Did you pop in Final Fantasy XV only to hitch your Regalia permanently to Galdin Quay? Did you halt progress in Sea of Stars in an effort to filet every single species known to man? If you're a total fishing freak, there's an open-world action-RPG on the way for you called Sea Fantasy. 

Developed by METASLA, Sea Fantasy is a top-down game with a pixel art aesthetic that promises an "Otherworldly Fishing Open World RPG." It also says you can "save the world by fishing!," which might?? not sound quite as chill as sitting by the dock of the bay should be. That's because there's a slightly darker twist here, as you aim to fish for the world's marine life â€?known as SeaAZ â€?while kicking off a story in which the end of the world is imminent. 

Sea Fantasy currently has a projected release window set for February 2025 on PC and as-yet-unspecified consoles. While most of ??METASLA's first trailer is all about fishing, you can get a glimpse at the larger story that threatens to unfurl near the end. 

Imagine dragons (if you dare)

Just how "epic" will this tale be? The Steam page doesn't dive too much deeper into what to expect, but did you see those dragons at the end of the trailer? Yep, you just got sucked into a fishing game only to be tricked into going on an adventure! It's a real RPG reversal, or so it seems. What we know so far is that you'll be able to hop on a ship and explore the open world freely, and?? dive into dungeons in search of treasure. You'll have to avoid traps along the way, of course. Lest you forget, as the devs put it, "this is not a peaceful fishing game." 

On the other hand??, you coul?d also just catch a ton of fish and use the crafting system to make new rods and hooks. Maybe you'll be able to ignore all those pesky world-saving pleas for a while like every other RPG adventurer worth their salt. Dragons can wait; the door on my sign clearly says "Gone Fishin'."

The post Sea Fantasy is an Oops! All Fishing RPG for the reel ’em in sickos out there appeared first on Destructoid.

Like a river full of salmon, my love runs deep

Within my all-encompassing obsession with farming/community simulators, there is yet another obsession, like the layers to an onion: I cannot stop playing the fishing mini-games. My current Stardew Valley save is set on the fishing-friendly river farm, most of my Dreamlight Valley villagers give me a fishing bonus, and the aquarium was the first part of the museum that I completed in Animal Crossing: New Horizons by a country mile. In spite of my fascination with these mini games, I have next to no real-life interest in fish at all. Well, that's not quite right. I like fish, in that I enjoy the ocean and aquariums and the like, but once they leave t??he water it's game over.

A?s much as I'm an indoorsy person, I do have fond memories of fishing with my late Grandpa when I was a kid. We'd walk across the street into his neighbor's yard and down a hill, where there was a sun-soaked pond populated with common fish species I no longer remember the nam?es of. He would bait my hooks with the wriggling worms and grubs he pulled from his own garden (which I refused to touch), and nonchalantly threw the fish back after I reeled them in. I think he could tell that fishing wasn't something I would have necessarily pursued on my own, but as stoic as he was, I was fairly certain he enjoyed my company, at least. Plus, I did learn to enjoy the quiet, contemplative nature of the past time.

[caption id="attachment_357415" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

The fun of fishing from the comfort of your couch

Looking back o?n those warm spring days with my Grandpa, it makes sense that those experiences translated into a love of virtual fishing. It still makes me slow down, and focus on a rhythmic, meditative activity to the point that it becomes a flow state, which is certainly one of the benefits of fishing in real life. Plus, my least favorite part �the messiness of the whole thing �is avoided?? entirely when I use a controller as opposed to a rod.

There are certainly other factors in play here, too. I love the water, so river banks and seaside coves are areas where I find myself posting up when given the opportunity in a game. I'm also a fan of the cute, stylized versions of different sea creatures that games will present me with (New Horizons used to be my favorite in that regard, but I think it's been dethroned by Dreamlight Valley, especially after they put little Santa hats on them for the holiday update).

[caption id="attachment_357413" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Despite all of the different ways you can make money in games like these, including the hacks that can ma??ke you a millionaire in the respective game's currency of choice, I always find myself grinding on some fishing when I'm strapped for cash. I find a distinct satisfaction in seeing my inventory slowly fill up with various types of fish, crustaceans, and cephalo??pods, and then sell them off for a big lump sum. The rhythm of waiting for the fish to bite, then performing whatever button inputs are required of me, and then having an intangible and yet somehow totally tangible in-game object to show for it is rewarding to me in a way that I can't explain �and in a way that farming, foraging, or mining can't satisfy.

Maybe it's the randomness of it. When you're farming or foraging, or even mining most of the time, you know exactly what you'r??e gonna get when you come across an exciting item. Collecting it is still a great time, but it doesn't have the same mystery as fishing. When you get a bite on the line, there's a thrilling moment when you have no idea what you're about to get �whether it will be trash or a prized pufferfish. Then when you either get or don't get what you want, all you want to do is go back in and keep seeing what you can you'll reel in next, over and over again until somehow you've spent another day on the game's sandy shore. I can't be the only one, right?

And now, an obligatory ranking

Now w??e will have an interlude in which I rank the fishing mini-games of my five most-played community sims because, well??, I want to.

Of course, not all fishing mini-games are created equal when it comes to the mechanics. Animal Crossing's take is at the bottom of my list, because it doesn't require any more skill than pointing your villager toward the shadow in the water at the exact right angle �a task I find tedious and strangely difficult to achieve. Next it's Potion Permit, and while this game's version does still require some skill,? it also requires a lot of waiting once you al??ready have the fish hooked, which I found frustrating on my playthrough.

