E3 2007 Preview
Fishing seemed like the perfect
genre for Wii. The console is full of motion capabilities that inspired
developers could use to turn the remote and nunchuck into a virtual fishing rod.
Then the first fishing games were
released. Within a matter of seconds gamers’ opinions were changed. We no longer
believed that Wii is a console that was made for fishing. What good is the
technology if no one is using it? You’d think that the publisher of a certain
Dreamcast fishing game would have been all over this by now, but they are nowhere in sight.
Thankfully, there is a
development house and publisher that were willing to stand up to the challenge:
Hudson and Konami. The two have come back together for Fishing Master, the first
Wii title that successfully mimics the art of fishing.
The mechanics take a few minutes to
learn but are easy and intuitive from then on. Here’s how it works: you
start by holding the B button. Next, pull the Wii remote back past your head.
Keep holding the B button and then throw your hand (but not the remote) forward
as hard as possible. Release the B button as the throw is executed to release the
fishing line which, if you swung the remote with enough force, will be sent far
into the water.
The following step is easy but leads to something difficult.
First you need to watch for a fish to bite (easy), and then you’ll need to pull
the Wii remote back toward yourself to grab hold of the fish (difficult). If you
are successful in this task, swing the nunchuck in a circular motion to reel in
your catch. Don’t spin the nunchuck too fast or else the line will break.
Yeah, I got something! Oh darn,
it’s an old can of tuna. Grrrr.
That’s all there is to Fishing
Master — for now at least. It may be a short and sweet sporting game, but as a
fan of virtual fishing, I’m very eager to play more.
