Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time was first revealed at Sony's press conference at E3 last year. The fourth title in the Sly Cooper franchise, Thieves in Time (also known as Sly 4) will be the first Sly Cooper game not developed by Sucker Punch Productions. Instead, Sanzaru Games, the same company that ported the old Sly Cooper games to the PS3 in high definition, will be taking point on Sly 4's production. Will they be able to deliver the next-generation Sly Cooper experience that die-hard fans have been waiting for?

We don't have a whole lot of info about Thieves in Time yet. The only gameplay we have seen so far has come in the form of the original trailer that premiered at E3. Sony has been pretty tight-lipped about game in general, but they have been a little more open about the plot. So let's look at that first.

Thieves in Time begins where Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves left off. Sly's wheelchair-bound turtle friend Bentley has completed his masterwork, a time machine. However, by using the time machine, the Thievius Raccoonus, the book that chronicles the history of Sly's family of master thieves, becomes lost in time. (Sly fans might remember the Thievius Raccoonus as the major plot point of the very first Sly Cooper game.)

Of course, this means that Sly and the gang need to chase the book down in order to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands and causing history to be rewritten. Many of Sly's companions return, including Murray the Hippo and Dimitri Lousteau. Players will be able to control Sly's many thieving relatives over the course of the game as well.

Sly will have to travel from time period to time period, experiencing the adventures of his ancestors in order to get the book back. The game is structured like Sly 2 and 3, with many different levels branching off of one single hub world. Sly will also have a brand-new compass in this game, which will not only allow him to find objectives in the hub world, but also hidden objectives in individual stages.

One level that's been revealed takes place in feudal Japan and puts the player in control of Rioichi Cooper, Sly's ninja ancestor. Rioichi is going up against El Jefe, a narcissistic tiger/mercenary commander who supposedly disappeared when Interpol forces got to close to his operation. If you can't tell by his name, El Jefe is designed to look like a Cuban dictator, sharing similarities with Fidel Castro. His out-of-place nature in the feudal Japan level has many fans speculating that he will be a recurring enemy that chases Sly through time. While in this level, El Jefe seems to have control of lighting and flames and appears to be a master of using bladed weapons such a swords and machetes. Sly will have to find a fire-proof samurai costume in order to defeat him.

Speaking of costumes, this is the newest game mechanic in the Sly Cooper series. By completing a level, Sly will gain access to costumes that give him the power of his ancestors. Apart from the samurai costume, a gypsy costume has also been revealed that allows Sly to slow down time. (Prince of Persia reference, anyone?) Sly will also gain access to a suit of armor that will increase his defense and allow him to reflect projectiles. After obtaining a costume, Sly will be able to backtrack through previous levels in order to find secret areas and complete hidden objectives. In fact, he may be required to backtrack in order to complete certain portions of the game.

Outside of his costumes, Sly will have his whole bag of tricks at his disposal. He will still have his trademark cane, parkour skills, and cunning stealth abilities. Sly 4 will also put the player in control of characters other than just Sly and his relatives. Bentley and Murray both have their own playable missions and objectives as well, and Sanzaru has hinted at even more characters being available. Carmelite in particularly has been shown in silhouette, which has caused many fans to speculate that she will be a playable character. Of course, this has not yet been officially confirmed.

Unfortunatley, most of the other information we have is merely speculation or rumor. Time periods such as ancient Egypt and the Wild West have been shown briefly, but these have not been explained in detail. The armor costume would suggest that there is a Middle Ages themed world as well. Some fans have speculated that the game will follow a plotline that threatens to erase Sly's existence, Back to the Future style, but this too has been unconfirmed. In fact, the only other hard piece of information we have is that the game will most certainly be available in stereoscopic 3D. Get those glasses ready.

As of now, we can't say much about Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. It certainly looks interesting, and, on first glance, there doesn't seem to be much difference between this title and the previous titles developed by Sucker Punch. It looks, for all intents and purposes, like a Sly Cooper game, right down to its impressive cel-shading. Personally, I don't think that the change of studio will affect this game's quality at all. It looks like a perfect game for any Sly Cooper fan, and its time-travel premise should be enough to draw in some new fans.

By Angelo M. D'Argenio Contributing Writer Date: January 26, 2012