Sign In Sign-Up

Welcome!

Close

Would you like to make this site your homepage? It's fast and easy...

Yes, Please make this my home page!

No Thanks

  Don't show this to me again.

Close

TROPHY BASS 2 (TROPHY BASS DELUXE)
Manufacturer: Sierra/Sierra Sports (1996)
Price: $19.99
Genre: Warm water fishing simulation.
System Requirements:  Win95, Pentium, 16 MB RAM, Mouse, CD-ROM, Sound Card, Direct X, 14.4+ Modem (for Internet Play Options).  

TROPHY BASS 2 is the massively successful follow-up to Sierra's TROPHY BASS. In TROPHY BASS 2 (or TB2), players fish in any of ten top warmwater fisheries: Lake Lanier, Georgia, Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, Lake Murray, South Carolina, High Rock Lake, North Carolina, Bull Shoals, Arkansas, Lake Mead, Nevada, Castiac Lake, California, Lake Eufaula, Alabama, and Lake Kissimmee, Florida.

    Players maneuver around on the water (via bass boat), using a depth finder to locate potential fishing "honey holes". All of this in done on an area map (either a photo representation or line drawing of the lake) as  players hop from one location to the next in their bass boat. The distances traveled are represented in game time, so players who are fishing in late afternoon may reach a new location well after sundown. Once a "hot spot" of potential fishing action has been located players then shift to the fishing screen- and here is where the fun begins!

    In the fishing screen, players are given a "god cam" view of the fisherman and the surrounding waters. The amount of water one can "scan" is dependent on the casting technique used (flipping, pitching, side-arm, over-hand, etc.). Using the toolbar at the bottom of the screen, players can change lures, view livewell contents, cast, use the trolling motor, change fishing rig (pole, reel, line test)- even get tips (video or audio) from bass pros! There is even a button for applying attractant/fish formula. Everything you need is a click away.

+ > Using the mouse or joystick, players can cast out into the water using a casting bullseye. Players can then alter the retrieve by mouse click or the joystick buttons- the longer one holds the button down, the more consistent the retrieve. Lures can be made to stop-'n-go, flutter, creep, "bump the stump" and twitched with a little practice.

When a fish does take your offering, the player must quickly snap the mouse/joystick back in order to set the hook. By adjusting drag, reel speed and the position of the pole players work to land their catch. Be careful that one doesn't snap the line or get snagged in structure! Once the fish is boated players are given the option of putting the catch in the livewell (unless the fish is too small). Only five fish are allowed to be in the livewell so smaller fish can be replaced by larger catches. +

For added enjoyment, TB2 offers fishing tournaments (pitting the player against computer anglers or on-line "live" competition), network, modem and internet play. Now you can test your fishing skills against either the computer or on-line fishing pros from around the globe!

The species of warm water sport fish offered in TB2 is awesome: largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass along with various types of panfish (bluegills, sunfish, crappie), walleye, chain pickerel, and several species of catfish (channel, blue, flathead, and white cats). Temperate basses (white, striper and hybrids) and trout also make appearances in selected waters. Each species has it's own particular behavior and appearance. .  

THE SCOUTING REPORT:

THE PROS:

• Possibly the best freshwater fishing game ever developed.
  Excellent selection of lakes and fishing gear.
  Excellent graphics- one can actually tell the difference between species (i.e. catfish from bass, etc.)
  Multi-player and a variety of game options.
  Excellent AI- can be VERY challenging at the higher difficulty levels.
   

THE CONS:

• "God Cam" overhead veiw makes it pretty easy to spot fish.
  

 
TROPHY BASS 2: NORTHERN LAKES
Manufacturer: Sierra/Sierra Sports (1997)
Price: $9.99
Genre: Expansion pack for Trophy Bass 2
Requirements: Must own Trophy Bass 2 in order to use Northern Lakes.  

Northern Lakes adds five more fishing holes (Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, Lake Onieda, New York, Mille Lac, Minnesota, Lake St. Clair Michigan/Ontario, Dale Hollow, Tennessee) and over five new species of fish. Here's where you'll find monster pike, musky and hybrid "tiger" musky along with sauger, yellow perch and rock bass. Now TB2 players can fish in some of North America's finest waters; from New York to California, Florida to Canada, Texas to Minnesota. With the addition of Northern Lakes, TB2 is as perfect a fishing sim as you'll find on the market today.

THE SCOUTING REPORT:

THE PROS:

• Makes Trophy Bass 2 almost perfect with the inclusion of muskie, pike, perch and sauger.
  No cons! This is worth every penny.

NOTE: TROPHY BASS 2 and the NORTHERN LAKES expansion are now packaged together by Sierra Sports and sold as TROPHY BASS 2 DELUXE. The suggested retail price is around $30.00.

Review by Steven Ellis