I've been a fishing enthusiast since I was big enough to bait my own hook. Now, I can fish from the comfort of my game room and catch fish I would otherwise not have access to! I only wish this title was more realistic and had more to look at.

TAKE2 Interactive has released Big Bass Fishing for the Sony Playstation. In this newest fishing title for gamers, you will find all of the expected thrills, action and strategy cyber-anglers come to expect. There are 14 different types of fish; ranging from small hungry Bluegill to the line-pulling Large Mouth Bass. There is a nice selection of lures to choose from, though I noticed an absence of live bait (give me a wiggly nightcrawler any day). You have 12 locations to fish from as well. All of the action takes place from the bow of your small Bass boat. Oh yeah... and you're a woman.

There are three different ways to play the game: Arcade, Competition and Challenge. In Arcade mode, you are given five minutes to catch five fish. Doing so allows you to move on to the next area. Competition mode has a variety of challenges for you to complete-- based on what you want to participate in. Like: catching the most fish, largest fish, beat the clock, etc. In Challenge mode, you move across the lake completing various challenges such as catching 2 fish within 15 minutes, catching 2 Largemouth Bass (hard!!) in 15 minutes and catch 3 of any type of bass within 15 minutes. With Competition and Challenge mode, there are opportunities to unlock special fishing locations and pick up bonus items which are like power-ups. Snagging the power-ups is not easy. I found that most I got were by accident. 

The A.I. of the game was not too sharp. I am sure the developers consulted with a professional angler for this game, but it does not show. I have never, in real life, been able to bounce a lure in front of a Bass and have it take the bait. Also, Bluegill and Bass hit the same lure constantly, which is rare in my experience. They just do not like the same sized lures, usually. Getting a fish to bite is not hard. You can view your game from the boat (behind yourself as a woman-- I was not kidding about that), or underwater-- watching the fish investigate your lures. The latter is the easiest, and funniest to watch. Bass just do not act like that in real life!!! 

Like I said, getting the fish to bite is easy. Getting them hooked is harder. Reeling them in is just plain tough. You have to mindful of the tension, reel speed and direction of the rod. In real life, landing one once it's hooked is not nearly this complicated. A good hook-set is the key, though drag tension and not letting the fish get too "loose" is very valid. It's just that in this game, the hard things are easy, and vice versa. Sometimes, a large fish will break the surface and thrash about. With the dual-shock controller, this is quite fun. Getting one in the boat is very satisfying; considering how hard it is to do. I strongly recommend turning on the Gauges to help you perform better. 

The game does not provide much in the way of scenes, graphics or sound. You are limited to casting along the shore, unlike many games I have played where you traverse a river/waterway or have free roam of a lake. I am still scratching my head over the female fisher-person. I am not sexist, but why not have a male, too? Looking at her, you could call this game "Big Bust Fishing".  

Gameplay: 6.5
Rather boring and unrealistic in most regards. Landing a fish is very rewarding but complicated to the point of annoyance.

Graphics: 7 
Kind of reminded me of an older console's video game. I don't see the ability of the PSX being utilized here. 

Sound: 6.5
Repetitive music and subtle sound effects. Fishing is not a "noisy" sport, but there could have been more environmental sounds. Thank goodness for the ability to turn the sound and music down.

Difficulty: Medium
I think the variation between hooking the fish and actually landing it is too severe. In real life, it's been much harder to get a bite than to actually get the fish in the boat. 

Concept: 6.5 
Not much of a concept. The game limits itself to slow boating and a lack original challenges. Just standard fare cast and retrieve. 

Multiplayer: N/A 

Overall: 7
I did enjoy playing the game, but it is not addicting and somewhat frustrating to play. I did not find it realistic, nor were there any original challenges to spice it up. Cast, reel in and repeat. Using the controller as a fishing rod is terrible. It was not very satisfying, but it beats going out in the rain or fighting mosquitoes when there's nothing better to do.