|
If we're to believe the recent buzz surrounding XBLA on 360, developers may finally be starting to realize that this downloadable service is a virtual goldmine. The phenomenal success of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved alone reveals that you don't need cutting edge graphics to deliver a good game.
Feeding Frenzy represents yet another remarkable gem that's accessible to players and offers an respectable degree of replay value. To some extent, this deep-sea challenge could easily pass for a loose interpretation of Finding Nemo as players assume the role of different classes of fish and get their eat on. It's like Darwin's food chain principles in full effect. There's not much of a story here, but ultimately, your objective is to become the big fish of the sea. However, attaining that legendary status won't be easy as you'll have to watch out for natural predators looking to make you their next meal. Along the way, you'll have to brave other potential dangers including mines, hungry oysters and even radioactive fish.
Fortunately, the miracles of game design allow you to even the odds; all it takes is a large appetite. As you continue to munch on the smaller fish, you'll eventually "level up" and become big enough to eat the next class of fish within the current level. There's also a variety of power-ups you can collect which offer potential bonuses like increased speed, freezing time or accelerating the growth level of your fish.
Feeding Frenzy seems like a game that may have been primarily aimed for kids because the arcade and time attack modes are a breeze to complete. Now the achievements however, may take a bit more work. Some of them are really pointless -- who cares if someone played a game for 10 hours straight? GR:AW has a similar achievement and it really bugs me that developers even bother incorporating such a needless objective in there. Achievements should represent something that requires skill and effort, not the duration in which you play a game. But I digress, I should probably warn you now that you won't get this in one sitting (well, there is an exploit that will allow you to get around this, but you'll have to figure that out for yourself).
If you're looking for something new to play and can look past the kid-oriented design, Feeding Frenzy is a fun game that's worth the investment.
|
