The Cocoto "franchise" is a strange one. After cluttering game aisles everywhere with rather blunt titles like Kart Racer, Platform Jumper and Tennis Master, the series has come to WiiWare with a bizarre take on virtual fishing. Developed by Paris-based Neko Entertainment, Cocoto Fishing Master is actually less a fishing sim and more akin to an elaborate fishing minigame under the guise of an adventure.
The story involves a magic kettle that for one reason or another started spewing lava one fateful day. Alas, the fish king who made this magic kettle is lost in a deep slumber. Now we're not sure why he needs such a kettle in the first place, but play along with us here. So, he entrusted four devils (one of which is Cocoto) with protecting this magic kettle. They, along with a fairy who could pass as Tinkerbell's sleazy stepsister, are troubled by this turn of events because they fear the lava is going to somehow destroy the world. For no ostensible reason whatsoever it comes down to the one and only Cocoto to save the day by catching five mystical fish and thus awakening the fish king....
Cocoto Fishing Master on the PlayStation 2 is a much more enjoyable experience than Cocoto Fishing Master on WiiWare, as a single element of the control scheme redeems the entire package here on Sony's hardware. The game is still a simple experience without a ton of depth, as its levels and characters become repetitive as you play through Cocoto's quest – but while it's not an amazing game in the end, having a control scheme that actually works makes this budget-level fishing adventure at least worth a look.
So Cocoto Fishing Master does hold some depth, and, on a visual level, would certainly seem to be worth the relatively meager sum of seven dollars. But the control scheme kills any potential this package would have had, as the nearly unplayable implementation of Wii Remote motion control will block the vast majority of players from progressing past even the very first stage. The Wii is still waiting, then, for a truly worthwhile fishing game experience. This one's just more frustration.
Presentation - 6.5
Graphics - 6.5
Sound - 6.0
Gameplay - 3.0
Lasting Appeal - 5.5
Overall -
Cocoto's a nicely designed game visually, at least, and the characters have a little bit of charm to them, but it doesn't play as well as a minigame that launched with the Wii well over a year ago. It's best thrown back in the water. Cocoto can bore you into thinking you're having a good time, but it's a poorly executed game that's been done much better before elsewhere.
You'll love:
- First few levels pleasant enough
- Nicely designed visually
- Charming characters
You'll hate:
- Controls don't feel right
- Not even a basic tutorial
- Ponderous boat movement
