King Salmon: The Big Catch

"I'm hooked!"

Everyone loves to fish right? Or watch other people fish? Okay, so many of you probably do not enjoy fishing in real life. I however do, so naturally I went out as a kid to rent this game during the winter months. I got hooked.

King Salmon is a competitive fishing game, but for only one player. There are several tournaments in which you must try to catch the most total fishing weight of fish as possible. Also, you can try to catch the biggest one of the day. There are fish other than salmon, as well, but as you might suspect, salmon are the real deal. Well, sharks are the real deal, but they do not count as a catch.

The game takes place entirely on river/lake from a boat. There is no fishing from shore, not as if you can ever catch a salmon from that location. While in your boat, you will get to enjoy one of the catchiest tunes in 16bit system history. It is a phenomenal song, just to stress. Do not sing this too much though, or you will forget to catch fish, which is the point of the game.

The looks of the game are not going to knock your socks off. Nothing by today’s standards, they were better than average in the day, especially some of the close up scenes. Each river has a full river view, in which you can drive, for lack of a better term, up and down looking for a suitable fishing location. Do not fear the fact you likely know nothing about fishing, the game will seldom let you attempt to fish in a zone which is very bad for fishing. However, not every place it will let you fish is equally as good as the others it will let you fish in. When you find a location you wish to try to catch some fish in, you will be taken to a new view of the river. This one is far more in-depth of the particular area you happen to be in. You can see fish moving around in these areas, as well as the boats of competitors.

Do not concentrate too hard on keeping your lure in the school of fish, other fishing boats have a nasty tendency to ram directly into yours. They are not particularly hard to avoid, but if you are not paying attention you will get hit. Your boat can survive several of these hits, but ramming other boats is not a way to win the game. Eventually you will get a nibble and you can enter the struggle scenes between you and a fish. Some fish, generally larger ones, will force you to go through a series of hazards before finally getting reeled in.

Do not think this is all there is in the game. Many weather conditions which you can view before going out will determine what depth you should fish at. Also, you can determine what bait and hook to use to catch fish. Different fish are attracted to different lures. The most important thing you can adjust is the length of your fishing line. You get more range with a longer one, but struggles with the fish generally take longer to complete with the as well.

Now some complaints on the game. Before each fishing day there will be an estimated amount of fish poundage needed to win. These numbers are almost always too low, so do not stop fishing just because you have reached them. Also, the weather conditions do not explain what that means. I for one do not know how a low pressure system affects fish, do you? The biggest complain is the other boats knack of just trying to kamikaze with you. It is not so much they charge full speed ahead, but they seem to be under the impression you will move out of their way as they attempt to move right through you.

Just give me numbers!

Music: 10/10
Sound: 6/10
Graphics: 7/10
Control: 8/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Replay Value: 7/10

Overall Score: 7.7/10 [8]

The game is fairly hard at first, but once you learn which of the good spots to fish are really good, you will have a clear advantage as there seems to be little variation from game to game. Also, your fisherman levels up as you get more fish, just an interesting little gig to keep you catching. If it is your first time through, you are in for a good challenge which is quite fun at that.

I doubt you will be able to find this game to rent anywhere at all, or to buy new for that matter. If you see it sitting around at a funcoland for five dollars or so, pick it up and give it a spin in your old Genesis.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/12/04