Dreamlight Valley comes ?next in my ranking, because while its catching mechanic is as simple as pressing the button within a gracious time period as a ring closes around your line, I can't deny the dopamine hi?t I get when I see a blue or orange circle indicating I'm about to score some primo catch.

[caption id="attachment_357411" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via MassHive Media[/caption]

Then there's Hades' fishing mechanic, which is simple on the surface, and might feel out of place in the title's action-packed hack-and-slash gameplay to some. What I love about this iteration, though, is that you have to press? the "catch" button as quickly as you can after you get a bite without going too early �the quicker you do it, the better your l?oot. This actually works really well with the rest of the game, if you ask me, because I'm already all twitchy when I'm in the middle of a run. Having another activity that tests out my reaction time only adds to the wound-up fun of it all. It also gets bonus points for converting your catches into the game's various, equally useful currencies back at the hub world.

Stardew Valley's fishing is the GOAT

Coming in first place is none other than Stardew Valley, and although its fishing minigame is polarizing, it is objectively the best one. When you start the game with your flimsy bamboo fishing pole, catching anything with it is a feat that will take some time to accomplish, especially for players who are new to the game. That's because Stardew's fishing mechanic takes a good deal of skill and co??ncentration, and while it t??urns some players off of the mechanic altogether, mastering it is only a matter of practicing.

It works like this: when you get a fish on your line, a bar will come up on your screen with a little fish icon that moves up and down at different speeds and rhythms, depending on how rare and valuable the fish is. You're in control of a green bar, and must keep it over the fish icon by holding a button to make the bar go up, and releasing it to make it go down. The end result is a sort of dance in tapping the button to get the bar t??o bounce where you need it.

[caption id="attachment_357410" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via ConcernedApe[/caption]

What I especially love about Stardew's fishing is the depth it has as a mechanic. Buying better fishing poles and leveling up will help you along, and you can even use different tackle like bobbers and spinners to build your pole to your p?referred specifications. There's even an extra mechanic where a treasure chest will show up during the mini-game, stationary as the fish icon moves up and down. If you can manage to hover your green bar over the treasure chest for long enough without letting the fish get away, you get some extra booty. Fun! I don't wait to spoil anything else if you've yet to partake, but that's just th?e tip of the iceberg.

Did this feature just turn into another excuse for me to gush about how much I love Stardew Valley? I guess so, but that game is an indisputable masterpiece of the genr?e, and I'm only breaking down one element here.

There are plenty of fish in the sea

Okay, I got a little lost in the tartar sauce there, but the point is that fishing mini-games are some of my absolute favorite that a title can implement. I get the feeling it's only a matter of time before I start graduating up to the straight fishing games, of which there are many. There are also tons of other amazing mini-games out there I've yet to explore �for example, I hear the fishing in Final Fantasy XV kicks some serious bass.

This mechanic is a drop-in-the-bait-bucket compared to what video games have to offer on the whole, but they delight me every time I e??ncounter a new one. Games are supposed to be fun, at the end of the day. I may not be ??able to explain why I'm so tickled by a virtual simulation of one of humanity's oldest food-sourcing activities and past times, but sometimes the best things in life don't need an explanation.

The post I’m declaring my love for fishing mini-games appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't stay out too late

I didn't know I needed a creepy fishing game, and that's where Dredge comes in.

In this drifting exploration game, you'll head out on a trawler in search of fish and "long-buried secrets." It's a peaceful(ish) job during the day, but when the sun goes down, ho??rrible creatures surface. If you're afraid of the ocean, maybe sit this one out.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfniX3fH1l0

Dredge is the debut title from Christchurch-based Black Salt Games and publisher Team17, who has a knack fo?r finding projects w??ith intriguing new concepts in familiar genres.

This trailer is more about establishing the serene-meets-sinister vibe of Dredge, which is fine �it serves its purpose. But if you want to see gameplay, I'd check out the Steam page for some more illuminating screenshots and gifs. The lightin?g is fantastic.

Yer fond of me lobster, ain't ye?

I like the idea of roaming between islands for quests, snatching up and selling sell fish, earning enough money to upgrade the ship, and heading out into the great unknown, potentially at my own peril. The inventory system also catches my eye as a perpetual Resident Evil 4 replayer; it'?s going to be fun to twist and turn odd-shaped items (in this case, fish and gear) to squeeze them all into a tight space to? maximize trips.

[caption id="attachment_342338" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Making room for all the fish on the ship with a bit of "inventory Tetris."}[/caption]

I'm hazy on how the nighttime mechanics work �how screwed are we? �but the scenery is unnerving. (And I'm generally not one to be too put off by freaky Subnautica-sized sea creatures.) As the creators of Dredge put it, you'll be able to "strengthen your mind and use special abilities to survive ??trips out on ?the water after dark."

Dredge is launching in 2023? on Nintendo Switch, PC (via Steam), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. There's much more to see?? before then, and I'll be keeping tabs.

The post Dredge is a fishing game with a creepy side appeared first on Destructoid.

When I close my eyes, all I see are clams

"Oh well, I can try to catch the stringfish in Animal Crossing again tomorrow."

For several days ?now, that's how I've reassured myself, but it's no longer true. Tonight's the night.

