Fishin' 2 Go

Let me start this review by saying that I'm not into fishing. I don't view it as much of a sport. I see people by the river spending their day fishing and just can grasp the thrill of doing so. I just don't get why someone would choose to spend their time fishing unless, of course, they desperately need the food. And I say this not to belittle those that enjoy fishing as I know that there's no shortage of people that would think the activities I enjoy are equally boring, but rather to give you context for my review.

Fishin' 2 Go isn't as much of a game as it is a simulation. I've asked for flight simulators in the past. Simulators can be fun, but the central point of such software is to focus less on the fun and more on being an accurate model of a real world activity. So, upon loading Fishin' 2 Go, the first thing I can appreciate is the fact that there are instructions along with some basic information on fishing. This is information that I didn't know and is nice because it means the 'game' could also be educational to someone that is not into fishing and wanting to learn. Next, I figure that I should probably take the time to actually catch a fish so I try. The neat thing here is your mobile phone becomes a bit like a WiiMote in bowling. You hold down an on screen button, pull your phone back, flick it forward with your wrist as if casting a real fishing line, and release the button to let go of the line. Plunk! You then see the line drop into the water. Before doing this you can choose different lures and gears from a wide selection of choices, but not knowing anything about this stuff I figured it wouldn't matter to me. You then wind your reel by touching and dragging on the screen in a clockwise motion and repeat until you get a catch.

Eventually you'll get a catch. I did, after letting a few get away and then consulting the instructions once again, so I can safely guarantee you will. At that point there are two meters at the top of the screen. One shows how taught your fishing line is. You need to make sure it stays out of the red. Then there's the fish's energy level. You need to tire the fish out and then bring it home. The game then shows you what kind of fish you caught and gives you the option of tossing it back or keeping it.

The game offers several locations to choose from for fishing and each is nice looking with ripples in the water and some nice background scenery. It provides the tranquility of a real fishing experience, or so I am told, until the fly shows up and starts to be a nuisance. The sound effects are in line with a fishing experience. The control are all touch screen and accelerometer based. My only issue with the controls is that of the 72 clockwise rotations that my finger has to do to bring my line back in. There is an 'auto' button for that, but from what I understand I want the fish to see the lure moving through the water in order to catch them.

So, what does this non-fisherman think? This is a very well done fishing simulation that fits in the palm of your hand. If going fishing sounds like a good time to you and moving that experience to Android still sounds appealing then this is going to be a dream come true. If you're like me and can't understand why anyone would spend their time engaging in this activity then you won't like it just as I have no personal interest in playing this ever again. And if you're borderline then try the free demo version. All in all, I can recognize the work that this game took, see that a good job was done, and also see that the developer is reasonably active in supporting and improving their product. 4/5 stars.