Super Black Bass (Super Nintendo, 1993)

If you don't have the time or inclination to go to the lake, but you feel like catching a few fish, you may want to try Super Black Bass, a fishing title that lets you compete for the prestigious title of Super Bass Champion. There are five different types of fish that you can catch: blue gill, rainbow trout, catfish, northern pike and, of course, black bass.

Super Black Bass plays by the rules of professional tournament fishing. Hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and you can't be late to the weigh-in or you will be penalized. There is a five bass maximum allowed in the livewell, and you must avoid No Fishing areas, such as the spawning pool and the dock.

There are four different tournaments in which to compete: Local Amateur Tournament, Amateur Bass Championship, Pro Bass Circuit and Super Bass Championship. Your goal in each tournament is to have the highest accumulative bass weight. 

To catch a fish, you must choose lure type and color, set the hook, cast your line (overhand or flip) and wait for a nibble. Then you must reel in the line, which can consist of reeling quickly, swinging the rod strongly, pulling the rod up, thumbing the line, reeling in instantly, cutting the line and more. When casting a line, you view the game from a first person perspective, peering over the shoulder of the onscreen angler. When piloting the boat (in order to find a good fishing spot), retrieving the lure or fighting the fish, the viewpoint switches to overhead. 

You have in your tacklebox eight lures from which to choose: pencil bait, popper, swisher, frog, spinnerbait, crankbait, rubber jug and plastic worm. There are two types of fishing points, surface and underwater. Onscreen data provides information such as line length, lure depth, line tension, fish strength, angler strength, weather conditions, water temperature. There is even a fish finder, which is an electronic device that uses sonar to detect fish.

Super Black Bass features four different lakes: Skywater Lake, which is a small, shallow mountain lake; Clear Lake, which is large and manmade; Lake Murphy, an old, shallow lake with murky waters; and Bluestone Lake, a wide, field lake with docks and bridges. A password feature lets you save your progress.