Now
here's an interesting idea. You control a fish. Not just any fish mind
you. This fish can grow fast, like every 1000 points fast. You gain points
by eating fish smaller than you and attempting to avoid the large shark.
Complicated? No. Fun as hell? Yes.
There's no story here or anything. It's pretty much kill or be killed. As your fish grows, you can eat some of the bigger fish, gaining more points. One your a "level 5" fish, every 1,000 points adds an additional life to your fish. If you really want to go balls out, you can actually nibble on the sharks tail. Do enough nibbling and the shark dies from pain (yes, from pain. Or so says the instruction book). Other obstacles include lobsters, crabs, murderous seahorses, and jellyfish once you've accumulated enough points.
The fish are represented by various colors and sizes (duh), while the lobsters and crabs mingle at the bottom in the white sand. A few plants along with some bubbles make up the rest of the game's graphics. The only music comes when you have met your doom and it's insanely annoying, but that's the best kind of gaming music. The only other sound in the little bloop when you eat a fish.
The single screen the game takes place on certainly doesn't leave a lot of room for error, but the dash maneuver is highly effective to get out of those sticky situations. Why this move is assigned to the keypad and not the secondary button (the first side button is used to stop) is beyond me, but with a little work, you'll get used to it. Besides, if you plan on nibbling on shark tails, it's required.
If you think you've seen it all, have a go at the multi-player mode. You and friend battle it out on the single screen eating up whatever you can...including each other. If your the same size, you can't kill yourselves, but once one of the players gets one size bigger, all hell breaks loose. Eating your friend leaves a nice trail of blood behind, a trophy of your best kill.
This is one of those games that marathon nights are made out of. Racking up enough fish to make a quick a run to the bathroom is what great games are all about. The 2-player matches can get ludicrously competitive and ruin more than a few friendships. Again, exactly what great games are all about. The only knock against this one is the odd control scheme, but how can you hate a game with a giant shark? Oh yeah, Jaws (NES)....sorry.
