When I was younger my parents had a pool table in the basement that my friends and I used all the time. It didn’t matter how big you were or how fast you could run; the pool table had a way of evening out the playing field. It’s a simple game that those who put some effort into learning could pull off some fantastic shots. I remember renting a Mike Masse Billiards Trick Shot video to try and see if I could pull some of that off myself. I have been looking for a good billiards game for quite a while. In 2012 VooFoo Studios released Hustle Kings on the PS3 and Vita, and now follow it up with their latest release on Windows PC and PS4: Pure Pool.
The first time I loaded Pure Pool up, I have to admit I was blown away with how good the game looks. It’s absolutely stunning; the pool hall is not the pool hall from my younger years. I remember dark, dingy, smoke filled places where you weren’t always sure if you were safe or not. In contrast with those memories of my youth, the pool hall in Pure Pool is vibrant, colourful and full of class. I can’t recall the last game that actually got me to sit back and truly appreciate the graphics of the loading screen. I can’t say it enough about this on; Pure Pool‘s graphics are gorgeous.
When it comes to billiards, there is one thing that can really make or break (no pun intended) a game. It can differentiate from a great relaxing game to a game that is quickly deleted and forgotten about. Previous iterations of billiard games relied on a simple mechanic of hitting a button, watching a power meter, then hitting the button again. That control layout — or lack thereof — took away most of the skill and enjoyment from the game. Pure Pool gets the control of the cue about as close as any billiards game I have ever played. Pulling back on the right thumbstick and pushing forward executes the shot. However, how far back and how quick you push it forward dictates the level of finesse for the shot. It’s simple but very effective in a game like this. It’s rather rewarding to put the perfect amount of touch onto a shot to where it kisses off a ball into side pocket and sets up the next shot.
Unfortunately, the rest of the controls are a jumbled mess. One in which I am actually surprised were made by the same group of people as those who crafted such a wonderful shot mechanic in Hustle Kings. I was baffled the first time I loaded the game and had to place the ball for the initial break on the table. When I pushed left the ball went right and vice versa. Just invert the controls, right? Wrong, you can invert the up and down but side to side doesn’t change. It’s like that every time you have to place ball, when your opponent fouls or scratches and starting new tables. It’s an absolute mess. Add to that a very generic and awkward interface and the shimmer of the amazing graphics fades away rather quickly.
Game modes are what you’d expect to find in a billiards game. There are the classic 8-Ball and 9-Ball games. There are also a few challenge modes; Speed Pot, Check Point, Perfect Potter, and Royal Rumble. I can see why VooFoo Studios wanted to include some type of challenge mode, yet after playing through them they all felt like they were included just to take up time. There’s no trick shot mode, no bank shot or multi rail shot mode. All the challenge modes felt like they were one in the same with very little substance behind them.
One thing that got me excited about Pure Pool was not only the promised robust on-line play including leaderboards, leagues and tournaments but the DNA profiles of friends and other players that could be downloaded to play against later. Similar to Forza 5’s Driveatar, you can challenge your friends without them having to be online. All that is great in theory, however, I have no idea how well any of that is implemented because as of writing this (a week after the games release on Steam) the online play and DNA profiles have yet to work for me at all. For a game that touts online play as much as this for it to be completely broken is very disappointing.
Since the online play and DNA profiles were not an option, I was left to the whims of the A.I. and whim is the best word to describe it. The first three times I played 8-Ball in career mode I broke the rack and the first shot I missed resulted in me losing the match. The A.I., even on amateur difficulty, ran the table and executed shots a pro would struggle at. On top of that, there were times when the A.I would literally stare at a shot after having it lined up and a solid minute or more would pass before it did anything. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth and sapped almost all the enjoyment from the game.
What started as a game with a lot of promise and promises quickly turned to disappointment after disappointment. Amazing graphics can get people to look at a game, promises can get people to pay attention, but gameplay will keep me coming back. I went into this game looking for a good billiards game that I could enjoy and tinker on when I was looking for a change of pace. Yet, I find myself looking at Hustle Kings as a better alternative even though it’s been out for two years and doesn’t have nearly the graphics or power behind it. It’s telling when the only real positive I take away from the game is the quality of the graphics.
Pure Pool is out now on Steam and PS4, priced at $15.95 AUD.
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