The Strike: Fishing gets reel on Xbox 360

By David Carnoy on 23 April 2009, 10:37am

Music games used to be childish or nerdy, but Guitar Hero changed all that by strapping on an axe and letting you rock out for (almost) real. Now fishing games -- another genre with a less than exciting pedigree -- are getting the same makeover, with a rod controller for Xbox 360 game The Strike.

As you might imagine, it's not that often that gaming publications get excited about a fishing game, but at least one is saying that The Strike is "shaping up to be the best fishing videogame ever created." High praise indeed. In fact, after playing a preview of the game, which is due out this autumn, Patrick Shaw of GamePro thought it was so good it gave him "tingles" after playing it for less than an hour.

The game is being developed by Griffin International and features "realistic lake bottom topography, advanced graphics, life-like fish behaviours, fully customisable characters and an abundance of boats, lures, rods and reels." Griffin also has The Hunt, a realistic hunting game in the works. Rumours that The Hunt comes with a plastic shotgun and is endorsed by Dick Cheney were unconfirmed at time of publication.

Both games are sponsored by Bass Pro Shops and will be available for the Xbox 360, Wii and PC later this year, although there's no word on UK pricing or a specific date.