Platform: PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360

Genre: Action / Adventure

Number of Players: 1

Support: HD 720p, Leaderboards

There has always been a certain niche of gamers who enjoy titles that aren’t necessarily what you’d associate with video games, though these days, we should really expect everything. Not everyone is going to be taken in by first person shooters, role-playing games, or whatever the latest sports release is. There are also those who can’t always make it to the great outdoors to catch, hunt or harm living creatures so video games have often provided a means for them to feel good about themselves without needlessly taking lives.

Activision Value Publishing, Inc has been giving those with a taste of fishing the means to do it in the comfort of their own living rooms for quite some time now. Avid fisherman would tell you that it’s not the same thing but personally, I’d much rather catch a fish in a matter of minutes instead of sitting for hours in a boat . . . . waiting. In the past, I’ve played some of the other Rapala titles and they have been decent enough, but I found that Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009 is probably the weakest of the bunch. Like most fishing games, the main objective is competition in tournament fishing with the goal being to come out on top. Rapala will tell you in each stage of the tournament what your target fish is that you need to catch and note that you will also be working with a time limit. Fish that are too small will be tossed back and after you’ve caught the required number of fish you can choose to keep fishing in favor of getting bigger fish or simply retire from the round and progress to the next stage.

The game limits you to only two selectable characters, a male and female, without any options to change their appearance, clothing coloration, or anything else. I guess the decision was that this was really more about finish and since there is no online option, there’s no need to allow players to change the look of their character. Lures are limited as well with only 30 different types and even the fish are limited to just over 20 varieties and the reason behind that would be that Rapala Fishing Frenzy is more about angler fishing meaning that you’ll be going after bass. Some have even speculated that Rapala Fishing Frenzy is merely a repacked, slightly improved version of Cabela's Trophy Bass on the PlayStation 2, but since I’ve never played it, I can’t be completely positive that this is the case.

The game utilizes the SIXAXIS controller which isn’t necessarily a bad thing since it’s often overlooked. This is used to cast and it makes things very easy; you’ll also use it to hook the fish and to tire them out, you’ll use combos, all of which are easily shown on the screen. In fact, catching fish in general tends to be extremely simple and trying to do a bit of “showboating” to lure them in often isn’t even necessary. The hassle though comes with using the SIXAXIS for the boat, something that isn’t addressed in the game even if you’re using tutorials, and it does take a bit to grow accustomed to how the boat is controlled, though using the shoulder buttons to speed up or slow down is easy. There is also a fish finder and GPS in this mode, though I often found that stopping just about anywhere would yield fish. The game also has a quick play mode where you can fish in any of the lakes that are currently available without the need to compete, and there is a challenge mode to play through.

With each stage you’ll pass you will unlock a new location to fish in, all in North America, but I don’t really think that the game being “international” matters much. The design of the lakes is done really well and this is probably one of the best looking games that uses the Rapala name so far. The environments are very lifelike and vivid, plus the lakes have a very recognizable landscape no matter where you are on them. The characters though are more unimpressive and the water effects when your lure is submerged get a little annoying at times, but in the heat of landing a big one, this can be overlooked.

Ever since Super Black Bass was released on the Super Nintendo back in 1992 I’ve had a soft spot for fishing games no matter who absurd the idea might seem to some, though it’s really not different than raising a virtual pet. I was hoping that Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009 would satisfy the need of virtual sport fishing, at least for a brief time, and while the game might look good, it doesn’t really offer too much else which is sadly disappointing. This makes a better rental than a purchase, though I think some will find that they are actually entranced by the game, but others will notice that something definite smells a bit fishy

-mike-