Sly 4 Dialogue (SPOILERS)

[Tell-Tale Heart]

I have always loved the Sly Cooper series. I have played Sly 2 over again just a month ago, and played through the whole series a second time a few months before that. I grew up with Sly Cooper and Sly 2, and enjoyed Sly 3 when it was released.

Sly 4 was a disappointment in some aspects to me, though I have only just started the third chapter.

 I will give a few pros to this game before I list my cons.

The gameplay is amazing and enjoyable, although the reason for doing some of the things you do in the game is rather odd (I will go into detail later).
Some of the scenery is rather beautiful. Those are my main pros, but now onto my cons.

 

I have been doing a bit of story writing and roleplaying so I have some experience when it comes to plot and dialogue, and tend to pick out what I like and don't like in my own characters as well as others.

The first things I have noticed about the characters in Sly 4 is that some of them seem rather different.
Bentley, for example, would seem shy and insecure about several things and was only confident when it came to plans, math, and hacking. He would nervously say that he had to keep moving and keep safe, and would freak out at a few things, such as crying out that he was allergic to lemons while Sly and Murray guzzled lemonade down. He also had a rather major panic attack when his laptop went missing, and would cry out if anything didn't go according to plan. I myself have had panic attacks, and having something as expensive and personal as a laptop stolen by the enemy would easily cause one.
In this new game, I haven't seen a single one of these relatable traits. Bentley is rather confident, overly so, and seems egotistical at times he never was before. Many other characters in the game already have a big ego and confidence, so it only makes Bentley more like everyone else.

 

Carmelita is another example. She was a justice-obsessed cop in the first three games, determined to lock up Sly in a cell. Now she's Sly's girlfriend. Er, EX-Girlfriend. I'm not kidding, that's they way they introduce her. Not, "Carmelita Fox, the inspector. " She seems more intent on getting back at Sly by giving him the cold shoulder than to do her job and put criminals behind bars, which was her defining feature in the first three games. She was a very black and white cop, and she was shown as a strong defender of the law. Now she's shown as merely a sex object, being defined by her relationship with Sly and the other men. Her slightly coming on to Tennessee was notably out of character. She would never hesitate to try and arrest Sly, even after he saved her life or finished a rough battle that she was included in. Why should it be different for his ancestor, even if he sweet-talked a bit? Another example would be a man coming on to her before a shooting contest, which disgusted me. In the Sly series before the fourth, the men of the game would talk to Carmelita as a cop, someone they knew would try to put them behind bars, and only Sly would occasionally flirt with her. Mustang would simply call Carmelita a hag and challenge her to a battle, shooting at her relentlessly, paying little attention the the fact that she was female. In Sly 4, almost everyone pushes the fact that she's a cop to the side and hits on her.

 

For my next point, I believe that it will be easier to show rather than to simply state the point. I will compare two sets of bad guys for the games.

Each Sly game comes with it's own set of antagonists. For now, I will focus on Dimitri from Sly 2 against El Jefe from Sly 4.

Dimitri was an artist whose style just wasn't what the art world was looking for. Frustrated, he turned to the underground instead, selling spice and eventually opening up a Nightclub. As an artist with a love for a city at night myself, I can already relate to him.
Now, the first thing you may notice about Dimitri when you stalk him and listen in on him is his unique manor of speech.
He speaks in.... well, he attempts to use English slang with his own twist, and it comes out in a manner such as this:

 

"Look at this inventory, someone is breaking in and stealing my money, my real money! " (Referring to the fact that he prints out fake money)
"That Clockwerk tail bro, paper, ink, thwack, easy money!" (Almost sounds like something I'd hear a friend say, to be honest.)
"I am not cold-blooded my friend, I am cool-blooded!" (Referring to the fact that he is a lizard.)
"The Baron has eyes, eyes and ears, ears and fists!" (He has a very good point with this, he knows that he could easily get caught, and knows the consequences.)

 

Dimitri's style of speech is best described in his own words..... "My style, it's like smoke. Ungrabbable, and all over the place!"
Lastly and the strongest impression shown of Dimitri is, of course, the confrontation. This is where it gets real.
Sly goes to steal the Clockwerk tail feathers, which are being used to print money. He is surprised to run into Dimitri, who smooth-talks Sly and tries to convince him to leave with all the money he wants. When Sly turns the offer down, Dimitri flies into a rage and states many confusing terms of his, ending with "Show your bling and let me shine you!"
Sly is lost and tells him that, "I have no idea what you're saying.... and your suit SUCKS!"
Which Dimitri emits a (somewhat feminine >__>) scream and exclaims, "LET'S DANCE!" at. And so the boss begins.
It tells us exactly who Dimitri is and leaves a lasting impression, as well as a bit of a humorous memory. Not to mention his theme. Now, music tastes vary greatly from person to person, but Dimitri's theme suits him a little too well, and is rather catchy and memorable. It tops him off well and makes him a very defined and unique character.

