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Bass Landing
- November 24, 2000 14:47 PM PST
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The bass-fishing craze comes to the PlayStation with Agetech's Bass Landing. Though the game ripples with realism, those bass anglers interested in just getting bass might want to look in another lake.
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The Bass Has Landed
Bass Landing is one of the most realistic fishing simulations on the market, as opposed to the stripped-down arcade funfest of the Dreamcast's Sega Bass Fishing. You have five lakes to conquer, with different times of day, weather conditions and seasons to take into account. Choose your tackle from over 50 different types of rods, reels and lures as you take out your fishin' boat and try to catch the big one. With its options, choices and level of difficulty, Bass Landing is for the serious virtual angler.
That realism may actually be Bass Landing's downfall, when it comes to the more action-hungry console fishing crowd. Bass Landing has everything you can expect from a real-life Saturday fishing trip - except all the fresh air, sunshine, camaraderie, and conversation. That pretty much leaves you, your boat and an overwhelming amount of tackle to choose from.
A Pain In The Bass
Graphically, Bass Landing looks like it's about 4 years old. All the fishing takes place above the water (like in real life), so you'll spend your virtual fishing trip staring over the shoulder of a man on a boat, slowly (and choppily) bouncing up and down with the motion of the ocean. You can view replays of your most spectacular catches, but they're hardly worth the load time.
Sound mostly consists of a casting sound, a reeling sound and a repeating ambient muzak score. The muzak is at least mellow and calming, but you'll want to turn it down once you've spent a few hours of listening to it. When you hook a fish, the music speeds up and an announcer (D-Pad calls him "Daddy") pipes in to tell you which way to turn your rod and when to tighten and loosen your line. What this game really needs is a brass horn every few minutes just to keep you awake.
Bass Landing comes with Agetech's Playstation fishing controller, so you won't have that excuse. How far your cast goes depends on how hard you cast; you'll throw your arm out in no time casting like a madman. While the casting and reeling is fun enough, you will have precious little time with a fish on your line. Just like in real life, the greatest majority of fish in Bass Landing are "ones that got away."
The One That Got Away
All those armchair anglers out there looking for a down-to-the-details realistic fishing sim will drool all over Bass Landing, with its multitude of rods, reels and lures to choose from. Gamers looking for a fun, engrossing and exciting fishing experience would be better off with Sega Bass Fishing. Bass Landing is just like real fishing, with all the unpleasant bits (and most of the pleasant bits, too) stripped away.
