It's a great time to be a Sega fanatic. Sega Rally is back, NiGHTS is back, and now they've officially announced a new Wii version of Sega Bass Fishing, the classic angling sim from the Dreamcast and NAOMI days. The game came complete with a novelty fishing rod controller which brought indescribable tension and pleasure to the virtual fishing experience. Naturally, the Wiimote will provide the perfect stand-in for this rather specialised peripheral (although we did used to play Soul Calibur with it).
Here's some info, straight from the fish's mouth:
With over 20 different types of lures to choose from, gamers can cast off using the Wii Remote to try and land one of four different types of freshwater bass. SEGA Bass Fishing also offers gamers the freedom to select time-of-day and season during play which impacts the activity of the fish, their appetite, and their depth. When players hook a big one, they can use the motion sensor to reel it in! Featuring 15 beautifully designed lake environments, SEGA Bass Fishing has four fun-filled game modes including Arcade, Tournament, Practice and Nature Trip modes.
It looks extremely like the Dreamcast version, suggesting a direct(ish) port. It would have been nice to see some new Wii features - maybe a live weather element using the machine's online connection to synch the in-game conditions with your local climate - lots of Japanese fishing games do that sort of thing already.
Anyway, here are five more Sega games from the same era that deserve a Wii update:
Brave Fire Fighters Exciting fire-fighting arcade game, complete with realistic hose controller, which you directed at the screen to extinguish a series of increasingly serious infernos. The Wiimote would be perfect for this.
Jambo! Safari Deliciously idiosyncratic driving game in which you speed across the African savannah attempting to capture sickly animals with a lasso. Again, the Wii controller would fit in brilliantly and there's a trendy ecological/educational theme befitting Nintendo's family credentials.
House of the Dead 2 One of the best light gun games in my opinion, with lots of hidden features and great end-of-level boss blasts. The voice acting is hilarious, yet also immeasurably better than the performances in Uwe Boll's movie adaptation. Come to think of it, Confidential Mission was quite entertaining too.
Airline Pilots Deeply involving arcade flight sim (a pretty specialist genre there), which could well make interesting use of motion control. The feeling of control over your Boeing 777 was so deft and precise it was a joy to play. A console conversion was never considered, despite the title's greater suitability to the relaxed home gaming experience.
Top Skater Sega's excellent Model 2 skateboarding game required players to stand on a virtual board and manipulate it with their feet to pull off onscreen tricks. This is obvious Wii Balance Board material. Surely EA's Skate team are already toying with the idea. Get in there fast, Sega...
