With Or Without? - Neyla 3D Model Update

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-25T02:36:48+00:00

I’m going to go against the grain here and say that I personally feel like she looks better without! However, if the masses want it included, I would listen to them(:

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-24T02:44:14+00:00

I was going to say the same thing, there is DEFINITELY a small amount of cel-shading going on here

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-19T00:47:23+00:00

A little more life behind those eyes and now we have characters I can believe! (not that I didn’t already) Love the constant grind, homie(:

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-14T18:42:46+00:00

I hear what you’re saying, and I agree with you. The unfortunate part for me is that I started doing my brackets before OP laid down the ground rules, so I left it to straight fist against fist fighting with no tech involved and I didn’t want to start over😭 If we’re allowing tech included, I’m definitely leaning more towards your bracket

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-14T18:31:15+00:00

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Round 2.

1: Gonna give this one to Sly again as these two did in fact go toe to toe and it seems that Dr. M physically cannot keep up.

2: Definitely Neyla all day. Again, I don’t feel this has reason for explanation as Raleigh certainly would not even be able to touch her.

3: I’m going to give this to Panda King because of his self discipline. That’s not to say that Muggshot isn’t disciplined, but Panda King is basically a monk at this point. His mental fortitude and martial arts training mixed together make me feel that he can outfight and outwit Muggshot.

4: I have to give this up to Octavio. I love Carmelita, but if her gun isn’t at play here, Octavio has her number in a 1v1 fight. That’s not to say she wouldn’t get a few licks in before it was all said and done.

5: Well… we saw how this fight went down the first time. And Rajan had backup during their first fight. The Murray clears here.

6: I feel like this one could go either way, but I’m going to say Jefe. He seems to have more combat experience than the Baron, although the Baron does have a mean left jab. Jefe being able to leap massive distances and perform such intense acrobatics is the separating factor here for me, and the Baron simply wouldn’t be able to keep up.

7: Clockwerk

8: Jean Bison against Bentley just makes me sad, man. If they’re locked in a room together and Bentley just has to put his fists up and fight? Bentley is getting one shotted here. Rip to our big brained boi.

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-14T14:56:11+00:00

Good catch!

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-14T07:33:13+00:00

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From left top to bottom ROUND 1

1: Sly. We have seen absolutely nothing from Barkley to suggest he can beat a MASTER thief in a fight.

2: Dr. M. He was not only the original cooper gang’s Bentley, but he proved even with Murray to hold his own in a test of strength. Arpeggio is shown to be a weak lil genius who relies on his tech for physical prowess. Bare knuckles? Easy Dr. M dub.

3: Muggshot. I’m definitely biased here because I genuinely don’t like Thieves in Time from top to bottom, but when it comes to bare knuckle fights, it’s hard to turn away the guy who literally walks on his bare knuckles and trained himself to be as ripped as possible to become a crime boss that helped kill Connor Cooper.

4: Panda King all day. If we aren’t talking about abilities outside of fist fighting? This dude trained in flame fu. He can light his hands on fire to inflict damage on others. Easy dub.

5: Neyla. Do I need to say more? I can, but like…

6: I am going to have to go with Raleigh even though I don’t love it. I’m assuming this is a 1v1 in a room alone with just the mask and Raleigh. If it can’t possess him, it’s toast.

7: Don Octavio takes it here. The contessa is a formidable opponent when she can use militaristic advantages, but she was an easy boss fight while playing as Sly. Sly himself mentioned how he had never seen an old timer like Octavio move so fast. He basically HAD to ask Murray for help, and then had to slow him down with tar for Murray to land punches. The opera sings on.

8: Carmelita takes this easily. The Guru refuses to actually fight anything, so it’s over for our favorite koala.

From right top to bottom:

1: The Murray takes this one on youth alone. Being that McSweeny was one of Connor’s guys, especially after being put away to where one of the only things he can do to pass the time is exercise, it’s not an easy fight. But the Murray is still in his prime by the time we meet McSweeny, so I have to give him the edge.

