guards. You'll need to enter the doorway to the side and quickly use the Focus Jump to get across the pool of water without getting crushed by the metal crushers. Drop down in the next room and carefully Focus Jump across to the other side, then jump over the lasers on the laser field. In the next room, walk across the pipes and avoid the flames, which will burn you and take you back to the beginning of the section. You'll find a computer on the other side; press Circle at it to start a hacking mini-game.

This mini-game is a different one, as you will have to use the SixAxis motion controls of the PS3 controller's gyroscope in order to move the ball from the beginning to the end before time runs out. There will be quite a few things that will bump you around and there will be pits, but these motion control minigames are doable, if a bit frustrating. The purple icons add two seconds to your time, and can be worth a lot if you find and pick up a bunch of them at once.

As you go, you will see narrow, rope-like tracks that you can travel across, and sometimes, you will see them in pairs. You can switch between them by pressing the D-Pad in the direction of the nearest track.

If you fall down at any point in these motion control mini-games, you'll be sent back to the start and you'll have to start all over.

Once you beat this hacking mini-game, you'll be able to unlock the door at the top of the container holding the geisha costume. Once you're done, continue down the path and climb towards the top of the container. Murray will drop in and break the container, but when the smoke clears, Murray will already be in geisha costume.

From here, you'll have a rhythm-based mini-game. You'll have to press the buttons in time when they move onto the squares on the right side of the bar, and the bar itself will pulsate to the beat of the music so you'll have an idea of when to press the button when it is above the square. If you miss any buttons or if a button press is off, you will lose health. If you lose too much health, you'll be caught out and you'll have to start all over. If you do well enough at these, you'll be able to get some bonus coins along the way.

Unlike the PS2 sequels, where the length of these things were just right and they were actually enjoyable without veering towards being over-the-top, the mini-games have about as much cringe as something out of a PG-rated movie, and because of that, I don't necessarily like these kinds of mini-games in this fourth game compared to what was going on in the PS2 games, especially the sequels.

After three rounds of this, the boar guards will just sit there completely mesmerized, and you'll be able to escape and get back to the hideout. This job is complete.

Abilities:

Cane Swat Combo (Sly): Press Square, then Triangle for a two-hit combo. The second hit shoots a projectile a short distance forward.

Mega Charge Attack (Sly): Holding Triangle and releasing it when the charge is finished unleashes an even stronger attack.

Collectibles: 

Sly Mask #5 - Use the focus jump at the beginning of "Sushi House Startup" to get to a platform away from where you need to go in order to find a Sly Mask.

Sly Mask #6 - Before pulling the lever at the end of "Sushi House Startup," climb the nearby pole to find a Sly Mask.

Sly Mask #7 - At these fans in "Pretty In Pinker," Focus Jump across the fans and break the boxes at the platform on the other side to find a Sly Mask.

Controls:

Left analog stick: move

Right analog stick: move camera

X: Jump and double jump (hold X on second jump for hover jets as Bentley)

Square: attack

Circle: 

• interact (usually with anything that has sparkles) (Sly)
• steal from enemies (from behind) (Sly, Bentley)

Triangle:

• knock enemies upwards (from behind; press Square to slam enemies down for stealth slam) (Sly)
• spin attack (hold to charge) (Sly)
• throw bombs (Bentley)
• Thunder Flop (in mid-air) (Murray)
• spin attack (hold to perform) (Murray)

L1: bomb aim (Bentley)

L2: equip costume (Sly)

• hold for costume select menu (Sly)
• hold down to stay in menu; use D-Pad or left stick to make selection

L3: activate compass

R1: run (hold while moving to perform)

• Paraglide (Sly; in air; must buy on ThiefNet)

R2: Focus Jump (Rioichi; hold and press X to perform Focus Jump when arrow appears while standing on spire)

R3: Binocucom

• Right analog stick: move
• Left analog stick: zoom in and out
• R1: take picture (when applicable) (Sly)

Start: pause menu

Select: map

• Left analog stick: zoom in and out, switch between map and status
• Right analog stick: move map
• Circle: back

PrinceWatercress plays Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time - Part 3 of 48

Now that we've found all of the Clue Bottles in the first episode, the real work begins. Here, we do some photo reconnaissance before springing Rioichi out of prison.

First | Previous | Next | End

Photo Op

You'll need to play as Sly to start this one.

Character markers in the hub world dictate where you go to start jobs, much like in the PS2 sequels. To more easily find them, press the L3 button to find out where you need to go to start a job.

Unlike in the previous games, the game tells you who has a job when, and unlike the previous games, you have to do the jobs one at a time in order, rarely deviating. Not only that, but the jobs are going to be a bit longer due to how everything is handled in-game.

