Average game. Not as good as Virtual Pool series which came out a decade earlier

[ironmanmk42]

I found the controls a bit irritating with the move mouse back and forth to hit along with sudden camera movements away.
The ball also flies a lot which seems unrealistic.

Overall this is a decent game but nothing special. As the only pool game on Steam, it is definitely ok to buy it. You'll get some enjoyment out of it.

I'd rate this game a 7/10

[Merch2K]

Im sure there is alot of games with clipping issues if you look hard enough,there is no adverse affect from that clip ingame or on your vid.as for hitting the ball that hard and it jumping of the table why on earth would you want to hit it so hard? If you have a anger management problems see a doctor!

[Trent]

How would you feel if you were watching or reading a review of a game that someone only spent 15 minutes playing? A lot of games have problems or weird controls when you first start playing them. It might take time to get used to them before you have a new respect for the game... or not. But you don't know that until you actually spend time on the game. I wouldn't even care about the review if you had more play time in the game, lol. You may be shying away future buyers of the game with your shoddy review of the game. This seems like more of a first impression than a full review.

[ironmanmk42]

My review rates the game a 7/10 which is a fair score. I've recommended the game for people to buy. You should read my original posting. Where did I say "don't buy the game?".

I'm not a fanboy and I don't go around bashing games without anything backing it up.

I stand by my review and comments which were fair and professional. To others reading it, they can take this input and make up their own mind. The game is like $4.99. Nothing to lose sleep over. People on this forum like the game and they are bashing anyone who has different opinion. They're the troll fanboys.

And re. people reviewing for less time, if the review is subjective and informative, then yes, I will consider it, even if it is only 15min playtime. Some games, you need more play time, others like this, not so much. And I've played it over an hour. And my review captures everything a person might want to know initially.

[Xeno Metora]

this is the best pool game i've ever seen and played

[Trent]

You should go back and read my post. I didn't say that you said for people not to buy the game. I simply said in less words that your negative review might shy away potential buyers of the game. Which would be okay, if your review wasn't based off of 15 minutes of gameplay. Also, the game is only $4.99 right now because of the winter sale. The price will go back to normal in a couple hours. And I hate when people judge the worth of a certain amount of money for another person. $5 might not be a lot to you, but it might be to another person. I also do understand that there are supporters of the game who will say anything to defend it. But I think the people who are upset in this thread have every right to be. I just bought the game yesterday and have not got to play it at all. But, I highly doubt 2 sentences can summarize this entire game. Having not played the game yet, and just reading your review, I have to say that your "review" really hasn't told me much except that the game might suffer from a couple glitches.

[fogboundturtle]

The game is not bad but the physics are all wrong. There is no feel with the mouse. You can't hit soft or hard or do different effect on how you hit the ball. I am not talking about adding english but if you have play pool at an competive level, you can effect the shot just on how you swing the cue. Virtual Pool is miled ahead on that aspect Pool Nation looks nice but the physics is not better than flash game around on the net. Its a good effort but its far from what VP was.

[T@F]

I find playing with the joypad seems a lot better.
Anyway i'm enjoying the game and that's all that matters to me.

[ironmanmk42]

One thing I noticed as well now is that Massé shots aren't that well defined. I had a ball blocking my ball so I wanted to massé it around it (something I would routinely do easily on VP3 and VP4) but I just couldn't get it done here no matter what I tried. Maybe I'm missing something and making a mistake but i just ended up bouncing it over that ball.


Now mind you, you can massé but it is not that pronounced because if you add more power it says the ball will fly off but I've done these in real life without ball flying off.

[PerryII]

Fani...why don't you join the "no-aim"-group....maybe an online-game with normal-looser's like me will show u how pool works in this game and it's really near to rl.....or u can sit around have a look on merch or kezzas skill....just for a teaching lesson ;)

[ShinDigPig]

Fani님이 먼저 게시:

And the game has horrible clipping issues

That looks like less of a clipping issue and more like a a way to not hit the non cueball with the cue. because had it hit that ball, it would've been illegal. Its a feature.

[ironmanmk42]

After nearly 5 hours into the game, I think I have given the ideal rating to this game. It is a good solid 6.5 to 7 /10

Certainly much weaker than Virtual Pool series in terms of content, skill, game types, view angle choices. The replays are definitely good along with ability to save games. However, compare the options of VP series to this game. There is no contest. That is easily a 9/10 at min. compared to this.

The controls work much better with a controller than a mouse which causes unwanted camera movements as it jerks around after a shot. The sounds are pretty good and close to what a real game sounds like.
The ball physics can be a bit wonky at times. For the most part it is good. However, balls flying off the table seem very jarring.
The AI isn't that great initially but does get stronger.

However, the biggest drawback is the inability to gauge properly the hitting angle. Given just the normal view down the cue stick vs overhead view, it becomes very quickly apparent that the top view works well for all shots and so most of the game I played from overhead view.
VP series really shines here giving you the ability to walk around the table just like real life. That sets it apart from this game easily.

Game modes are just the 3-4 popular game types. I found no snooker/billiards, trick shots, English rules or other customizable game modes. I beileve Trick shots are coming in a DLC? I would also like a customization Endurance mode setting our own timer + golf mode + bowling etc. fun game types to take a break.

Locales are well rendered and the graphics is top notch. The sheen on the balls are spotless and immaculate. However, playing VP4, it felt more realistic with the chalk marks on the cue and general wear and tear on the balls.

Table sizes don't seem to vary but maybe it is there. I distinctly recall VP series having larger and smaller tables. Table cloth options might be there but I didn't see them. Personally, I like blue colored tables but it would be fun to see other options.

This game is definitely a good buy but just nowhere near what VP offers.
I will stick with my 7/10 rating (rounded up from 6.5)

[@Innomen]

This game feels extremely rigid compared to even vp1 to me. The single minded focus on vs pool and pool hall pool seems to preclude the simple enjoyment of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ around with a pool table.

Free mode feels extremely perfunctory. And apparently I have to become a pvp pool god before I can unlock skins and locations.

Free mode should be the most customizable mode. Yet it is the least.

At the very very least I should be able to choose the number of balls, the skin, the location, and the table colors, without having to get 100% of the achievements and stars and whatevers.

In free mode I’d like to be able to turn off the hud and indicators entirely as well.

This should not be labeled "simulation." It does not simulate owning a pool table in any realistic way.

I think a 6-7 rating is generous as it stands. It's pretty obviously a console port. It needs a whole lot more flexibility to be a real PC title.

[FGCNN | Nurdell]

I'l just say that "sudden camera movements" can be prevented by choosing different mouse tracking method - 1,2,3,4 numbers on the keyboard. I personally found 3rd method to be more to my liking. Also do change the mouse sensitivity in optons - they are pretty high by default.
And if you want the ball to follow the "aim assist" trajectory when you just rotate the mouse or something, push the mouse forward instead of backwards - that will be a medium strength shot.
Edit: yeah, i see what you mean about camera movements - camera vertical angle is not saved between shots so it resets to default. Which is not a bad thing to be precise, but an option for it to save between shots would be nice.