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Let’s take a trip back to 1999. The Dreamcast was in full force, and a little title known as Sega Bass Fishing was released. Sure, you could play the game with the standard controller, but what made this game really fun was the fishing rod controller. For the most part, the controller worked, and it led to a rather fun arcade experience for the Dreamcast owners. I remember it was one of those games that actually showed off the potential of the Dreamcast back in the day with its realistic fish movements. Now, let’s cut to 2011 and play Sega Bass Fishing once again this time on the current generation consoles.
As you may have guessed from the title, the game is a bass fishing game that has the player fishing for weight points both in arcade mode and in tournaments. You will select different lures, cast out your line, and reel in your line in different was to get the bass to bite.
There are 3 modes in total: Normal, Arcade, and Practice. Practice allows you to try out all the different lures you have and experiment with different ways of reeling in and manipulating your line. Arcade mode is a timed mode where you have to get to a certain weight in order to progress. Even if the time limit is reached, you can always continue from right where you left off by hitting start. After completing the certain weight goal, you move on to a new area. Normal mode is the meat and potatoes of the game. Here, you are tasked with catching as many fish as you can for the maximum combined weight. This is, essentially, a tournament mode in which you compete to have the best overall weight. The mode is timed for different parts of the day and number of rounds. At the end of the day, all your weight is tallied up and compared to the other competitors.
During Normal and Arcade mode, depending on how well you do and the size of the fish you catch, you can earn new lures to use in the later parts of the game. Choosing the right lure is essential for attracting the fish. Using the same lure over and over will result in the fish not biting, as will using a lure the wrong way.
During the actual fishing, you can change lures at anytime and choose your casting spot. When reeling in a fish the game does help out the player in telling them how much tension you have on the line and which way to hold the rod. It has a very arcadey feel to it. Newcomers will have no problem jumping right in and being able to catch that huge bass they’ve been looking for. The only thing I see that could happen is the game getting old rather quickly. Sure, there are a lot of lures to unlock, but essentially, it is just a fishing game.
Now, I know I shouldn’t gripe too much on the visuals, but keep in mind; this is a game that was released 12 years ago. It is in High Definition and widescreen, but you can still see the age on the graphics, but with the arcade feel, they do complement one another, so I can’t complain too much.
For $10, you can get some decent fun out of it, even if you don’t have a rod controller. If you’re looking for a fun arcade experience or if you want to relive your old Dreamcast days, Sega Bass Fishing still offers up a pretty fun time even for non-fishing fans.
Review copy provided by publisher.
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