If you're a Northern Hemisphere player in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you are probably all too familiar with the stringfish, a vile creature that can only be caught from December to March. Heck, you might've heard about the stringfish even if you haven't touched the game. Its misery knows no bounds.

It's not just a fish – it's a goal. The goal. It could very well be the last critter you need to donate to the museum if you're hoping to stay current with New Horizons' ongoing fish and bug schedule.

Despite lo??a??ding up on Manila clams, crafting what feels like an endless supply of bait, and hitting the infamous clifftop spot with a vengeance night after night, that's the predicament I'm facing.

Now, with one solid attempt left, I'm preparing for the worst. I need to kee?p reminding myself that it's okay to miss out on this one blasted fish (even though I know full well that I'll be slightly less motivated to stay on top of the fishing cycle?? now). I need to focus on the positives. Ranchu goldfish are sweet!

Did you end up catching a stringfish in time for the March cutoff? If so, I'll li??ve vicariously through you.

(If you want to get cracking on the new-for-April fish, here's a rundown. I love me some killifish.)

The post Did you catch a stringfish before it’s too late? appeared first on Destructoid.

I mean, hey, at least it got my attention

2019 could finally be the year that I get into Reel Fishing. The series stretches back to the PlayStation 1 days, and it has since had stints on Wii, 3DS, and most recently PlayStation Vita. The latest game from Natsume – next month's Reel Fishing: Road Trip Adventure – has my attention for two reasons.

One: it's on Nintendo Switch (and also PlayStation 4). A few months ago, I decided I needed a dec?ent fishing game on my Switch, but after some false starts, not?hing ever made it into my shopping cart.

Two: get a load of the Persona-as-hell character dialog art. They're really going for it, huh?

I don't have particularly high expectations here, and that's okay. I j??ust like the idea of leveling up friends while they're out on a road trip, snacking on hamburgers, and reeling in mahi-mahi like it's no big deal.

If you're cautiously interested like I am, you won't have to keep Reel Fishing on your mind for much longer. Road Trip Adventure is coming out on September 17 for? Switch and PS4. The $30 price tag helps.

The post Reel Fis?hing: Road Trip Adventure tak??es a cue from Persona appeared first on Destructoid.

Now if only someone could tell the skeletons to stop firing at me while I fish!

In case you hadn't heard, Sea of Thieves is now a fishing simulator. I mean, if you want it to be.? (You do, don't you?) There are 10 species of fish to catch if you're hoping to heed the Hu?nter's Call, but first, you'll need to find out where they roam. Given the scope of the high seas, that's easier said than done. There's also the matter of bait. Splashtails and Pondies aren't picky, but others absolutely are.

I don't think I've ever played a video game with a fishing component and found every last critter without eventually referencing a guide of some sort. That's kinda just the way these? things go. In that spirit, I'm super thankful whenever someone bundles all of the necessary details into an easy-to-skim chart.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A fishing chart with catching locations for Sea of Thieves fish: Devilfish,?? Wildsplash, Plentifin, Ancientscale, Stormfish, Wrecker, Islehopper, Battlegill, Pondie, and Splashtail.[/caption]

Let this Sea of Thieves fishing chart from Twitter user @AJM_3196 be your reference guide while i?sland hopping. It breaks down which species need what type of bait and whereabouts in the open world they reside. The list includes Devilfish, Wildsplashes, Plentifins, Ancientscales, Stormfish, Wreckers, Islehoppers, Battlegills, Pondies, and Splashtails. Check 'em off as you go! And remember to have fun.

All told, there are actually 50 individual varieties of fish �/span> some of them even glow! �/span> but this graphic covers the basic species. Master anglers can also set their sights on larger-than-normal trophy fish. For more in-depth tips on fishing and cooking for The Hunter's Call, consult this handy dandy reddit guide.

More than the story-driven Tall Tales and PvP skirmishes in The Arena, fishing is what speaks to me most in the Sea of Thieves Anniversary Update. It's gotta be one of my favorite pastimes in gaming. The activity was sorely missed at launch last year, but now that fis??hing is here and it's more fleshed-out than I would've? expected, I'm happy.

Rare can do?? cool things with th?is system going forward.

The post Sea of Thieves fishing: All the locations i??n one chart appeared first on Destructoid.

Let's get weird

[Getting Weird with Wes is a series meant to highlight all the bizarre shit floating around out there in the gaming univers??e. I hate normal things. Join me in celebrating the strange.]

You know how service dogs have specialized training to help their humans cope with some s??ort of imp?airment to enrich their lives, even if in some small way? Consider me your disservice dog. I'm here to make your Sunday less of a, "Yep," and more of an, "Aw, God damn it."

Except you can?? pet me all you'd like. I'd consider that a service.

The Bible has a lot of crazy-ass lore. It really does. There's cousins banging each other, a bunch of people being slaughtered for liking HGTV, even more cousins banging one another -- shit's deep, yo. So it actually makes sense that in the face of the total annihilation of the giant fucking mistake that is humanity, God would send down a savior to redeem us all. Jesus had his turn. Today, we depend on Human Rocket Person.

Human Rocket Person is an ordinary man, with an extraordinary sense of balance and gastrointestinal fortitude. He must use his impeccable posture, strength, and explosive shits to save the world from the impending doom that would otherwise inevitably encapsulate us all. I'm not entirely sure how a person with a penchant for recreationa?l flatulence is supposed to stop a meteor from destroying the planet, but we can always speculate:

• The meteor has intimacy issues, and the mere thought of the touch of a human is enough to drive it away
• The meteor's father died in a freak pogo accident and it's not yet ready to face the murderous stick
• The meteor is actually every girlfriend I've ever had, and the second I even let loose the tiniest of toots it makes a giant deal about it and acts like I just bombed the nursery at a place of worship
• Meteors just don't like weird games

I'm going to be really, really disappointed if that meteor doesn?'t like this article.

