Meet Ninja Master Rioichi Cooper from Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

136 20
Meet Ninja Master Rioichi Cooper from Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

It’s been quite a while since I posted to the PlayStation.Blog – after the busy summer tradeshow schedule we have hunkered down to concentrate on making Sly Cooper: Thieves in Times the best game of 2012! Over the summer, I spent a lot of time showing our progress on the game and talking about how we are making sure we stay true to the core of the Sly Cooper series – but now I want to start talking about the NEW things we are bringing to Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time for PS3

When we played the old Sly Cooper games on the PS2, we loved the stories about the Cooper clan ancestors and their various thieving abilities. Something that is really exciting and fun for Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is that you can not only travel back in time to meet these ancestors but you will also have the ability to play as the Cooper Clan ancestors! As you proceed through the game each episode you encounter features a new time period with a new playable ancestor. Each new member of the Cooper clan has their own unique and powerful abilities that opens up a whole new range of game play in the huge environments. This is one of the coolest aspects of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time – meeting these characters, learning more about them, and then getting to experience a whole new set of kick-ass game moves and skills that you have never seen before. Each time a new character in production comes on line and is added to the game, they instantly become my new favorite character of the series!

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time for PS3

The first ancestor we want to show off is Rioichi Cooper, the master of the Ninja Spire Landing! We were introduced to him back in the original Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus and learned about his cool Ninja ability. Now, when you get to play as Rioichi, you will see how much more powerful the original master’s techniques are. For instance, by focusing his energy Rioichi can execute his Leaping Dragon Technique and span great distances between spires.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time for PS3

Rioichi, it turns out, is not only an uber-Ninja but is also the inventor of sushi, his famous restaurant providing the perfect cover for a night-stalking ninja thief. We really wanted to explore the character of each of Sly’s ancestors (they are all very different in both ability and personality), and this leads to some very entertaining dialogue as they meet and get to know their descendant and his crew. But of course, once Sly is united with his ancestor he becomes one of the gang, hanging out in the hideout ready to venture out for some Ninja Thieving fun at a moment’s notice.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time for PS3

Keep your eyes peeled for the December issue of Game Informer magazine, Tim Turi stopped by the studio last month and took a look at Rioichi in action so you can get to read about his impressions of the game there. Anyway, that’s it for now, but don’t worry, I will be back soon to talk about new characters and other cool stuff in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time as we head towards the new year!

Comments are closed.

136 Comments

20 Author Replies

  • im waiting for this game since it was announced i played the originals in my ps2 but havnt picked up the sly collection cause im low in cash but ill get it for christmas the latest,oh and plaese keep the humor those games made me laugh!

  • This one’s shaping up to be the best release in the series so far. I rocked the original trilogy, played its remastered version and am now eagerly anticipating this latest installment. Wish all at Sanzaru the best of luck as they make one of 2012’s biggest games!

  • Not really sure how I feel about the art directional change from trying to emulate traditional cartoons in 3d to more of this Pixar/Dreamworks look.

    Regardless, I’m hoping the framerate is super slick. It really helps bring things to life, particularly in a world full of animals with exaggerated motions and stretch/squash.

  • This game begs, NAY DEMANDS, an EPIC collector’s edition–I’m thinking, as one goodie, a high quality pen shaped like Sly’s staff….either way already plat’d all three of the Sly Collection and am thirsting for MOAR!

  • Does Sly/Rioichi follow you around during certain parts or are you hinting at co-op play? ;) Are you aiming for 60fps?

    • Yes, other members of the (now extended) gang will join you for certain jobs. And 60fps is definitely our goal, it is a hallmark of Sly Cooper gameplay.
      Cheers

  • When does this game happen in the timeline? If its after 3, please don’t break up Sly and Carmelita. They’re such a sweet couple. :D

  • Is there going to be more Cooper clan ancestors to play as in the game? Or is Rioichi the only one?

  • OMG i cant wait for this game. The sly games have always been on the top of my lists as pure fun and entertainment. Being able to reply them in the collection has made me want this game even more!!! Can’t wait and look forward to see what type of spin you guys put on the series not that it is in your control!

  • Would rather have had the one hit your dead death mechanic and charms again. Stealth is worthless if you have a health bar.

  • I don’t know how I missed this series on PS2, but I don’t plan on that happening for very much longer because this game looks good. I really miss all the platformers that we used to get last generation of consoles and this game aims to fix that problem. Keep up the good work guys.

    Sold.

  • a thief edition is so in order

  • I’m gonna be keeping my eye on this game.

  • That story sounds amazing. I was really worried about Sucker Punch not working on this game, but now, after seeing the story/images you just showed, I am pumped! As a new Sly fan, I want to thank you for making the HD collection. It introduced me to and made me love Sly!

    Thieves in Times looks awesome! Great post! Keep it up, Sanzaru!