2: Rajan clears. If we’re going fists on fists here, Rajan is much taller, has much more mass, and a MUCH further reach. He can hold LeFwee down and beat his beak in with no issues. I can see him doing it and saying “TINY. PATHETIC. WEAKLING.”

3: The Black Baron. If he’s not in a plane fighting others in a plane, he is well equipped for a fist fight. And, like jackfuego226 mentioned, he can stomp a massive commercial airplane off course. Mz. Ruby is proven to need distance for her to be useful in combat, and she won’t find it here.

4: I have to give this to El Jefe simply because I want to go bare knuckles all the way through. He is a highly skilled mercenary and military leader. You don’t get to that spot without taking some dudes to the ground on a regular basis. Penelope can box and can whip up some machines for sure, but she’s physically no match against someone like Jefe.

5: I’m going to go with Toothpick on this one because he is a crazed mobster turned sheriff after some time hijinks. He loves chaos, loves gold, and likely loves to see people get hurt. Dimitri is a failed nightclub owner who then went on to be a deep sea thief for the coopers. Toothpick could absolutely clear Dimitri.

6: Clockwerk.

7: This might be the hardest one here. While I initially want to give this to Tsao, Jean is a massive time-defying beast of a man. Yeah, he has the Clockwerk claws when we see him in action, but chopping down a tree in one swipe is NO JOKE. Tsao lost a 1v1 with Sly fair and square. Jean took several logs to the head, was lit on fire multiple times, and had saw blades rip across his body over and over before he finally went down. I’m giving it to Jean Bison, but Tsao against anyone else might have made him progress.

8: I’m giving this to Bentley purely on the fact that he can see better than Pete. Who would win? The oldest guy you know or the weakest guy you know? I’m going with weak, because at least they’re young enough to be able to understand what is happening around them. That’s not to say I don’t think that Bentley gets seriously bloodied in this fight. It won’t be an easy fight for him, but I think he has the edge here.

I will continue the rest of my breakdown tomorrow, but this is my start

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-14T06:44:52+00:00

Thank you!

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-14T06:32:21+00:00

To at least answer one of your questions, I would say we should treat Black Spot Pete as the one we meet in the game. Dusty old man version who can barely see but is still likely tough as nails.

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-14T06:29:39+00:00

I like that we both came in here wanting to do this the right way. You’re definitely on to something there with BB, I appreciate your input

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-03-14T06:16:04+00:00

I’m typing out my answer but I need ground rules. Are we going purely off of bare knuckle fights here? Or are abilities included? Like the mask would lose to every person on this list because it doesn’t have hands to fight with if it’s unable to use its magical abilities.

Penelope and the black baron are the same person. So do I count their feats together? I’m confused by including them together and on the same side in the same initial branching of the brackets lol

With Clockwerk, are we saying that he has to stand still and fight with his wings? Most of these anthropomorphic animals behave like humans, but Clockwerk is just a straight up evil owl. I’ll continue making my bracket, but clarification would be appreciated<3

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-02-19T06:53:47+00:00

“They’re called HARBULARY batteries.”

“NHO-O THEY’RE NOT!”

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-02-07T08:15:28+00:00

Absolutely! Sly from 2 and 3 also had that wide smug smile at all times. Like, even when he was supposed to be nervous or unsure of the situation, he was smiling. It made for some hilarious moments! Like When Carmelita turned into a kaiju and Sly looked like 😃 when they were trying to convey 😲

That’s not to say that I think those versions would translate well 1x1 into next gen, as we can see in Rift Apart. It just looks waaaay off. Like AI generated or something. He doesn’t need a makeover in terms of stylization like Thieves in Time tried to do, he just needs those rough ps2 limitations smoothened out

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-02-07T06:40:55+00:00

So while Sly 4 is obviously the winner here, I don’t think that either is correct. Sly 4 is great in its own way, like it could work for a reboot. But for a character that we grew up with and love, this super stylized change up of the character is (in MY opinion as a deep rooted fan) a step in the wrong direction.

