The graphics in SEGA Bass Fishing are crisp and clear. They won't win any awards, but there is no distraction caused by what one might assume would be outdated graphics. The polygon style player from the original game is gone, and replaced with a much smoother-looking version. The fish are detailed and colorful and behave very naturally. The landscapes and areas to fish are detailed as well; waterfalls create disturbance under the water, and cars travel by when fishing near the dam.

The sounds lend to the old-school arcade feel of the game, with the guitar riff music and the warning alarms fitting nicely. The narrator offers information on what's going on, as well as tips on how to successfully land your next largemouth bass. The Wii Remote’s speaker is used effectively, with the sound of the player's reeling emanating when making a turn with the reel, even offering a louder and more high-pitched sound when the reeling is fast.


The game offers some options to the main Arcade Mode, such as setting the minutes available higher, or the weight of fish different, and that should satisfy those who find the game to be above or below their level of ability. While this arcade version is enough to keep a player hooked for quite a while, SEGA Bass Fishing offers three other modes of play. One is practice mode, pretty self-explanatory, while the others, Tournament and Nature Trip Mode, will take the gamer in different directions.

Nature Trip Mode is the most different and, taking a page from recent games like Endless Ocean, is more open ended. The player selects any location available in the game, along with more intricate details such as which of the four fishing seasons, what time of day and even what weather conditions. Presumably these all affect the fish available and what lures they will bite, but the game leaves any of these nuances aside and simply lets players fish at their leisure.


Tournament Mode is a longer version of Arcade Mode and consists of 10 different outings which last four minutes each. In these outings the player has the same goal as Arcade Mode: collect the largest fish available. Only this time there is a reason. At the end of each round the game rates players against other unseen opponents in a tournament. The first tournament is the amateur one, and fairly easy to beat, but they go up in difficulty from there. However, the game makes no clear distinction as to the number of available tournaments.

During any of the modes of play, players can discover new lures when they reel in a particularly large fish, which then become available for use elsewhere. A tackle box allows players to peruse their lures, seeing which are already available and how many are left to unlock - which is quite a few.


Despite all the praise heaped upon SEGA Bass Fishing, it is not without some flaws. Players have to stumble around the menus to find information about the modes and lures. No multiplayer of any kind exists, which is really disappointing considering the gameplay lends itself so well to afternoons with fishing buddies. Also, players may find themselves wishing to cast their rod for other types of fish, but then again, this is the hunt for the almighty bass.

SEGA Bass Fishing is still shaping up to be the best fishing experience on the Wii thus far, and with plenty of contenders for that title, that's nothing to shake your rod at. Stay tuned to Stage 3 to see if this one sinks or swims!