Ultimate Fishing Simulator is one of the most relaxing games I've played. The graphics are beautifully done, although the optimization could be a bit better. The fish and water physics are very good. I especially like the underwater view. The online radio feature is fantastic. I've often played while listening to Jazz and drinking a nice beer. Another really nice feature is the fish trophy rooms, which display all of the largest fish you've caught of each species.

As you can see, I've put a lot of hours into this game. At one point, I spent a lot of time trying to 100% the game as one of the achievements was to catch 10K fish, which seemed a bit tedious. Thankfully, they just lowered the achievement to 2K so I now have 100% achievements.

There's enough of a challenge here to make things interesting. You have to figure out where to fish, what to fish for, and what hook size and bait or lure to use. You also have to learn how to use the boat and to troll, which is a bit tricky.

You can sell or release every fish you catch. You use the money to upgrade your gear and buy bait and lures. Until you have the better gear, catching fish is exciting and somewhat challenging. Fish can damage your gear or you can lose them if you use too much force or drag. You've really got to learn your gear. You will lose big fish in the beginning because your gear is crap. Ice fishing is easier and better for getting quick cash.

There's a variety of environments, especially if you buy the DLCs. I think the DLCs are worth it because I enjoy catching the new species. Plus, they aren't just lazy redos of the original locations. The environments really capture the places the represent.

So grab your rod (hehe) and a cold beer and catch some fish.