I mean, it's pool. You use a cue to hit a white ball into different coloured and patterned balls in an attempt to pot them into various pockets that line the outside of the table. Everyone knows it, everyone loves it, and almost everyone is terrible at it. Now you can be terrible at it from the comfort of your own sofa!
Never has there been so much pool in one place
Pool Nation is an incredibly generous game, containing eleven game modes, ranging from classic eight or nine-ball, through the stressful Endurance mode, to mini-games like Killer and Speed Pool. Add on top of this the massive amounts of unlockable cues, balls and tables, and you'll likely never run out of game to play. As a great man once said, "Never has there been so much pool in one place." Someone probably said that anyway.
Most of these modes are available in two-player same-screen multiplayer, as well as in the game's online mode. The real meat of the game though is in Pool Nation's extensive singleplayer. Two career modes are available, in the forms of eight and nine-ball, and feature a star-based progression system. Each game you play against specific AI players, who get more difficult over time, has three objectives. One is always simply to win and the other two vary from sinking curved shots to scoring a certain amount of points across a frame. They add a ton of replayability, and encourage you to play in interesting and diverse ways. As you beat opponents you unlock mini-games to play for additional stars, and eventually when you clear a tournament you unlock the next stage to play. In total there are four different locations for each type of pool, and they all have a cool elegance about them.
The real meat of the game is in the extensive singleplayer
The whole look of the game is very clean and shiny, and makes it a relaxing, enjoyable space to exist in. The ball physics are top-notch, and combined with the great sound effects they work well to create a realistic game of pool. The music is also pretty good, with a smooth electronic vibe which plays in the background during your matches.
In terms of how it actually plays, well, it's fun. It can be very challenging, and later opponents punish any mistakes you might make (in my case many), which can be frustrating, but in that aspect it's the same as any sports game. The game has a good number of helpful tutorials, which introduce you to the different game mechanics and possibilities at whatever pace you want to. This is combined with an adjustable level of visual aid which shows you where the ball will travel. Over time you can gradually scale it down and down, until you can theoretically turn it off completely. The main problem with this is that the essentially 2D nature of a screen can make it difficult to judge distance and angles, but I imagine if you played enough to get to a level where you didn't need the guidelines you probably won't notice.
The 2D nature of a screen can make it difficult to judge distance and angles
Pool Nation plays a great game of pool. It's good for dropping in and out of for a quick game every now and then, provides a wealth of different modes to practice in or play competitively, a compelling career mode and a good multiplayer selection. You get a lot of game for not a lot of money, and I thoroughly recommend that anyone who likes pool should give it a go.
Pool Nation was developed by Cherry Pop Games and was released on PS3, XBox 360 and Steam in 2013
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