In order to bust Rioichi out of jail, you'll need to take some pictures, which is something that those who has played the PS2 games should be used to by now. You'll need some photos of the prison entrance and the samurai armor that the flashlight enemies are wearing, as well as photos of the sushi restaurant.

Also, Sly and Bentley joke around here more than they do in the previous games. Get used to this being a thing.

If you haven't bought the Paraglider yet, do it now. The sooner you get this, the better off you'll be.

The first thing you'll be doing is getting pictures of the boar guards with the armor, followed by the prison entrance, the dragon gates, the sushi restaurant and the geisha house. Unlike the previous games, you have to move with the right analog stick and zoom in and out with the left analog stick, which is the reverse of what the PS2 games did.

When the target reticle on a target turns yellow, you're close. You'll need to move or zoom to get a better view. When the reticle turns green, you're in position to take a picture with the R1 button. To find targets, use the radar on the lower-right corner as well as the L3 button.

When you get the photo of the geisha house, you'll soon meet your first boss: El Jefe, a military general wanted by Interpol who has been known for overthrowing several small countries and just happens to walk out of the geisha house smoking a Cuban cigar. You'll need to take a picture of this guy, too. Bentley will recognize the guy and find out for a fact that the Cooper Gang aren't the only ones with a time machine.

When you complete a job, you get sent straight back to the hideout, complete with a loading screen. This is in contrast to the PS2 games, which let you run around in the hub world at your leisure.

Once you complete a job, you can replay it by using the L1 and R1 buttons to switch from the character select to the van, where you can travel through time to previous episodes and replay jobs. You can also use L1 and R1 to go to the mini-games (which have to be unlocked), the costume collection and the treasure collection. Unlike other games, you can get descriptions of the more important things that you collect in the game.

Break Out!

You'll also need to play as Sly for this one.

Unfortunately for the Cooper Gang, the only way into the prison is through the front entrance, and the only way to get through the front entrance is in disguise. At this point, you'll need to steal three pieces of armor from the boar enemies that are moving around, and you'll need the L3 button and the mini-map to find them. You can also use the big map that can be accessed with the Select button to find them, too.

Thankfully, stealing the armor is as easy as ever: find a guard marked by a holographic marker, get behind them and keep pressing Circle until you get the armor piece. You'll get the samurai helmet, followed by the samurai chest plate and the samurai leggings. Once you get them all, you'll be able to equip the armor at your leisure in the costume select screen. To do that, press and hold L2, then use the D-Pad or left stick to make your selection. Once you have a costume, you can take it on and off by simply tapping L2.

When in the samurai armor, you won't be able to perform your usual stealth actions or attacks as Sly. You'll also be moving around more slowly, but you can press and hold Square to send fireballs back at things. More importantly, enemies won't mess with you, and you won't be inputting four-button passwords if an enemy spots like in the third game. The boar enemies will even salute Sly!

When you make it to the palace disguised in the armor, Sly will be able to get in after convincing the boar guard that he is a legit commander (despite calling himself "Major Muggshot"). Once you're in the prison, put on the samurai armor before going anywhere, or else you're going to get caught and sent back to the beginning of the job. Follow the path and you'll see some prisoners and  soon meet Rioichi Cooper. Rioichi will think Sly is a fellow ninja and will tell him to make his way to the Dragon Bridge to reach the cage.

After meeting Rioichi, put the armor back on and look around. You'll eventually find some crawlspaces that you can enter with the Circle button, but you'll need to take the samurai armor off first before you can go into them. One leads to Riochi (and has "escape route" written on the wall next to it), but the other further away leads to a Sly Mask.

While in a crawlspace, you can now swat your can forward with the Square button. Keep this in mind for later. You'll eventually see a large table surrounded by hungry boar guards, and you'll have to crawl under and across the table to get around them.

On the other side of the table, put the samurai armor on. If you need to jump, you'll need to take off the armor and wait for the guard to go the sleep.

At the narrow ledge, keep the armor on. It won't protect you from the swinging pendulum blades, but it is fireproof and will protect you from the fire from the dragon statues. Once again, if you have to jump, you'll need to take off the armor.

Keep following the path, being careful about when you take the costume off to jump and the hazards around you. You'll see another Sly Mask along the way. Keep this in mind. After three more fire-breathing dragon statues, you'll see a rope. Slide down it with Circle once you've taken off the armor, then use Circle to climb and make your way across the narrow walkways as you make your way up. Across from the next guard you will meet is the Sly Mask we just saw earlier.

You'll soon come across an iron gate, and you won't be able to break the lock on it. Thankfully, one of the nearby guards will have the key. Equip the samurai armor again and look for the one with they key, who will have a holographic marker above him if you press L3. Take off the armor and pickpocket him until you get the key. Once you get the skeleton key, you can interact with the locked gate to unlock it. Rioichi will be on the other side, but when you step on the big symbol in front of the entrance, you'll trip the security alarm.

