While fishing games like the Sega Bass Fishing series show their arcade roots proudly by reducing the fishing experience down to just the most visceral parts, there are also games that take the fishing business much more seriously, embracing all of the minutiae that make up the real-life experience. Pro Fishing Challenge is just such a game, and for the most part, it's rather successful at re-creating a quiet morning out on the lake. This is great news if you're already way, way into fishing, but the game's methodical pacing and occasional assumption that you already know everything about fishing can make it rather inaccessible to the common player.
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 7
Pros:
Cons:
Graphics & Sound:
One of the more impressive aspects of Pro Fishing Challenge is its graphics engine, which beautifully renders four huge lakes. Especially impressive are the water effects, which have a nice, soothing, ripple effect and slick reflections. The engine also renders change of day effects, such as a nice haze that appears in the wee morning hours or a bright sun late in the day. Some subtle weather effects are also thrown in for good measure.
Sound is pretty dead on; the ripple effects on the water bring a nice, soothing silence to the game. The loudest noise you’ll hear while on the water is your boat’s engine, which you’re likely to only hear while moving to a new spot. The only real downside in the sound department is that it’s a little too peaceful. A custom soundtrack option or some sort of music would have been a nice addition. What little music that is in the game feels out of place.
Gameplay:
Pro Fishing Challenge takes an entirely different route than other fish titles. Other fishing games take more of an arcade approach to the sport, lending some excitement to a sport that doesn’t readily translate to the video game format too well. Pro Fishing Challenge instead remains completely true to the nature of fishing and features all of the tiny nuances dropped in other games. This makes for a deep experience, although it doesn’t really make for a fun game.
Pro Fishing Challenge is broken up into three modes. In Tournament mode, you’ll challenge the A.I. to a five-round fishing tournament to see who can catch the biggest fish. Conditions can be set before the tournament, which include things like weather, fishing location, and what fish count during the tournament. An online version of this mode is also offered, which can include up to eight players on one lake. This is probably one of the more exciting modes in the game, but only because it includes the ability to chat with other players. Otherwise, it’s just the single-player experience online. Free Fishing is the game’s answer to a quiet day on the lake. There are no conditions you have to meet or limits to what you can do. It’s just the player, his boat and a lake full of fish.
Playing through both the Single-player and Free Fish mode can help you unlock new outfits, lakes and other items as well.
Difficulty:
If you know how to fish, and I mean really fish, then Pro Fishing Challenge will more than likely come off as second nature. For the rest of us, there are just too many little details in the game that make it frustratingly hard. There are just too many little things that can go wrong, like picking the wrong lure or spooking the fish, that the game becomes bogged down with details and forgets the “fun” part of the game. A tutorial is offered, which is a great thing, but that still isn’t enough to reel in the casual anglers.
Game Mechanics:
When you’re out on the lake, fishing isn’t as easy as baiting the hook and casting the rod. You first have to use your on-boat sonar and knowledge of weather conditions to choose which type of bait is appropriate for the situation. At the same time, you have to keep an eye on the rangefinder to keep tabs of where groups of fish are, and any obstacles that may be in your way. Next, you have to make sure the fish don’t realize you’re in the area (otherwise they won’t take the bait). Again, if you know what you’re doing, this is probably second nature, but for those just wanting a fun fishing game, this is a bit too much.
Casting is just as confusing as everything else you’ve done up to this point. Casting is handled similar to the kicking meter in football games or the swing meter in old-school golf games. Overall, casting isn’t that hard, but the meter goes a little too fast –- making it one of the more exciting aspects of the game. However, this also adds to the game’s already frustrating difficulty level. Once the hook is in the water, you have to retrieve, which is how you get the fish interested. In addition to just pulling the lure back, you can also snap, jerk and twitch the line to increase the chances of the fish seeing the bait. When you get a bite (which can take some time), a message pops up and a fight begins between you and the fish. Fighting is simply trying to keep a certain amount of tension in the fishing line by monitoring the speed and position of the rod. Tension is represented by an icon that will turn colors depending on how much fight the fish has in him. If the icon turns red, the line may be about to snap, while a blue icon means the hook may not have set correctly.
As I sit here watching the sport fishing show on ESPN while waiting for NFL Countdown, it is becoming apparent to me that there is an audience for Pro Fishing Challenge. Pro Fishing Challenge isn’t that bad a game; it’s just caters to a very small audience. For the rest of the game-playing audience (a few of which who have probably never seen the sun), the game is way too in-depth to be any fun. If you’re an angler who is unable to make it out to your favorite fishing hole, Pro Fishing Challenge may be for you. Otherwise, your money would probably be better spent on new lures or rods.
