On what is considered the most romantic day of the year, we thought we would check in with our favorite raccoon, Sly Cooper, and the object of his affection, Inspector Carmelita Fox.

As we all know, the path to true love can be rough — it definitely seems that way for these two. Having a history that goes way back, Carmelita has chased the master thief across the globe, though Sly has always managed to escape her clutches before she could deliver him to justice.

Working on opposite sides of the law seems to have finally taken its toll on Carmelita, who — judging by this video — has given up on Sly altogether and is looking for a new love. Will she finally find prince charming, or will Sly continue to sneak into her heart?

By the looks of it, 2013 is looking just as good with the upcoming release of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time! Sly and the gang are back on February 5th for $39.99 on PlayStation 3 and $29.99 on PS Vita. If you buy the PS3 copy, you’ll receive the digital PS Vita version from PSN at no additional cost.

Today we’re here to give you a taste of some of the new gameplay you’ll get to experience. In case you missed it, we had an IGN Live session right before the holidays, with Glen Egan and Mat Kraemer from Sanzaru Games showing off the first few hours of the game. In that preview you got a glimpse of some of the gameplay mechanics, Sly’s samurai costume, his Japanese ancestor Rioichi Cooper, and a look at one of the vibrant lush environments Sly will be visiting as he travels through time. In this new gameplay video below, you’ll get to see how the team works together to pull a heist on El Jefe, the epic boss you’ll meet during your travels to Feudal Japan.

This is just a slice of how the game is going to break down but there will be plenty to do aside from that, including earning all of the costumes — which you’ll be able to replay the game with to find new collectables and hidden treasures. Speaking of collectables, we’d like to take a minute to announce the winners of our Sly Cooper Treasure Design Contest! It’s been quite a while, but we finally got a hold of the winners and are happy to reveal the two winning designs. Both the items below and their descriptions will be included as collectable treasures in Thieves in Time:

We had tons of entries and the team had a tough time choosing these winners, but we want to make sure everyone got to see their designs! Big congrats as well to our runner-up winners, who were also notified. We hope you’ve been enjoying the fantastic prizes!

Bet you can’t wait to start playing, right? Well good news — we’ll be releasing a new downloadable demo, so you can get some hands-on time with Sly before the game hits store shelves. Starting January 22nd, the new demo will be available exclusively for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Then, on January 29th, it will be available publicly to all PSN users. For those of who got early access to the first Sly demo from the Ratchet & Clank Collection, this demo is brand new — so be sure to check this one out as well! Stay tuned for lots more on Sly as we head toward launch, and don’t forget to pre-order your copy today.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

The gift giving season is upon us, but we want to make sure that you’re thinking ahead — past the impending apocalypse and on to the upcoming release of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time!

Sneaking onto PlayStation 3 and PS Vita February 5th, 2013, the game is packed with all sorts of Sly Sweetness™. Not only does Sly Cooper support Cross Buy — which gives gamers who purchase the PS3 version of the title a digital download of the PS Vita version from PlayStation Network at no additional cost — it also includes Cross Save as well as some very cool AR functionality that lets you use your PS Vita to find treasures when playing the game on your PS3. We’ve also shown you how Sly’s costumes will allow him to complete challenging puzzles in a variety of stages throughout time.

But what about Sly? Who is Sly? Learn more about his predicament in this new Story Trailer:

We hope you liked this look into the game! We’ll have plenty more to show — including some (re)introductions to the rest of the gang — this January. Keep an eye on PS.Blog, and don’t forget to pre-order today to secure your early unlocks!

So here’s a video of Egan demoing some of the PS Vita-specific features you’ll find when Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time drops this Fall:

We’ll show you more of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time on our PlayStation E3 Livestream, starting Monday, June 4th at 5:30 pm Pacific/8:30 pm Eastern.

First off, a look at new gameplay. As every Sly fan knows, Sly Cooper and Carmelita Fox have a long and torrid history — a history that’s destined to continue in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. The game picks up where Sly 3 left off, and Sly is feigning amnesia so he can be with the love of his life, Carmelita. But when he rejoins the Cooper Gang on their time-traveling escapade to restore his family’s legacy, you can be sure Carmelita will quickly become embroiled in their wild adventure.

Carmelita is radiant on the PS3, and the powerful graphics hardware allowed us to make her much more detailed and expressive than in the past titles on PS2. She is, of course, a fully playable character in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and so we also spent a lot of time evolving her gameplay. We have gone with a more precise over-the-shoulder aiming technique that allows players to lock on the targets quickly and easily. You can see how this can be put to good use in the multi-layered boss battle.

Now for more big news! Ever since we revealed the game, fans have been asking me about PS Vita, arguing that Sly would be a great game to take on the go. I completely agree…and I can now confirm that Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time will be shipping this fall on BOTH the PS3 and the PS Vita, on the same day.

The portable version will contain all the same awesome Sly Cooper action you will find on the PS3 along with cool Vita-specific features that incorporate the front and rear touchscreens and motion controls. The game will also feature cross-save capability, so you’ll be able to save the game from either machine and then pick up right where you left off — whether you’re at home or on the go.

So there you go! We are thrilled to finally show Carmelita in action — she’s a big fan favorite and I know everyone will love how she looks and plays in the latest installment of the series — and to be announcing the PS Vita version of the game. It’s been a crazy ride over the last few months, but when we see the results we know it was worth it. :D So stay tuned for more PS Vita details including date and price coming very soon.

