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The Strike - Hands-on Preview

• By Patrick Shaw
• April 21, 2009 16:30 PM PST
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Lures, Reels, Rods, You Name It

Another big focus for the game is on gear. The Strike is sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, the Costco or Super Walmart of fishing stores, and features all licensed gear from the behemothic outdoorsmen superstore. Catching fish, competing in tourneys, and completing other objectives in the game earns you money, which you can then use on a massive supply of equipment.

There's over a hundred and ten different fishing lures, which all react realistically, attracting only the specific varieties of fish it was designed to seduce. As long as you're not playing the game on Arcade Mode, there's a tremendous amount of strategy to hooking fish.

A slew of different fishing rods and reels are also available to purchase. They've even gone so far as having the virtual Bass Pro Shops carry various strengths of line so you can pull some truly huge beasts out of the water without snapping your line. Speaking of big fish, each of The Strike's ten maps have one Legendary Fish inhabiting them, and you'll have to really hone your fishing prowess to capture them.

The way you actually wrestle fish out of the lake, while similar in some ways to past fishing games, is immensely satisfying. They've added a couple of things that make the fishing experience far deeper than any game before it, such as including a fish stamina meter and also having the option to turn off the camera that shows you everything that's going on underwater (in other words, cheating). This is something that no fishing game before it has had, and really adds another dimension of skill for players interested in having a more true to life fishing experience.

The Strike's trophy room is another thing that impressed me during my hands-on demonstration with the game. Everything you catch in the game goes into your trophy room, which doubles as a virtual aquarium.

If you're not the kind of angler who can stomach plunging a knife into fish bellies to remove their ropy innards so you can cook and eat them, you're in luck too because all of the fish you catch are alive and well after you reel them in. Whatever you catch out of the eleven species of fish in the game swim about in the oversized tanks located in your Trophy Room. Stats like the weight and length of your catches are also logged.

A Pole that Feels Good in Your Hands

The controller itself for the Xbox 360 version of The Strike feels sturdy in your hands. Not too heavy and not too flimsy, the fishing rod peripheral comes packaged with the game, which will run you $69.99 total. Not bad considering new game and controller bundles like Rock Band can cost you as much as $200.

The controller also features built-in rumble more powerful than the one in the regular Xbox 360 controller. You can literally feel the different sizes of fish you battle with in the resistance coming from the motors in the controller.

Even if you've never been fishing before and are just curious to see what it's like, The Strike is worth a look. It's a breath of fresh air for fishing enthusiasts and is sure to lure some new people into the sport. The game comes out this September on Xbox 360, Wii, and PC.

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