Equip the samurai armor, and hold Square in front of the statues. When they spit a fireball, let go of Square to send the fireballs back at them. You'll be switching between regular Sly and armor Sly to get to the end so you can hang off the hooks and jump over the gaps.

It should go without mentioning, but to grab onto a hook, jump towards it and hit Circle to hang on, then move forward and back on the left stick to swing. When you need to jump, hold the left stick in the direction you want to go and then jump (and double jump, which you'll be doing a lot). You'll eventually rescue Rioichi, and the both of you will get out of the prison.

Rioichi will mention more about El Jefe - a ruthless mercenary who will take over countries for whoever pays him to do it - back at the hideout. Bentley pulls up some information and finds out that El Jefe disappeared some time ago, and it is now pretty obvious that he is working for whoever has a time machine and wants to wipe Sly Cooper's family line out of history. From this point forward, Rioichi Cooper is now a playable character.

As you progress through the game, you'll unlock new abilities on ThiefNet, and the game will tell you when you do. Unlike the other games in the series, you can always come back to this menu to re-learn how to use any abilities you buy if you need to.

Collectibles:

Sly Mask #3 - In "Break Out!," there are two crawlspaces after meeting Rioichi. One leads to the rest of the map, but the other one leads to a Sly Mask.

Sly Mask #4 - In "Break Out!," the first guard you see after the rope slide will be across from another crawlspace that leads to - you guessed it - another Sly Mask.

Trophies:

Wardrobe Malfunction: Get your first costume.

Family Matters: Rescue Rioichi.

Controls:

Left analog stick: move

Right analog stick: move camera

X: Jump and double jump (hold X on second jump for hover jets as Bentley)

Square: attack

Circle: 

• interact (usually with anything that has sparkles) (Sly)
• steal from enemies (from behind) (Sly, Bentley)

Triangle:

• knock enemies upwards (from behind; press Square to slam enemies down for stealth slam) (Sly)
• spin attack (hold to charge) (Sly)
• throw bombs (Bentley)
• Thunder Flop (in mid-air) (Murray)
• spin attack (hold to perform) (Murray)

L1: bomb aim (Bentley)

L2: equip costume (Sly)

• hold for costume select menu (Sly)
• hold down to stay in menu; use D-Pad or left stick to make selection

L3: activate compass

R1: run (hold while moving to perform)

• Paraglide (Sly; in air; must buy on ThiefNet)

R3: Binocucom

• Right analog stick: move
• Left analog stick: zoom in and out
• R1: take picture (when applicable) (Sly)

Start: pause menu

Select: map

• Left analog stick: zoom in and out, switch between map and status
• Right analog stick: move map
• Circle: back

PrinceWatercress plays Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time - Part 2 of 48

Yep, they're back again. And we have to collect them all to complete this game 100%.

First | Next | End

Episode 1: Turning Japanese

Before we get started with rescuing Riochi Cooper, we look for all of the Clue Bottles. This list is based on a clue bottle location video by Happy Thumbs Gaming, which proved to be a huge help for collecting all thirty Clue Bottles in the episode and allowed for me to make a transcript of how to get everything. You can watch that video here. To collect them, move into them or hit them with your cane. Breaking Clue Bottles can alert enemies, so be careful.

When you collect all 30 Clue Bottles, you'll be able to open the safe when you find it. There are three segments: one where you move the triangle to the top with the left stick, one where you move the triangle to the the top with the right stick, and one where you move the the triangle to the top with motion controls by tilting the controller to the side. You only have a couple of seconds to do this, so be quick.

ThiefNet is back, and once again, you'll need money from the coins that you collect to buy the abilities. Unlike other games in the series, you can come back to the ThiefNet menu for a refresher on how to perform any ability you buy, should you need it.

There is no trophy for grabbing all the clue bottles in an episode; there are only trophies for opening the safes.

The first safe contains Coopergiwa's Gold Magnet, which allows you to grab coins from further away.

If you see anything sparkling, that is a treasure you can take back to the hideout like in the second game. I save the treasures for much later in the Let's Play.

The crane enemies will shoot at you with a bow and arrow, while the monkey enemies will shoot fireworks at you. The boar enemies are the big heavies with the flashlights and will shoot crossbows at you. You're much better off running away if they spot you, as it takes a lot of hits to take them down. Flashlight enemies are much better off taking the stealth kill. The flashlight enemies can speak, which makes them even more interesting, unlike in the other games.

If enemies have a shining pocket, you can steal a treasure worth more than just coins. Treasures will automatically be sold on ThiefNet for money upon retrieval, much like in the third game. Each chapter has its own set of three treasures, and for Episode 1, you have the Ivory Chopsticks, the Mahjong Tile and the Kabuki Mask.

