Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Not having seen the movie, I can't comment on screen-to-PC authenticity, but KnowWonder's Brother Bear game is an entertaining romp through a variety of gorgeous, interactive environments (Aspen forest, Valley of Fire, Salmon Run and more) on Kenai's quest to become human again. The game is narrated by Rutt and Tuke, aka the SCTV McKenzie Brothers of moose (voiced by hosers Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, eh?), who explain the rough idea of Brother Bear: brothers Sitka, Denahi, and Kenai live in the Ice Age Pacific Northwest. When eldest brother Sitka is killed by a grizzly while protecting Kenai, Kenai tracks down the bear and kills it against the advice of the shaman. As punishment, he is transformed into a bear and must escape Denahi, who is now hunting him. Kenai befriends Koda, an orphaned grizzly cub, who helps him reach the place where the light touches the earth.
The game begins in the Apsen Forest in a training level, where Koda teaches Kenai the bear essentials: how to jump, climb, collect honeycomb to discover secret totems, and collect berries, salmon, and acorns to restore health. Interspersed between levels are arcade-style action games, such as racing to the top of the mountain, the Ice Run, and collecting the most salmon at the Salmon Run. These can be replayed to achieve a better score, or just to enjoy the action again.
Although there are no difficulty levels to choose from , the game increases in difficulty with each level. During each level Kenai must fight and escape Denahi. This is made difficult in the fact that once you enter the fights, there are no health power-ups, and if you die, you start right back out with as much or as little health as you had the first time. The saves are also automatic, and the game freezes up for a good 15-20 seconds every time it saves.
The claim that you can transform into an eagle, wolf or crow is deceiving: these are totems that you use in your quest, but you do not actually transform. The Eagle totem allows Kenai and Koda to fly to otherwise off-limits ledges and across barriers to collect bonus items (the Mystical Pinecone, which gives you an extra heart against the hunter) and to continue the game. The Wolf allows you to jump across super-wide chasms (you only use it once or twice), and the Crow allows you to see hidden objects or paths. There are also three totems that will aid you in your final fight against the Hunter: the Bear, the Sabertooth Tiger, and Golden Salmon. As a bonus, if you collect the six hidden totems, there is a hidden ending.
The 3D graphics are gorgeous: lush forest, snow-covered mountains, raging rapids and waterfalls, and volcanic craters. You can chase rabbits and butterflies for fun, fish for salmon in the river, and avoid grumpy chipmunks when collecting berries. The game did freeze up on my machine in a couple of spots (both in the Valley of Fire), but those were the only glitches I encountered. Brother Bear does require a 3D graphics card and a fair amount of memory to run smoothly (I ran it on an HP Pavillion with 256 MB RAM and an Nvidia TNT 64 MB graphics card).
Overall I feel that the game is too difficult for younger gamers (under six perhaps; the keyboard/mouse controls are rather tricky and very sensitive), but enjoyable for older kids.
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Brother BearAn UnBEARably Fun Adventure!Product InformationDisney's Brother Bear the PC game allows the player to immerse himself or herself in the fully interactive version of Kenai's world being thoroughly entertained and a part of the lush 3-D environment. Not only can players play Kenai and Koda as bears they can also transform into a wolf crow and an eagle! Features real-time 3-D gameplay based upon the grand adventure of Brother Bear a fully interactive world and ability to play with seven characters from the film! For kids ages three and up.Product FeaturesExplore Kenai's fully-interactive world in this real-time 3-D gameExperience a lush environmentReal-time 3D gameplay is based upon Brother Bear's grand adventuresComical narration explains the transformation of Kenai into his rival thebearPlay Kenai and Koda as bearsSet in a lush environmentTransform into a wolf a crow or an eagleSystem RequirementsWindows 98/Me/XPPentium™ class processor100MB free hard disk space8X speed CD-ROM drive16-bit DirectX 8.0a-compatible sound card8MB video card with 3D acceleration 16-bit color depth DirectX 8.1-compatible DirectX 8.0a (Included) Java-compatible Web Browser (e.g. Internet Explorer 4.0 or Netscape Navigator 4.08 or later
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