4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Sega Bass Fishing
Date of Review: Oct 25, 2000
Waking up at the crack of dawn, stocking my cooler with my favorite drinks, putting on my best fishing vest, sitting in a boat for hours without a bite, and finally ending my fishing trip with nothing to show for it except my smelly hands. This is my average fishing trip.
Getting up whenever, grabbing a couple cold sodas, wearing the same clothes I slept in, loading up the Sega Bass Fishing game, plugging in the Sega Fishing Controller, barely getting a chance to rest from all the fish-catching madness, and ending your game with a diary full of huge fish. This is my average Sega Bass Fishing experience.
The object of Sega Bass Fishing -- a perfect Dreamcast port of the arcade game -- is simple. Your character is put on a lake with a box full of lures, and you have two minutes to catch as many fish as you can. You can play arcade mode, practice mode or tournament mode. The best part about Sega Bass Fishing is the Sega Fishing Controller (sold separately). The controller consists of an analog stick, action buttons and a winding reel on the right side. One of the perks of the controller is the built-in rumble pack, which goes crazy when fighting an 18-pounder.
The biggest drawback to the home version of the rod is that there is no force feedback resistance on the reel itself; you can reel as fast without fish as you can with a 20-pound Bass on your line. Including feedback would have made this game much more realistic. But despite the flaws, Sega Bass Fishing should not be played without the rod -- Sega's special controller is half the fun of playing the game.
This game is really enjoyable. There are quick rewards for your fishing, and the multiple fishing locations and lure choices aid in replay value. A major downside to the game is that it is very short; I was able to complete arcade mode in under a half-hour. Even with the tournament mode, I had still completed the game within the week. Another annoyance factor is the frame-rate slowdown. But looking past the minor flaws, Sega Bass Fishing is easily one of the jewels in the Dreamcast library.
