SEGA BASS FISHING
REVIEW

I know what you're thinking. How can a fishing game be any good? Well, Sega Bass Fishing is surprisingly great fun! Partly down to the new fishing controller, which comes bundled with the game. The fishing controller is superb! It is made to look like a fishing rod's grip. It has various buttons, an analogue stick, a reeling spool and a rumble pack all built in. Inside the pad is a kind of spirit level, which can detect what angle the pad is held at. This means you can move the controller about, as if it was a real fishing rod! Superb! Without this controller, I could see the game being less of a fun experience.

On starting a game, you choose a lake, a lure and cast your line. Then the skill comes into play. Various game modes are included. Arcade mode gives you 3 lakes to progress through, each having a set fish catch weight to reach. Upon completion, a fourth secret lake is opened up. Practice mode lets you select from over 7 lakes, various weather conditions and times of day. You also have the luxury of an infinite time limit. Consumer mode has you entering various tournaments, each consisting of a number of 3 event days. Each event lasts 4 minutes, and can last over a number of days. Catching a fish adds it's weight to your total, with a high weight count putting you at the top of the tournament ranking. It is here where passes to new harder tournaments are earned, and even new lakes gained. Harder tournaments even require you to catch fish over 1000 grammes, or it is thrown back, and not added to your total!

The graphics are brilliant! Above water, scenery is very nice. Lodges, jeeps, viaducts and other objects are all rendered in high detail. The water looks great, too, with light dancing on the surface. Under the water, visibility is obviously reduced. Rocks, weeds, barrels and even ancient suits of armour litter the lake's bed. The stars of the game have to be the fish! They look and act so realistically! You really have to see them move to appreciate the realism which has been programmed into them! As the title suggests, the only fish that you can catch, are Bass. Other fish and creatures do live in the lakes, but cannot be caught. The turtles and lobsters are a nice touch! The fish come in many sizes. Small ones weigh around 500 grammes, with huge ones weighing over 9000 grammes! There are some over 10,000 grammes, but I have yet to catch one! Small bass are easy to catch, with them taking to your lures quickly. Big fish are very cautious. They will watch a lure for ages, without moving. Using a combination of reeling and dipping and raising the controller, hopefully the bigger fish bite! It is very tense trying to catch a big one!

In Consumer mode, it is a great party game. Each player takes a 4 minute play, and helps towards the overall total. Sega Bass Fishing is one of those games that in theory, has a near infinite life span! It is easy to play, but hard to master. A wider choice of fish to catch would have been nice, but that comes with the sequel. Now, if I can just convince everyone that Densha De Go 1 & 2 are great, too, I'll be happy!

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

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