With the recent release of The Fisherman: Fishing Planet on Xbox One, I’ve been spurred to collate a little list of my favourite fishing games, those available to play on the Xbox.
Obviously, being out in nature, in the fresh air, and catching real fish is infinitely better than any video game can be, and the smell of the fish slime on your clothes, the red stained fingers from the groundbait, the greeting at the door when you get home to be told “You stink!”; well, you just can’t beat it. However, as I have to work for a living, and also have to make time to interact with the family, it isn’t always possible to get out on the bank. In times of need though, and on those days when it’s freezing cold or chucking it down with rain, it’s more than possible to turn to the beloved Xbox, sure as you can be that in the virtual world, it’ll always be sunny and the fish will be biting.
As I’ve played almost every fishing experience that you can find on the big black box, I thought I’d attempt to rank them, nailing a list consisting of 5 of the best fishing games on Xbox One, if you will.
5. Rapala Fishing: Pro Series
I was “fortunate” enough to review Rapala Fishing: Pro Series on Xbox One when it was first released back in November 2017.
At the time, I wasn’t impressed with the way the game looked at all, with the most plastic looking player model I’ve ever seen. But still to this day, being your avatar in the game, driving about in a boat, rocking up to likely looking fishing spots is all very nice, but it’s what happens when you cast out that sets this game apart from the others.
You see, despite being an interactive advert for the Rapala brand’s fishing lures, the proper use of their gear requires you to participate in a rhythm action mini game to make the lure swim right and attract the largest number of fish. Now, lure fishing in real life is not something I’ve done a massive amount of, but beyond jerking the rod tip and varying the retrieve speed, there is no rhythm involved in working a lure. Still, we’re virtually fishing, so I’ll let it slide.
What I can’t let slide is the fish playing mechanic, which features counter intuitive controls, requiring you to move a box right if a fish swims left, and so on. It’s a pretty poor game all round, if I’m honest, and while there are a multitude of lures to use and fish to catch, it just isn’t very much fun.
So we’ll use Rapala Fishing: Pro Series as the baseline, and hopefully things will improve from here on out.
I agree with this review. I can’t believe they left the most exciting part of the game, the reeling on in of the fish, for FLAT and BORING! It’s just reel it in, while you’re waiting for the fish to give up. No jumping, thrashing, line breaking, or lore’s getting stuck on pieces of wood underwater? WHERE IS ALL THE REALISM? Come on guys, let’s get this fixed? You can patch it, although I imagine it will take a decent overhaul of the, hooking and landing a FISH!