By Alexander Amero

Put down your pole and tackle box and fire up that Xbox, freshwater fishing is finally coming to
your humble abode. Bass Pro Shops: The Strike aims to change the long history of fishing games
that cast themselves as uninteresting, unpolished and tedious. How do you turn a sport that
focuses on endless waiting into something hot? Bass Pro Shops: The Strike promises two
features that place it above the competition: its accuracy and its peripheral.

Loaded with LED lights, accelerometers to detect motion, rumble, and force feedback in the reel,
the included fishing pole peripheral really captures many of the nuances that real fisherman use
to catch fish. Casting the pole feels natural and the internal motion sensors translate your lure out
into the on-screen water. While you're reeling in, the LED lights indicate the tension of the line
while the force feedback makes the reel harder to turn. Bigger fish aren't easy to just reel in as
players must adapt to battle and tire the fish until finally pulling it up onto the boat.

The Strike sports all real lakes, real fish, and real gear. Avid fishermen should be excited to hear
Bass Pro Shops has signed off on every piece of equipment available to the player. This means
that all the gear in the game (lines, lures, rods, etc) can be found in real-life Bass Pro Shop
stores. Each of the 111 lures will behave, attract fish, and appear exactly as it would in real life
whether it's a jig, spoon, plug, plastic bait, spinner, or popper.

You'll hear a manly riff as you choose from Career, Quickfish or Minigames, modes for both the
casual and the up-at-dawn fisherman. The career lets you design a character, purchase
equipment, and take to a series of 10 unlockable lakes. Build up a reputation as a fishing
machine and you'll be invited to tournaments for cash prizes and unlockables. NPCs on the lake
will challenge you to intense fishing throw downs, which range from full contact boat races to
casting challenges. The remarkable depth of the career mode is evident on the stats page where
all your successes and epic failures are tracked. Career mode is the definitive fishing experience
from the comfort of your couch.

For those seeking a more arcade experience, there's Quickfish mode, which puts players right on
the lake and highlights any hot spots for some easy fishing. Players can even get some solid
father/son bonding time with the basic multiplayer (just like those fishing trips).

Graphically, The Strike blows its predecessors out of the boat with beautiful reflections on and
under water with a shifting time effect to emulate the passing day.. The lakes are geographically
realistic and feature recognizable landmarks like overpasses and lighthouses. The underwater
world is mysterious and well detailed. And of course... the fish make for some handsome
trophies.

Although our time with Bass Pro Shops: The Strike was brief, it just might be the most fun we've
had with a fishing game ever. Look for it this September on the Xbox 360, PC, and Wii.

http://www.gamedaily.com/games/bass-pro-shops-the-strike/pc/game-previews/preview/8609/20714/