I've been fishing before, and man, it's boring. You stand there with a pole attached to a line in the water, and hope some dipshit fish is hungry and bored enough to chomp on a worm that's mysteriously underwater. By the time you're done fishing, you'r?e hungry, and bored enough to eat anything dangling in front of you. It's like a vicious cycle, but an extremely boring one. It makes me angry. Really angry. So angry, I could punch the dick out of a fish for wasting so much of my time.

Koi Puncher MMXVIII is here to help. You play as a burly, angry ex-fisherman who's tired of fishes' shit. So tired, in fact, his only recourse is to punch them. Which is totally an appropriate response, by the way. Fish think they're hot shit, just swimming around pretend?ing they don't notice you. It's time we took the fight back to the seas.

Listen, ?I'm going to come clean to you guys. I hate the sea. I hate how vast and infinite the ocean is. It scares the bejesus out of me. Oceanic creatures terrify me beyond belief. I've almost drowned like four times in my life thanks to the ocean, and god damn it, I'm not going back.

I don't know if koi live in the ocean, or in lakes, or streams, or whatever. I don't really care. I hate aquatic life, and in my heart of hearts, I believe that anything that?? is a sea-based lifeform deserves to be punched repeatedly for sport. This game finally gives those bastards everything they deserve. You're t??he weird one if you disagree.

Yes. Oh God, yes. Oh fuck, yes. This goes out to any and all prospective? developers who want their work featured on Dtoid -- send us this exact subject line:

I sent Occams the root of a tooth I had surgically extracted. He sent me a BDSM action figure that has so far managed to only repel women and intrigue men. If you want Dtoid's resident purveyors of weird to pay attention, you'd better come correct. And the names in the email thread above confirm that the developers of Struggling have done just that.

Struggling is everything I want in life. It's a multiplayer game where you and a friend control a screeching abomination through a variety of challenging levels. The horrid, fleshy figure must grab onto the environment using its sad, sinewy hands and propel itself onward through the end of the level. It's the kind of thing Dr. Frankenstein would make if he had less respect for the laws of God. The Saw movies have made less disturbing depictions of the human form. This thing makes Clint Howard look like Catherine Zeta-Jones. In short, it's everything wrong with video games, society, science, ?and morality all rolled into one disg??usting sack of organic detritus. 

It's unholy. I??t's off-putting. It's weird. And it's the only thing that keeps me going. We need more of this, in??ternet.

See any weird shit out there lately? Send it my way, tacos@jbsgame.com. Nothing is too weird.

The post Getting Weird with Wes: Farty pogo, punch koi because why the hell not, and SCREECHING P?ILE OF FLESH appeared first on Destructoid.

Gone fishin'

Reel in the wins with today's contest for a Switch copy of Fishing Star World Tour.

They don't make a ton of fishing games anymore, do they? There are a few, but man I remember seeing them everywhere as a kid. This is probably just nostalgia tinting things, but?? still, seems like there are far fewer than in the PSone days.

Well, we've got some copies of a fishing game, Fishing Star World Tour, to give out. Come win one!

I don't feel the need to say a lot about this one. You just go fishin'! The game features over 180 d?ifferent fish, over 70 pieces of fishing gear, 40 different locations, and even Labo support! I had forgotten Labo existed until this trailer, so if nothing else they've jogged my lapsing memory. There's even something called a "Fish Book" where your records are kept. Sounds to me like a Pokedex, but for normal fish. Sounds good to me.

I do want to focus on the trailer for a minute, here. Has anyone on Earth ever played a video game like that with their family? I mean, seriously, everyone reading this is presumably a gamer (because why would you be here otherwise), so I must ask: Has your family ever crowded on a couch and got really into you playing a game like this? Once my step dad walked in on me playing Syphon Filter as I was tazing a dude in the groin. That was the longest interaction we'd?? ever had over a video game.

Anyway, play this fishing game!

To enter to win, tell us your region (NA/EU) and if you've ever even come close to having this much fun as a family in front of a video game. A simple ?yes or no works, of course, but I'd like to hear some stories. These contests are way more fun when I have 100?? different stories to read! (And I actually do read them all, believe it or not!)

We have three NA keys and one EU key to give away. Winners will be drawn on Friday, February 15. Make sure to comment using your Dtoid account, and that you're all up to date with your email address in your profile. New users can sign up here ?-- get in on the Spirit of Dtoid! Just be sure to wipe? if off afterward.

Fishing Star World Tour is available now on the Switch eShop.

The post Contest: Win a Switch copy of Fishing St??ar World Tour appeared first on Destructoid.

Become the big bass boss

As someone who spent an embarrassing amount of time fishing in Final Fantasy XV, fishing games and fishing mini-games within other games have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. For context, I've been fishing my whole life and grew up on games such as Reel Fishing: Wild and Sega Bass Fishing for the Sega Dreamcast.

