Hudson is keeping the act of fishing simple in this Wii sequel. All players have to do is flick their Wii Remote forward to cast then reel with their Nunchuk. Wii Remote gestures are used to hook fish or follow occasional onscreen prompts to jerk the line to one side. A meter at the top of the screen shows how strong a fish is fighting, because players will have to reel with more or less intensity accordingly. Players can position their character a little between casts by moving around a little with the analog stick.

This instantly accessible control scheme and clear game mechanic lends itself to multiplayer, and Hudson made sure to show off this aspect of the game. Grab four players, four Wii Remotes, and four Nunchuks, and Fishing Master quickly becomes a competition between players to catch plenty of fish from a single communal pond.

But playing the one-player story mode, I found that Hudson injected additional elements to complement the basic fishing gameplay. This sequel bears the subtitle World Tour because players will travel to 40 different global locations in order to fish. Each exotic location features different fish to reel in (I was gunning for squid in the Antarctic Ocean), which means that players will have to match their desired catch with the appropriate piece of bait. Fishing Master: World Tour offers a dizzying variety of bait. In fact, selecting the correct bait is perhaps the most simulation-like aspect in the straightforward fishing game. It won’t all be simple fishing, though. A location in Hawaii makes players cast their reels off the back of a speeding motorboat, accompanied by the occasional dolphin leaping out of the water.

It’s worth mentioning that players won’t be alone in their global adventure. When starting the game they’ll be able to choose to have either a pet cat or dog accompany them. I was told that which animal a player picks was a matter of personal preference, since both the cat and dog would periodically find something in the ground (free bait!) or help the character with an instant, fishing-related power-up.

I couldn’t help feeling that the inclusion of an animal companion also echoes Duck Hunt. Whenever I caught a fish, my canine companion celebrated with a little flip. Unfortunately, I never made the mistake of breaking my line during my play session. I feel that failure now, because I’m stuck wondering whether the dog would’ve turned to the screen, raise a paw to his mouth, and laugh at my error. Maybe I’ll find out as the game’s 2009 release draws nearer.