Bass and Me

According to the Bass Pro Shops’ website this is the description of the game.

Drop anchor on your couch and fish the day away as you navigate some of North America’s most entertaining fishing hot spots. Featuring amazing gameplay, realistic physics, and authentic fishing gear used by the pros! Bring the lake into your living room!

• 111 Bass Pro Shops lures
• 11 species of fish
• 10 unique lakes
• 10 tournaments
• 9 awesome boats
• 1 heck of a good time
• Search for legendary fish
• Compete in boat racing and casting challenges
• Gameplay options for seasoned fisherman, first-timers, or hardcore gamers

When I opened up my Christmas presents this year I found my wife had gotten me a Wii, something I was not expecting. We had discussed getting one because I liked to play Wii Bowling. When I opened up the package that contained this game and a controller that looked like a fishing pole I about freaked. My wife knows how much I love to go fishing but never catch anything. As a matter of fact I have a hard time casting. I instantly fell in love with this game.

The Controller

The controller requires not only a Wii Remote but also a Wii Nunchuck. After a few hours of frustration, I failed to read the directions I went over to the website to find out how to use the controller. The first thing that needs to be done is to set the controller to Configuration B. The only draw back is that you cannot save this configuration either to the Wii System memory or to an SD Card. It is important to do this as you cannot control your boat unless you do. The controller has a nice feel to it and is comfortable if you plan on playing for a long period of time.

In Configuration B these are how the buttons work:

• Driving Mode
  • The cross steers the boat
  • The C Button activates the Fish Finder
  • The A Button Enters Casting Mode
  • The B Button activates the Throttle
  • The Minus (-) Button Brings up the Start Menu
  • The Plus (+) Button Brings up your inventory
  • The 2 Button brings up the GPS Map
• Fishing Mode
  • The Z Button Changes your stance and is the quick reel/cut line function
  • The C Button changes the camera
  • The Thumb Stick (joystick) is the Reel In
  • The Cross sets the Casting Reticule
  • The A Button Exits Casting Mode
  • The B Button Initiates and releases the Cast
  • The 1 Button sets the drag level

The best way to play this game is with the controller.

Gameplay

Just like fishing for real, the idea behind the game is wait for the bite. You also have to keep your line tight and set the hook. The physics are almost nearly the same as real life. And just like real life I have a hard time catching anything. The big ones do give you a fight though.

There are two modes of gameplay, Arcade and Bass Pro. The Arcade is the easiest of the two and both offer Career modes. You start by designing your character. You don’t have a whole lot of choice here. Once you have set your character up you can head into the game. In the game you are given a boat a pole, some lures, some line and a reel. Your boat is equipped with a Fish Finder and a GPS system. You enter the Bass Pro Shop and you have the opportunity to buy more lures, lines reels and rods. I bought some 17 pound test line and that was it. In the first lake you get a tutorial and you have to earn 50 points to unlock the tournament. You cannot go to another lake until you win this tournament.

If there was an online component the tournament would be the best place for it, but alas there isn’t one. I haven’t yet won the tournament but I’m still having fun playing the game.

I give this game 3 out of 5 phantoms. The Game play is nice but there should be an online component and more character customization. The game is rated E for everyone. If you have a fisherman in your family then get this game for them.

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