Feeding Frenzy

In 2016, Feeding Frenzy was made available for Xbox One backwards compatibility and is free to members on EA Access.

• Title — Feeding Frenzy • Developer — Sprout Games • Publisher — GameHouse PopCap Games Real Arcade (J2ME) • Designer — James Gwertzman Del Chafe Ed Allard • Series — Feeding Frenzy • Released — March 17, 2004 • Modes — Single-player • Platforms — Windows, Macintosh, Xbox, Xbox 360, Arcade, J2ME

In Feeding Frenzy, players control a hungry marine predator intent on munching as many other fish as possible. During the course of the game's 40 levels, they switch off between 5 marine animals, with the last eight levels having them play as Orville the Orca, and the last level being a 'boss battle' against the "Shark King", a great white shark. The player takes on the role of different aquatic species each trying to move up the food chain. As smaller fish are eaten, the player's own fish grows in size and becomes capable of eating somewhat larger fish. By the end of each level, the fish is sufficiently large enough that it can eat almost anything on-screen. Players must be vigilant for hazards which include depth charges, larger predators, naval mines, irradiated fish, and jellyfish. If the player eats a sufficiently large number of fish in a short period of time, a score-enhancing Feeding Frenzy is initiated. If the player continues to rapidly consume other fish, a further Double Frenzy can be achieved. The Frenzy bonus depletes rapidly when there is no further rapid consumption. The full game includes both a normal mode and a "time attack" mode.

The free ActiveX version of Feeding Frenzy can be played online at websites such as the MSN Gaming Zone, but has only a limited number of levels. The Windows version, Feeding Frenzy Deluxe, is available for download as a trial, with the full version available for a fee. Additionally, Xbox and Xbox 360 versions exist. The original Xbox version was available via an Xbox Live Arcade disc from Microsoft, or from Official Xbox Magazine discs. The Xbox 360 version could be downloaded from the Xbox Live Marketplace, either as a free demo, or as a full version. This version was also included on the disc that came with the Xbox Arcade bundle for the Xbox 360, alongside Pac-Man Championship Edition, Uno, Luxor 2, and Boom Boom Rocket. The Xbox 360 Pro and Elite versions included this version as one of the 16 game demos preloaded on the hard drive. An arcade version was released by UltraCade Technologies which featured a ticket redemption system and an automated difficulty tuning system. The arcade cabinet also features built-in bubbler tanks on both sides with flowing water and artificial fish. A J2ME ported version of the game was released for some mobile phones by Real Arcade in 2006, with fewer levels due to the limitations of the mobile phone's storage medium.