Ah … the cool breeze blowing over the lake. A quiet, serene setting littered with Autumn trees, still waters, the sounds of nature ... and the buzz of bass boat trolling motors carrying two fisherman out to prove who’s the better of the two. This is what Bass Fishing Duel by SEGA is all about, and it really tries to capture the fun of fishing in a little less arcade style way this time.

Anyone who owned a Dreamcast at one time or another probably either played or owned SEGA’s popular Bass Fishing title, and now it has come to the PS2. The original leaned a little more to the overall arcade style of gameplay, where it was strictly timed and you were almost guaranteed a catch on every throw, provided the line didn’t break. The overall game mechanics haven’t changed much … but there are some differences this time around.

First off, the original title had you in one stationary area, casting out in a kind of arc pattern and looking for fish. In Bass Fishing Duel, you still pick a spot and then head out in either free fishing, tournament, or duel mode (which I’ll talk more about here in a sec) … but have the ability to remain mobile. Your player has a trolling motor, and you can move about the section of the lake you chose looking for that good fishing spot to land the big ones. It feels a little more open, and not as restricted as the previous title.

Now, how ‘bout those fish? Let’s talk AI for a moment. Part of the enjoyment of fishing is the strategy and skill of finding a particular area and seeing if you can work the lure just right to get a strike. Bass Fishing duel has improved the challenge a little, and the fish … be it bass, crappie, or pike … are a tad more intelligent and won’t always hit everything that flashes in front of their face. Each lure, the ones you start with and the ones that get unlocked as you win tournaments or challenges, have their own colors … each one more effective depending on the time of year. This isn’t always accurate unfortunately, but you can see little differences at times. Either way, it’s not as simple as it used to be … but not by much.

OK. I mentioned the three modes a little earlier, and that’s what makes the game enjoyable. The free fishing mode allows you to head out on one of the lakes that you have unlocked and cast away for a while in each area, with no competition or weigh ins which helps find the hot spots. The tournament is, well … a tournament that puts you against a number of other competitors fighting it out for points (Based on the weight of up to five bass).  Highest point total is the winner. The duel mode is kind of a story mode in a way, and it will have you facing four individual opponents (4 more to unlock as you progress) who challenge you to do various things ranging from “Catch more than I do” or “see if you can get one before me”. All are fun in their own way, but having the option to remove the timer completely in free fishing mode would have made it a little more fun for me.

Bass Fishing Duel overall is a fun title for anyone who likes fishing, but there are some things which could have been done a little differently. The first seems to be a running pattern in some of my reviews as of late, which is the length. For the lone fisherman like myself, it doesn't take a whole lot of time to run through the tournament mode. The free fishing thing is fun if you just want to sit back and fish, but the timer still makes it feel like a rush to a certain extent … even though it can be slowed down. The duel mode gives it some additional replayability and has a good mixture of challenges, but after a couple of days of straight playing it all winds up getting beat in the end. The duel mode for two players is where some good competition and enjoyment can be found, but after a couple of weeks it may lose it’s luster overall for some.

Graphically, Bass Fishing Duel is sort of a mixed bag … mostly in the positive. The overall graphic sense looks really detailed and good in the form of backgrounds and the underwater camera, but the characters look flat and outdated, especially on a next – gen console system. In addition, there is some pop up, or down if you want to look at it that way, since fish will periodically vanish or appear out of sight once you get to a certain camera length. The sound consists of the trolling motor, casting of the reel, and the rattling and splashing of lures and hooked fish which sounds accurate and not too shabby. The music is the typical SEGA “Techno/Jazz/Dance” mixture, which is composed of tunes that do a good job catching and making a relaxing and fun atmosphere overall.

If you’re looking for a fun fishing game on the PS2, look no further. SEGA did a good job on this one overall, but it also may wind up being a short trip around the lake for some. It has enough in it to be fun for awhile though, and if you have played any of SEGA’s past fishing titles and enjoyed them like I have, this one is definitely worth looking into.  

Gameplay: 8.2
Easy to get into, and simple controls make this a fun game for just about anyone to get into. Having more freedom to move around the lake and a longer time period don’t make it feel as restricted as the past title, but more vs. modes or challenges would have made for a higher replayability.

Graphics: 8.0
The backgrounds look great, and the underwater presentation looks really good. The submerged debris, floating dirt and leaves, and even schools of minnows frequenting bass heavy areas add to the realism. The characters are outdated looking, and there is some pop up while out fishing.

Sound: 7.2
The noises of the fishing, underwater rattling of lures, and trolling motor sound really accurate. The music is relaxing, but a tad repetitive at times. I really wish there would have been an option to turn the “help” off though … which consists of a voice which uses the same “Here comes a fish” or “you lost it” sayings over and over again, and tends to get annoying after about 5 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Not only simple to get into, even with little challenges like hitting the X button at just the right time to land the fish, but simple no matter which stage you happen to be playing at the time. There’s also a tutorial mode to help you learn everything about the game you need to know.  

Concept: 8.4
While a lot of the game remains similar to the past Bass Fishing game by SEGA, they have also done some things differently this time around. Things like freer movement, somewhat improved fish AI, and more than one mode make it enjoyable.

Multiplayer: 7.5
This is the “Duel” mode at it’s finest. It’s fun to play against someone else and out fish them in the same spot or lake to annoy them, but it is also something that may tend to get old after a couple of weeks.  

Overall: 7.8
For anyone who enjoys going out and fishing or has enjoyed SEGA’s past fishing titles, this is definitely worth purchasing or renting. The modes, over 100 unlockable lures, unlockable characters, and more realistic gameplay definitely make it a good fishing title. If you’re not too much into fishing though, this can be a short lived title which may wind up on the shelf after a short time.