Next-Gen Reviews

You can choose quick play, career mode or go online, and the game modes are; US 8-Ball, 9 Ball and killer. However, in the career mode (on top of the mentioned modes) you can play challenges in order to unlock stars, such as – potting a certain amount of balls within a specific amount of time and potting a certain amount of balls in a row.  It’s make for a nice change and is very welcomed.

 

Gaining stars is how you progress your career and move on to a harder tournaments, rank up and unlock new gear. Tournaments are great fun and a good way to practice your skills and get used to the game for when the time comes and you want to go online and get up to the top of that leaderboard.

 

Accolades and stars are also used to gain XP which then ranks up your player so that people can see your skill level. Every so often you will unlock new Cues that you can use in all game types and although it doesn’t add much to the gameplay, it is a sign of progression that some of us want to see.

 

Playing Pure Pool is pretty simple. You move your left analogue stick to choose where the cue is going to strike and you use the right analogue in a back and forward motion to strike the cue ball (like you would an actual cue) – depending on how hard you move the analogue depends on how hard your strike will be. The analogue striking does take a bit of getting used to, especially if you’re one of those people that like to snooker the opponent. But for those those hit and hope, you’re all set!

 

For more precision and control of the cue-ball you’ll need to do a bit more than just analogue movements. The “square” button allows you to stand and see the table from all angles and the “circle” button allows you to add spin on your shots… Again, it all takes a bit of patience to learn but you’ll be a pro in no time! However, Pure Pool does show you the angles of the balls that are being hit and going to be hit so that you can get a rough idea of your shot and the outcome. I appreciate that some may think it is a little cheap and cheating, but without it you’d be totally at a disadvantage. And don’t think that because you’re getting a little help you’ll be able to pot everything in one go because you most definitely won’t.

 

Visually there is absolutely nothing that you can fault in Pure Pool …. Actually nothing! The tables, balls and cues have clean lines, creating the perfect looking pool game I’ve ever seen. I am not exaggerating when I say “The detail is so fine and precise that you can actually see the thread on the table cloth and the chalk dust leave the cue-tip like in a burst of colour”. And that’s just the pool table and its peripherals.

 

The venues themselves are lively and vibrant with a decent amount of people lurking in the background enjoying their night out and playing pool. This gives Pure Pool a social feel and a bit of ambience.

 

Whilst I’m covering the magnificent visuals that Pure Pool offers I should add that those of you that like to customise have not been forgotten about. The pool table cloth colour can be changed and even the design that is on it. This isn’t something that I personally need in a pool game, but it’s nice to see that Pure Pool caters for everyone’s needs.

Audio has my feelings mixed… Sound effects are perfect and are just as realistic as the visuals which mean that Pure Pool is the perfect pool game, but the music is hideous. If you were playing Pure Pool and someone walked in to the room with their eyes closed, they’d think that you were watching cheesy porn (I am not joking) -Thankfully you can change the music volume in the settings menu before the “swingers” turn up at your home.

 

Apart from the porno music there is one more thing that annoys me in Pure Pool and it’s the banner at the top of the screen. This banner is constantly letting you know when someone comes online, and I’m not talking about people on your friends list but actual random people that you don’t know or care to know. I don’t care who is online unless it’s someone that I have on my friends list that I plan to play Pool with.

 

Let’s get back to the good stuff. 1 more cool feature that I’d like to cover before I wrap this up is the DNA aspect of Pure Pool. Pure Pool takes your style, skill and pot ratio to create a profile that is true to your level. This DNA version of you is then becomes an opponent for people online so that whether you’re there or not, you can be played against. It’s a brilliant idea, but I’m not sure how accurate it is at the moment because I would need to play a friend in both forms to judge.

 

Overall, Pure Pool is the absolute virtual masterpiece that you need in your game collection. It may be lacking Snooker tables (maybe DLC) and have crappy music, but as a Pool game it’s totally brilliant in every aspect that it should be. Stop shooting and killing people and chill-out and play some pool.

 

 

9/10