Xbox 360 Review: Rapala Tournament Fishing

Rapala Tournament Fishing, which was originally going to be called Rapala Trophies (which it is called on the PSP), is the first fishing game for the Xbox 360 console. It isn't a game for the casual fishermen though, as the amount of gear and choices is enough to drive the average person crazy. That being said, if you live and breathe fishing and you think Rapala is the greatest thing since sliced bread, this is the title for you.

Rapala is a simulator, so if you think that you are going to hop in, like in Sega Bass Fishing, and just start reeling them in, you better be ready for a change. It may take a good twenty minutes to catch your first fish, given that you have the correct lure for the conditions of the lake. Most of the time its just plain dumb luck that you pick the correct lure for the conditions, unless it turns out that fishing really is just a guessing game.

The graphics are pretty plain, though the water looks fairly realistic. Still it doesn't look like anything that a normal Xbox or PS2 could generate. The draw distance is not the greatest and when you maneuver the boat there is a good amount of pop-up. Under the water the lures act and sound the way that a real one would, but the scenery is fairly sparse. Most lakes in virtual fishing must be rock bottomed, as underwater plant life is few and fair between. That being said, the fish look like they are suppose to look in the wild, though when you land one you might as well have hooked a minnow as there is little difficulty reeling them in.

The controls are fairly simple; but casting is a bit confusing, as you have to press a combination of buttons to perform the act. The lures react correctly to your inputs and if you are not performing the correct action the lure will not hook a fish. Catching the fish is a read the screen and react affair, unfortunately no matter what you do when you finally hook one you can ignore the commands and still catch the fish.

The sound effects are plain but being a budget title don't expect too much. Its best to have songs loaded on the 360 to listen to in order to pass the length of time that the tournaments can take. You need to place in the top 10 in each of the rounds in order to move on in the tournament, which involves a fairly large amount of playing time.

Achievements for Rapala will take some time as it will take winning each and every tournament as well as catching a certain number of fish, be it 40 perch or 40 catfish.

Rapala Tournament Fishing is not a game that will appeal to the average gamer. It's designed for fishing fans, which depending on where you live, can be far and few between. It does what it's designed to do fairly well, however, and if you enjoy fishing, this should be more than entertaining.

Rapala Tournament Fishing is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB. This game can also be found on: Nintendo Wii, PSP.

Article Author: Ryan Thompson

Ryan Thompson has been a fan of videogames since 1981 starting on the Apple II. He was the administrator for the now defuct hardcoregaming.org and is on staff on Rfgeneration.com. Ryan enjoys a nice cold one and is more then willing to play some one online in any number of titles. …

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