The first Feeding Frenzy wasn't a terrible game; it just wasn't exactly a groundbreaking good time. It was fun for a short while, but how long can you really roam left and right on a screen, scooping the lower rung on the food chain into your gullet? For most, not very long. Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown presents gamers with a similar setting and, though it does throw some fun, new wrenches into the equation, it winds up being an all too familiar experience. First, let me start off by saying that Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown will be enough fun for younger gamers. The ten bucks isn't a bad investment when you figure that you get over 60 levels, all of which can be played on easy or normal difficulty levels in story mode and with up to four players in co-op play. There's also a time attack and several party games for you and your friends to enjoy, so there's really no shortage of content for a run of the mill Xbox Live Arcade experience. It's when you look for a deeper, more meaningful gameplay outing that Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown comes up a bit short. Mainly because it's so damn similar to what we saw from the first game in the series and what we've seen from games dating back to the '80s. Players still roam from left to right, using certain power ups along the way to enhance their chances of snagging the most fish possible, but none of it is particularly different or that much more fun than the first game. It's clear that the people at PopCap Games know that they needed to change the formula as much as possible with Feeding Frenzy 2. You'll see things like new power ups floating through the water and plenty of new levels and fish designs, but at the end of the day you're still playing the part of a pendulum swimming back and forth through the watery abyss. Where you'll find the most fun with Feeding Frenzy 2 is with the new co-op mode that allows for up to four players to hop onto one console (no online, though) and try to progress through the same 60 levels as in the regular story (or story lite) mode. Each player has their own score which adds a layer of competition to the insanity, but it's still the same game. The fact that you're tethered to one console is also a real bummer. The party games are also a welcome addition, but like every addition to FF2, they do little to change the overall package. You'll play things like Golden Herring, where you'll have to avoid swarms of poisonous fish while swallowing the fast-moving golden herrings, and another mode where you try to score the most points by biting your opponents' tail. The visual and audio side of the coin is standard fare. Everything is bright and colorful with a decent amount of detail, but nothing that will knock your socks off. There are some decent effects like ripples in the water when you speed up and there's a solid variety of fish, but nothing here goes beyond what could be accomplished on other, lesser systems. The sound is cute and cuddly, or at least as cute and cuddly as an underwater game can be. CLOSING COMMENTS Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown doesn’t exactly go belly up but it does feel a little stale, especially if you’ve played Feeding Frenzy before. You’re still roaming across the screen and munching on the lesser fish and none of the game’s modes deviate from that formula. There are some new power ups and fish models, but the core gameplay is all too familiar. It’s not a bad game; it just may not be worth the price of admission for everyone.

2.99 USD InStock