Board Thread:Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time discussion/@comment-70.118.175.85-20130324190846/@comment-76.195.70.217-20130411021309

I actually saw it coming, the mechs and title gave it away, but I was hoping for a better explination. There was a lot about the shifting of ownership that changed things. But there's a lot to the creative process that could be explained. To be honest, I wouldn't blame Sanzuru for this. Penelope, while adorable in Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, was a poorly developed character. There was a lot to her that didn't make sense. She was portrayed as a good girl who didn't like cheating. Yet she herself, as the Black Baron cheated to make sure she won every year with the gunships. And for those who concider the betrayal of her henchmen working for Muggshot as a good point, she could have just used it as a point to win the Cooper Gang over and go after the vault's riches while geting rid of those who would dare betray her, as an example. I mean, really, they were pretty straight forward about the job throughout the game. The Cooper name is famous, and even the Contessa comments on how much they possibly could have collected over the years. And that's just Sly's gang.

In my personal opinion, Sucker Punch just threw in a second female character to balance out all the male characters, as their only other female characters were a cop and two villians in the previous game. With the large amount of male characters, she was probably just thrown in there to create a balance. But really, she had no skills that allowed her to stand out. She was an figher ace. Beat by Sly. (though that could be due to Otto van Cooper's section of the Thievious Raccoonus.) She was a boxer as the Black Baron and shows some serious skill. Yet in game play she focuses on RC devices that Bentley had already shown and really it's... no better. Even removing the gameplay aspect and relying on the player to do it, an RC chopper, Bentley has it. Though I'll be honest, I can't remember if he had an RC car before Thieves in Time as I hate the RC car... But still, even in game play, her skills as an RC expert aren't explored and in comparison she seems on par with Bentley, if not underneath him as he keeps pointing things out faster than she does, and seems to keep bailing her out in Blood Bath Bay, which is the only real time she has any true merit in the game. Retrieving the van? The final mission in China? Really? Yeah, not really. I'm not saying she's a bad character, I'm saying Sucker Punch didn't do a good job of making her stand out. Though I did love the fight with LeFwee, but really... where in her background did she learn to use a sword? Even if she is a genius, it seems to be with gadgets. And I don't think LeFwee would teach his hostage how to fight like that. It seems like they just threw her in to use her, she had no real point other than to be a female lead and love interest for Bentley.

Sanzuru took what I saw, the parts they just ignored, and explored them more, albeit in a poorly executed way. However, keep in mind the emotional moment the confrentation was. Sly had just destroyed her mech, she was upset, wanting to get rid of him, Bentley confronts her, which is something she probably didn't want to happen, in a suit made from her Moat Monster which he pretty much calls shit (he sas "adequet" but in such a tone it's like he's just humoring her, which goes with her comment of "It's... just a prototype anyway!") They covered the bare facts, and further explination during a boss fight doesn't FEEL real. With the escape at the end of Thieves in Time, I'm sure we'll be seeing her again in the next installment.

I have my own theories as to what happened, why it happened, etc. In my opinion, Penelope has always been aiming toward riches and fame (which she had as the Black Baron and gave up for the Cooper Gang, expecting a large payout since she lost her fame when she lost to Sly anyway, and may even explain another reason why she hates him so much.) I think Le Paradox contacted her earlier on, before the time machine was even done. Given the Blimp was an entire machine to begin with, I think Penelope built it, along with the improvements to Bentley's design. (As for the lack of needing an artifact, we don't know if it's true as Le Paradox has a museum and access to all kinds of artifacts.) Le Paradox is a master manipulator and I'm sure his words made an impact on Penelope, even if she planned to betray him for her own goals. Her "morality" doesn't mean a thing as her own actions speak otherwise. She lied and cheated as the Black Baron, and even to me she had a dark undertone to her 'cute' nature. It's a kids game, so they played it down, but it's still there. This is just my opinion based on facts I've witnessed after playing all the games numerous times. I wouldn't rely on the Wiki to pull in your information, as it's biased based on the writer. Go back, look at the games and form your own opinions.