Holding Triangle as Sly allows you to charge up the staff for a spin attack. When the whirring sound stops, the attack is fully charged. You start the game with this attack, but I first mention it here, and it will be in the controls at the end of the blogs at this point forward.

Clue Bottle Transcript

1. Start off on the northwest corner. It will be on a tree near a waterfall. (6:14)

2. It will be on the planks just southwest on the other side of the lake. It will be near the safe. (6:30)

3. Go through the tunnel, then turn towards the wheel. It will be to the right above another plank. (7:20)

4. Backtrack and head south. It will be to your left above yet another plank. (8:11)

5. Go back through the tunnel, head towards the wheel and bounce to the nearby roof. It will be on top of a tower near a narrow walk way. (9:26)

6. Head towards the arch and leap up to the plank and the tree. Follow the path to get the bottle on a tree. (10:12)

7. Keep going. It's on the rope walkway. (10:52)

8. At the edge, there are narrow points you can spire jump to . Take them to the tall bamboo shoot ahead and take the narrow walkway up to the bouncy flagpole like thing and get the bottle above. (11:44)

9. Drop down nearby and take another rope walkway. The smoke of the torch will be your guide when it comes to where to drop down. It'll be there. (12:02)

10. Leap up and follow the wall. You'll find the next one. (12:29)

11. Go down the wood walkway, then go right and up the bamboo shoot to the nearby roof for this one. (This is where the marker for "Photo Job" will be.) (13:09)

12. Go across the rope to the next roof, and cross the rope bridge to the right. (13:51)

13. Drop down to the bridge and jump on the drum to get the bottle on the narrow walkway. (14:49)

14. Drop down and go up the hill to the gate. Drop down at the right of the gate and get on the dock. It's above another plank. (16:10)

15. From here, go back to the dock, go towards the cave-like opening and turn left where all the plant life is. The bottle will be in an archway. (17:38)

16. Go back up the house you're at and take the rope bridge to the south. to get it. (18:16)

17. This one is right after 16. It's next to that giant set of doors. (18:26)

18. Across from the door is the next bottle at the roof of a building. Climb up the bamboo shoot to get it. (18:38)

19. Head to the bridge further ahead. It will be on top of a lantern. (18:53)

20. Go up the roof of the nearby house and get up to the top where the neon sign is. Take the rope bridge to the next bottle on top of another tower. (20:15)

21. Go back to that bridge. One of the rope bridges to the side has it. (20:55)

22. Bounce off the nearby trampoline. There is another rope bridge. It'll be there. (21:29)

23. Once you cross that bridge, it'll be between two flags. Use the trampoline between them to get it. (21:51)

24. You'll be at the town square. There is a set of two trampolines behind the house. There's the bottle. (22:32) 

25. Bounce up and follow the dock near the waterfall and the wall. Near the boxes covered up in a tarp is another bottle. (23:23)

26. Go to the statue in the town square and get on it for this one. (23:43)

27. It's on a plank next to a nearby dock with leaves and carrots all over it. (24:16)

28. Take the nearby bridge to the southwestern corner of the map. Follow the back of the nearby building to get this one. (24:56)

29. It's on the nearby fountain. (25:39)

30. On the bridge near that fountain, you'll find the last one on a tree. (26:36)

The safe is in the northwest corner near where you found the first two bottles. This gives you Coopergiwa's Coin Magnet and the "Play It Safe" achievement. (28:21)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | Safe

Abilities:

Paraglider (Sly): Press and hold R1 in mid-air to glide, much like in the PS2 sequels. 

Trophies:

Online Shopping: Purchase one thing in ThiefNet.

Radical Ninja: Hit fifteen enemies with the Stealth Slam without alerting anyone.

Play It Safe: Collect all 30 Clue Bottles and open the safe for Episode 1.

Controls:

Left analog stick: move

Right analog stick: move camera

X: Jump and double jump (hold X on second jump for hover jets as Bentley)

Square: attack

Circle: 

• interact (usually with anything that has sparkles) (Sly)
• steal from enemies (from behind) (Sly, Bentley)

Triangle:

• knock enemies upwards (from behind; press Square to slam enemies down for stealth slam) (Sly)
• spin attack (hold to charge) (Sly)
• throw bombs (Bentley)
• Thunder Flop (in mid-air) (Murray)
• spin attack (hold to perform) (Murray)

L1: bomb aim (Bentley)

L3: activate compass

R1: run (hold while moving to perform)

• Paraglide (Sly; in air; must buy on ThiefNet)

R3: Binocucom

• Right analog stick: move
• Left analog stick: zoom in and out

Start: pause menu

Select: map

• Left analog stick: zoom in and out, switch between map and status
• Right analog stick: move map
• Circle: back

PrinceWatercress plays Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time - Part 1 of 48

My first PlayStation 3 Let's Play! It was only a matter of time with this one...but how is this one going to stack up compared to the PS2 games?

