If it's not a game being released for consoles or sold in a box at a brick and mortar store, we as gamers tend to overlook them, regardless of the fact that it actually might be a great little gem of a game. More and more people are discovering these casual games, however, making it a profitable business that has been booming as of late, as more people find themselves with a decreased amount of time in which to pursue their long-time love of gaming. Whether you've got a weekend to yourself or only a few minutes throughout your hectic day, let us point you in the direction of some casual games that might just be what you're looking for.

Welcome to Casual Fridays, where you can loosen the tie, put on some jeans, and take it easy. This week we delve under the sea to review Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown. Let's hope we don't find Nemo, because otherwise we're going to have to make him a snack.

It's Jaws

Feeding Frenzy 2 was a game that I never thought I'd initially care about; the idea of playing as a fish eating other fish just seemed rather boring at first. Once I downloaded the game and actually got playing, however, I found myself really enjoying the somewhat soothing, and yet surprisingly difficult at times, voyage under the sea.

The story of Feeding Frenzy 2 follows that of a handful of fish, as a rather large and shadowy fish stalks the heroes in the background. Who or what is this monstrously large and eerie looking fish? While you won't find as rich and complex a story as some other games, the little narrative there still managed to hook me enough to make me always want to play one level more. Most of the story is detailed in pre-level information scenes, though there is something bordering on cutscenes whenever you switch fishes, which shows the mysterious fish lingering in the background that you're chasing.

The goal of each level in Feeding Frenzy 2 is typically the same: eat everything smaller than you until you're the biggest fish in that part of the ocean. Controls are extremely simple and confined strictly to the mouse. By dragging the mouse around you directly control the swimming of your fish and the direction it heads, meanwhile, the left-mouse button is used to perform quick dashes and jumps, while the right-mouse button is used to perform a rechargeable inhale move that can quickly swallow up a lot of fish directly in your way.

You start each level off as only the second biggest fish in the area, needing to munch down on the tiny fish while avoiding the larger ones (there are usually at least two larger types of fish for every level). As you eat the fish smaller than you, you slowly build up a meter that helps you grow after so many are eaten. After you become large enough, you're then able to eat fish that were once bigger than you, and so on and so on until you become too big and need to move on. You won't have to rely on your gluttony alone, as there are an assortment of power-ups to help, such as a mushroom that instantly shrinks everything larger than you into an eatable size and lighting bolts that help speed you up.

While the same basics carry from one level to the next, the developers included a good deal of variety that progresses the difficulty as you advance forward. Barracuda show from time-to-time, which are a difficult enemy, but if you can snip their tail enough times you'll earn some big points. Clams present pearls for points, but if you don't grab them quick enough you'll find yourself dead because a clam clamped you. You've also got such obstacles as squid ink that temporarily discombobulates you, jellyfish that sting and stun you for a bit, and levels that take place in the dark and are only lighted by the bulb that dangles from your head.

Who Could That Be?

Scattered throughout the normal levels are a series of bonus levels, which are all about trying to eat a set number of fish before time expires. The fish eating bonus levels are okay when you throw some challenge in, but for the most part, they're just okay. The bonus levels that were really fun were the ones with bugs that you needed to eat, which fly in the sky above the sea. In order to eat those bugs, you've got to angle your fish up, get some speed, and then left-click to make your fish lunge out of the water; I wish there had been more levels to utilize the bug jumping mechanics.

The thing I like best, however, is the fact that you wouldn't think a game like this would have a difficulty factor, but the game is quite challenging at times when you get further along in the adventure and more obstacles are thrown into your path. If you happen to get snacked upon or lose a life in any other manner, you'll instantly find yourself having to restart to the last gained fish size level you earned.

Graphically the game is quite nice, managing to do a great job at representing an ocean environment and the fish underneath; everything is bright and given a lot of personality. The game doesn't have a ton of animation, but what's there is nicely done. The audio is mostly the tranquil sound of the seas and the chomping of fish – both of which it does well. The background music is equally soothing and pleasing to the ears.

I certainly didn't expect to walk away from my time with Feeding Frenzy 2 and be impressed, but that's exactly what happened. It doesn't have the replayability of many other casual games and it's not the longest game, but it's still a really solid game for those looking to try something a little different.

Buy The Game Today At PopCap

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