Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Sports
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 18 Sep 07

User Rating
8 (1 vote)

Score 10 (Best) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Worst)

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Overview

There are certain games or genres that just seem set up for success on the Nintendo Wii. These include bowling, tennis, golf, hunting, and yes, fishing. In fact we saw a taste of fishing in one of the first Nintendo Wii titles, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. There is no doubt after that experience that other developers were going to give fishing a shot on the Wii, and wouldn't you know it today we are checking out Hudson Soft very own Fishing Master for the Nintendo Wii. Can this game use the Wii to make a great fishing title? Read our full review to find out!

Gameplay

There really haven't been any great fishing games in a long time. In fact, I cannot pin point the last game that I played that was solely considered a fishing title. However with the Nintendo Wii we are witnessing a lot of older genres coming back and that I suppose includes fishing. Fishing Master for the Wii is really a pretty straightforward look at the genre, and in some ways it is the simplicity of the game that actually works.

I would explain the mechanics of Fishing Master but that is best left for the brief tutorial at the beginning of the game, which gives you a look at how exactly you go about catching something in the game. The tutorial is a bit bare bone for my taste, but it at least gets the job done. From the tutorial you are then led to the main area of the game where you will be able to choose where you want to fish and a host of many other options that will get you setup for the real deal.

So you have picked a spot to go fish at, now its time to go fish. This isn't an overly difficult task but it does take a lot of time to get accustomed to. You will learn pretty quick that different fish want different bait, and this is one of those things that doesn't always work but for the most part it seems to be a full fledged answer to a lot of problems. But getting the fish hooked on the line is actually really easy, it is reeling it in that can be extremely difficult. You have to have a real balanced approach when pulling in a fish, especially the big ones; chances are if you're not careful, your line will break.

Just like in fishing, it is a real experience when you catch your first fish, and when you catch some of the more prized fish in the sea as well. As I mentioned I never really had a problem getting the fish on the line, it was reeling them in that was so difficult. But that is what is really good about Fishing Master is that it keeps you on your toes and fully engaged the whole time - you're always wanting to catch bigger and better fish.

Overall Fishing Master is a pretty basic experience, the controls are good, the gameplay mechanics are pretty good, and the experience is one that does have you come back for more. It however is not a title that I wanted to play for an extended period of time, but instead a game that was best in small bursts.

Graphics

Although the gameplay was pretty solid all the way around, the game would have been really helped by better visuals. Most of the areas in which you fish are unimpressive and unimaginative. The real treat of the game are the fish themselves, which are highly detailed and really make you feel like you actually just got done catching them. There is really a lot of the game that could have used more work including the character models that really downgrades the rest of the experience.

Fun Factor

At first glance I was not a big fan of Fishing Master, I found the mechanics frustrating and the experience to be a bit underwhelming. But being an editor I can't give up within a few minutes so I pushed through and the more I got the hang of the games controls and the way it wanted you to catch fish the more I really found myself enjoying the game. There are so many areas the game could have improved upon, but when you look at the entire experience you seem to put that all to the side and just find yourself enjoying the fresh feel of fishing in a video game.

Overall

Fishing Master for the Nintendo Wii is a solid first outing, and I would not be surprised at all to see another game under the same label. As a first game this was actually pretty impressive, and although the mechanics could be a bit frustrating at times it was still worth it to put the work in and enjoy fishing. Although this game probably won't appeal to a large audience, I think anyone with even the slightest bit of interest in fishing should give this game a shot.

Gameplay
7.0

Graphics
6.0

Fun Factor
7.0

Overall
7.0

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