Title	:	ChuChu Rocket!
Platforms	:	Sega Dreamcast
Publisher	:	Sega of America
ESRB Rating	:	Everyone
Game Rating	:	8.5
Review by	:	Richard Rae

"ChuChus" are space mice, who want to get to Rockets to escape the clutches of the "Kapukapus" (space cats) who would like nothing more than to either catch ChuChus or get into their rockets to wreck them. 

Your mission, if you decide to accept it, is to guide the ChuChus to their rockets, helping them avoid Kapukapus, dead ends, or holes in the board — and to do it in 30 seconds or less. 

This deceptively simple concept forms the basis of "ChuChu Rocket!", the first online multiplayer game from the wizards of Sega's Sonic Team for the Sega Dreamcast. 

At its most basic, ChuChu Rocket! is a puzzle game with extremely simple rules and almost Spartan graphics. ChuChus and Kapukapus move in straight lines unless they run into a barrier or wall, then they turn right. If they run into an Arrow Panel you place on the field to guide them, they will turn and travel in the direction the Arrow points. Kapukapus also will follow arrows, but if they bump into a Panel twice, it'll be destroyed. And, you can only place 3 Panels at a time (place a fourth and the first one you put down is erased). 

Simple? Hah!! What the game lacks in graphic sophistication is more than made up for by its intelligent, complex, speedy, and challenging problem-solving play. It becomes a wild, very fast-moving game with lots of variations which can be a true "brain strainer" for one player, or a take-no-prisoners, maniacal free-for-all when you get multiple players involved. 

There are 9 different game modes you can choose from. These include battles using 1 to 4 real or computer-controlled players (singly or as a team), multiple Stage Challenges (the goals of which must be accomplished in 30 seconds or less), and Puzzles (which have no time limit, but require you to place one or more specific Arrow Tiles to get the ChuChus to their rockets in a fixed setup). ChuChu Rocket! also provides a Puzzle Edit mode, providing tools through which you can create your own Puzzles, save them to your VMU, and even upload them to the ChuChu website later for others to enjoy. 

Game stages consist of a square field with strategically placed walls, holes, Rockets, hatches, and arrangements of single or multiple ChuChus, and (depending on the challenge or puzzle) Kapukapus. There are 25 stages each of 1-2 player Challenges and 1 player Puzzles, but additional difficulty levels with 25 brand-new puzzles each are unlocked when a player manages to successfully complete all of the initial stages provided. 

Challenges vary from the simple to the frustrating. In some stages, you must collect 100 ChuChus in a short period of time. In others, you must avoid roaming Kapukapus and keep them from not only eating your ChuChus but from getting into your rockets. Others include fun multi-player "Cat Soccer" games, where you and your opponents use Arrow Panels to try to direct Kapukapus into everyone else's rockets. 

Multiple player battles involve every player trying to be the one with the most ChuChus in their rocket when time expires. This gets outrageously wild as you not only place Arrow Panels to try to direct ChuChus into your rocket, but also use them to redirect your opponent's intended booty away from their rockets and also point Kapukapus in their direction. It can get very cutthroat, very quickly. 

While certainly enjoyable "off-line", ChuChu Rocket! provides an Internet mode where, via your Dreamcast's modem, you can visit the game's homepage and engage in on-line challenges with others, post your best scores and times, upload puzzles you've created, and download other players' puzzles as well. At least, this appears to be the plan… I logged on to the website per game instructions, but none of the screens described in the booklet, downloads, or on-line competition had been enabled there at the time of writing. 

Personally, I found the single player Challenge mode stages nicely varied in difficulty and complexity, and I often found myself hard-pressed to solve the problem and reach the goal in 30 seconds. I found the Puzzle mode somewhat easy with a few real toughies mixed in. That is, until I'd cleared the first 25 stages, which unlocked a new difficulty level and 25 more, VERY tough puzzles! 