  • Waiting for the obligatory comment from Jeff Rubenstein :P

    kidding: I love the Sly series just as much as Jeff does, and I just cannot WAIT to get my hands on Thieves in Time!
    I need it noooooowwwwww!

    I guess in the mean time, I’ll just keep an eye on my mail for the next issue of Game Informer!
    Love everything you guys shown off so far, and looking forward to even more sneak peeks until the game releases, whenever that may be next year!

  • OMG massive nerdgasm overload imminent! Hopefully the dialogue between Sly and his ancestors is going to be comedic gold. But 2 things: 1) please, give more updates like a video dev diary, and 2) please give a hint to a CE for the game. The wait is killing me inside. =(

    • Hey there,

      I will definitely try to start up some dev diary stuff soon, the team has just been super busy making stuff. And I totally agree with you about CE, I am sure if you all rattle Sony’s cage enough then it will happen! :D

  • @ jeffsmither – Did you even read the article?

    “As you proceed through the game each episode you encounter features a new time period with a new playable ancestor.”

    But yeah this game is going to be amazing, have been with these guys since the first one on PS2 :D

  • @#15 me too!!!!!

  • Thanks to the awesome PS3 collection, I was able to finally play the Sly games. Hot damn they are fantastic. I have high hopes and equally high expectations, and it looks like you guys are continuing the tradition. Can’t to play :)

  • There has to be a Scotland level! Playing as Slaigh McCooper would be awesome!

  • soo DAMN Happy :~))

    I gust Hoped That Rioichi Look like Assassin creed .. but no problem with this ;)

    And Please .. Try to Reveal The online multiplayer & co-op .. I will be So disappointed If there are not

    Online (cooperative , competitive) :( .. And thank you again for The awesome news ;)

    Ciao ;)

  • any chance for some move support? You guys toyed with it a little bit in the Sly Collection any chance of it making it into core gameplay?

  • Sly 2: Band of Thieves was actually the first PS2 game I ever played. I’ve been a fan of the series since and I can’t wait to play this new one :)

  • Man, it’s like Sucker Punch themselves are making this game. Great job so far, I hope you guys make more Sly games in the future.

    Also Glen, you probably know that Sly Cooper’s 10th Anniversary will be next year so it’d be cool if this game released with a Collector’s Edition because of the special occasion

  • You guys did such an amazing job with the Sly Collection. This is without a doubt my most anticipated title of 2012. From the looks of those screenshots and from the sound of direction your going in you are on track to make a worthy entry in the Sly Cooper franchise. I’m not sure if you’ve announced this yet but any plans for 3D support?

  • Will you bring back some of the older games for download on PSN?
    I really wanted to play them if they were available at some point.

    • That is a really great, super awesome idea.

    • It is such a great idea – we should really make some phone calls and get this to happen!

    • Give me a few more minutes they put me on hold…

    • Wow! They have great hold music at Sony!

    • OK then! It’s settled, harmony102 :D

      We are very excited to announce that the Sly Collection will be available for download from the PS Store on November 29th (Just 2 weeks!). And of course, all three titles feature trophy support, smooth 60 frames a second frame rate and they are all playable in 3D.
      You can purchase the Sly Collection for $29.99 or you can buy the individual titles for $9.99 each. (I am sure if you buy and play one, you will buy and play them all!)
      So if you have not had a chance to play the new Sly Collection on Blu-ray or you just want to revisit your one favorite original Sly Cooper game then check them out on the PSN on the 29th.

  • Rioichi is one of my favorite ancestors of Sly Cooper’s so I’m wondering are there any plans on meeting the other members of the Cooper Clan that we saw while going through the Cooper Vault in Sly 3 like Slytunkhamen II Cooper , Henriette “One Eye” Cooper and Tennessee Kid” Cooper as those were some of the few out of the 10 featured in the Vault.

  • I really really really cant wait for this. This is my second fav game series behind Jak.

  • I’ve always loved the Sly Cooper series – I played them on PS2 originally, and again in HD on PS3 earlier this year. Looking forward to this. Now if we could finally get a PS3 Jak & Daxter game…

  • I replayed the series just a few months ago, and this is exactly the type of Sly game I would have hoped to see. I wouldn’t even have needed the big three – the ancestors and their various sidekicks would have been enough – but I get that Sly should probably be heavily featured in a Sly game.

    So, have we finally found a voice actress for Carmelita who can actually act?

  • Glen, can you contact Kevin Miller and go on his show? (Second Funniest Podcast) and if so tell him Peter sent you. Glen will there be DLCs? How many years will the game take place in after 3 (in the present). Will the ancestors fallow you to other time periods? Will Sly be going to the US again? how many worlds are there?

