505 Games is set to release Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise this October, which is the sequel to the original Naughty Bear game they released in the summer of 2011. Unlike the original, Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise will be released and priced as a downloadable arcade game on both Play Station Network as well as Xbox Live. We had a chance to check out the game last week in New York City at a preview event. So now I am here to tell you about the game and give some impressions. I know, I know. The original title was a catastrophe for a lot of folks but this game shows some promise.

Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise incorporates modest elements of RPG, Hack and Slash, and Stealth games, but hangs its hat on the juxtaposition of having a seemingly cuddly bear commit terrible acts of violence. Establishing this niche gained this menacing bear enough of a following to warrant a sequel. There are some differences due to the transition of being an arcade download as the sequel is glaringly without a multiplayer mode. They instead chose to appeal to their fanbase by revamping the combat system and furthering the detail and depth of equipment customization. Now there were many issues with the first game that do not seem to be present in this build. One that comes to mind is system crashing. I don't know how many times the first game crashed my system and it was so bad that I just stopped playing it in fear for my system's health.

In the first game, players took on the role of Naughty Bear, a sweet and cuddly bear from the Island of Perfection, whose inability to respond rationally to ridicule and abandonment drove him to seek vengeance on his island mates after not being invited to a birthday party. Naughty Bear goes on to turn Perfection Island upside down by stalking, terrorizing and murdering everybody who hurt his feelings. The sequel follows a similar format - The Bears from Perfection Island take a vacation to Paradise Island without inviting their (violently inclined) neighbor. This of course sends our protagonist into a rage and he follows them to Paradise Island to exact revenge. Hey, who needs premises when you can cut the stuffing out of ninja bears, alien bears, robobears, police bears, and pirate bears?

The game consists of thirty levels in eleven different locations across Paradise Island. Each level has a set of accomplishments that earn you credits to unlock items. You want to be a perfectionist early on as the biggest enjoyment out of playing the game will surely come in using the various unlockable items to stalk and kill your enemies. As you advance, some items and weapons even become requirements in future accomplishments.

You can mix and match pants, hats, weapons, masks, shoes, and vests - each coming with its preset value in strength, stamina, speed etc. You can even match a bullet proof vest, Abe Lincoln hat, army boots, Jason Mask, and butcher knife like I did. There are dozens of weapons and each weapon has three specialized kills you can trigger during combat. There are also special kills you can trigger by using the sometimes dangerous environment on Paradise Island.

One level's objective reads: "Punish Stardust in the woods while wearing his brother's face." To master this level, you are required to find a way to isolate Stardust's brother long enough to attack him without raising suspicion. You'd then drag him into the woods, kill him, steal his face and wear it Hannibal Lecter style. This allows you to walk close enough to abduct an unsuspecting and surrounded Stardust. Nothing could be more indicative of the games combination of cerebral stealth action and brutality.

What's Cool: The Kills! You may find yourself getting lost in the pleasure of hunting down random bears to see what each weapon can do. The game also has many pop-culture references that add another element to game play. On one level I found myself in the Cantina with Han-Bear, Chewbacca-Bear, and Gweedo Bear before eventually blowing my cover (and yes, Han shot first). The customization and combination of armor and masks give levels some semblance of replay value because characters respond to you differently depending on your attire.

What's Not Cool: It's repetitive! While the game features hundreds of unique kills, you will find yourself with the same exact build up to getting your kills every time. There just aren't many different things to do. The combat system is weak and could benefit from more of a Hack/Slash aspect to gameplay. The stealth and patience dependent game play is not well placed for the killer teddy bear fan demographic. It works as game play alternative but not so much as a necessity.

The Verdict: You could very well be the kind of person who can't get enough of the (now cliche) irony of having something cute and cuddly wreak havoc on its environment. That's great and this is certainly a game made just for you. However, for many the novelty of this game will wear off fast. But the saving grace of this title was the decision to scale back and make it a much more reasonably priced downloadable game, and its value as an arcade download is much stronger than as a full scale game. The concept is great and seems to deliver much better than the original. Now remember this was a preview of the upcoming game so things aren't completely final and there is still time for development until its release in October. So who knows what they could add, change or update from the build I was able to play. For now, its a game that you'll want to keep an eye on.

Hit List - Goober