I look forward to the time when the summer breeze finally invades the northland
of Minnesota. It's a beautiful time of change.
It's also becoming a time for an annual fishing trip with CU's editor in chief.
It's been about five years since James and I first wet our lines in the waters of
the northland.
Of the many species we have pursued, the largemouth bass probably carries with it
the most significance. On one of our trips, James and I went head-to-head with a
crafty, veteran bass who we now refer to as Ol' One-Eyed Walter. During even the
nastiest, busiest, worst times, those events still bring a smile to my face.
And it's those memories that made me cast a quizzical look at the day's mail when
EA Sports sent me its latest release of Championship Bass. I mean, how could a
video game capture the sensory essence of fishing the way I'd always remembered
it?
Well, it doesn't, but I have to admit that Championship Bass is one of the most
enjoyable, nonviolent games to pass my desk in a long while. I thought the
concept of fishing as a video game was a tad unusual, but EA Sports has really
done a bang-up job putting this game together.
The game is simple to operate, which makes it a good game for kids. You get the
choice of a regular fishing trip or joining a fishing tour. You then get to
choose from six renowned real-life bass lakes, including Sam Rayburn Lake, Lake
Mead, and Lake Tahoe.
After you have selected your lake, you are presented with its topographical map.
The map points out areas of interest like dams, bridges, and heavy underwater
cover. These are all areas where fish tend to huddle and where anglers often find
success--knowing which types of fish are most likely to go gives an experienced
angler a bit of an advantage over the novice.
After you select where you would like to begin fishing, you find yourself out on
the water in a fancy-looking bass boat. You get a third-person, over-the-shoulder
point of view for casting.
Before you cast, you can select your lure and its color. Your tackle box is full
of the usual bass-fishing lures. They range from plastic worms and jigs to
varying-depth crank and jerk baits. Choosing the right kind of lures in the right
or wrong situations really affects your chances of success.
Your next step is to cast your bait into the water. As soon as your bait hits the
water, your perspective changes to an underwater 3-D view.
You can see your lure wiggling through the water as the fish swim by. Sometimes
you can even see an interested fish turn the corner and aggressively snatch your
lure. Using a variety of techniques, your next challenge is to boat your fish.
Just as in real fishing, you win some and lose some, but it's all in your
technique.
One bonus of Championship Bass is its nonviolent nature. I would not hesitate to
let my kids play this game. Not only is it interesting and something of a
learning opportunity, it does not have any graphic images of death and
destruction--think of Championship Bass as the ultimate catch-and-release
program.
