SEGA Bass Fishing – WII – Review

It has
always been something of a sad joke that the best fishing experience on Wii is
the mini-game featured in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. But now with
SEGA Bass Fishing, Wii owners finally get a decent stand-alone fishing title,
even if it is far from being an enlightening experience.

SEGA Bass
Fishing first debuted on home consoles on the Dreamcast nearly nine years ago.
The game provided a fun arcade experience with some nice simulation mixed in.
For example, there are a wide variety of lures to use. You also need to adjust
strategies depending on the weather conditions and temperature to truly succeed.

The good
news is that this fun and fast-paced arcade experience still works. The bad news
is that almost everything else comes up short. That’s because the Wii version of
SEGA Bass Fishing is essentially the Dreamcast version of SEGA Bass Fishing.
That’s right – the game features virtually identical graphics and sound from the
1999 version.



The Dreamcast version looked great in its time. The look hasn’t
held up well.

The overall
visual presentation has a very bland and dated look to it. There are also a
number of graphical flaws including occasionally awkward fish animation, pop-in
and an inconsistent framerate. The game also lacks 480p output and 16×9
widescreen.

Adding to
the poor presentation is an excess of loading screens. None of them are
particularly long waits, but they are all too frequent, with some of them coming
in between different menu screens.

The sound is
also retained from the Dreamcast version. This means you get some decent tunes
(along with one really annoying song) and the irritating and repetitive
arcade-like voice over.



Apparently it’s a fish…

And despite
all of these shortcomings, SEGA Bass Fishing still manages to pack some fun. The
arcade mode is really the game’s bread and butter; and the fast-paced gameplay
serves the game well. The controls have been adapted to use the Wii Remote and
Nunchuk, and they work fairly well. The reel is controlled by shaking the
Nunchuk. It feels very good because of its analog nature. The faster you shake,
the faster you reel. Unfortunately the rod control isn’t quite as good. Casting
is not an analog process, therefore, no matter how strongly or lightly you flick
the Wii Remote, the lure will hit the same spot every time. It’s essentially
the same as a button press.

The rod is
also a bit unresponsive when trying to ‘fight.’ In order to keep the line from
breaking, you must change the direction you tilt the rod. Most of the time it
works alright, but sometimes it doesn’t. Once in a while the game will yell at
you to turn the rod a certain way, despite the fact you are already doing it.

In addition
to the enjoyable arcade mode, is a fairly simplistic tournament mode in which
you compete against a group of fellow anglers to see who can catch the most
within a certain time. There is also a nature trip mode, which is a nice, laid
back addition. There is no time limit, so you can fish at your leisure.

There is no
multiplayer mode, although one can imagine that the game would work well as a
head-to-head competition. It’s a missed opportunity to be sure.

And that’s
what SEGA Bass Fishing really is; a missed opportunity. Even though the gameplay
remains enjoyable, with a fresh coat of paint and a multiplayer mode this could
have been a solid game. As it is, however, SEGA Bass Fishing can only be
recommended if you are desperate for a halfway decent fishing experience on Wii,
or if you are a huge fan of the original.


Review
Scoring Details

for SEGA Bass Fishing


Gameplay: 7.0
The core of the
fishing gameplay still holds up fairly well despite coming up on its ninth
anniversary. Arcade mode is easily best experience and continues to be a lot of
fun. Everything else feels secondary and repetitive. The new Wii controls work
well, although the rod control is a bit unresponsive at times.


Graphics: 5.0
The visuals are
virtually identical to the Dreamcast version, and that is pretty unacceptable by
today’s standards. Adding insult to injury, the game features a few graphical
bugs (mainly pop-in fish) and does not run in 480p or 16×9 widescreen.


Sound: 5.0
The music ranges
from acceptable to annoying. The voice over work is arcade quality and very
limited and repetitive.


Difficulty: Easy
Although the
tournament mode can present some difficulty on the more advanced rankings,
everything else can be blown through without much effort at all. The time-based
arcade mode would be challenging if it didn’t feature a continue option with no
penalty whatsoever.


Concept: 6.5 
Even after all
these years, the concept still works, although it is admittedly a limited
experience. The mix of fast-paced arcade gameplay with more realistic simulation
elements (such as lure types and weather conditions) provides a fun and
occasionally rewarding experience.


Overall: 6.5
SEGA Bass Fishing
can still provide some mild entertainment, even if it is basically a Dreamcast
game with Wii controls. Despite its fair share of flaws, it’s the best currently
available fishing game on Wii. It also helps that the game is only $30.