And like Sega Bass Fishing, most fishing games releas?ed within the past decade usually are on the extreme end? of the arcade scale in terms of mechanics. So when Fishing Planet was announced with the promise of being “the ultimate fishing simulator,&rdq??uo; I was genuinely interest??ed. In many ways Fishing Planet delivers on this claim, but it also gets snagged on things that should be a non-i??ssue.

Fishing Planet (PS4 [reviewed], PC)
Developer: Fishing Planet LLC
Publisher: Fishing Planet LLC
Released: August 29, 2017 (PS4), August 11, 2015 (PC)
MSRP: Free-to-play

If it wasn't already obvious, Fishing Planet isn't necessarily a game for everyone. It fully embraces the simul??ation side of things and has a fairly steep learning curve to its gameplay??. Everything from various rod and reel types, to the hundreds of differe??nt tackle options at your disposal, selecting which times to go fishing at for better results, or specific fish in general. Fishing Planet is a game geared ??towards fishing enthusiasts lookin??g for a simulation style of experience.

Despite the borderline comedic and over the top trailer featuring a desperate struggle between man and bass and seemingly showcasing an underwater camera perspective, the actual game has none of that (including the un??derwater camera perspective, oddly enough). Instead, you'll be seeing everything in Fishing Planet from the first-person perspective, which is a bit disappointing, but doesn't necessarily take anything away from?? the game me??chanically.

The depth in the simulation and mechanics also reflects in the general fishing and overall g??ameplay as well. Those various rod types I mentioned earlier will also dictate what type of fishing you'll be doing, whether it's your typical lure and jig fishing you see commonly in other fishing games, or something that very few fishing games actually represent, bait and bobber fishing. This is my personal favorite, as there is nothing quite like chilling out and listening to a podcast while you wait for your bobber to violently dip below the water in this game.

Fishing Planet also has plenty of varied locations spread out across North America, from the Everglades of Florida to the cold white north of Alberta, Canada with a huge selection of fish to go after in each o?f these areas. However, traveling to these l??ocations will cost you in-game currency, which you can easily blow through fairly quickly on different equipment, travel expenses, and licenses for fishing.

Which is where the in-game premium currency and various DLC packs come in, some of which are pretty expensive. But I wouldn't say they're necessarily required. You can still easily grind away at other locations for additional money and experience to gain access to almost everything the game offers, but in la??ter areas of the game, this takes a very long time.

Fishing Planet is also always online, meaning you will need to have an internet connection in order to play or access the game, but notably it doesn't require PlayStation Plus. On top of competing in various events?? at specific locations or online tournaments, each time you go fishing, you can set up a private lobby for yourself, a friends-only lobby, or a randomized lobby, allowing you to fish...together!

On the technical side of the things, Fishing Planet runs on the Unity engine and for a Unity game in general, it isn't really anything?? special to look at. But admittedly, the game does have plenty of nice small water details, such as various water bugs skittering across the surface, to other nice touches like the occasional dragonfly randomly landing on your rod.

During my roughly 20 or so hours spent with Fishing Planet, I did also experience some odd bugs. For example: casting my line out only for it to then completely vanish with my bobber and bait setup along with it, forcing me to c??lose the game down altogether because I couldn't access the main-menu until I reeled my line in, but couldn't because it was somewhere in l??imbo.

It's also pretty evident this game is a rough port of the PC version, as the menus were clearly designed with the use ?of a mouse in mind. So you'd think the logical step would be to whip up a cursor of some kind that you can control with the analog stick or re-design the menu to be optimized for consoles. But sadly, these menus weren't designed with any sort o??f logic in mind.

To give you a rough idea, each menu and sub-menu are controlled with different inpu?ts on the controller. The main categories can be navigated with L1 and R1, while the sub-menus in these categories are controlled with L2 and R2, and the various options such as navigating stuff in your inventory is controlled with both analog sticks, depending on which side of the screen they're on. All the while changing pages on certain sub-menus is done with the D-pad. It's an absolute nightmare to navigate a?nd possibly the worst menu and UI I've had to use in a very long time.

In closing, Fishing Planet is a solid fishing simulator with plenty of depth and variety to its gameplay and mechanics that still make me want to come back for more. But the horrendous menu and UI on console, lackluster presentation, and occasional bugs and hiccups bog down the experienc?e. The freemium pricing model also didn't really catch my interest and left me wishing I could just pay a flat fee instead. Still, if you're looking for a simulation approach to your fishing games, Fishing Planet is arguably still the best on the market.

_{[This review is based on the retail build of the free-to-play game. The developer provided access to a DLC pack, allowing for access to features in the game sooner for review purposes.]}

The post Review: Fishing Planet appeared first on Destructoid.

They're off the hook for now

Ridiculous Fishing is one of the few mobile games that I consider to?? be a “classic.” It takes the simple mechanic of tilting your phone side to side and evolves it in ways that keep the experience continuously ch??arming as hell.

As explained by Jim Crawford recently, iOS games are at particular risk of becoming unplayable in the near future due to compatibility issues on the App Store. Luckily, Ridiculous Fishing just received an update for? 64-bit support along with two new speedrun ??leaderboards.

You may be familiar with the developer, Vlambeer, from their more recent games Nuclear Throne and Luftrausers, but this silly adventure about fishing is what really put them? on the map for me. Even though it’s still available on Android devices, it warms m??y heart to know that others will have the opportunity to experience this thing, in all its glory, for the foreseeable future.

The post Ridiculous Fishing re??ceives 64-bit compati??bility update appeared first on Destructoid.

