It's a tough life being a fish. Not only do you have to live underwater - something that would terrify our own Sarah - but you've constantly got to have one eye looking over your shoulder, watching for the bigger dogs. Or, in this case, fish.
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Feeding Frenzy Fully transform every Grumpus. There is a total of 12 Grumpuses in the game, which can be fed with Snax, once you’ve gained their trust. Each Grumpus needs to be fed 14 Snax to fully replace all parts of the body with Snax. Who's That Pokemon - Pink Blob Edition Such is the way of Feeding Frenzy - a brightly coloured, family friendly game based around something that really isn't all that family friendly, or even that pleasant to think about - the food chain.
Such is the way of Feeding Frenzy - a brightly coloured, family friendly game based around something that really isn't all that family friendly, or even that pleasant to think about - the food chain. Starting out as a small fish, it's up to you to swim around the watery depths, eating anything that's smaller than you, while avoiding anything that may fancy you as anything from a main course to a small appetiser.
It can get pretty crazy in multiplayer. Just look at that shark's face. Guhhh-huh-huh-huh.
The more fish you swallow, the bigger you'll grow, and in turn, you'll soon find yourself with less predators, and more potential fodder, as the fish that were once eyeing you up soon do everything they can to avoid you. The whole point of each level is to eat as many fish as possible, until you fill up a bar at the top left of the screen, which is divided into three sections. When you fill up a section, you'll grow in size, and upon filling the third, you'll have finished the level.
However, it's not as simple as it all sounds. If you should happen to stray into a larger fish on your travels, it'll gobble you up without a second thought, and, in the main story mode, not only will you lose a life, but your progress towards filling the next section of bar will also be reset.
But if you think that sounds a bit too unforgiving for a game from PopCap - the people who bought us the excellent Peggle, Plants vs Zombies, and Zuma - you'd be right, as for those of you who find it a bit tricky, or for the younger players amongst us, they've included a story 'lite' mode. While it doesn't seem to affect which fish you'll be presented with on the levels, it does remove a lot of the pressure, by giving you unlimited lives, and making it so your bar doesn't reset every time you lose a life. It's a great idea, and one that makes this game great if you've got a younger player you want to play along with - they can happily drive their fish head first into a bigger fish's mouth, without having to worry about losing any lives.
There's something of an attempt at a story in the single player mode, but it's not really very good.
But with only just over sixty levels of the story to play through - each of which take only a few minutes to complete - you'll probably find yourself brushing the main mode off in a few hours - although, this being a PopCap game, there's plenty of other modes for you to dip your toes into. The Time Attack mode offers a different twist on the story, as instead of having to worry about lives, you'll only have to think about time. Starting off with 2:30 on the clock, you'll be racing against the time limit to finish the level - and when you move on to the next stage, the time you've got left on the clock carries forward. You'll be awarded a minute or so's bonus for finishing the level, but being quick, and staying quick is the way here, meaning Time Attack offers a more serious challenge than the rest of the game.
Quiiick! Chomp chomp chomp. That unusually small shark has the right idea.
There's also a great variety of multiplayer modes on offer. The imaginatively named 'Party Games' do what they say on the tin, offering 10 new mini-games for up to four people to play. Ranging from trying to eat a Golden Fish, to swallowing flies, there are plenty of games to keep you going. If you fancy a more regimented challenge, the Frenzyfest mode lets you take things a bit more seriously, by setting you a series of party games to complete, and awarding everyone third, second, and first place trophies after each game - which it then keeps a track of from session to session, so you'll always be able to see your lifetime performance.
But while it's definitely a fun game, it is a bit disappointing that Feeding Frenzy 2 doesn't expand a bit more on the educational side. While, after finishing a level, you'll be presented with a fun fact about all things fishy, it would have been nice to have unlocked some videos of the fish you're playing with, in real life, almost documentary style. At the very least, some sort of fact book on the species you come across, that unlocked as you progressed through the game would have made for some interesting reading.
But despite that minor short fall, there's very little else wrong with Feeding Frenzy 2. While the story may not keep you occupied for as long as you could hope, the party games should last a bit longer - and for around £6.80, it comes highly recommended.
Format Reviewed: Xbox 360
I get that at first glance, Feeding Frenzy 2 may look like a game that most people will just pass over. However, if I have learned anything about Pop Cap games it is that they know how to make fun and charming game experience. I will say that there is not actually a ton (if anything) new here over the first one, but if you want something lighthearted and fun, you can certainly do a great deal worse than this.
Leave Our Ocean Alone!
While I would say that this is far from a cinematic masterpiece. I do like how they have crafted a rather fun little story to tie everything together. There is a new fish in the ocean that is called The Intruder and this fish is just causing chaos! The story of Feeding Frenzy 2 sees a group of fish standing up to The Invader in order to save the ocean. It is a fun little story and one that gives you a reason to be doing what it is the fish are doing.
Pop Capping It
One thing that the good folks at Pop Cap never get enough credit for is how charming their games are. I swear, I can always tell when Pop Cap has made a game as they all have this certain look to then. This game is no different. It is nice and bright and each of the fish has a ton of personality. The game is very colorful and it is probably as close to being cell-shaded without technically being cell-shaded as you can get.
The visuals overall are great, but there is a lot of variety here. You will be playing in some nice blue oceans, but there are also shipwrecks and cool looking reefs as well. These are really just backdrops, but they help keep things interesting
Fun And Fishy
The overall gameplay of Feeding Frenzy 2 is one that I really enjoyed. My whole family actually enjoys this game. You have multiple characters that you will be playing as ranging from Boris the butterflyfish, Edie the angler fish, and Goliath who is a shark to name just a few of them. Each of the fish has their own personality, but also things that make them special to play as well. The goal of the game is that you need to eat as many fish as you can (while avoiding getting damaged) to move up the food chain and to progress to the next level. There are power-ups you can use along the way to make things a bit easier for you.
The gameplay is pretty much the same as what we had in the first game, to be honest with you. You move around trying to eat the fish and while the concept is one that is very easy to figure out and pretty basic. It is something that will keep you playing for far longer than you will ever intend.
A Family Of Fish
Feeding Frenzy Menu
While there is a fun single-player experience for you here. There are also some fun multiplayer modes. You can try and work together to beat the story which is cool, but you also have some mini-games to enjoy. I love the one where you need to bite each other’s tails to get the high-score. This is something my family has a lot of fun with! I do feel they could have had a couple more fun multiplayer modes as the other one is not as good as the tail-biting one.
Feeding Frenzy 2 may not change a great deal of stuff over the first game. However, this is still offering you a very fun and addictive time. I would wager many people overlook this game and the one that came before it. It has a lot of charm to it and it is the perfect game to play if you are looking for something that is quick and easy to get into.
Final Score
Feeding Frenzy Deluxe
Pros:
- You have different fish you can play as
- The story and the world is fun
- The game looks pretty good
- The whole game has a lot of charm to it
- I enjoyed playing this with my wife and kids
Cons:
Feeding Frenzy For Free
- Not a great deal of innovation over the last game
- Only one of the mini-game is really worth your time