Mark Davis' The Fishing Master[1][2] is a fishing video game developed by Natsume for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
| Mark Davis' The Fishing Master | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Natsume Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Platform(s) | Super NES |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fishing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The game features Mark Davis' voice. It became a cult video game due to its difficulty level and attention to detail about lures and weather effects.[3] A sequel, Mark Davis Pro Bass Challenge, was released in 2003 for PlayStation 2 and 2005 for GameCube.
Gameplay
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Only catching black bass is allowed. All other kinds of fish are prohibited and do not count towards the total score.[citation needed] Each lake has different criteria for passing the challenge and moving on to the next level. Players can assemble their own fishing gear. Realistic fish AI allows players to practice real-life fishing techniques on the virtual fish.[4]
In the practice mode, the weather and the season can be chosen in order to practice fishing under certain conditions. Spots where fish are guaranteed to show up during the practice session appear as boat icons on the map.[5]
Reception
edit| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6.75/10[6] |
| Famitsu | 18/40[7] |
| Next Generation |   [8] |
On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the game an 18 out of 40.[7] A reviewer for Next Generation commented that "For all purposes fun and entertaining, Mark Davis' The Fishing Master fails entirely to capture the true challenge of fishing. And while the initial set-up is impressively thorough, offering your choice of seasons, gear, the time of day and location, the actual gameplay mechanics lack realism and make the game less than exciting to play."[8] The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly scored it 7 and 6.5 out of 10. Like Next Generation, they found the game lacks realism, and also criticized that there aren't enough animations and finding fish is "not really user friendly." They concluded that it is fun to play despite these factors, but requires a lot of patience.[6]
References
edit- ^ 大物ブラックバスフィッシング 人造湖編, "Oomono Black Bass Fishing: Jinzouko-Hen"
- ^ English-Japanese title translation at Superfamicom.org
- ^ Top 10 Best Fishing Games Of All Time at World Fishing Network
- ^ Game information about Mark Davis' The Fishing Master at MobyGames
- ^ Advanced information about Mark Davis' The Fishing Master at GameWTFs.com
- ^ a b "Box Score: Mark Davis' The Fishing Master". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 81. Ziff Davis. April 1996. p. 116.
- ^ a b NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: 大物ブラックバス フィッシング人造湖編. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.342. Pg.30. 7 July 1995.
- ^ a b "Mark Davis' The Fishing Master". Next Generation. No. 14. Imagine Media. February 1996. p. 175.