That's Dimitri all right.

Now for his opponent in this argument.... his comparison.... El Jefe.

Him.
Right. So this guy's traits seemed made up as the writers went along with events.
As far as I can see, he's sort of a jerk. Okay. Sure. Most bad guys are.
Sadistic jerk? Artistic Jerk? Confused and just sort of ends up as a jerk? Aloof and vengeful jerk?
Nope. Just your average jerk.
I nearly died from confusion when I saw him come out of a brothel in old traditional Japan. So suddenly he's also a pervert?
Then a cutscene said some of his backstory. He didn't have anything relatable. He was a general, a rather good one, who took over a few small countries and sold them. A bit unique, but I haven't seen much before this showing that he was a general. Nor after. It seems a random fact, something thrown in there to help define him, but it was never shown that he had brilliant plans to use to stop the gang's plots or trap them. So suddenly he's a general that's a pervert and a little bit of a jerk. Lovely.
And then there's the confrontation. Maybe THIS is where things get real, like it usually does in Sly games. But no.
When Sly chases after him, he catches up to El Jefe on a giant statue of himself.
So suddenly he is the most egoistical guy I've seen in awhile? Oh. More lovely.

All he really has to say to Sly about it is telling him to take a long look because El Jefe wants him to, "Remember the one who CRUSHED you."
Okay, that line sounds a little familiar than it should. And unnatural. And he hasn't crushed Sly yet.
Sly tells him that he has nowhere left to run, not even responding to the comment I quoted above.
El Jefe then mocks Sly for standing up for his family, which is completely random and I'm not seeing how it's a response to what Sly had to say. He then tells Sly that he'll never see any of them ever again. If it weren't for Sly's jawdrop, I would think that this was a threat saying that Sly is going to die. But the jawdrop tells me that Sly could be thinking about his murdered parents. But how the heck would El Jefe know of Sly's parent's demise?
This has yet to be explained.
One last thing I will say about El Jefe. "WELCOME TO YOUR DOOM, COOPER"
That is all.

Now, to be fair, I will add a second set of bad guys.
Muggshot versus Toothpick. They share a few similar aspects, both taking control of a western U.S. town and being inspired by movies to develop a certain way. They are weak at some points and turn strong at others, but there is a huge contrast to this.

Muggshot took over a town by using a huge gang presence, which seemed somewhat reasonable. He had a huge amount of brawn, but he wasn't always that way. He was the youngest and smallest of his brothers and was picked on a lot. He saw a few movies of gangsters and had an idea of what he wanted to be when he grew up. He spent a lot of time and effort making himself stronger, lifting weights and working out. He then was able to stand up to the brothers that tormented him in his youth.
Toothpick grew up loving cowboy movies and decided to go back in time to become a sheriff in the old west. Now, maybe his love of cowboys may be relatable, but I find Muggshot's past of being bullied and becoming head of a gang to make sure that he was never pushed around again much more believable, and a bit more.... well, it adds an emotion aspect to it.
Also, Toothpick, when enraged, will suddenly become very large. How does- er, why?
Just.... Why does he turn big when angry? Muggshot lifted weights and worked hard to get his strength. This guy? Just... turns big. Never explained.

One last point I shall make.
The dialogue itself.
The Sly series always had somewhat cartoon-like dialogue, but it was always unique and well thought of, seemed natural and conversations flowed well, and when it was cheesy, it was often lamp shaded.
Take this conversation, for example:
Carmelita (Strapped down and in the process of being hypnotized): I'm a honest cop! Why are you doing this?!
The Contessa (Who is the one brainwashing her): Because, my dear, you're honest. You see, it was only a matter of time before you figured out that I was a member of the Klaww gang.
Carmelita: Coward! You're a disgrace to Interpol! I'll make it my life's work to destroy you!
The Contessa: I'm afraid that you're life, as well as your, "life's work," is going to be whatever I tell you.

So yes, a bit cheesy with some lines, but overall, flowed well and even had a slap in the face to Carmelita.

Now to compare, as I love to do, I will quote a scene from Sly 4:
Toothpick: I'm only happy enough to get rid of this one! Her tongue is sharp enough to cut leather. (Okay, an attempted new spin on a idiom that's been used a bit much. It doesn't make it fresh enough in my opinion.)
Carmelita: Stinking Cowards! (It was better when she just left it at coward.) Afraid to untie me and fight like men? (Also overused. One cliche is alright in a scene, but two for each of the starting lines? A bit much.) I swear, when I get out of this....! (Overused again, and what? You'll destroy them?)
Toothpick: "No sense fretting about that, little lady...." (Uhm, do I need to say it? And it was more of a slap to the face when Carmelita's life's was going to pretty much be a slave to an arachnid.) "Just enjoy... the ride!" (....I'm not even going to say it.)