Next | End

After the events of the third game, Sly Cooper is still faking his amnesia from the end of the third game in order to foster a relationship with Carmelita Fox. Sly wants to pull one last heist before getting out of the master thief business for good, and he has found the perfect target: an art museum by a hotshot up-and-coming art collector. However, Sly thinks something is up, as he has heard that the collector is dealing in black market antiques worth millions. As Sly comes up with a plan, Bentley shows up and the two of them get together again.

Bentley has completed a new lab and some new projects with help from Penelope, who are now in a serious relationship. Suddenly, Penelope has vanished, then he noticed that the words of the Thievius Raccoonus were suddenly vanishing off the pages. Without a moment to lose, Bentley headed to Paris to find Sly.

Before doing that, Bentley tracked down Murray, who has gone from being a race car driver to an undefeated demolition derby driver, as the many crashes he had been in made it impossible to get sponsorships due to the high insurance premiums for the van from said crashes. It was there that Bentley and Murray reunited, bringing the Cooper Gang back together again in Paris.

Bentley then explains everything that is going on before revealing the time machine that he teased in the ending of the third game, which is now completed and modified to fit in the van. However, in order to travel through time, the time machine needs an artifact from the desired time period. The first destination is feudal Japan, and the art collector's collection has a samurai sword. It is then and there that the Cooper Gang are back on the heist.

Paris Prologue: I Smell A Rat

You'll start as Sly. When you move forward, you'll find out that there are a lot of choppers about and that the museum is on lockdown. You can smash the chests nearby with Square to get coins, which you'll need to buy skills from ThiefNet.

You move with the left analog stick only. The D-Pad can not be used to move like in the previous PS2 games. You can jump with X, and if you press X in mid-air, you'll do a double jump just like in previous games. Thankfully, the path here is pretty linear. You can also jump into ledges to hang onto them when needed.

You have a health bar in the upper-right corner. It won't matter much here, but it will later.

You'll soon see a copter overhead. If you get caught in the searchlight, you'll automatically be caught and you'll have to start the section over. (At least you have infinite lives.) You can move the right analog stick to move the camera to look for things with blue sparkles. If something has blue sparkles, you can press Circle to interact with it. This will allow you to do the rope walk and spire point jump like in previous games, which you'll need to do here. 

Eventually, you'll see Murray on the van, moving into position. Walk forward on the rope, and from here, take out the rats when you see them. There is a mini-radar screen on the lower-right corner that allows you to see what is around you, and you 

Pressing Select gives you the full level map. You can zoom in with the left analog stick and move the map around with the right analog stick. You can also see your mission status on this screen. Press Circle to back out.

Pressing R3 (the right analog stick as a button) lets you look through the Binocucom for a first-person view. This time, you use the right stick to move and the left stick to zoom in and out.

If you press L3, you'll activate the compass. This causes an arrow to appear near your character, telling you where to go next.

After walking across a ledge, you'll need to avoid another couple of spotlights as you climb your way up. After another rope walk, you'll scale a wall.

From here, you'll need to climb up a water tower without getting caught and getting zapped as a result. You'll then be able to slide down a rope, where a cutscene has a pipe bend on Sly, causing him to take an alternate route.

You'll be on a balcony. You can get behind the enemies and press Circle to steal from enemies. Press Triangle and then Square for the stealth slam. You'll need to find a ledge to walk on. As you sneak around, you'll see some silhouette talking to other silhouette.

From here, climb up. You'll see what looks like a greenhouse. You can jump over the fence by leaping from a fixture to an antenna and then the roof with the X and Circle buttons. Avoid the spotlight as you get the Sly Mask, which is out in the open. By collecting one Sly Mask, you'll get the "Cooper Calling Card" trophy. The Sly Mask will unlock secret things as you collect more.

Get back around and climb to the ledge next to the antenna. From here, you'll need to head to the skylight. Follow the path and avoid the spotlights while smashing things for coins. You'll eventually find an enemy with some keys; get up to them from behind (but not too close) and press Circle until you steal their keys. From there, you can press Triangle followed by Square to hit the Stealth Slam. You can then go up to the Sly icon on the skylight to unlock the skylight. From here, you'll play as Bentley.

Bentley controls somewhat like Sly, but he has a hover jet on the double jump if you hold X. Also, Triangle lets you set bombs. Set the bomb, then get away so the explosion doesn't hurt (or kill) you. Use this ability on walls with the bomb icon to blow them. If you need to know where to go, keep pressing L3 to activate the compass. As always, destroy things as you go so you can get as many coins as you need.

You'll eventually learn to use the hover jet, but I've mentioned it already: hold X on the second jump for a little extra hangtime. There is a yellow gauge below Bentley's health, and when it fills up, the hover jet cuts off until the yellow gauge empties.

