Sega Bass Fishing 2 Impressions

Here are my impressions so far of Sega Bass Fishing 2 after a couple of weeks of playing:

SBF2 is more of a fishing simulation than the original SBF, yet still maintains that arcade-like feel that made the first one great. The environments look more realistic. The temperature reading change more often than in the first. Weather conditions vary from sunny, to partly cloudy, to overcast, and finally... to pouring rain. Keep in mind that the location of fish heavily depends on the current weather condition. There are many more lures available that are acquired by achieving various tasks, like catching the largest fish, coming in 1st place in points standings for a stage, etc. (More on this below.) You can steer your boat to different locations within an environment, unlike for the original. There are 4 different ways to cast your line now. Along with doing the regular overhand casting, there is backhand casting, sidehand casting, and pitching. You'll need to specialize in all 4 methods of casting in order to get the line through some tight spots. The behavior patterns of the fish looking at your lure underwater is nicely done. They are much smarter this time around. You have to plot and choose the right lures to even get them to swim enthusiastically to your line and hope that they don't just stare at it without biting (yeah, these bastards are cruel like that). Anyway, you'll have to see this for yourself to believe it. All the fish put up more challenging fights, especially the larger bass. The line will give way quicker than before whenever tension gets high.

A significant gameplay addition to the SBF series is when the fish is reeled in to about 3 yards away from the boat, the game will swith to a "catch" meter. This meter shows a yellow area in the center with a red line moving back and forth indicating the fish hooked on your line. You must guide the red line to the yellow area before pressing the 'A' button. If done successfully, you'll finally grab the fish. If you miss the area, you're back to trying to reel in the fish.

There are 2 game modes: Tournament & Free Fishing. There are 3 stages in Tournament mode. Here, you're fishing where you choose, but in random weather conditions. Be aware that only bass are counted in your weight totals, so make sure not to waste any of your time reeling in other types of fish (northern pike, bluegill, crappie, etc.). You move on to the next class when you place in the top 3 in points standings that's determined by total sum of weight of all the bass caught. The better overall you do in the tournaments, the more stuff you uncover -- like lures, new characters, and new environments to fish in. You can save all of the results while participating in Tournament mode as well as the new stuff you acquire. SBF2 takes 19 block of space off your VMU. Free Fishing mode allows you to fish anywhere you please. Month, starting time of day, and weather condition are all adjustable settings. One lake is immediately available -- Lake Eagle -- with 5 spots to fish at. (Like I mentioned before, more lakes will be available depending on your progess in Tournament mode.) It's a good mode to get your practice on. In this mode, any fish you catch gets unhooked.

In terms of options, you have more characters to select from. All have different rate of abilities in casting distance, casting accuracy, retrieving speed, sight, fighting technique, and retrieving technique. You can also choose between clothing, boat color, and whether to wear sunglasses and a cap/hat or not.

In summary... SBF2 is a highly recommended game, especially for the $30 price tag. If you liked the original SBF, you'll love this game. No doubt about it.

Kruza

 

cool review, i'll get it someday (still broke). I bought the original jap version with the reel when it first came out, i was hooked on this game for a couple of weeks, i almost bought a strategy guide that came out in japan but i never saw it at any bookstore (this game is deep man! lol), it would be cool if there was a guide telling you whats the best lure for what kind of fish, best time to get the big ones...ect. btw is the slowdown from part one still there?

ps. i once caught a pretty big bass in the last stage and while i was trying to catch it.. the music changed to something else! as if it was a special fish or something, i didnt catch it and the music went back to normal. has this happened to you before?




<font color=red>nAndato</font color=red>

 

I've seen a bit of slowdown at times while steering the boat around huge objects and also underwater when 3 or more fish are close to my fishing line. That's about it. These slowdown occurances rarely happen to me, though.

About your music question... what you explained is a common situation. Nothing unusual about this as far as I can recall.

As for the largest fish I've caught... I've caught plenty of large ones, but the Data Book records only the top 5. So I can easily list the current largest 6 bass I've caught (I remember the 6th largest as well). I'll also list the some other stats that the Data Book keeps track of.

Overall Fish Statistics
Total Fish: 131
Total Weight: 766 lbs. 06 oz.
Average Weight: 5 lbs. 13 oz.

These are the total numbers for largemouth bass only. I've yet to catch any smallmouth bass.

Largest Fish
1.Weight: 18 lbs. 08 oz.
Area: Lake Eagle
Condition: June/Sunny
Mode: Free Fishing

2. Weight: 18 lbs. 02 oz.
Area: Lake Rattler
Condition: March/Sunny
Mode: Tournament

3. Weight: 18 lbs. 00 oz.
Area: Lake Eagle
Condition: May/Sunny
Mode: Free Fishing

4. Weight: 17 lbs. 13 oz.
Area: Lake Rattler
Condition: July/Cloudy
Mode: Free Fishing

5. Weight: 17 lbs. 10 oz.
Area: Lake Eagle
Condition: June/Sunny
Mode: Free Fishing

6. Weight: 17 lbs. 09 oz.
Area: Lake Eagle
Condition: June/Rain
Mode: Free Fishing

Kruza

 

Sega Bass Fishing 2 Progress Report

Here's what I have gotten so far in Sega Bass Fishing 2 after several more weeks of playing:

Tournaments:
* 1st place in SGBTA Amateur Series (3 Stages; 1 Day per Stage)
* 1st place in SGBTA Professional Series (3 Stages; 2 Days per Stage)
* 3rd place in SGBTA Top Anglers Series (5 Stages; 2 Days per Stage)

I'm currently participating in the SGBTA World Classic tournament. So far, this tournament appears to be a single stage that lasts for 3 days.


Fish Statistics:
Total Fish: 229
227 largemouth bass
2 smallmouth bass

Total Weight: 1,475 lbs. 11 oz.
Largemouth bass: 1,456 lbs. 07 oz.
Smallmouth bass: 19 lbs. 04 oz.

Total Average Weight: 6 lbs. 07 oz.
Largemouth bass: 6 lbs. 06 oz.
Smallmouth bass: 9 lbs. 10 oz.


Largest Fish: (All are largemouth bass)
1. Weight: 18 lbs. 08 oz.
Area: Lake Eagle
Condition: June/Partly cloudy
Mode: Free Fishing

2. Weight: 18 lbs. 07 oz.
Area: Lake Eagle
Condition: May/Rain
Mode: Tournament

3. Weight: 18 lbs. 05 oz.
Area: Lake Rattler
Condition: November/Sunny
Mode: Tournament

4. Weight: 18 lbs. 02 oz.
Area: Lake Rattler
Condition: March/Partly cloudy
Mode: Tournament

5. Weight: 18 lbs. 02 oz.
Area: Lake Rattler
Condition: May/Partly Cloudy
Mode: Free Fishing


Accessible fishing locations: (fishing areas are listed in italics)
Lake Eagle
Beaver Docks
Deer Creek
Anderson Bridge
Eagle Dam
Cormorant Cove

Lake Rattler
Hump Point
Tiger Marina
Golden Fall

Lake Gator
Rosalie Docks
Reed Area
Cypress Creek
Jackson Canal
Gator Lock

Jackal River
Central Bridge
Green Inlet

The only area where I've seen and/or caught smallmouth bass were at Jackal River. I've seen largemouth bass swimming in all fishing locations, though.


Accessible characters:
A. Taylor
J. Robinson
M. Brown
J. Axton
J. Carter
E. Smith
N. Sakura
K. Williams
E. Vick
B. Hill

The last 3 characters were uncovered as I was playing through Tournament mode.

Kruza