- Title: Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009
- Platform: Xbox 360
- Publisher: Activision Value
- Developer: Fun Labs
- ESRB Rating: “E” for Everyone
- Genre: Fishing
- Pros: Detailed fish; fast pace; easy 1000 Gamerscore points
- Cons: Lures, position make zero difference; way, way, way too easy; long load times
Gameplay
Whether you are playing the Tournament, Open Fishing, or Quick Challenge modes, the game plays out pretty much the same no matter what. After a long load time you appear out on the lake on your boat. Don’t worry about driving the boat around, though, because most of the lake is blocked off and you can only fish in a small area. And it doesn’t matter anyway because there are always fish around no matter where you are. Always. You cast into the water using the right analog stick (just like shooting the puck in NHL 09 or swinging a club in Tiger Woods), and you reel in with the left trigger. As you reel in, an icon pops up on the bottom of the screen and, after following some Quick Time Event-style button presses, you have activated the “Attract Fish” function. Now, no matter what you do, you are going to catch a fish. And in tournaments that challenge you with a specific species, you will only catch that species. Even if you don’t use the attract fish function, you still catch a fish 99% of the time, but it might not always be the species you wanted. Now, I ask you, what the heck is the point of a fishing game where you catch a fish on every single cast? Where is the fun?
Also, in most fishing games, at least more recent ones, they give you a ton of options for rods and reels and lines and lures and boats and even clothing. Not here. Your only character choices are a generic looking man or woman and there is no customization whatsoever. Likewise, you can’t change your boat. You do eventually unlock different rods and reels, but they make zero difference.
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, Fishing Frenzy 2009 is a bit of a mixed bag. The world on top of the water is kind of an ugly mess. The water itself looks good, but the shoreline and plants all lack detail and just aren’t very attractive. Underneath the water, however, the game is actually pretty nice looking. You see tons of fish swimming around, underwater plants are everywhere, and there are fallen trees and many man made objects strewn around the bottom. The fish are also surprisingly detailed and look very good.The sound is entirely forgettable. Bland music. Bland sound effects. And bland announcer that only chimes in to tell you about how good or bad your latest catch is.
Bottom Line
