Play TNN Outdoors Bass Tournament '96 Online

TNN Outdoors Bass Tournament '96 came out for the Sega Genesis in 1996, published by American Softworks. It was part of a wave of fishing sims that tried to bring a little bit of the great outdoors into the living room, back when polygonal fish were still a novelty on 16-bit hardware.

You control an angler from a first-person perspective on the boat, scanning the water for signs of fish before casting your line. The main goal is straightforward: catch the heaviest bass within the time limit to win tournaments. Key mechanics include a timing-based power meter for casting distance and accuracy, along with a variety of lures to switch between depending on water depth and fish behavior. The pace is deliberate, almost meditative, but the challenge comes from reading the environment and reacting to subtle bites. It feels like a quiet test of patience, where every small decision adds up to either a satisfying catch or a long day on the water.