Naughty Bear

[illdog]

This game is better than i originally gave it credit for.

The problem is the way in which your taught to play, you can use a tutorial which gives you the real basics but the rest is apparently in the 'online' manual which you can either access from the pause menu or you can press select at an appropriate time when the game is introducing something new. Nobody likes reading stuff, but i still thought the game still felt vague and open even after forcing myself to digest the transcript.

The next problem is the camera. Its far too closer to Naughty Bear so your character can block who your hiding from. Also, it zings around at the speed of light under your control.

As always tho, thing become apparent after appropriate time is spent and im starting to find the real fun in turning an entire village of friendly bears insane.

The aim is varied, depending on the challenge that game is setting. The first objective is usually to punish the protagonist of each episode, then you unlock subsequent challenges from there. Insanity Challenges require you to to play the mental game instead of being a straight up gangsta, Friendly Challenges mean you can hit any bears, therefore just use traps and frighten them with general sneakyness, Speedrun Challenges.... and so on.

The villages are made up of houses - some in blocks, some individuals, some have open fronts but all buildings contain things that can be sabotaged like toilets, arcade machines, phones and factory equipment. Bears like to fix broken things, so breaking a phone on an outside wall and hiding in the bushes gives you an opportunity to sneak up on a pre-occupied bear an give him the fright of his life. More frights will eventally turn him insane and ultimately drive him to suicide. You can kill them if you wish, but insanity driven suicides are where the points are. Set yourself up with a nice pre-planned situation and you can get a combo going and thats where the points start rolling in. For example...

I broke an outside phone and placed a bear trap infront of it, then hid in the bushes (you cant be seen in bushes). I then shot a window with my gun to draw some bears outside. A bear saw the broken phone and fell into my bear trap. Another bear also disturbed by the noise of gunshot and a breaking window emerged from his house to see his mate trapped in the beartrap, so he runs up to set him free. So i jump out of the bushes and scare the bear trying to spring the trap, he then runs off for help, leaving his hapless mate still trapped for me to beat the shit out of. My beatings set him free, so i dove back in the bushes and he limped off. Injured or panicked bears frighten the other villagers and you get points for this as well. Keep doing shit like this in quick succession and you rack up massive combos.

Sorry to ramble, my point is there is more here than it seems, dont judge it too quickly.

[hinn888]

It is a lot tactical than what people think, alot of my friends just keeps hitting them and doing ultra kills. I always play it by distracting them with sabotaged items and scare them and then later go bk to em.

Thing is theres only 7 episodes, each episodes may have challenges but its the same thing as what i do anyway, dnt let em escape, dnt get hit etc.

I think its a fun game and theres more to what people think, but i reckon its worth around the £20 instead.

[illdog]

Im really enjoying this, its very different from anything ive been playing lately so it feels like a breath of fresh air.

I got my first Platinum Cup today, it was on an Invisible Challenge (dont be seen more than five times) that id really been struggling with previously. The game and what to do have sort of clicked now and i was terrifying motherfucker with my Uzi from deep within my mound of greenery.

The camera really is awful tho, i think it could put some people off but ive been wooed by i the game stark opposing natures and i can forgive it due to it being so fun to play.

[illdog]

I finished Episode 6 this morning, only one more Episode to play but there is still a ton of stuff to do.

You have to take this game for what it is - a score challenge marathon. I enjoy trying to beat my old scores and trying to get a decent position on the online leaderboards thanks to my competative nature. If you dont get any kicks out of that sort of thing then leave this alone.

Ive unlocked a Ninja costume for Naughty Bear and its the absolute bollocks. You dont make a sound when you move (and he moves extremely quick) so you can sneak up on bears in the open and its making Killer Challenges an absolute doddle, thanks to his awesome sword of death. In sacrifice of strength and speed is his life, he gets killed pretty easy but you cant have it all.

[Craymen Edge]

You have to take this game for what it is - an 800-1200 point XBLA game being sold for £40 on a DVD.

Fixed that for you.

The repetition sounds like a killer for me, that and the nastiness. It should have been a comically twisted little game, but from the videos it looks more mean and unpleasant.

[illdog]

Its not at all unpleasent unless you cant stand the sight of fluff, i cant see why you'd think that. If it were people and not super-gay Bungle replica's i'd understand.

I can see peoples beef with the repetition but again i state its a score based challenge and these things are often repetative.

I dunno why i feel the need to defend this game, its not gonna set the world on fire and its far from my favorite game. Infact i was thinking about it and it seems like its more of a prequel, like a taste of what it could be. It just seems to be getting alot of flak from people who havent played it or have played it for 10 minutes.

[Craymen Edge]

Its not at all unpleasent unless you cant stand the sight of fluff, i cant see why you'd think that. If it were people and not super-gay Bungle replica's i'd understand.

It's not funny cartoon capers like setting traps in Spy Vs Spy, it's bullying characters until they commit suicide out of desperation.

At least thats the atmosphere watching gameplay videos like the ones posted in the other thread set for me. Where it should have felt naughty and darkly comic, it just felt vindictive and mean-spirited to me, regardless of what the characters look like.

Not asking anyone to agree with me, or defend yourself if you didn't. Just expanding on why it's off my radar, whatever the price.

[illdog]

Fair doo's guvnor, i read my post back and it comes across a little more defensive than i meant. Can i buy you dinner?

[hinn888]

505 Games and Artificial Mind & Movement are bringing an update to Naughty Bear and a free downloadable episode available from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Apparently, the free Level 8 episode will incorporate "challenging and never-before-seen gameplay" for Naughty Bear according to the PR. In said episode, Naughty Bear is given a surprise invite to a dodgy-sounding 'cake tasting' party at which he is the guest of honour. His mission is to work out the real motive behind the suspicious invite.

Level 8 will also include a new gang called the X-Bears lead by Danger Bear. A super-powered group, the X-Bears will fight against Naughty alongside their die-hard fan Bubbles who totes an Uzi. Looks like more bear baiting violence is brewing on the Island of Perfection.

The free DLC unlocks new costumes, hats, weapons and four challenges in an environment with a new theme too. The Level 8 Episode is available now along with the standard update.

Need to get back on this!

Heres a link to add to the queue.