It is difficult to take the excitement and intrigue of actual lake fishing and put them into an PS3 fishing game that can be played with the same excitement using nothing but a controller in the comfort of your own home. The tranquility of actually being with nature, fishing in actual water that may or may not allow you one of its fish is the perfect mixture of anticipation and relaxation. It only makes sense that anglers would want to somehow take that same experience and recreate it in a game. Sorry to say that PS3 Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009 fails at this goal immensely.
The only option for this game online is leaderboards that are rather bare and difficult to navigate. Fishing along with a friend is not an option and neither are tournaments online or being able to post any pictures of the catches that you acquire for all to see. Additionally, there is not a way that you can create your own character so you have to choose between the rather dull, lifeless male or female to represent yourself.
What is even more disappointing is that any features that are usually involved in fishing are completely lacking, only offering 30 different lures to choose from for seven different lakes. Having the option of many lures is not that necessary when there are really only 21 fish to pursue in lakes that are barely an example of what a real lake might be like.
Along the way, there are some extra fishing rods that you can unlock, however details such as choosing lines or changing reels or boats are not a possibility. There are no tutorials or background information for the game and live action videos are also lacking. If you were to compare this game to other Rapala products, you would recognize that nearly everything has been scrapped, making this one of the worst games yet.
Compare this to past PS3 Rapala games and you'll see that just about everything has been completely scrapped. This is one of the poorest uses of a license ever. The game feels in no way real to the actual experience, but the graphics are impressive. There is also no challenge to the game as you seem to catch a fish on each and every cast. Without incorporating some kind of needed skill, this game seems to miss its mark.
Perch is a main food source for many species in the Northern States and Canadian lakes. Live Target has released a new perch jerkbait that will drive these fish crazy.
JP explains how to best use the "walk the dog" topwater technique.
Chad Hoover and friends take advantage of the favorable solunar times and fish for some hungry bass.
Live Target has taken their award-winning soft-bodied frogs to the next level by adding more sizes and colors.
These tips for setting up your topwater gear will have you walking the dog like a pro in no time.
Kelly Jordon has released a new prop bait with Lucky Craft. The Kelly J Jr. is a smaller version of the Kelly J top water plug and includes more colors.
This field mouse bait from Live Target is incredibly detailed with amazingly life-like action that's sure to catch you a ton of big fish.
JP talks about the best gear set up and rigging tips for using a stick bait in clear water.
JP gives tips on the best way to use stick baits while targeting inactive bass in clear, shallow water
Jim Sammons gives us some tips on how to make sure kids have a great time when fishing for the first time from a kayak.
The unique angled core of this stick bait causes it to rock as it falls, which will help you land a ton more fish, especially in high pressured areas.
For less than $100, you could own a Shimano Clarus: a technique-specific line of rods built with IM-8 technology.
JP shows how using light gear will keep your casts accurate, control the fish, and help you work an area quickly without tiring yourself.
JP's tips for tuning into what the bass want will help you land a ton more fish even in changing conditions.
The Shimano Stradic spinning reel allows you to cast further and retrieve your line faster. Pair this reel with the newly designed, technique-specific Shimano Crucial fishing rod and you can land more fish than ever before.
This grub from PowerTeam Lures displaces so much water that bass will think it's an injured baitfish.
When efforts to catch tripletails fail, some kayak anglers set their sights on shark fishing - and the bite is strong.
The Shimano Dryfender rain jacket will not only keep the water out, but keep you cool in even the muggiest of Alabama's thunderstorms thanks to its lightweight design.
The Shimano Clarus line of rods are not only affordable but designed specifically for whatever fishing technique you desire.
JP offers a few tips for fishing small crankbaits in weedy areas.
JP talks about the best setup and techniques for fishing a shallow-diving crankbait.
Jim Sammons heads out off the shores of Costa Rica with a couple of friends for some of the biggest sailfish he's ever seen from a kayak.
These Live Target crankbaits, the Crawfish and Square Bill Bluegill, have life-like colors and actions that are sure to tempt some bass to strike.
This versatile lure has the characteristics of a square bill crankbait, wakebait, and swimbait.
Kevin VanDam talks about the KVD 1.0 - a smaller addition to the KVD line of square bill crankbaits - and and the Strike King 3XD. Both crankbaits are small in profile, perfect for when the bite is tough.
What looks beautiful or ugly rests in the eye of the beholder, but when it comes to these 10 fish, we can all agree that they are definitely some of the weirdest looking fish ever caught by anglers.
Some of the wildest shark fishing encounters ever caught on tape, from shark bites to pulling anglers into the water.
Find out how you can fish like MacGyver with these great homemade luremaking recipes and other resourceful fishing tips.
