Swimming 101

DreamWorks’ Shark Tale™ gives players a whole undersea city to explore, blending different types of platforming styles to create something entirely new. If you're a fan of the film or if you just want to have some funky undersea fun, here are the skills you'll need to become top dogfish.

Second place is no good when racing sharks.

A New Way to Fish: Chase 'Em Down
Oscar runs afoul of some very rough customers in Reef City, like the gangster sharks who cruise the city limits. Any fish who wanders is in for the chase of a lifetime. The Great Whites and other predators are larger and stronger than Oscar, so there's no point in fighting, but if you're quick you can stay one step ahead of them. These chases are run on rails, so you don't need to worry about speed—you just need to dodge when the bad guy strikes. Follow the on-screen arrows that tell you which way to dodge and you'll avoid those terrible chomping jaws. It's a bit nerve-wracking, especially because the chomps get faster and more aggressive as the chase continues, but if you keep your cool there's no reason you can't escape and taunt your pursuer in the process.

Ring Around the Ocean
As he explores Reef City, one of Oscar's recurring challenges is to swim completely around certain objects (the game draws the circle to let you know how far you have to go to close it). In Chapter Two, for example, Oscar's landlady evicts him and tosses all his stuff in the street, so you have to catch and save the belongings by encircling them before they hit the ground.

In other levels throughout the game you'll find pearls and graffiti tags and other incidental items that need to be encircled for bonus pearls or mission objectives. It's not a simple matter, either, as electric eels and crabs will aggressively attack Oscar whenever they spot him. Some of these enemies are fast, some are slow, but together they create an active obstacle course that will challenge Oscar's speed and timing. Fortunately, Oscar can get a burst of speed from the Dash button that lets him escape speedy predators and slip through crowded areas without taking serious damage. If that doesn't go well, you can always duck into a friendly undersea dwelling and recover some of your health while the bad guys prowl the streets outside.

Getting down, all the way to the ocean floor.

I Just Wanna Dance, Dance, Dance
Exploration and pearl collection are one major component of the game, but the big news is Oscar's dancing ability. Whether on a street corner with his homies or working at the car wash, Oscar can get down and funky like nobody's business with just a little help from you. As visual clues (up, down, left, and right arrows) move around a large circle, players must match the direction of the arrow with the D-pad, face buttons, or, best of all, a dance pad controller. If you don't score at least 75%, you can't move on, so polish up your timing and loosen up those happy feet (or fingers). If you're having trouble, just relax and let the musical accompaniment be your guide—DreamWorks’ Shark Talefeatures danceable tunes like M.C. Hammer's "Can't Touch This" and a remix of the Rose Royce classic "Car Wash."

Fish Racing
Nothing beats a good old point-to-point race between fish. It's not just a question of keeping the accelerator down and making smooth turns, either: There are shortcuts that either racer can take and undersea currents that give you an extra boost of speed. Winning the race is a question of who exploits these advantages and who misses them. Also, you can score extra pearls along the route if you keep your eyes open and you're fast on the controls. You can also cut corners by powersliding around them and dodge slow or hostile fish along the path by juking left or right with the triggers.

Gentlefish, start your engines.

With a little practice, intrepid gamers will be able to use these skills to explore all of Reef City and earn Oscar the fame and fortune he deserves (or at least the fame and fortune he thinks he deserves).

By Nino Mann