Don't
fall for this one, hook, line or stinker. by
Cole Smith
May
10, 2006 - Fishing
season is almost here, unless you're reading this
review a lot later than it was originally posted,
which could mean that Christmas is closer at hand.
Whatever time of year it may be for you, you'll want
to warn anyone that might take it upon them to buy
you a videogame for a birthday or Christmas gift to
not purchase Super Black Bass Fishing for you. After
you read this review you'll be in no danger of buying
it for yourself. I think we have all bases covered,
or is that basses?
 
Fishing
games in general have always been a bit questionable
in my opinion. Sega's Bass fishing series was an interesting
diversion as far as videogames in general go, but
it didn't have any lasting power, which is evidenced
by the lack of popular fishing games in today's market.
Fishing games make for a fun arcade experience or
perhaps as an unlockable mode or mini-game, but to
base an entire game on the genre is just begging to
have your product heaped into the bargain bin - with
no refunds or exchanges.
I
don't even know where to begin with this one, so excuse
me while I dive in and start bitching at random.
You
might be fooled into thinking that since this game
appears on the DS that it must incorporate new touch
features in the gameplay. That's exactly what the
developers want you to believe. They are using the
DS as their main marketing tool. By releasing this
game on this unique system, the developers are hoping
that gamers will naturally assume that the gameplay
is up to standard. It's like an ugly girl hanging
out with two hotties in hopes of bringing up her ranking
through association; there might be three chicks altogether
- but one is still a pig.
Super
Black Bass Fishing employs the touch control but only
in the most minimal of applications. It does nothing
that couldn't be handled by the D-pad. The gameplay
is so similar to the original Game Boy Color version
of Black Bass Fishing, that I was just astonished
at how brazen the developers were in releasing what
amounts to a decade-old game. Sure the graphics have
been improved, slightly, and there are some new gameplay
features but considering that Bass Fishing wasn't
even a good game to begin with makes this all the
more appalling.
There
are three modes: Practice; Tournament, and Multi-player.
They are all basically the same, as far as the gameplay
goes. Once you pick out a location you move your boat
by touching the various arrows on the screen, something
that you could have easily done with the D-pad. When
you finally settle on your location, it's time to
cast your line. This is also accomplished with the
touch system. Just place your finger where you want
the cast to go. A power meter will appear and to activate
it touch it once. When the meter reaches the desired
power touch it again and your line will be cast in
the general direction that you pointed out earlier.
In
order to actually catch a fish you have to entice
them. They aren't going to come to you unless you
do something with that lure. By moving the lure you
should be attracting the attention of the fish. A
lot of times they will just remain motionless waiting
to be brought to life by some arbitrary command. When
the fish finally begin moving around things get a
little more realistic. They do check out the lure
and they will bite but you're not always guaranteed
that they will remain on the end of the line. In one
of the most ridiculous features that I've ever seen,
there is a fish "mood" display that shows
the range of emotions that a fish goes through during
this dance that we call fishing.
 
As
insane as this mood meter sounds, it actually serves
a purpose - but it could have been implemented a lot
better. When the fish is in "rage" of "feisty"
this is the perfect time to hook the little bastard.
Just push down on the D-pad and then make circles
with the stylus to tighten the slack and reel him
in. There is a tension gauge that will fill either
toward you or the fish. You have to balance the tension
out when you're reeling the fish in or you'll lose
it. If the tension is too high on either end just
stop for a moment until it balances out and continue
on. There's nothing more to it than that. The mood
meter also seems arbitrary. There's little that you
can do to change the fishes' mood; apparently they
don't respond to flattery either. You'll just have
to sit on your ass and wait, like a real fisherman,
except you probably don't have a cooler of beer and
a pack of smokes on hand to pass the time. The last
thing I need is a videogame to attempt to teach me
patience. The only thing this game taught me was restraint
- from smashing it into tiny shards.
The
hype claims that there are more than 500 fish but
I doubt anyone in their right mind is going to actually
count them all. I'm also sure that a lot of these
fish are just repeated. As it is I've only seen a
few bluegill and bass and I've seen quite a few that
looked identical. Graphically the game is one of the
worst looking on the DS. I can't think of a more awful
looking game. The textures are so low res that the
water looks like a meadow. It reminds me of Atari's
Duck Hunt. At any moment I expect the snickering dog
to appear holding a fish in his paws - snickering
at what a fool I've been to have purchased this game.
Features:
- Reel
in over 500 fish from a slew of different bass species
like largemouth bass, Florida bass, spotted bass,
Tilapia, pike and muskie among others
- Use
the DS touch screen to reel in your fish, move your
lure and yank the rod to pull the fish in
- Search
for fish throughout some of the best lakes for bass
fishing in the world
- Fool
the fish with 24 different types lures, the best
of which are acquired by winning tournaments
- Work
your way up to become a Bass Fishing champion by
competing in amateur tournaments and then working
your way up to the National Bass Tournament
- Take
on up to three friends in a 4-player fishing competition
via the DS wireless link.
By
Cole Smith
CCC
Staff Writer
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