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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Sports Developer: Activision Publisher: Activision |
There have been a wide variety of fishing games released over the years, most of which require players to simply press a button to set
the hook and reel in a fish that is on the line. “Cabela’s Cabela’s Monster Bass” is a new fishing game that relies on a combo system
where players will be reeling in a fish and pressing a series of buttons for boosts and points while reeling the fish in. The game is not
a bad idea for a title that is an arcade fishing expedition, but while playing the game, button taps don’t always register with what is on
problem is their controller, until they try something else in the game, like driving the boat.
Unfortunately for players the fish aren’t always biting in the game, causing them to have to drive their boat around looking for the Cabela’
s Monster Bass that the game publicizes. Since players need to drive around in their boat so much, it would seem that this is a very
important part of the game, one that should work very smoothly. Players will learn that R2 accelerates and L2 decelerates. It is a game
to determine how exactly players are supposed to drive the boat, because players will either be able to drive forward or backward, but
not both. If going forward works, going backward doesn’t, and vice versa. The controls definitely prove to be broken.
For those gamers who are very traditional in their gaming styles, “Cabela’s Monster Bass” is all about high scores and racking in
combos while reeling in fish. Players start on their boat, they pull back on the right stick to swing the characters arm and push it forward
to cast. With a lure in the water players can begin reeling it in with L2, and if the fish don’t take an interest to the lure, a left analog stick
will pop up and can pull off a combo to attract Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike or whatever other fish are in the area.
The fish bites and a meter with a reel in the center pops up. Players need to pull the right stick in the direction suggested by the meter
and players need to keep the battle in the center of themselves and the fish. If it gets away from the center, past the green area and into
the red, players will run the risk of the line breaking. If the line breaks, the fish gets away. While battling the fish, players need to be
reeling in the fish, which makes it more difficult to keep the battle in the middle, along with trying to hit button combos that pop up.
Hitting the combos will earn players points, as well as tiring out the fish.
Now that the how to play is out of the way, “Cabela’s Monster Bass” will take players will take these techniques into Tournament
Fishing. The tournament is made up of six levels, Lake Wylie, Clear Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, Lake Amistad Lake Logan Martin and
Lake Okeechobee, and along with those levels through three difficulties that challenge players with objectives such as catching a
certain number of fish or catching a specific weight of fish. There will be an occasional reward, a new worm of lure, but they’ll never be
able to open a tackle box and change the setup. There is no story to the game, although players will have a reputation meter and stats.
Players just need to fish and reach a high score, that’s it.
Since there isn’t a multiplayer mode, and tournament mode and get a little dull at times, players are able to jump directly into Open
Fishing (Free Play) or Quick Challenge. This is actually the good news about the game. Sadly the game feels as though it was
neglected. When players finally get a fish to the boat and haul it out of the water, but the catch won’t actually be in the character’s
hands, but instead float in the air. Everything seems to be lacking a little bit.
As players move around the lake, players are able to check out the fish finder to see where all the fish are and use a terrible looking
GPS to get a view of the area, but both features of the game are only there, not to be helpful, just to be there. The same could be said
about the area known as the Angler’s Den, a room that looks like it belongs in a comic strip and shows players their unlocked rods and
more. Along with all of this, the graphics are blurry and lack detail. Players will never feel that they are on the water fishing.
“Cabela’s Monster Bass” is, without a question, a low budget title, only costing about $30, and it shows, early and often. The graphics
are lacking, the game offers no incentive to keep playing, the replay value is practically nonexistent and the broken controls are unable
to be forgiven. The actually fishing part of the game can be fun enough for those that are willing trudge through the game long enough
to get to it. For those that are looking for a fun fishing title, this may be a title worth checking out, once the price drops…dramatically.
the hook and reel in a fish that is on the line. “Cabela’s Cabela’s Monster Bass” is a new fishing game that relies on a combo system
where players will be reeling in a fish and pressing a series of buttons for boosts and points while reeling the fish in. The game is not
a bad idea for a title that is an arcade fishing expedition, but while playing the game, button taps don’t always register with what is on
problem is their controller, until they try something else in the game, like driving the boat.
Unfortunately for players the fish aren’t always biting in the game, causing them to have to drive their boat around looking for the Cabela’
s Monster Bass that the game publicizes. Since players need to drive around in their boat so much, it would seem that this is a very
important part of the game, one that should work very smoothly. Players will learn that R2 accelerates and L2 decelerates. It is a game
to determine how exactly players are supposed to drive the boat, because players will either be able to drive forward or backward, but
not both. If going forward works, going backward doesn’t, and vice versa. The controls definitely prove to be broken.
For those gamers who are very traditional in their gaming styles, “Cabela’s Monster Bass” is all about high scores and racking in
combos while reeling in fish. Players start on their boat, they pull back on the right stick to swing the characters arm and push it forward
to cast. With a lure in the water players can begin reeling it in with L2, and if the fish don’t take an interest to the lure, a left analog stick
will pop up and can pull off a combo to attract Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike or whatever other fish are in the area.
The fish bites and a meter with a reel in the center pops up. Players need to pull the right stick in the direction suggested by the meter
and players need to keep the battle in the center of themselves and the fish. If it gets away from the center, past the green area and into
the red, players will run the risk of the line breaking. If the line breaks, the fish gets away. While battling the fish, players need to be
reeling in the fish, which makes it more difficult to keep the battle in the middle, along with trying to hit button combos that pop up.
Hitting the combos will earn players points, as well as tiring out the fish.
Now that the how to play is out of the way, “Cabela’s Monster Bass” will take players will take these techniques into Tournament
Fishing. The tournament is made up of six levels, Lake Wylie, Clear Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, Lake Amistad Lake Logan Martin and
Lake Okeechobee, and along with those levels through three difficulties that challenge players with objectives such as catching a
certain number of fish or catching a specific weight of fish. There will be an occasional reward, a new worm of lure, but they’ll never be
able to open a tackle box and change the setup. There is no story to the game, although players will have a reputation meter and stats.
Players just need to fish and reach a high score, that’s it.
Since there isn’t a multiplayer mode, and tournament mode and get a little dull at times, players are able to jump directly into Open
Fishing (Free Play) or Quick Challenge. This is actually the good news about the game. Sadly the game feels as though it was
neglected. When players finally get a fish to the boat and haul it out of the water, but the catch won’t actually be in the character’s
hands, but instead float in the air. Everything seems to be lacking a little bit.
As players move around the lake, players are able to check out the fish finder to see where all the fish are and use a terrible looking
GPS to get a view of the area, but both features of the game are only there, not to be helpful, just to be there. The same could be said
about the area known as the Angler’s Den, a room that looks like it belongs in a comic strip and shows players their unlocked rods and
more. Along with all of this, the graphics are blurry and lack detail. Players will never feel that they are on the water fishing.
“Cabela’s Monster Bass” is, without a question, a low budget title, only costing about $30, and it shows, early and often. The graphics
are lacking, the game offers no incentive to keep playing, the replay value is practically nonexistent and the broken controls are unable
to be forgiven. The actually fishing part of the game can be fun enough for those that are willing trudge through the game long enough
to get to it. For those that are looking for a fun fishing title, this may be a title worth checking out, once the price drops…dramatically.
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