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.

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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