Mix bait like a master

StreetPass is a strange obsession. Ever since the days of having only Puzzle Swap and Find Mii, I have been fascinated with the functionality. I carry my 3DS around with me everywhere, an?d when I pull it out of my pocket at the end of the day to see the green light glowing, I get excited despite the relative simplicity of the actual gameplay.

The complexity grew (for better and for worse) with the second wave of StreetPass games. An early favorite was Mii Force, as the most "like a real game" title in the bunch, but it soon fell by the wayside because it took too long to play and essentially required a full roster of tags. Flower Town ended up being my favorit?e in the long run, with its quick execution and hidden narrative.

A few days ago, the two new StreetPass games Ultimate Angler and Battleground Z released. Given the nature of StreetPass, it's impossible to review them without living in a major metropolitan area or spending several days building up Play Coins. That said, I had a fat stash ready and waiting for such an occasion, so I played through the first set of areas in both. So far, Ultimate Angler is looking pretty good, but it doesn't mesh well with my?? usual sourc??e of tags.

Ultimate Angler (3DS)
Developer: Prope
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: April 16, 2015
MSRP: $4.99 ($7.99 for bundle with Battleground Z)

As a fishing game, Ultimate Angler leans more toward arcade than simul??ation. The actual fishing involves watching a bob on the line, pressing A when it sinks, ??and then reeling in the catch. Reeling too quickly can cause the line to break, but reeling too slowly can allow the fish to escape. It isn't difficult, at least at the beginning.

Upon reaching the islands, players are tasked with finding not only the everyday fish, but also a l?egendary creature at each island. These legendary creatures take a bit more effort: players must wear them down over multiple fishing attempts before being able to bring them in.

In terms of action, it isn't the most exci?ting StreetPass game out there, but it's a quick endeavor and it isn't obnoxious, so I can imagine keeping at it until my logbook is full of all varieties of fish.

The StreetPass functionality comes with the bait. There are 12 types of bait, each corresponding to one of the colors that a Mii can wear. Tagging somebody will net that color bait. There does not appear to be any sort of bonus for multiple tags as in Find Mii or Monster Manor.

Each species will prefer some types of baits over others, so anglers can hone in by choosing the right bait. Additionally, bait can be combined and bigger fish are attracted to larger pieces of bait. The result is a highly luck-dependent system; players generally want to combine multiple pieces of bait to get bigger fish (and better ratings) within a species, but adding pieces that don't match can attract a non target species. Through StreetPass or the use of Play Coins, shirt colors are generally random, so there is no guarantee that an ou?ting?? will even produce the right color bait.

Ultimate Angler suffers from one drawback present in Mii Force, though not to the same extent: it feels like a full roster of ten is required for optimal play. Where Mii Force reduced potential firepower for anybody coming in with fewer than 10 teammates, Ultimate Angler reduces options?? and potential rating. It isn't quite as bad, because the actual play isn't af??fected much; only the result is.

The other design quirk that hurts Ultimate Angler in terms of the way I play it is that using Play Coins is basically required in order to see a variety of fish. I StreetPass with my wife se?veral times a day, but that will always be just one piece of red bait. Though I can fish once with it, I will always catch that same species and they will ?always be small.

On the other hand, Ultimate Angler succeeds in one place necessary fo??r a good StreetPass game: it can be played quickly if necessary. Each fishing session from line cast to caught creature takes only 10 or 15 seconds. With the bait-combining mechanic, even a full cast of 10 helpers can be chauffeured through without wasting too much time. For those who wou?ld rather drag it out, single bait casts are possible. It's a smart way to handle two different styles of play.

I can picture myself playing this for a while. It has the same sort of relaxed feel to it as Flower Town, but with at least a bit of action injected in. If it continues the strange, uncomfortable narrative, this could be another hidden gem.

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Uhh... Can I just go fishing now?

The two new 3DS StreetPass games came out yesterday. I downloaded them last night but didn't get a chance to play either until this morning. Wanting to start out with the lighthearted fishing game Ultimate Angler before taking on the zombie hordes of Battleground Z, I loaded it up to learn the ropes?? (or uh, the fishing lines).

After playing through the tu??torial and catching a few D-grade fish, I figured I was ready to go on and spend some relaxing time on a boat. Before I could, my guide's father came into the outdoor supplies store to casually discuss his problems in front of me. My Mii seemed pretty uncomfortable with the whole encounter (see above).

Previous StreetPass game Flower Town surprised me with its semi-hidden narrative, a story that weaves between all of the different buyers. I was a little surprised that Ultimate Angler went here, and I think for the same reason: low expectations. I go i??n e??xpecting a simple fishing game, so when some unlucky single dad brings the mood down, it can't help but feel strange. Like my Mii, I just want to know if I can slowly tiptoe backward out of the room and hop on the boat to go fishing.

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Dovetail Games Fishing

The makers of Train Simulator have released their next project, a fishing sim, on Steam Early Access. It caught my attention for a few reasons, the first being that the game is way cheaper than I was expecting. Here's why: this initial build of Dovetail Games Fishing is only $6.99 but as more featur?es are added, the pric?e for new customers will increase. Ahh.

With that said, the current game up for sale is in a bare-bones state. There's physics-based casting/reeling with tutorials, challenges, and lea?derboards, but what you're trying to catch are "simple practice fish" that are randomly generated and seem to serve as simple targets more than anything. Realistic fish AI will arrive in the next major update b?efore the end of the year.

