Xbox Gaming in South Africa

Try to demonstrate your favourite fishing game to a real sport fisherman, and he'll just smirk at you and say, "you can't fish with a control pad, that's just silly." Of course, he would be just about right. Which is why Activision has announced Rapala Pro Bass Fishing, with first-of-its-kind motion sensing Rapala Rod & Reel controller. Okay, I'll bite...

Rapala Pro Bass Fishing pits players against real-life fishing pros on top freshwater lakes across North America – only the finest techniques and equipment will determine who is the best of the best. For the first time ever in a fishing game, the competition is set up in a professional tournament structure and the action is presented as a live TV event with announcers (including Barry Brueland, the voice of InFisherman TV), live updates, competitive leader boards, analysis, and heart-pounding final weigh-ins. The competition gets tough as you fish through over 20 tournament events on your quest for the season trophy.

All that sounds like a dream come true for couch fisherman, but its got to be the new controller which seals the deal: with the Rod & Reel peripheral, gamers will be able to cast, reel, jig, set the hook and more, just like you would with a real rod. Add a boatload of licensed fishing equipment, with both single-player and two-player challenges thrown in for good measure, and it looks like angling fans will swallow this one down hook, line and sinker. 

We dropped a line to local distributor Megarom to find out if Rapala Pro Bass Fishing will make it to our shores, and the word is that the game is on their release schedule, however, a date is still to be confirmed. Rapala Pro Bass Fishing is currently set to release this spring overseas.