Bass Fishing for Dreamcast

Approximately six months ago before the Dreamcast officially hit the US I was able to see one at a local EB that one of the clerks had imported for himself. The game he had on display was Sega Bass Fishing (w/ fishing controller) and I have to admit that even I, who have not the slightest interest in fishing, was intrigued by what little I saw...so I ordered it for the US version and waited.
Well its finally here and I can honestly say it was worth the trouble. This game is not the next Quake or Soul Calibur by any means, but it has a kooky charm of its own that makes it a fun way to kill a couple hours. The learning curve looks like a speed bump, and there's certainly not 4 cd's worth of levels but a little time with this one can turn into an addictive experience.
Graphics: Now here is one of the best parts of this little gem...the graphics are all clean and very sharp, with some quite lovely lakeside views. But underwater is where the bass are at, and the underwater shots reflect an accurate picture of what's going on down there. There are turtles, smaller fish, plants, junk, rocks...in one level there's even full suits of armor from some long forgotten battle. The bass are very well done, with lifelike motion and realistic depictions. After a few hours you can even begin to estimate the weight of your catch before you pull them from the water. And with a little more time you will begin to notice the small touches, like leaves floating on the water or the orange tint the shallow areas have at dusk.
Sound: All of the sounds are accurately done as well, with the rattle of a Vibration lure easily distinguishible from the clinking of a Buzz Bait. The fish are lured in many cases by sounds so I assume these were of importance to the design team. I don't know enough about real fishing to judge the authenticity of it all, but hey it fooled me. The music is bearable for the brief instances you hear it, and the only minor complaint I have is with the announcer, who sounds like he is only reading the dialogue phonetically (i.e. he doesn't speak English at all)
Gameplay: At first I didn't quite get all of the nuances of this game...I could catch fish and get past the arcade mode but that was about it. Then I tried the "Original" mode which is a series of tournaments and I began to get the picture. See each lure is appropriate for a certain set of conditions, and each lure has a way in that it must be used to be effective. A Popper sits on the surface in shallow water and you "pop" the rod to make noises with it to attract fish, while a Grub works best launched next to a structure like a bridge girder and goes deep to find the big ones. Once you have lured the fish, they bite and now you have to fight them into the boat - at first with smaller fish a guaranteed catch but after learning how to get the big boys you will learn that anything over 10 pounds will snap your line in a heartbeat. It's these two factors that make the game addictive...the strategy of what lure to use and where, and the physical side of proper lure action and reel-in. And with several areas to fish, there are many enjoyable hours of trying to get the whopper in this disc.
Overall:If you enjoy fishing, get this game. If not, rent it and give it a try - you might be pleasantly surprised. And the fishing controller does make a difference...after trying with both the standard controller and the fishing controller I think the fishing controller is slightly more difficult at first, but makes fine control easier after you get the hang of it.