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Fishing games have been a hit or miss market, kind of like the sport. You have a huge cult following in some areas, but in others, fishing is a “dry” market. The same goes in the videogame world as well. Some fishing titles are outstanding, while some capture the sport a little too accurately. Thankfully the folks at Sega and Wow Entertainment know how to set a happy medium in their Sega Bass Fishing series. The game was an arcade smash, which was followed by the great Dreamcast port and sequel, and now full circle to the first 2-player incarnation on the PS2. What’s next? Hopefully online play will be next…now that would rock. Sega Bass Fishing Duel for the PS2 is a load of fun, single player or multi player. With a wide variety of options, fish, lures, modes, and lakes, Sega has done it again by producing a fun and addicting title for fans and non-fans alike.
Graphically the game looks fair, but doesn’t really take advantage of the PS2 hardware. Player models have a low polygon count, and the environments are decent, but not awe inspiring. What are cool are the water effects. The series has been known for some superb underwater fishing, but the developers have gone as far as to supply mucky and dirty water to the atmosphere. The fish look really good, even close up, but overall still look about the same as the old Dreamcast version. The game has even added new animations to the “after the catch” sequence, like letting a fish go and putting them in your box. Overall, Bass Fishing Duel could’ve been much prettier, but honestly, you don’t need spectacular visuals to get into a fishing game. Audio is Sega Bass Fishing Duel’s most negative aspect. The lure sound effects and other ambient sounds are done fairly well, but the music and voice guidance is horrendous. The music is your classic Sega Japanese pop soundtrack, and it really doesn’t fit the sport at all. If that wasn’t bad enough, your guide, either male or female comes off repetitive and awfully annoying. Just hearing them say, “It’s almost there…awww…it’s gone.” Over and over again tends to get on one’s nerves. This game needs to be played with the volume way down. Gameplay has captured the sport of fishing well, but not as nicely as the Dreamcast games. Utilizing the dual shock controller, with full rumble feature is cool but they could have implemented the casting feature more accurately. Also, it’s a shame that Sega’s fishing peripheral died with the DC as well, as this game would be great with a fishing controller. What even makes the game more appealing is the simplicity of it. Nothing can be more frustrating than a fishing game where you can’t catch fish. That’s like a beat em up with no enemies. Luckily you’ll be catching fish hand over fist in no time. This game still has the arcade gamer in mind. (Which is a plus believe me.) Sega Bass Fishing Duel is chock full of options. Various modes including Free Fishing, Tournament, Training, Vs. CPU and Vs. 2P all have an appeal to explore. There is even a Data Book to keep your record intact and show off to your fishing buddies. You can even customize your character, but this option is very limited. The biggest “hook” is the Vs. modes. These modes will keep you and a friend up for quite some time trying to out fish each other. The tournament mode is quite deep, and with 5 lakes to choose from, the game’s lasting appeal is fantastic. Overall, if you are “fishing” for some fishing on your PlayStation 2, forget the other titles on the market, as this one will grab you “hook, line and sinker.” (Ok no more puns)
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