Review

Fishing, a past time that I never really got, sitting around for hours on a rainy riverbank waiting for a fish to bite, only to throw it back if it was too small. Thrilling. Strange then that a past time that many perceive to be boring can make a highly exciting videogame! The original Get Bass was a Model 3 powered arcade game, complete with fishing rod controller, with the aim being to catch as many fish as you could to make the target weight before the time runs down. Just like real fishing but on a much smaller time scale, which is good.<p>As an arcade conversion Get Bass is fantastic, the detailed Model 3 visuals are faithfully reproduced on the Dreamcast hardware and look suitably detailed and move as gracefully as a fish through water. Control wise it would be difficult to see how Sega could re-create the unique control method on the standard Dreamcast controller, so they didn't, they give you a fishing rod. Well, not a whole fishing rod, just the handle and reely bit (I'm not a fisherman, correct me if the terms I use are wrong!) the controller seems to have motion sensors inside it, meaning that movements of the rod affect the rod on screen. Another nice addition to the fishing rod controller is the vibration effect, which certainly adds to the effect when you're reeling in a big Bass.<p>In terms of options this is not just a mere arcade port, you get the standard arcade mode, which is a great game for a party (bet you never thought you'd hear that about fishing!) a consumer mode, which is a more in depth version of the arcade game, great if you've got a lot of time on your hands and a practice mode where you can practice catching fish and the art of selecting the right lure. The consumer mode is perhaps the biggest addition as it is bigger, better and harder than the standard arcade mode, and this certainly adds a lot of longevity to the title. As I mentioned earlier the arcade mode is a good party game, this is probably down to the novel controller and the somewhat unique style of game, get the beers and the friends in and the game takes on a whole new lease of life!<p>As a fishing game this is the best, well there isn't much competition but still, as a party game it's great, and lastly it's something interesting to show you're friends, overall a great package.</P>