Enviro-Bear 2010 4+

Thanks for the update! Was afraid this gem of a game might be lost to history...really appreciate it when developers update their games for IOS.

This ultra realistic simulation of a bear driving a car to collect food before hibernating makes brilliant use of the iPad and iPhone multi-touch surfaces to provide a true-to-life experience of controlling a bear arm. The graphics are crystal clear, the AI captures multiple environmental characters, such as bees, badgers and other bears with untamed veracity, and the soundtrack never gets repetitive with every passing minute.

This game is not for casual players, however. The advanced scoring system, complex physics engine, and tense, concise writing will appeal most to experienced games. Whether you are an avid racing fan, a competitive sports game aficionado, or a fan of the realtime simulation genre concerned about where mankind's effect on the environment is leaking us, you will find something in this game that appeals to you.

5/5. A truly impactful commentary on modern society, packed into a blockbuster entertainment experience, with relevant environmental undertones. GOTY material if ever I saw any.

It looks utterly terrible. The graphics are crayons on construction paper scribbled by a second-grader with only a rudimentary sense of style, and from the screenshots a lot of you will be likely to pass this by. Don't. Really. Because underneath that poorly-drawn exterior is a game whose almost ridiculous attention to detail and absurdist humour make this a game so surprisingly and thoroughly enjoyable that you'll be playing it it repeatedly, and at the same time wondering why. The graphics are deliberately bad; they serve as a stark contrast to a game where every every action is controlled by you. You have to grab the gas pedal with your paw and push down to accelerate, or on the brake to stop; grab fish and berries and feed the bear's face with them (literally bring them to the bear's mouth), grab nuisances like bees and badgers and toss them out of the car, grab and shift the shifter to drive in reverse, grab the wheel and turn to turn the car, and more. There's actually a physics engine involved here, and some unexpected surprises. You can grab a rock to weigh down the gas pedal if you like, for example, in case you're sick of constantly taking your paw off the wheel to accelerate.

Don't judge the game by its screenshots, or you'll miss out on a brilliant sleeper hit.