On home consoles the sport of billiards is fairly underrepresented, and on the Gamecube it’s just about nonexistent. Sure, there’s that great Monkey Billiards mini-game found in Super Monkey Ball, but if you’re a hardcore pool player that only owns a Cube, you may have passed up on the game because of its supremely high cuteness factor. Or maybe you just have a mild to moderate case of pithikosphobia (that’s fear of monkeys, folks). Well, famed game designer Archer Maclean is coming to the rescue of the pool-deprived, monkey fearing Gamecube crowd with the best console billiards game to date. Awesome Studios’ stellar Pool Paradise is a top-shelf title you’ll want to rack up as soon as you see it at your favorite game shop. It’s serious pool with an arcade-like pick up and play vibe and a somewhat skewed sense of humor wrapped up in a warm tropical flair. Grab your hat, sunglasses, and tanning lotion, get yourself a pint and set a spell while I go over the highs and lows for you.
Pool Paradise features 5 gameplay modes, 10 tournament types, 11 gameplay variants, 19 different tables (11 regular and 8 trick shot), and a simply amazing array of unlockables and bonuses. There’s an awful lot of gameplay packed on that little disc, and if you’ve even the slightest interest in the sport you’ll want to check this one out just to see how well designed much of the game is. The presentation here is decidedly unique to say the least: When you fire up the game you choose your name and character “passport” picture, then it’s off to the island, where you wash up with no money and jonesing for some hot six-pocket action. A quick visit to the local loan shark (who happens to be a real talking shark, complete with gangster fedora, desk, and file cabinet) nets you some cash, and then it’s off to play some pool. Well, almost. You’ll definitely want to hit the beach and stroll around the island courtesy of the sweet 3D map. Initially you’ll only find the Reception, Practice, Competition, and island Shop open to you. Everything else needs to be unlocked with the winnings you’ll (hopefully) rack up.
The 11 pool games here are the common 6, 9, and 10 Ball, US and UK 8 Ball, 14 to 1 Continuous, 15 Ball, and the uncommon Bowlliards (pool + bowling), Killer (1 missed shot loses a life), Rotation (a points scoring game), and Switchball, created just for this game. Switchball is basically US 8 Ball with a twist: If you or your opponent sink the Switchball, you have to switch from solids to stripes (or vice versa). All the pool variations are excellent, but oddly enough the game only supports two players with no online support (something the Cube could definitely use more of). It’s a bit puzzling why the game wasn’t programmed for up to 4 players (or more alternating between controllers), especially if you hit your local pool hall and see multiple folks playing on the same table and having a blast. I guess Awesome wanted to go by official pro tournament rules and/or keep the gameplay moving at a rapid clip, but not taking advantage of those extra controller ports is a no-no. This is one of those games that deserves as wide an audience as possible, not just the pool fanatic with a twin stuck indoors on a stormy day.
Even if you’re a veteran of video game pool, I personally recommend hitting the Practice table for a spell just to check out the great, intuitive controls and rock-solid pool physics. You use the analog Control Stick to move the cue right or left and change the elevation of the game camera, and move the cue back and forth by holding A plus the analog stick. This determines the power of your shot, and you can use the D-pad to choose just where you’ll hit the ball. The B button is used to cycle through 4 different pre-shot selections (aiming, ball movement, viewpoint control, and ball/pocket nominating), and the C stick moves the game’s free camera around. You can also use R and the Control Stick to zoom in or out, a Z and D-pad combo to select from 8 different camera angles, and L and the D-pad for a certain little surprise you’ll come across later once you make a bit of progress in the game. Finally, the X button is used to undo a shot or re-spawn balls on Practice table or to check bets during the main game. Bets, you say? Yup, you earn money in Pool Paradise by defeating opponents in the Competition mode, in side tournaments you’ll come across while competing, or by accepting side bets on certain tough shots. The tricky part is, it costs money to get into and stay in the competition, so you have to get really good really fast or else you’ll be visiting that loan shark again and again, which isn’t recommended. You can also run out of loot by going hog wild in the Shop, what with the rather unique items and gadgets you can purchase to help your game. Let’s just say you may think there’s a gun shooting range somewhere on the island, even though there isn’t...
You and your competitors are represented by some pretty dicey-looking characters in small portraits in the corners of the screen and by floating hands onscreen. It’s a bit weird at first, but the hands are so expressive and well animated that you’ll probably get over any reservations you’ll initially feel. I think the fact that I took art classes some years back made me appreciate the hands all the more. However, some of the corny player names, the occasional groaner of a taunt or comment, and the art style the portraits are done in feel forced. It’s almost as if the developers reached for a stack of Mad magazines for inspiration and grabbed the Cracked pile instead. But the strained humor here is a fairly minor flaw when you consider the big picture. Once you start earning enough cash to unlock stuff, you’ll probably be too hooked to care anyway. Some of the unlockables are cool items like special cues, baizes for the tables you’ll play on, some wild tables (and game variations), and other indoor and outdoor bar games like Darts, Skeeball, Coconut Shy (coconut bowling…with a cannon!) and even Archer Maclean’s arcade classic, Dropzone. Now, I hadn’t played Dropzone in years, so when I finally got the thing unlocked (for £5000) I ended up spending way too much time reminiscing at the tough, fast paced Defender-like gameplay and forgot about reviewing the main game for a bit. I’m still pretty terrible at Dropzone, by the way - those hours were spent reliving the pain and suffering of my untalented youth. Maybe my eyes are just going bad after all these years in front of a TV or monitor playing games.
Bad eyes or not, one thing that’s clear to see is that Pool Paradise looks pretty damn good. The island setting is lush and fairly well detailed, swaying palms and all. Think Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball or Summer Heat without the bouncy babes and cheap sexual innuendo, and you’re close. There’s a day/night cycle here that makes for a pretty challenging game of Darts, and all of the lighting and shadow effects are quite lovely. There are loads of little touches you might miss if you’re not paying attention (play around with the camera choices and also take a peek at the end of your cue every now and then), and some of the baizes are quite funny. As mentioned above, the pool physics and animated hands are fantastic, and overall, these are what you’ll come back to the game for again and again. Granted, there’s a definite slick PC-ish quality to the visuals, but I’d rather see a game that looked too polished rather than one full of little annoyances that detract from the overall enjoyment. Sound effects and music are fun and lively without being too distracting. The game has a nice ambient score that’s almost too relaxing at times, but you’ll be so concentrated on winning whatever match you’re playing that you won’t mind too much. Besides, you can always lower the volume and tweak just about everything else on the Options screen.
Other than the lack of more than 2-player support or online play and the character art, there’s really nothing that should stop you from trying out Pool Paradise. Of course, some folks will pass it up because it’s “only” a pool game, and on the “lowly” Gamecube at that, but one of my philosophies on reviewing games is a simple one. It’s really hard to knock a game no matter what the genre if it’s done well, and Pool Paradise is really done well, and an instant classic. If you’re into pool it’s a must-purchase, hands down. If you’re on the fence and curious, give it a rental and be prepared to end up buying it before you spend more than the purchase price checking the game out every couple of days. JS