You'll also have to throw bombs from a distance to blow things up from far away. To do that, hold L1 and use the left analog stick to aim. The green arrow will point at where the bomb will land, and the red circle will be the impact point. Once the arrow and the circle are where you want it, throw the bomb with triangle, then get away so you don't get maimed. 

Also, don't land in the water on the way. It will kill you and kick you back to an earlier point.

You'll eventually have to drop a bomb on a manhole cover. Once you do that, drop down into the control room after Bentley has a close shave with a laser field. You'll need to use the double jump and hover to get past the laser fields, and at the control panel, interact with it with Circle to do a hacking mini-game.

Interestingly, Bentley now has the same controls for pickpocketing as Sly this time.

The tank-like hacking mini-game returns! Use the left analog stick to move around, and use the right analog stick to fire. Moving both sticks in different directions allows you to move in one direction and fire in another, and you also have an aiming reticle for just in case. You'll need to shoot down firewalls to get to areas and collect data keys to put them in locks and open up other areas. The cannon can also be used to fight the red enemies, which can fire back at you.

The green turtle tank is the default tank, but the purple panzer tank can be used to destroy purple crystal barriers and shoot mortar shots at enemies. The green turtle form must be used to take data keys to the locks; you cannot do it with the purple panzer tank. Interestingly, your two forms do not share health and have individual health bars, which you can take advantage of to save yourself.

Eventually, you'll reach the exit, and you'll be able to play as Murray. Murray plays a little different compared to the PS2 games. Holding Triangle performs a spin attack, and pressing Triangle in mid-air executes the Thunder Flop that takes enemies out from above. Square just does an infinite punch attack. That's it.

By pressing Circle as Murray, you can stomp and get an enemy in your hands. Triangle will slam the enemy down onto the ground, Circle will shake the enemy down for coins and treasure, and Square will throw the enemy.

Take out the enemies as you go, and if you find any red crosses from crates or enemies, collect them to refill health. Stay on the move to ensure you don't get attacked, as these guys will fly around on their jetpacks and shoot at you with their guns.

You'll eventually enter the loading dock, and a bunch of rat guards will dogpile on top of Murray. Mash the Circle button to get them off. From here, you'll need to go up to a barrel-producing machine to stomp a barrel into our hands with Circle, then face a junction box and throw the barrel at it with Square. If you see the purple arrow pointing at the junction box, you're looking at the target. This is when you can throw and hit the junction box with perfect accuracy. There are two junction boxes in here, and when you destroy them both, you'll be able to get out.

You'll then be able to steal the sword with Sly. Just press Circle to steal the sword...only to get busted and caught out by Carmelita. So much for the relationship. After this, Sly will jump onto the roof of the van, and you can press Circle after the sword is in the time machine's receptacle to punch it. From here, it's on to feudal Japan after a brief title sequence.

Back at the Cooper Gang hideout, the gang catches up with Dimitri Lousteau (who is now acting as hideout security, is voiced only in the game's trailers and is never voiced at all in the game). Dimitri now acts as communication on the other side in case anything happens to the words of the Thievius Raccoonus.

From here, the gang makes it to feudal Japan, the home of Rioichi Cooper, a master thief and the inventor of sushi. His sushi restaurant acts as a successful cover to him being a master thief, but unfortunately, Rioichi has been captured due to supposedly serving bad sushi and the sushi restaurant is heavily guarded. So stars the first episode of the game, "Turning Japanese." (As if this game needed a reference to The Vapors.)

When you're in the hideout, you can access ThiefNet. Use the left stick and the X button to buy things, and Circle to back out. The Gadget Grid from the PS2 games is gone now, and moves are now a natural part of one's own controls at this point. Outside of ThiefNet, you can select your character, and if any character has an icon above them, they have a job that you can complete. L1 and R1 lets you move around in the hideout to go back to previous areas and jobs, play mini-games and even look at treasure and costumes. You'll have to unlock things to interact with them, however.

Collectibles:

Sly Mask #1: From here, climb up. You'll see what looks like a greenhouse. You can jump over the fence by leaping from a fixture to an antenna and then the roof with the X and Circle buttons. Avoid the spotlight as you get the Sly Mask, which is out in the open.

Sly Mask #2: If you go into this nook in the sewers, you'll find the other Sly Mask for the prologue.

Trophies:

Cooper Calling Card: Collect one Sly Mask.

