Pole Control- Bass Pro Shops: The Strike Review

America’s living rooms are slowly being transformed into ecologically unfriendly habitats, with the proliferation of plastic balance boards, guitars, and steering wheels. The imminent release of simulated night vision goggles, skateboards, and turntables certainly won’t alleviate the situation. At first glance, the substantially-sized Psyclone fishing controller that accompanies Bass Pro Shops: The Strike seems superfluous. After all, in the post-Dreamcast virtual angling realm, most gamers have been trawling with the standard controller.

In actually, the controller which comes with the $80 bundle of The Strike is almost a requisite for play. While players can hook bass, crappies, pike, and trout using the traditional control pad, doing so feels about as soulless as playing Rock Band with a joystick. In order to simulate our interaction nature, the environment is going to have to take a slight hit on this one.

The Strike’s unique fishing controller is surprisingly sturdy, and has a solid build quality. It offers a clever amount of heft- the peripheral is light enough not to induce fatigue during marathon sessions, but still presents enough weight to simulate a reel and rod combo. On top of the controller are an analog joystick and four controller buttons, while a directional pad, left and right bumpers, start and back keys are flanked along the reel. The only component of a conventional 360 pad that’s missing is a second analog stick; those functions are handled by moving the reel itself.

Unfortunately, the rod’s integration with The Strike may cause some confusion for novice fishermen. While instructing the player how to cast, the game tells players to pull back on the peripheral’s nonexistent right stick. Evidently, the game’s tutorial doesn’t distinguish between the two controllers. As it stands, some of the title’s instructions are geared only toward purchasers of the standalone game, not the premium bundle.

Once players understand these nuances, the controller works marvelously. By whipping the controller back with the trigger depressed, a cast is initiated and a swing meter is displayed. A forward swing and the release of the button drops the line into the water. After a few attempts, I was accurately casting with pinpoint accuracy. Even if players throw their line out poorly, a tap of the ‘Y’ button instantly prepares for a recast.

Once your line is in the water, gamers have two perspective options: an underwater view directly in front of their lures, or an overhead view that turns the water translucent. Oddly, the second view makes each of the game’s ten lakes look unrealistically shallow.  Once a fish takes the bait, players must hook the fish with a quick upward swing. As player’s spool in their fish, the controller vibrates accordingly, and even provide a bit of tension on the reel arm.

Before players can participate in each lake’s tournament, they must solidity their reputation by catching a requisite number of fish. While requiring gamers to master the fundamentals of fishing before entering a competition is understandable, players must do this for each lake. Many may see the tedium of this requirement as an unnecessary way to inflate The Strike’s playtime. Although tournaments add the excitement of opposition and an essential tension that is missing from the game’s more relaxed lake excursions, many players may not see enough difference between these modes. Thankfully, the title strives for realism- getting a fish to bite is consistently exciting.

Graphically, The Strike is a mixed bag. The frequent low-resolution textures of underwater flora stands in direct opposition to the game’s scenic topside views of placid ponds. The game tries to elevate the proceedings with reflection or shadowing models, but the execution often falls far short of photorealism. Considering the small amount of activity onscreen, the game’s framerate should be consistently solid, and not fall victim to sporadic drops. It should be noted that the game’s main ‘lure’- the fish, appear effectively rendered.