ChuChu Rocket! is one of those "easy to learn, difficult to master" games that should appeal to both the puzzle-game maven and the player who likes his multi-player competitions fast, furious, and frustrating. It's surprisingly inexpensive, surprisingly addictive, and has the potential to be great fun for both single players and groups alike.

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This article is copyright (c) 2000, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 03-Apr-00

Title	:	Sega Bass Fishing
Platforms	:	Sega Dreamcast
Publisher	:	Sega of America
ESRB Rating	:	Everyone
Game Rating	:	9.0
Review by	:	Richard Rae

I used to scoff at the concept of a "fishing simulation." I'm not a sportsman, and I never enjoyed fishing… but after only a short time with Sega Bass Fishing, I was forced to rethink my position. And I was extremely happy to do so, since this is one of the most addictive and enjoyable videogames I've ever played. 

Sega Bass Fishing is a 3D bass-fishing simulation for the Dreamcast, and is the American version of Get Bass!, its original title in Japan. Your basic object is simply to catch the most and/or biggest fish you can in the time allotted, using your choice of a variety of lures. Once your catch's total weight equals or exceeds the goal for the level, you can move on to the next level and location. 

There are essentially three modes available for play. "Arcade" mode is identical with the Arcade version of "Get Bass!" The excellent "Original" mode lets you take part in SBFA (Sega Bass Fishing Association) tournaments at Lake Paradise or Lake Crystaldew, where your progress from Amateur through Masters levels depends on rankings you earn. "Practice" mode lets you hone your fishing skills, test out your lures, and catch fish with no time limit in weather conditions and the time of day of your choosing at any of the main sites. 

The graphics in this game are superb, with beautifully rendered backgrounds and little details, such as cars parked at the lodge or boats tied up at the dock. This detail also extends underwater, where debris, driftwood, rocks, and lake grasses can be found. The fish, though, are truly the stars here. The bass are photo-realistic in appearance and have uncanny natural behavior and motion, whether swimming, striking, or leaping from the water. 

Game play mimics real bass fishing techniques. In a given area, you choose a lure from your tacklebox (more difficult-to-use lures can net you a bigger fish). You then select a spot in the lake you want to cast to, taking into account the time of day and other factors (such as whether or not you see fish outlines beneath the surface), then cast your lure. Once the lure is in the water, the camera switches to an underwater view as you reel in your line, flicking the rod or using other methods to try to get any nearby fish to take an interest in the lure and strike. 

Once a fish hits, the real fun begins! You quickly must set your hook (which gets you an onscreen cry of "Fish!") and then fight to reel the fish in, maneuvering the rod realistically to compensate for the spectacularly thrashing fish's movements. This is an exceptionally challenging part — especially with bigger fish — because you must take care not to let line tension get too high or your line will break. Failure to hook the fish quickly once it hits also can result in the fish getting away. 

Although this game can be played with either the standard Dreamcast controller or the special Fishing Controller available, this is one game which really requires a Fishing Controller in order to get the best and most authentic experience possible. The controller is like a fishing rod handle, complete with reel, the required buttons, a thumb stick, motion sensors enabling natural casting and hooking motions, and vibration motors that convey every hit on the lure, every struggle of the fish, and the increasing line tension as you battle to reel the fish in to land it. Playing with just the regular control pad, even if it has a Jump Pack or vibration unit in it, doesn't cut it. 

The only real complaint I have is with the lengthy and varying load times between stages, option selection, and even the final credit sequence. The delays are much worse in the Arcade mode, to the point where I thought the system had locked up (despite the "now loading" screen). Fortunately, these delays occur between sequences and never interrupt play in progress. 

I tested the waters, cautiously went for the lure, and fell for "Sega Bass Fishing," hook, line, and sinker. I'm convinced almost anyone will find themselves "hooked" by this appealing, fun, and challenging game. 

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This article is copyright (c) 1999, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 18-Oct-99