    • Yes I will definitely ask Kevin about going on his podcast one of these days (and tell him Peter sent me). Give me a little while longer for the other questions ;-)

  • I had hoped this game would be “going back to the basics” by making it Sly-only gameplay. Alas, no furry platformer can escape Sonic Sydrome. :(

  • I love the sly games. I hunted them down on ps2 and beat them all and then bought sly collection and got all 3 plats. Its makes me so happy you guys are bringing this game series back. I cant wait for more info.

  • is sly theives in time going to be playable with the ps move because that would be awesome if i can play it with the move controller and the navigation controller????

  • Nice idea making the ancestors playable. I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried about another developer handling one of my favorite childhood series. It looks like it’s in good hands, can’t wait to see the final product! Also, get on those Dev Diaries, I’d like to know a little more about it’s making of Sly 4 and Sanzaru as a whole.

  • I though Sly’s ancestors had their own gangs. Do they have?

  • The HD fur makes him look a little too muscular and rough. I know it’s early but you might want to work on the “fur physics” just a bit. Thanks!

  • @3
    what are you talking about? this has always been sly cooper’s art style

  • I’ve got to say that you Glen (and the rest of Sanzaru of course) are doing an amazing job making this game. I don’t remember ever being so exited for a game and I own over 400 games.

    When are you expecting a release date? In the start of 2012, the middle or the end of 2012? Could you maybe just give a GUESS/hint? Please? :)

    How many levels are you making? Me and a lot of other people over at the Sucker Punch forums are speculating a lot… :D Are you reading our posts over there by the way? :D

    Btw is is possible to contact you in some way? In case I have a good suggestion or a question. Because I don’t think that you’ll be on here replying for more than a few days…

    Last thing; go tell the Sanzaru team that they are doing a amazing job and they should be proud!

    Keep up the good work!

    • Emil, all good questions that I cannot really answer today. But we will be working on a forum for the end of the year that we will monitor and answer religiously!
      Thank you for the support and encouragement.

  • this may be a question out of your knowledge will the jak and daxter games/series be available for download on PSN because i know that if you have played sly then youve played RaC and JaD because that lost frontier didnt cut it for me and im very sure others would agree

  • sorry for my pestering post but wouldnt be cool for this to have an online Mp feature like you select certain jobs to do and lke the amount of people in your party can only be th amount of people that are in that job like an exampl would a job included sly murray and dimitri only three ppl could join that game and you would gain some sort of exp for doing so

  • @ 25 @Glen Egan

    That is awesome! Not necessarily that they will available on PSN (got The Sly Collection day 1, have all 3 plats :P), but that right there on the spot you called and made it happen! That is insane! Thank you guys for showing love for Sly Cooper, one of my favorite franchises!

    What other secret strings can you pull? :D

  • This game just looks gorgeous! Any chance well see a demo on PSN? ;)

    • Thank you for the support, that is a really good idea and we will see if we can make it happen a little closer to completion.

  • @Slydanials I was actually going to ask the same question! :) But you posted first… Oh well.

    Any chance of it happening?

  • Tell you the truth I never played this game so I might get the HD collection and might get this when it come out

  • Quite honestly, I was really nervous during the E3 teaser trailer when I saw your logo hanging on the street sign, as there were a few omissions from the Collection that I didn’t appreciate, notably the commentary in the original game.
    That being said, I am rather impressed by the game so far, and it’s shaping up to rival the previous titles, and I hope it lives up to those expectations. There’s no reason it shouldn’t, although many of the Crash games failed to live up to Naughty Dog’s standards, Twinsanity greatly exceeded them, and I see no reason this game shouldn’t
    I look forward to a chance to play it

  • omg anchestors! WHAT AN AWESOME SUBJECT, reminds me of the TMNT stuff, omg I’m so excited the franchise is on good hands :D

  • First when i saw the gameplay i wasnt thinking to much of it, , then i buy the sly collection then i hope more, (you did an awesome work sanzaru) then i unlock a video of tha making of sly and i think, if this is only a anticipated sly and sanzaru make a sly very quick (with a bit of errors) and if that is just a anticipated idea, then thives on time will be a master pice, just waiting for a C.E. or pre-order bonus to pre-order, i change my point to see this in just a week so this is a sure purchase for me .

  • This is going to be so greasy sweet.

  • Superstoked for this game – I passed on the originals way back on PS2, but after platinuming all of them last year on the Sly Collection, it made me wish I hadn’t! I’m happy it’s Sanzaru who is taking the lead on this project – you guys really proved yourselves with the amount of enhancements offered on the collection! Day one purchase for me :)

    One request… The voice actor for Carmalita was great in Sly 1 & 2, but I wasn’t crazy about the one used in Sly 3. Can we pleeeeease get the original back? Also, will most of our voice actors be returning once again this time around?

  • Just one question, when we finish the feudal Japan episode (for example), and travel to a new one, will Rioichi come too? Or stay in his timeline?

Please enter your date of birth.

Date of birth fields