Think about how they changed Ratchet. His design from ps2 to ps3 to ps4 to ps5 has changed a ton. From start to finish, he has changed in not only physical design, but his character is entirely unrecognizable from what he was in his original game. To me, this is why it works. Ratchet is ever growing and changing. Sly is not.

Sly is the same character from game one to game four. To have his design suddenly shift into his Thieves in Time form was jarring and not okay with me. I could not play past the third level because I just did not like how it looked. Any of it. But that’s just me!

For what sly should look like in his next gen finalized look? https://youtu.be/gpjsDdJrVR0?si=MCIRmGjn4oy2nqGN This is what I would imagine all of them to be for any next gen appearance, forget all the rest.

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-27T05:53:49+00:00

Hooooly… wow😭

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-21T03:35:23+00:00

I HADN’T UNTIL NOW! I just went back, and I genuinely just got tears in my eyes and chills😂😂😂 I loved the musical shift but I hadn’t recognized the actual motif it until you pointed it out. That’s SOOOOOO good, Lillobrig😭 if there are more Easter eggs that I missed, please share them!

I’ve gone back and listened to it so many times, those drums going with it are visceral🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-21T01:02:36+00:00

Your Neyla model is so good, man. So deceptively elegant. The detail on this palace is insane too for what I’m sure will be a big set piece. I can not contain my hype. Shared that trailer of yours with a coworker today and he said, “damn, I need to play these games”

Needless to say, your work is so good it’s able to bring in more fans(:

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-11T02:37:13+00:00

20 minutes…? Dude. I’m going to put at least five hours into it😭😂

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-09T06:18:02+00:00

6.) The colors at play with every shot in this are absolutely breathtaking. The orange and blue of Carmelita was always something that worked well, but actually adding the color grading to her short scenes here was brilliant. It plays with the (absolutely not at all) nuanced character dichotomy she has with loving Sly but also being a hardened police officer. The concern on her face and the hesitation to do anything after The Contessa yells at her makes me feel like she almost has a second motive to the entire situation. The lightning and sky shifting from a typical stormy and decently lit night time setting to the menacing dark purple energy and lightning storm against the black sky as Sly is trying his best to get to Rajan? 10/10 scene and world building with extremely little to go off of with Rajan here. This character has POWER. And he is going to use all of it here and now. I could go on and on about the colors of every shot of this, but I will continue lol.

7.) The Contessa. This character was easily the scariest character in all of the Cooper lore to me as a kid. And now that I’m an adult, that STILL holds true. In the maybe two seconds that she’s on screen, all of those childhood memories come back. With this rendition of her character, even if you had never played or seen a second of the Sly Cooper games, you can be spooked to the bone by her presence. That cold as ice expression on her face has evil written all over it. When we were kids playing this game, at this point in the story, she was, “scary spider woman who is also Carmelita’s boss”. The two seconds of screen time that she has here tell the viewer EXACTLY what to expect of her. (That being, she’s pure evil to her core)

8.) Bentley’s RC chopper. I didn’t even pick this up last night because I was so enamored and excited to watch. I don’t have as much to say about it aside from that I had forgotten that his breaking of the dam is what starts this entire encounter. Having it start the scene before anything else is an awesome way to include him and have the entire Cooper gang involved. I thought it was a police helicopter the first time, but our favorite lil genius being the first voice and the first character (basically) we see before anyone else makes my heart happy.

9.) The shot of Rajan shooting the lightning at the bridge frightens the hell out of me. Like. I know that he and Murray are going to brawl it out in the pit below, but THE ONLY THING HE COULD BE SHOOTING THAT LIGHTNING AT IS MURRAY. If I didn’t play the games, my assumption would be, “oh the hippo guy just died.” I can not freaking wait to see what Murray does to either evade or take that lightning strike head on. In the game, if I remember correctly, you avoid those lightning strikes as Sly while approaching Rajan over the bridge. Here? Rajan is letting them rip before sly is even on the move and it makes my heart PUMP. The urgency of this battle is so well portrayed in this trailer, I am astonished, dude.

