 If I want to cover as many Super Nintendo games as I possibly can on this channel, that means eventually I'll have to do a video about fishing games. The problem with that is, it would be an incredibly boring and repetitive video, since just about every SNES fishing game has the same features and gameplay variables. You choose the season, the time of day, and location, you pick out your gear, and you pick out a spot to fish. You cast, you bring your line back slowly, and you repeat. Many of these games aren't user-friendly and require a ton of patience, and just like stuff like Super Caesar's Palace, or any of the Gazillion Pachinko Super Famicom games, I'm not sure why anyone would want to play any 25-year-old fishing games. There's Jimmy Houston's Bass Tournament USA, Larry Dixon's Super Bass Fishing, Mark Davis' The Fishing Master, jeez who are these guys? There's also TNN Bass Tournament of Champions, three Super Black Bass games, Bass Masters Classic, Bass Masters Classic Pro Edition, and some might have little oddball features to help them stand out a tiny bit, like this weird fish cam going on in Bass Masters Classic Pro, but for the most part, these games all blend together as one game. They all have these cheesy graphics and inconsistent controls. There's also about a dozen Super Famicom fishing games that aren't really playable, because there's too many menus to navigate and nothing is in English. However, there is one game that I feel like actually tries to make itself a tad unique, Basson's Black Bass, with Hank Parker. Does this game represent the experience of real fishing? No, of course not, but as a game, it's actually well done. Like all the other fishing games of its time, there's the usual lures, spinners, minnows and wax worms, and each lure is used to catch a specific type of fish, and those types of fish are only found in particular places on the lake at specific times of day. All that stuff can be found in just about any fishing game back then. The thing is though, so many of the other games were just trial and error. You just cast your line in some general area, you screw around and hope you get lucky. In Basson's Black Bass, they start you off with a fishing guide who helpfully walks you through the first two stages of the game, and he also helps begin to reveal that this isn't just a trial and error fishing game, the depth in this one is pretty impressive, and the game does a good job easing you into it without hitting you over the head with the gazillion options. For example, there's over a dozen lures, including more that can be unlocked, and they're separated into bright or natural, and depending on what lake you're fishing in, you want to pick out the correct lure to what fish is native not only to that lake, but what kind of area of the lake, whether it be in the shade of the lily pads, the protection of the weeds, or the open water. That's what's interesting here, is that each kind of fish fights differently. Pikes swim in circles, bass jump out of the water, and bigger fish like catfish just pull like crazy. You either learn their patterns or you just let them tire themselves out. For example, with Walleye, they spaz out for a bit and rest, and then spaz out again so you have to get your timing right. Really, that's all the gameplay boils down to, finding an opportunity, then executing the timing properly, and this game gives you plenty of opportunities while being fair and consistent with the timing. And also, this might be obvious, but what helps set this game apart is that you can actually see the freaking fish thanks to the top-down angle. I know that's not exactly analogous with real fishing, but who cares, it's a video game. It should be at least a little player friendly, so I appreciate that. Each lake also has a distinct feel to it as well, which is a nice touch. So yeah, the goal of all fishing games is the same. Catch bigger fish than your competitors, but Bassen's Black Bass simply does it better than the other Super Nintendo fishing games, because it's more intuitive and player friendly, and it doesn't overwhelm you with a bunch of needless stuff. But at the same time, there's an impressive amount of gameplay depth here. Now, am I going to go tell you to play a 25-year-old fishing game on a 16-bit home console? No, I mean the very nature of these games make them dated as hell. But Bassen's Black Bass at least had some thought put behind it, so if you're really looking for an old fishing game, then here you go.