Controls:

Left analog stick: move

Right analog stick: move camera

X: Jump and double jump (hold X on second jump for hover jets as Bentley)

Square: attack

Circle: 

• interact (usually with anything that has sparkles) (Sly)
• steal from enemies (from behind) (Sly, Bentley)

Triangle:

• knock enemies upwards (from behind; press Square to slam enemies down for stealth slam) (Sly)
• throw bombs (Bentley)
• Thunder Flop (in mid-air) (Murray)
• spin attack (hold to perform) (Murray)

L1: bomb aim (Bentley)

L3: activate compass

R1: run (hold while moving to perform)

R3: Binocucom

• Right analog stick: move
• Left analog stick: zoom in and out

Start: pause menu

Select: map

• Left analog stick: zoom in and out, switch between map and status
• Right analog stick: move map
• Circle: back

PrinceWatercress plays Bank Heist - The Longplay

Time for one more game with both switches on the easy setting to close this all out. This was fun.

 

First | Previous

Bank Heist is a game for the Atari 2600 from 20th Century Games from 1983. In this game, you drive an orange jalopy through a maze and drive into banks in order to rob them. The joystick allows you to move your car while the fire button lets you drop dynamite out of your tailpipe. After you run into a bank to rob it for points (and money), a police car will spawn where the bank was and come after you. This is where the dynamite you drop with the fire button comes in. If the cop car is on the dynamite when it explodes, you'll get points (10, 30 or 50), and another bank will spawn so you can rob it.

As you go through the maze, you will go through your fuel. The fuel meter is on the upper-left corner, and as you rob banks, you'll get more fuel to refill with when you enter the next stage, which is indicated by a white line on the right side of the fuel gauge. To get a complete gas refill, you'll have to rob nine banks, and as you rob banks, you'll go from getting 10 points for the first one to 90 for the ninth bank and beyond.

There are two wrap-around paths at the center of the maze. Going left takes you to the previous city while going to the right . Switching cities will refill your gas based on how many banks you robbed, and if you have a full tank of gas when you do it, you'll get an extra life, too. The upper wrap-around path takes you to the next city, while the lower wrap-around path actually takes you to the other side of the maze instantly like in Pac-Man.

There are four mazes, or cities, each with their own specific color. When you go through a whole loop of cities, the cops will get faster and the game will become more difficult as a result.

When playing the game, be careful as to where you are at, and watch your fuel gauge. Hanging around in corners and dead ends with cops about is not a good idea. You don't want to go to another city with less than a full refill, which can be easy to inadvertently do. Also, don't stay near where a bank was after you robbed it, as a cop car can spawn right on top of you and kill you. Also, it is possible to run into your own dynamite trying to lure a car to it and blow yourself up. If you run out of fuel, you'll lose a life that way, too. When you lose all your lives, the game is over.

The left difficulty switch is the cop AI, while the right difficulty switch dictates whether the banks are spawned in a set or random order. B/Novice on the left switch means cops are not exactly smart as to where you are, while B/Novice on the right switch means banks will spawn in a set order every time (as opposed to a random one).

This game is a lot of fun once you get used to it, and is still worth giving a shot for the Atari 2600 collection. The graphics are basic, yet serviceable and are able to show what they are meant to show. The sound is frantic and really matches the action. The gameplay is pretty solid, and I didn't have much problem with it; when I ended up killing myself with the dynamite, it really felt like it was my fault and not the game's. Bank Heist can be a little difficult at first, but once you get used to how this game is, it can be a lot of fun. This one is definitely worth picking up.

PrinceWatercress plays Bank Heist - Part 4 of 4

It is now time for the fourth and last game variation, which is the hardest of all.

First | Previous | End

Both switches are now on A/Expert, meaning that the cops are smarter than usual and the banks spawn in random locations every time. This makes the game as difficult as it can be, and I ended up nowhere near 10,000 points after losing my last life.

With that, this is the last of the four game variations. This game is a lot of fun once you get used to it, and is still worth giving a shot for the Atari 2600 collection. It can be a little difficult at first, but once you get used to how this game is, it can be a lot of fun. This one is definitely worth picking up.

PrinceWatercress plays Bank Heist - Part 3 of 4

The cops are smarter this time. Let's have some fun here!

First | Previous | Next | End

This time around, the right difficulty switch goes back to B/Novice for set bank locations, but the left difficulty gets switched to A/Expert to make the cops smarter. As a result, the cops have a better idea of where we are.

With the cops being a lot smarter, they will have a better idea of where we are. This can really spice things up a bit, even if that means the cops are more likely to come after you and run into a dynamite stick from the tailpipe.

PrinceWatercress plays Bank Heist - Part 2 of 4

This time, the banks appear in random locations rather than the same one. The game can still be fun, but the random bank spawn locations can really shake things up a bit.

First | Next | End

For this video, I set the right switch to A/Expert to set the banks in a random order rather than a set order. Because of this, the cops may still not be the best at going after me right away - or keeping track of me - but the banks will always be in a different position every time.

This can change the game a little more than one would know, as the banks could spawn in a corner or in a dead end, neither of which are good places when there are cop cars nearby. Even with the random bank location spawns, the game can still be fun.

