Sega Bass Fishing Review (WII)

coz I am John the Fisherman…

Oh Dreamcast, how I miss you. One of the greatest consoles ever. Taken while in its prime (yeah, I know they are still producing games in Japan, but I’m trying to paint a picture here!). I remember games such as Sega Bass Fishing, with its awesome fishing rod controller, where have all the good times gone? What is that being delivered by a whistling postie. Sega Bass Fishing, for the Wii. “Pinch me Postie ” I say, as I think I must be dreaming. I still have a bruise after that pinch. So, the return of a Sega arcade classic. But will it live up to the fond memories I have, and still be relevant in the HD age? Read on�

Now if this had come out on Wii-Ware for about a tenner, then again�a must have buy

So, Sega Bass Fishing on the Wii, slide in the game, and you are instantly reminded of the dreamcast version, in fact the graphics are exactly the same, in fact for all intensive purposes, this is the same game. There may be a few more choices of lure/floats, but this has not been tarted up for the next generation of armchair fishermen/fisherwomen. Same voice acting, same graphics, same gameplay.

The control method this time is not a small plastic fishing rod, but your wii remote and nunchuck. You use the remote to cast off and manoeuvre your rod from left to right. The nunchuck is used for reeling in your line. This control method works very well, and helps to make this a pleasurable experience. The gameplay is typically Sega, with this being an arcade game, and not a fishing sim. Like a driving game, you have a time limit to catch certain weight in fish, instead of reach a distance checkpoint. You chose your lure before hand, and chose a place to cast too, then its time to fish. The gameplay is surprisingly addictive, and as you progress through the various lakes, with heavier weights needed to catch, the difficulty level shifts as you get better bait and improve your angling skills.

It is just a shame that Sega have just ported this across to the Wii as it was, if they had spent some time reinventing the graphics and voice acting, and maybe adding its sequel to the package, then this would be a must buy, 10/10 game. As it is, it’s hard to recommend this as a full price title. Now if this had come out on Wii-Ware for about a tenner, then again�a must have buy. Still a fun, addictive game, just lacking on value for money.

The Good: Its a direct port of the Dreamcast classic, addictive gameplay,almost makes fishing seem cool!
The Bad: graphics and voice acting seem dated now, limited value for money.