This line on the Early Access page sums up Dovetail's strategy: "Players shou??ld expect an experience that increases over time but that may be uns??atisfying, frustrating, or disappointing to begin with. We will only move development of new features forward once we and the Early Access community are happy with the results of the previous stage."

TL;DR: look at that fish!

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Huh, that might be good

Dovetail Games, the company behind Train Simulator, said last year that it planned to break into other types of simulation games in the future. One such title is Dovetail Games Fishing, coming to PC in late 2014 with more platforms to follow at a later date. It's being built with Unreal Engine 4, as is the latest version of Train Simulator, likely coming in 2015.

Designer Matt Peddlesden told Engine Driver that work on these projects will carry over. "We have gained valuable experience from producing Dovetail Games Fishing using Unreal Engine 4, and all of this experience and technical know-how is helping us develop the next generation of Train Simulator using UE??4. Even though fishing and trains might seem a world apart, there are a lot of common areas -- including visual things like the skies, water, trees and people," he said.

As for the extensive DLC for Train Sim, it sounds like Dovetail won't screw over existing players. "We are mindful that a lot of people in the community have built up some fantastic collections of locomotives and routes over the last few years and we're absolutely going to continue to support those products, and indeed create new content, for the current generation Train Simulator.

"I can say that we are looking at making the next generation Train Simulator an optional upgr??ade so you can continue to use the current generation product with all of your current add-ons, whether or not you choose to upgrade to the next generation."

Dovetail Games begin??s work on Next-Generation Train Simulator [Engine Driver]

And now with all of that ser??iousness out of the way:

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Harvest Moon, End of Serenity, and Alphadia Genesis lead the pack

Natsume has announced its complete E3 roster for next week, and while it's got a few high points, it's not impressing me too much. It's a strange mishmash of handheld games and iOS releases with a stray PSP game and Wii U property for good measure. We already broke the news about its biggest game, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (not to be confused with Story of Seasons) being showcased for 3DS, but that's not all Natsume has up its sleeve. The problem is, none of what's left sound terribly exciting. But I suppose I shall r??eserve judgment until after we've actually had some hands-on time or a proper look at the games. You never know -- Natsume's first Wii U release might be an interesting departure.

First up, we've got A-Train: City Simulator for 3DS. Take up ?the role of the head of a local transportation agency in order to make sure your fictional city's transportation system is running as smoothly as possible. You'll need to make sure buses, trains, and subways are on time and properly implemented to keep your citizens happ??y and the city moving along as efficiently as possible.

We've touched on End of Serenity before, the errant PSP RPG being released exclusively via the P??layStation Network, and KEMCO's classic role-play?ing endeavor might be worth checking out -- it's unfortunate it's only a PSP release, though, instead of being optimized for Vita players.

Speaking of the Vita, Reel Fishing: Master's Challenge is up on the docket, and it might be promising. I love a good fishing game, especially if it happens to be part of the River King series. Master's Challenge also sounds like it incorporates s???ome RPG elements, which always make for a great fishing title.

Natsume's first Wii U game, Alphadia Genesis, sounds like it could be a keeper, but unfortunately there aren't any assets to go off of just yet. From the description that details a story surrounding a member of a local guild and Cor??one, a knight, it sounds as though it could be an RPG or a hack-and-slash -- but hopefully it's a traditional JRPG with some great-looking graphics. A girl can dream, can't she?

The rest of the pack is a collection of iOS titles, including the newest Gabrielle game Gabrielle's Monstous Duel, Hometown Story: Pocket (no one was waiting for that one) and a sequel to endless runner Ninja Climb, Ninja Strike. Mobile and handheld gamers should have a field day with these announcements, but they're a little too blah for me?? to get any kind of hyped over. Still, I love these types of niche games, so I'm looking forward to fur??ther details.

The post Natsume’s E3 2014 lineup sure is a lineup appeared first on Destructoid.

300,000 copies sold at $3

Vlambeer founders Jan Nijman and Rami Ismail revealed at their GDC Europe presentation that Ridiculous Fishing has sold 300,000 copies, according to Joystiq. At $3 a copy, that's $900,000 in total sales. So close to $1 million! This is really great news considering the hell Vlambeer had to go through after their game was cloned b?y an asshole.

Funny enough, Ridiculous Fishing was almost a freemium game. The duo considered offering the game for free, and then selling stuff like a $1,000 in-game boat. Players would have been able to see their friends' boats off in the background, with the thinking that players wo??uld be tempted to collect all the cool boats they saw. Thankfully they went with charging $3 for a full game over nickel-and-diming players.

Ridiculous Fishing reels in 300,000 ?sales at $3, but it was almost F2P [Joystiq]

The post Ridiculous ?Fishing br?ings in nearly $1M since launch appeared first on Destructoid.

It's the best fishing game

A lot of great game developers are fascinated with fishing. Pokémon, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Animal Crossing all feature the option to fish. Earthbound/Mother creator Shigesato Itoi created a series of fishing games. Former Sup Holmes guest Sophie Houlden wants to make a game where every system is based on fishing.

What is it that makes fishing such a compelling mechanic to developers? Ridiculous Fishing helps to answer that question. It's takes all of the moment-to-moment experiences associated with fishing (c?alm, anticipation, surprise, disappointment, pride, shame, epiphany) and turns t?hem all up to appropriately ridiculous levels of intensity. That's why it's the best fishing game.