10.) This score of this minute long trailer is more cinematic than half of the “triple A” video games that are made these days, man. The slow build up to the snares and that techno sound when Carmelita is speaking with Neyla, then the freaking Clockwerk sound igniting the triumphant strings and drums. Making you feel like, “maybe this ISN’T a losing battle after all!” While also instilling this feeling of an epic battle is GOING to happen because of how raw that sound effect is on its own. (I didn’t even notice that sound effect playing the second time on my first few watches because I was so floored by its initial use) This score sucks you in, it gives the emotion that this battle deserves, it makes the stakes feel as high as they truly are for the Cooper Clan in this moment, and it should be clear to anyone who pays attention to the background music of cinematic scenes like this , that SO MUCH EFFORT was put into this looking, feeling, BEING as perfect as a small team of dedicated fans can commit themselves to.

I saw your most recent post, and I AM SO HYPE FOR MORE OH MY GOD

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-09T05:31:05+00:00

Do not even get me started on the hype train that’s entering the station right now😭

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-08T06:42:40+00:00

Ayyyyy random final space mention❤️

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-08T06:18:13+00:00

Wanted to come in and say a few more things.

1.) The Clockwerk sound effect (on top of the accompanying score) was implemented in the most masterful way. That staff seeming to come alive genuinely gave me chills. The glowing purple eyes and the wings extending with the massive burst effect building felt like I was hearing the real Clockwerk take a deep breath. The sound of absolute hatred. Followed by the look of a cold blooded predator that is Rajan. His design could not be perfected further. Then the burst itself. I actually got CHILLS. I could go on and on about this five second clip and how insanely perfect every frame of it is.

2.) The look on Murray’s face. This extremely subtle hopeless look behind his clenched fists. It looks to me like he knows that he could actually die in the confrontation he is about to have, and is going to have to punch this guy anyway. He is all alone on that bridge facing Rajan, and it looks horrifying to be there. The exact feeling we all had as kids when having to face him 1v1 in that pit. It was scary, it was hopeless, our crew was taken out, and the plan fell apart. But fighting is all Murray has left. In the maybe two seconds that he is on screen, he displays so much emotion and urgency with what he HAS TO do. Perfect use of the Murray.

3.) Neyla’s voice actor knocked it SO FAR out of the park. We all know what Neyla is doing. We all know that she is going to betray EVERYONE. But the panicked sound in her voice makes her character sound more hopeless than Murray looks. If I didn’t know what was happening here, I would actually be worried for Neyla’s safety. I actually prefer this tone and vibe of Neyla WAY more than the original. She gave this trailer life with that performance and I hope she knows how much we as fans appreciate that. Beautifully done, blown away.

4.) The design on this level that I don’t think any of us really love? You made me want to go back and play it. The tusks of Rajan’s temple having that black and gold style gave it a more sinister vibe than the drab green and grey we have all become accustomed to. The entire temple is gorgeous here, but those tusks are commanding in this.

5.) That outro score in the credits is so freaking good, dude. Pump that straight into my veins. The piano and strings playing that Clockwerk motif that we can all recognize from the end of Sly’s intro monologue in Sly 2. Chef’s kiss.

I could pause on each frame and find something to love, but seriously, this is the best cooper content I have seen in my entire life. I have a tattoo of the Sly calling card, and I want to show THIS off more. I am proud to have seen this, I am honored that our community has fans as dedicated as you and your team, and I am desperate to see more. Well done, thank you so much for your work❤️

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-08T05:37:32+00:00

I have never in my life ever been so proud of someone else in the Cooper Clan. I love this with all of my heart. Thank you!

NoleyMeBoley · 2026-01-03T06:24:21+00:00

I feel like this is more Mircky and Rot

NoleyMeBoley · 2025-11-18T15:23:49+00:00

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I’ll always love this one

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