PrinceWatercress plays Bank Heist - Part 1 of 4

This maze game for the Atari 2600 takes some time to get used to, but once you do, this one can be fun.

Next | End

Bank Heist is a game for the Atari 2600 from 20th Century Games from 1983. In this game, you drive an orange jalopy through a maze and drive into banks in order to rob them. The joystick allows you to move your car while the fire button lets you drop dynamite out of your tailpipe. After you run into a bank to rob it for points (and money), a police car will spawn where the bank was and come after you. This is where the dynamite you drop with the fire button comes in. If the cop car is on the dynamite when it explodes, you'll get points (10, 30 or 50), and another bank will spawn so you can rob it.

As you go through the maze, you will go through your fuel. The fuel meter is on the upper-left corner, and as you rob banks, you'll get more fuel to refill with when you enter the next stage, which is indicated by a white line on the right side of the fuel gauge. To get a complete gas refill, you'll have to rob nine banks, and as you rob banks, you'll go from getting 10 points for the first one to 90 for the ninth bank and beyond.

There are two wrap-around paths at the center of the maze. Going left takes you to the previous city while going to the right . Switching cities will refill your gas based on how many banks you robbed, and if you have a full tank of gas when you do it, you'll get an extra life, too. The upper wrap-around path takes you to the next city, while the lower wrap-around path actually takes you to the other side of the maze instantly like in Pac-Man.

There are four mazes, or cities, each with their own specific color. When you go through a whole loop of cities, the cops will get faster and the game will become more difficult as a result.

When playing the game, be careful as to where you are at, and watch your fuel gauge. Hanging around in corners and dead ends with cops about is not a good idea. You don't want to go to another city with less than a full refill, which can be easy to inadvertently do. Also, don't stay near where a bank was after you robbed it, as a cop car can spawn right on top of you and kill you. Also, it is possible to run into your own dynamite trying to lure a car to it and blow yourself up. If you run out of fuel, you'll lose a life that way, too. When you lose all your lives, the game is over.

The left difficulty switch is the cop AI, while the right difficulty switch dictates whether the banks are spawned in a set or random order. B/Novice on the left switch means cops are not exactly smart as to where you are, while B/Novice on the right switch means banks will spawn in a set order every time (as opposed to a random one). In the next couple of videos, I'll be playing with the difficulty switches and seeing how the game plays with different difficulty settings.

PrinceWatercress plays Pentiles for BBC Micro - The Longplay

...and now it's time to play this game minus commentary.

Let's Play

Pentiles for BBC Micro is a shape-moving game in which you move shapes made out of five smaller blocks known as "pentiles" onto a red rectangle. Your goal is to move all 12 pentiles onto the red target zone without anything sticking out and without leaving any gaps.

When you get a pentile, you have to rotate it with the Space Bar first. From here, you can press Up when you are done, then place it on the red zone with the arrow keys and the Copy Key (End on a modern keyboard). Keep in mind that when you move a pentile, you're pushing it into place, not dropping it down, so you have to make sure that you can push the pentile into the place you want to move it into.

There are eight different pentiles, and you'll see each one twice making for a total of 16 pentiles with which to achieve this goal. 

If any part of the pentile sticks out of the red zone when you place it, you will lose five points for that pentile. If it fits entirely within the red zone, you gain an additional five points. Different pentiles have different point values. If you cover the red zone completely, you'll gain 500 additional points. If there is a single uncovered tile by the time there are no moves left to make, you'll only gain 200.

There are two difficulties: easy and hard. Easy allows you all the time in the world and a way to practice. The red zone also has a depth of six tiles. Hard, on the other hand, only gives you three minutes to complete it, and the longer you go, the longer a yellow barrier that travels from the left side of the screen to the right will travel and eventually block your path. Using snap judgement and making good moves ahead of time is essential on the hard difficulty. You also have a random depth of three to five tiles on the red zone. Thankfully, you can move your tile just slightly off-screen to the right near the end on hard difficulty.

The game ends when you completely covered the red zone, have used all sixteen pentiles or are unable to move any pentiles into the red zone. The game also ends on hard mode if you run out of time.

Easy starts off with a tile value of ten points and has a maximum score of 2,750 points. The hard more starts with a tile value of 25 points and has a maximum score of 3,650 points.

When you play the game, play it with one hand. Otherwise, you'll confuse yourself and press the wrong thing at the wrong time. The yellow bar at the bottom will show the tile value for your current tile, the amount of pentiles you have left as well as your present score.

This puzzle game for the BBC Micro is simple to figure out and play, but very difficult to master, especially if you're going for the maximum score. The graphics, sound and play control are all very basic, but they get the job done and don't get in the way of a very simple time. You may be playing this for only a couple of minutes at worst, but you can do much worse when it comes to puzzle games for the microcomputer. This one is definitely worth checking out once.