Like real-life fishing, Ridiculous Fishing is simple enough on the surface, but once you sink past that surface, you'd be surprised at the? depths you'll plunge? to. The game utilizes three phases of interconnected gameplay types to make every round of casting into a three-act adventure in and of itself.

First is the "dodge" phase. After casting your line, your goal is to dodge as many fish as possible in order to make your way as low as you can go. This runs counter-intuitive to your fishing instincts, as it pays off when you get to phase?? two. The farther down the briney depths you sink, the more types of fish you pass, with each new breed being more exotic and valuable than the last.

When you hit a fish or reach the end of your line, your line starts its way back to the surface. That's when the "catch" phase begins. Now you play the aggressor and work to catch all those fish that you ran in fear from while passing them by in the "dodge" phase. The more fish you grab, the more fish you'll reach the surface with for the "shoot" phase. This is the part of the game where you fling your fish into the air and blast as many of them as you can with various firearms. It is ridiculous.

These three phases work on the "Pac-Man principles" of design. You're first made to feel afraid of making contact with other in-game characters, putting you in a nail-biting mode of heightened awareness as you negotiate a maze of threats and obstacles. That tension builds until the "power-pellet mo?ment" of phase two, where the tables are turned and you work to aggressively gobble up everything that you were running from mere moments before. That rush of "get it while you can" is then turned up a notch in phase three where you have seconds to cash in on the lives of your defenseless quarry.

Vlambeer's personal drive to create the very best iteration of the Radical Fishing ??concept has paid off for all of us. Everything about the game has been maxed out in both content and quality. There is huge amount of fish to catch, each with their own behaviors and level of scarcity. Some of which actual steal money from you if you catch them, which is a great way to turn the the formula on its head. There are fish that can only be caught a?t certain times of day, in certain areas of the map, or otherwise require some unconventional means of discovery. There are even boss fish battles. No expense was spared in the creation of this world of fish and the people who kill them.

When you're not fishing, you can explore the game's largely optional narrative through the in-game Twitter parody Byrdr. What seems like a inconsequential trifle at first quickly unfolds to be quite an emotionally charged tale, which makes sense considering that it the ARG was written by The Stanley Parable creator Davey Wreden. The theme of red??emption and questioning of self worth are perfectly in tune with the life of a fisherman.

Yes, perfect is the word for Ridiculous Fishing. Everything comes together to deliver a cohesive whole that works to alternate between making you smile, making you wonder, and most of all, making you want more. Thankfully, the game is quick to offer more. Just when?? you think you've seen the end, there's a new area, new item, a new kick in the storyline, or new fish to savor.

Ingeniously designed, continuously compelling, painstakingly crafted, dripping with personality, packed with content -- I like everything about Ridiculous Fishing.

The post Review: Ridiculous Fishing appeared first on Destructoid.

Arcade fishing adventure

When talking to another human being who doesn't play many videogames, I have to imagine trying to explain a title like Let's Fish! Hooked On would come across as mystifying. And in its own way, that's kind of awesome. It's a pleasant surprise, then, to see this latest fishing game from SIMS (Sega Bass Fishing) arrive on PlayStation Vita on January 29, 2013.

The PlayStation Blog has the details, reporting that Hooked On will release for $19.99 via PlayStation Network. There's a full story mode in World Tour, but if you're in it purely for the arca?de-style fishing action, a Challenge mode with o??nline rankings will satisfy that desire.

The post Let’s Fish! Hooked On hits PlayStation Vita next week appeared first on Destructoid.

Check it out! There's totally a new trailer for Big John Games' Big Bass Arcade: No Limit for the Wii featuring those ooh-so-stunning graphics! I respec?t the Wii, I use mine quite a bit, but I've never understood why developers use graphics as a selling point for Wii games. That's obviously not where the system's strength lies.

One of No Limit's bigger selling points, in my humble opinion, is that it "takes all the best features of a fishing game and gets you right into the action." I'm only marginally interested in the idea of fishing games, but a lot of times the equipment management and nitty-gritty of it can be a bit of a turn off. So much of a turn off, in fact, that I cringe noticeably every single time I hear about a new fishing game (this one included). If that's your thing, though, this one's coming out later this ??month. 

The post Big B??ass Arcade: No Limit baits you with a new trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

[Update: Contest over! Winners have been picked.]

It's Sega week for our 25 Days of Giving! Today, you can win SEGA Bass Fishing Challenge by helping spread the word over on Twitter! Just Retweet this Tweet from @Dtoid and you're good to go. We have ten codes to give out for Xbox Live Arcade and we'll be picking winners at random after the contest closes at 11:59PM CST tonight. ??Cont??est is open to everyone!

Be sure to check out our Sonic Generations and Sonic Figurine contest going on all this week for more Sega goodness!

The post 25 Days: Win SEGA Bass Fishing Challenge appeared first on Destructoid.

I know you've been waiting for this. XS Games has announced that 2009's Bass Pro Shops The Strike has gotten a revision: The Strike: Tournament Edition. Be??tter still, that revision is available today f?or the Wii. 

On an equally exciting note, 2010's Bass Pro Shop The Hunt is getting a similar treatment with The Hunt: Trophy Showdown. 

Both are available today, and both have a trailer that you're guaranteed to love. While you're mulling over your purchase, take a glance at the gallery of assorted?? fishes.

The post Bas?s Pro Shop has two new games with fishing and hunting appeared first on Destructoid.