Collection essentials #463 & #464: Sega Bass Fishing (DC) and Fishing Controller (DC)

There have been quite a few video games based on fishing which date back to consoles much older than the Dreamcast, but I haven’t covered a single one until now. That’s not to say I never played any. I owned Super Black Bass on SNES as a kid, but I never got very far in it, and I didn’t love it enough to be included on this list. I respect video games that try to simulate the real-life activity of fishing as accurately as they can, but that’s not really something I’m interested in. So why does Sega Bass Fishing make my list? Well, because it’s an arcade game! And because of that, there’s less focus on realism, and instead players get a tight, faster-paced experience. So you might consider this a fishing game for people who don’t normally like fishing games.

The game plays fine with a standard Dreamcast controller. But as you can see, a special fishing rod controller was produced for this game, similar to the one used for the arcade version. There’s basic motion sensing capabilities in this controller, so when reeling in a fish you need to physically turn it in different directions to get your fish. Pretty cool!

When starting the game, you get to pick from a variety of lures (which you can freely switch between as long as the lure isn’t in the water), and you’re placed in the center of a fairly small area. Unlike in many fishing games, you can’t sail around freely, and you simply turn your character around in a circle until you decide you want to cast in a certain spot. There’s also a time limit at play here, so this isn’t the type of fishing game where you’ll be patiently waiting and slowly trying to entice fish. The idea is to jump right in and have a sucker give you a bite in no time! And it’s pretty fun!

One thing I particularly like about this game is the announcer. There’s a dude who gives you instructions and narrations. It’s a Japanese voice actor trying to speak English. He does a pretty decent job considering English isn’t his native language. But what’s funny is that he seems to be trying to do some kind of accent, but it’s totally inconsistent and all over the place. But I guess as a result it makes his performance stand out a little, and I’ve always found it to be a very memorable and charming part of this game. 

Sega Bass Fishing has been ported and remade to newer systems a few times, but oddly, it seems that it is currently not available on any modern gaming platform. And those ports and remakes don’t have a proper equivalent to the fishing rod controller, so if you ask me, Dreamcast is still the way to go with this one.

I don’t have a ton to say about Sega Bass Fishing. I haven’t sunk a whole lot of time into it, but it’s one that I have occasionally spent a short time with over the years. I probably should try and actually beat the game at some point, and also try out other Dreamcast fishing games compatible with the controller (which I do own). But I think it’s another wonderful classic ‘90s Sega arcade game well-ported to the Dreamcast, and for that I deem it an essential.