Pocket Pool Hands-on

April 4th, 2007, 15:42 Posted By: wraggster

via IGN

The most popular bar game around is making its way to the PlayStation Portable in the form of Pocket Pool. After undergoing a number of name changes before landing on the simplistic (and suggestive) title, Pocket Pool gives gamers the chance to rack up a set of balls and attempt to unlock a number of prizes. These prizes are the game's catch and are what will likely draw most of its crowd. No, this is not a game for the kids, nor for anyone who shies away from the sleazier side of gaming.

Pocket Pool offers a number of game modes. From classic 8, 9, 10 and 15 ball games to straight pool to Snooker to Killer (a.k.a. Cutthroat), you'll find almost anything you want to play here. WiFi options are available as well, allowing you the option to play with more than one player, as unfortunately there isn't a hot seat option available for allowing two players to play on one system.

The game's controls are set up in an odd manner, though it doesn't take long to get used to them. The L and R buttons switch between different camera positions, including a down-the-stick shot and an overhead view of the action. A highlighted path shows where the struck cue will go, though there aren't any "result" paths that show what will happen once you come in contact with another ball.

The face buttons bring up a number of different shot options, like placement on the ball, power and so forth. The power meter is set by hand rather than pulsing like what you might find in a golf game, making it easier to dial in exactly how hard you want to hit. To actually strike the ball, you need to have Circle held down to bring up the power meter, and then press right on the D-Pad. Yes, it's a little odd, though it does prevent you from accidentally hitting the ball when you didn't mean to. We guess that's good.

The game's physics are a little questionable, especially when set to the default settings. You're given three options for "speed", which properly translates to inertia and follow-through. At the slowest level, coming into contact with another ball will pretty much stop the cue ball dead in its tracks. We once sliced another ball at full strength just on its edge to cut it at a 90 degree angle, and the cue came to a dead stop. At the fastest speed level, things behave quite a bit more realistically, though we're not too fond of the table physics at this point as it can sometimes feel trickier to sink a ball than it should.

Easy shot.While many of the game types pit you against a computer player, a few are based on points, time or something of that nature. Bonus 9 Balls has you racking up points for each ball sunk over a maximum of 20 shots, while Time Attack has you clear a table as quickly as possible. You can come back again and again to better your score and try and unlock more stuff, which brings us to the unlockables...

While the actual pool element of the game is what you'll be spending most of your time playing, we have a feeling that many people who purchase this game will also spend plenty of time in the game's "other" main option, the Gallery. In addition to earning different sets of balls, differently-colored sticks and those sorts of things, you'll also unlock a number of photos and videos of nameless, half-naked models. No, there's no nudity here, so those of you looking for that sort of thing are probably best left to your own on the Intarweb rather than looking for skin in a PSP title.

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