Home Page / pc / C / Championship Bass / Review Listing / Review

Upon receiving Championship Bass, by EA Sports, I sarcastically thought to myself, "Oh boy! A fishing title to review." Video fishing titles get me hyped up about as much as deer hunting games. I have been more than satisfied with the excellent Trophy Bass series by Sierra, and did not think that another fishing title could get me excited about PC fishing. To my surprise, Championship Bass is a fun game that adds several twists to PC fishing. It is certainly not as good a simulation as the Trophy Bass line, but it does have enough in its tackle box to make for an enjoyable fishing experience.

Just about everything concerning the graphics of Championship Bass is good. The fish look real and it is easy to differentiate between species. There is also a big difference in the sizes of the fish. It is a bit unnerving to see an absolutely humongous catfish lurking just below the surface of the water. One thing that is disappointing is that the size of the fish as seen in the water and the actual size upon reeling in the fish can be deceptive. After struggling to reel in a supposed lunker, it is kind of hilarious to find out that it is a pathetic fish that weighs less than a pound. While this phenomenon adds a bit of a surprise element to the game, it is very unrealistic. The fisherman and boat graphics are nothing spectacular but do the job. The shoreline scenery and aquatic plant life of this game's six lakes are also fairly average. The aquatic plant life looks pretty good from a distance, but becomes pixelated when viewed up close. I have yet to play a fishing game that has excellent shoreline and plant graphics.

There is nothing spectacular about the sound in Championship Bass. The ambient sounds, menu music, and music while reeling in the fish are all appropriate, but not memorable. Then again, I do not see how in the hell a fishing game can really have memorable sound. Perhaps some Jaws-like music could play as the fish approaches the lure to add another level of cheesiness to a fishing title.

The gameplay of Championship Bass is fairly basic. Simply move a cursor to the intended spot of the cast, cast away, and then reel the lure in. The game offers the user the ability to play with the rod and taunt the fish with the lure. Once a fish strikes, Championship Bass uses the familiar bar system of moving the rod up and down, reeling at varying speeds, and paying attention to line tension. There is nothing innovative about this control scheme, but I guess there is only so much a developer can do in depicting the reeling in of a fish. The difficulty of Championship Bass varies. At its easiest level, the fish chase the lures like Albert Belle chases trick-or-treaters on Halloween. However, the fish become wiser at the more difficult levels. Another issue with the behavior of the fish is that once a fish is landed and starts thrashing about, the other fish seem oblivious to their buddy getting landed by the jerk in the boat. Swim away dammit, swim away! Finally, it is too easy to get the same fish to repeatedly bite. For example, I found a particularly monstrous fish that kept getting away. I finally landed him on my eighth attempt within a two-minute time span. I never got the sense that the AI of the fish was quite realistic enough. The Trophy Bass series by Sierra seems to have an edge in this department.

Championship Bass would be worthy of a recommendation just for its fun gameplay alone. However, the developer did not stop at simply offering the modes that are standard in fishing titles. In addition to the tournament, multiplayer, and fishing trip modes, there is a cool mode called "Bass Challenge." "Bass Challenge" presents the gamer with over 50 levels to conquer. To add to the arcade play, bonuses are awarded. The gamer can gain special lures, fish locator flags, super casts, etc. There are more than 20 bonuses to be gained. I found many of the levels to be on the easy side, but later found out that several of the levels are next to impossible to conquer. The online play is also a nice feature of Championship Bass. This mode is fun and challenging. I was humbled quite a few times by competitors that obviously had spent far too much of their lives cyber fishing.

Championship Bass is not quite a true fishing simulation and not a pure arcade fishing game either. Generally, games that shoot for the middle of the road end up being mediocre titles that fail to impress. Championship Bass is an exception. Its variety of modes of play, ease of use, and fun factor make it a nice diversion from the typical PC fishing game. If you enjoy PC fishing games and are looking for something a little different from what is already on the market, then you should purchase Championship Bass. It has just enough depth to keep serious anglers interested over the long haul, and just enough arcade flavor to allow for more casual fishermen to reel in some quick excitement.