Well, the team is working away on even more reveals, but they need something from you — your treasure! We’re happy to announce the beginning of the Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time Treasure Design Contest (that long enough for you?)! The good people over at our Europe offices have already kicked it off and we want to make sure you get in on it as well.

What exactly is it, you say? We want to give you the opportunity to design your own treasure and have a chance to see it transformed into in-game objects in the latest Sly Cooper PS3 title! Fans are invited to set their imaginations free and design treasures that Sly and his gang might find on their adventures through time. Creations can be hand drawn, or created using your graphic design program of choice. The designs can be simple or intricate but they must be submitted with a short description of what the treasure is and what it represents.

Already excited? You can enter here. Need more info? Check out the video below from Sanzaru Games‘ Glen Egen!

ALL the qualifying competition entries will be sent to Sanzaru Studios and the team behind Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time will pick their two favorite designs; these lucky winners will have their ideas transformed into in-game objects. What are the prizes? Two First Place prize winners will each receive a 3G PS Vita handheld entertainment system, a 32 GB memory card, $100.00 PlayStation Store voucher, and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system sporting a Sly Cooper design. Yes, Sly Cooper literally on your PS3!

We want to give more stuff away though, so even if you’re not a top two winner, we’ll still be picking an additional 5 Runner Ups who will receive a 3G PS Vita system, 16 GB memory card, and $40.00 PlayStation Store voucher.

The competition is open from April 20th to May 20th 2012 and can be entered by visiting the official Sly Cooper site. Some quick rules on the contest: No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Open to legal US residents 13+. You can see the full official rules here.

So that’s it! Plenty of time and plenty of chances to win. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Earlier this week, Rey and I visited Foster City-based Sanzaru Games, the developers of this fall’s Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. As the first original PS3 entry in the classic PS2 thieving series, and the first to be developed outside of Sucker Punch Studios, Thieves in Time represents a long-awaited return to form as well as a natural entry point for series newcomers.

Where Sly 2 and Sly 3 let you slip into the roles of Sly’s partners in crime, Thieves in Time expands upon that concept by granting you control of Sly’s infamous ancestors — the Cooper Clan members named in the hallowed pages of the Thievius Racoonus. In one chapter set in ancient Japan, I played as Rioichi, Sly’s sushi-slinging ninja ancestor. Slinking past sleeping guards while searching for a special set of sushi knives, I used Rioichi’s Leaping Dragon ability to soar through laser fences and other high-tech traps designed to derail the Cooper Clan’s devious destiny. Other playable ancestors, including the medieval knight Sir Galleth Cooper, promise to bring more specialized skills to Sly’s moveset. In our chat, Sanzaru President Glen Egan was careful to point out that the playable characters are designed to expand upon Sly’s stealthy skillset, not subtract from it.

Thieves in Time further advances the series’ sneaky formula through collectible Costumes that grant Sly new powers. The Archer costume fires an arrow-tipped tightrope that bridges the gap to otherwise inaccessible new locations. Costumes will also come in handy if you set out to find all the hidden Clue Bottles and myriad collectible items scattered throughout the game’s sprawling levels. Like Sly 2 and Sly 3, Thieves in Time’s open-world design gives you the freedom to splinter off on side quests or re-explore old areas. Sanzaru has even added a handy Compass that points out your next goal — a thoughtful addition, especially given the sheer size and increased verticality of the new environments.

As always, Sly is more agile than other would-be platformer heroes. Rather than line up each jump perfectly, you can leap into the air and tap Circle to land on a platform auto-magically. Though I badly bungled my first platform jumping exercise, within minutes I was zipping through a withering series of jumps at top speed — an exhilarating, empowering feeling, especially if you’ve ever felt victimized by ponderous platform-jumping segments in other games.

Have questions about Thieves in Time? Leave them in the comments and I’ll leave responses over the weekend.

Thank you all so much again – keep the letters coming, everybody here loves to read them. 2012 will be a big year for Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, so stay tuned!

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!

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.

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.

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!

In case you missed it last week, here’s a broadcast segment we did with the PlayStation.blog live from the SCEA booth on the E3 show floor. We knew Jeff Rubenstein was a big fan of the series and this was the first time he had a chance to see what we had been up to. He had a bunch of great questions for us, and a bunch more that we’ll be answering over the next few months!

Seven of us founded Sanzaru Games back at the beginning of 2007 and since then we have been hard at work, steadily increasing the size and quality of the games we work on. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time will be our third game with SCEA; last year we released The Sly Collection for the PS3. It’s been great to work with the SCEA world class production team behind Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter, inFAMOUS, UNCHARTED, Resistance and, of course, The Sly Cooper series!

We realized back in 2008 when we pitched the idea of working on the next Sly Cooper that it was a pretty crazy idea, but we absolutely love the series and are glad that once people saw our hard work they responded enthusiastically.

A question I was asked several times at the show was “Isn’t it a huge amount of pressure to take on such a big franchise like Sly Cooper?” I think my answer really sums up the spirit of Sanzaru: we are infinitely more excited about the fact that we are working on something as cool and fun as Sly Cooper and this excitement feeds on itself as people are constantly coming up with cool new ideas to incorporate into the game. So while I wouldn’t describe the process of making such a big game as easy we are more excited to see how it all comes together.

So thanks again for the support and stay tuned for more cool announcements about the game over the next few months!