The Best of Both Phone, and Tablet
It has not been a good week for Cid, the Siamese fighting fish that sits in front of my television. He has watched in horror while I've reeled in his brethren, screaming such trash-talking phrases as "Who's your daddy now!" and "Mmm, you'd look good with some tartar sauce."
The cause of Cid's angst is Championship Bass, a slightly flawed but convincingly realistic bass-angling simulation. Although the game fails to make a good first impression due to graphics and control glitches, its great features - such as lake exploration via boat, an underwater camera, and accurate fish behavior - make up for those flaws.
The game breaks down into four main modes: fishing trip, career, tournament, and challenge. Fishing trip is the equivalent of a practice mode, while the career and tournament modes pit you against unseen opponents in a timed race to catch the heaviest bass. The challenge mode offers a series of timed levels. You advance after completing the objectives in a given level, and beating certain levels or modes unlocks hidden lakes or lures.
While some games use prerendered backgrounds and fixed fishing locations, this game offers huge lakes that can be explored via a boat you pilot. While exploring, you have the option of toggling on an underwater camera to find fish. This camera works far better than conventional underwater sonar - and you will begin to appreciate its effectiveness while playing. These two unique features give the game an edge on some of its competitors.
