Pool Paradise

"Mommy, when did we get a pool table?"

I recently got this game. I wasn't expecting too much, but I was surprised. This game had done to pool what EA had done to sports. This game has pool down nearly perfectly. For it's price and it's fun-factor, it is awesome.
hen it's pointless to include this section.

Control: 7/10- Okay, I don't have any other pool console games to base this off of, but you can get the cue ball to where you want it to go. If you miss a shot, don't blame it on the controls, you just need to practice. It is kind of hard to control how hard you hit the ball, but that doesn't usually decide if your target gets pocketed or not. It's also difficult to select a ball when you are nominating, which you must do when you hit the 8-ball in. Other than these minor issues, the game has simple controls.

Game play: 8/10- Pool Paradise is a near-perfect pool simulator. However, there are a few things that place a barrier in between an 8 and a 10. First of all, there is a limited amount of game styles. Sure, they have 8-ball, 9-ball, 14 to 1 (also called Straight Pool), and others, but there isn't Snooker, Cribbage, or Cowboy, plus others which are basic to some people. Also, the rules are different on 8-ball, the most played game in real life. When your opponent scratches, you can place it anywhere, rather than only behind the line. You are also penalized from hitting an opponent's ball first. These are different rules than people normally play by.

Graphics: 9/10- These are better than I am used to for a pool game. They are not perfect, but time passes in this game, so you can play at night, in the morning, in the evening, and in the afternoon. The lighting changes along with the time. There are actually hands in this game, unlike any other pool game I have played, even for the PC. However, hands are all that there are. No arms, no body. There is plenty to look at other than the pool table, like the inside of the Hawaiian style bar. The balls are perfectly round, not polygonal like some other games.

Sound: 9/10- This is the main reason I play without the music on. The sound on this game is amazing. Along with the clicking of balls colliding, there are background noises, like a tribal dance, and a bird. It makes you feel like you are in the bar, right there by that beach. While the sound is great, it is also greatly lacking- in variety. Every time a ball hits a ball, it is the same sound. Every time a ball is pocketed, the same noise is heard. The only exception of this is another certain hidden part of the game, where the pool table is made of different material.

Music: 7/10- Nothing special, nothing annoying. It is not exciting, but it won't drive you nuts. It's quite relaxing. It's there to remind you that this is just a game. Again, I play without the music on, since the sound is so impressive.

Overall: 8/10- This game has no particularly weak points. The only problem I see with it is the words. By that, I mean the notice in the beginning. It says, "The characters in this game are not meant to resemble any characters, real or fictional." But in it, there is a guy named Frank, who looks like a purple Frankenstein. There is an Ojay Stumpsem, who's quote says, "I can win hands down, with help from my lawyer." There is a guy named William Grates, and his profile has a lot about computers in it.

There are mini games in it to play when you feel like getting away from the competing. They must be purchased, and are nothing really special, just a little something extra.

Rent or Buy: Buy. This game is only $20, which will be barely anything out of your wallet. It makes a great game to play with your friends when you are bored. It is a lot cheaper than an actual pool table, and almost as good. And, before anyone asks on the boards, this game takes up 33 blocks of memory.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/14/04