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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Sport Developer: Icon Games Publisher: PlayLogic |
The Nintendo Wii offers controls that seem to be perfectly suited for pool, and since the console’s debut, a lot of developers have taken
recognition. “Pool Hall Pro” is the latest attempt to break this trend and it does so successfully. It is far from being the definitive Wii
pool game, but it is certainly a playable and fun game to play.
As it goes with any sports game that makes its way to the Nintendo Wii, the most important thing is the control scheme. “Pool Hall Pro”
offers players two types of controls, standard and advanced. With either set of controls, players use the D-Pad to rotate their view of the
table, the A button to set the cue’s angle of elevation and the pointer to select a place on the ball to hit. The 1 button switches between a
first person view and an overhead view. In the advanced setup, players hold down the B button and move the Wii Remote like they
would a real pool cue to hit the ball. In the basic setup, the most noticeable difference is that a power meter comes up when players
draw back the cue, and they hit the ball by releasing the B button rather than thrusting the Wii Remote forward like a regular cue. The
difficult isn’t necessarily any more difficult than the basic setting, and most players should start with it. The game’s out aid, a visual
representation of the path the cue ball will travel until it first hits some it a much more helpful aid in the game.
The control setup seems to give players complete control over the game. Without too much trouble players are able to view the table
from a variety of angles and hit the ball however they would like. It is in this regard that the only complaint that players will have is in the
first person view, it would have been nice to be able to adjust the view without also adjusting the angle they are shooting at. Also, with
the basic control setup, players will feel like the controls are a little bit exaggerated at time since players will have to move the Wii
Remote back much further than most players would move a real pool cue, but players will get used to the controls fairly quickly and the
advanced setup helps with this problem by allowing players to control power, not only by drawing the cue back and also by thrusting it
forward with more or less force.
In “Pool Hall Pro,” the emphasis is on the pool table. The table and the balls are both well depicted and easy to see, the physics of the
game are realistic interactions between the objects and the sound effects are very realistic. The opponent artificial intelligence is for the
most part well handled. The skill level of the game is adjustable and is easier opponents tend to miss the more difficult shots more
often. A rookie opponent is great for any beginners, and tougher opponents will give an experiences player a bit of a challenge.
Throughout game play, the opponents take a couple of very odd shots, but then again, even human pool players can be hard to analyze
when they go for a long shot and miss terribly.
Though the adjustable skill level is a nice addition to the game, other aspects of the presentation of the game don’t do as well. Once
players hit a ball, the camera can be jumpy as it tries to follow the action. The cheesy blues music that players in the background, and
while players can customize a character and their home, the other people shown in the game don’t have much in the way of
personality. The various venues of game play lack detail and seem to be lacky graphically. For most casual players, pool goes hand in
hand with rock and roll music, friends gathering, beer and cigarette smoke, so it is a shame that a game that is so well done if flawed
because of a lack of capturing the proper atmosphere. The minor typographical errors are seen in the text and backwards quotation
marks seem to be a minor problem throughout the game’s entirety.
For those who were disappointed with the complete lack of billiards options in “Wii Play,” “Pool Hall Pro” offers a lot of possibility.
There is a career mode where players enter tournaments, an arcade mode where players face a series of foes, a simple exhibition
option and multiplayer. The games offered are U.S. 8-ball, U.K. 8-ball, 6-ball, 9-ball, 10-ball, 15-ball, pub, snooker, 6-ball snooker, 10-
ball snooker and basic pocket billiards. It is a great variety of games for those familiar with pool and is a great way for new players of
the game to learn the ropes of games they have never heard of before.
Overall, this is a decent game and it has a lot of positive qualities and a large variety of options and while there are quite a few flaws in
the game, none of which ruin the whole experience. Videogame pool will probably never be quite as fun as the real thing, and future
games will hopefully get closer than “Pool Hall Pro” and other games of the type, but this is a game that is reasonable closeness at a
reasonable cost.
recognition. “Pool Hall Pro” is the latest attempt to break this trend and it does so successfully. It is far from being the definitive Wii
pool game, but it is certainly a playable and fun game to play.
As it goes with any sports game that makes its way to the Nintendo Wii, the most important thing is the control scheme. “Pool Hall Pro”
offers players two types of controls, standard and advanced. With either set of controls, players use the D-Pad to rotate their view of the
table, the A button to set the cue’s angle of elevation and the pointer to select a place on the ball to hit. The 1 button switches between a
first person view and an overhead view. In the advanced setup, players hold down the B button and move the Wii Remote like they
would a real pool cue to hit the ball. In the basic setup, the most noticeable difference is that a power meter comes up when players
draw back the cue, and they hit the ball by releasing the B button rather than thrusting the Wii Remote forward like a regular cue. The
difficult isn’t necessarily any more difficult than the basic setting, and most players should start with it. The game’s out aid, a visual
representation of the path the cue ball will travel until it first hits some it a much more helpful aid in the game.
The control setup seems to give players complete control over the game. Without too much trouble players are able to view the table
from a variety of angles and hit the ball however they would like. It is in this regard that the only complaint that players will have is in the
first person view, it would have been nice to be able to adjust the view without also adjusting the angle they are shooting at. Also, with
the basic control setup, players will feel like the controls are a little bit exaggerated at time since players will have to move the Wii
Remote back much further than most players would move a real pool cue, but players will get used to the controls fairly quickly and the
advanced setup helps with this problem by allowing players to control power, not only by drawing the cue back and also by thrusting it
forward with more or less force.
In “Pool Hall Pro,” the emphasis is on the pool table. The table and the balls are both well depicted and easy to see, the physics of the
game are realistic interactions between the objects and the sound effects are very realistic. The opponent artificial intelligence is for the
most part well handled. The skill level of the game is adjustable and is easier opponents tend to miss the more difficult shots more
often. A rookie opponent is great for any beginners, and tougher opponents will give an experiences player a bit of a challenge.
Throughout game play, the opponents take a couple of very odd shots, but then again, even human pool players can be hard to analyze
when they go for a long shot and miss terribly.
Though the adjustable skill level is a nice addition to the game, other aspects of the presentation of the game don’t do as well. Once
players hit a ball, the camera can be jumpy as it tries to follow the action. The cheesy blues music that players in the background, and
while players can customize a character and their home, the other people shown in the game don’t have much in the way of
personality. The various venues of game play lack detail and seem to be lacky graphically. For most casual players, pool goes hand in
hand with rock and roll music, friends gathering, beer and cigarette smoke, so it is a shame that a game that is so well done if flawed
because of a lack of capturing the proper atmosphere. The minor typographical errors are seen in the text and backwards quotation
marks seem to be a minor problem throughout the game’s entirety.
For those who were disappointed with the complete lack of billiards options in “Wii Play,” “Pool Hall Pro” offers a lot of possibility.
There is a career mode where players enter tournaments, an arcade mode where players face a series of foes, a simple exhibition
option and multiplayer. The games offered are U.S. 8-ball, U.K. 8-ball, 6-ball, 9-ball, 10-ball, 15-ball, pub, snooker, 6-ball snooker, 10-
ball snooker and basic pocket billiards. It is a great variety of games for those familiar with pool and is a great way for new players of
the game to learn the ropes of games they have never heard of before.
Overall, this is a decent game and it has a lot of positive qualities and a large variety of options and while there are quite a few flaws in
the game, none of which ruin the whole experience. Videogame pool will probably never be quite as fun as the real thing, and future
games will hopefully get closer than “Pool Hall Pro” and other games of the type, but this is a game that is reasonable closeness at a
reasonable cost.
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