Dec 29 2008
Chalk Up Your Wii Remote with Pool Revolution Today
Billiards seems like a natural fit for the Wii’s motion controls but so far no one has been able to strike just the right balance between gameplay and presentation. Not even Nintendo, who offered up a game of 9-Ball in Wii Play’s collection of minigames nailed the feel of the sport. So my hopeful eye falls firmly focused on today’s WiiWare release, Pool Revolution: Cue Sports from Hudson Entertainment.
For starters you’ll get to see your Mii characters gathered around a series of tables in locales ranging from a dimly-lit pool hall to a forested patio and all the way up to a jam-packed championship stadium. For a downloadable game on the Wii, Pool Revolution offers a lot of visual variety and what looks like a full-featured interface without being overwhelming.
Billiards is nothing more than glorified marble-shooting without rules, though, and you’ll be able to play 8-Ball, 9-Ball, Rotation and Snooker with full control over what’s considered a Foul (a great bonus when you realize how unofficially you’ve been playing billiards). There’s a Practice mode to hone your skills and a Puzzle mode where you take aim at a series of trick shots before building your own and challenging your friends. Hudson has also packed in online play that lets you face off against random players from around the world, or those on your friends roster. Just don’t expect to be able to chat or interact with other players.
Pool Revolution definitely looks like a solid release but how much fun it is falls solely on the control. Hudson has tried to simplify things with an intuitive ‘point, pull, and push’ control style but if the Wii Remote proves to be too flaky it’s nice to know you can fall back on more traditional controls. Using the D-Pad, face buttons and an on-screen power meter anyone who’s ever played a billiards video game should feel right at home.
Billiards simulation isn’t exactly the hottest style of game but I always seem to be on the lookout for a quality offering. It’s harder than you’d think to make it playable and entertaining but from the looks of it, Pool Revolution: Cue Sports might just have it all racked up. Click the title throughout this post to see and read much more from the official game site !
I am not much into pool games, but this game does seem to be a great one with at least decent depth for pool fans.
I just bought this to take to a New Year’s Eve gathering and only got a game or two in so far but it is indeed a very competent billiards game. Much more realistic than the colorful Wii graphics let on. Maybe I’ll start posting reviews too.