60 Second Review of…

Virtual Pool 3

Tom's Review: I'm awful at pool. Just awful. I'm awful at anything that involves the physics of throwing, kicking, rolling, or bouncing things. Tennis, football, kickball, Smear the Queer, all that stuff. But I have long appreciated the Virtual Pool series for allowing me to be awful in the privacy of my own home. The basics of the series haven't changed much. This is the same interface and physics of Celeris' first Virtual Pool -- top notch serious sim stuff with accurate real world limits (e.g. you can't angle the cue down through physical obstacles like the side of the table) and it's just as much fun to play around with as it has been all along. What has changed from version to version are the incidentals: graphics, career modes, celebrity endorsements. In Virtual Pool 3, the graphics glisten sharp and lovely, with nary a jagged edge along those round balls. The career mode slopes gently so I can actually climb a level or two. And with all due resepect to Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee, she's absolutely adorable when she tries to look all tough and streetwise. If only there were a sound bite in which she says, "Shoot pool, Fast Tommy".

Mark's Review: Tom says this is a sim, but when I play my eyes don't water from the cigarette smoke and if I want cheap, watered-down beer I have to buy some Schlitz and mix in some tap water. Worse, drunk chicks don't flirt with me when I play Virtual Pool 3, which is about the only kind who ever do, so this isn't the pool hall experience I'm used to. That said, the physics in this game do feel a lot like a real pool table. The balls go where I expect them to go — close to the pocket, but not actually in, since that's my pool game. It's a good hotseat game too, since it plays fast and it's not some weird fantasy game with purple creatures that you'll have to explain to your friends. I guess the real question is, do you want to play pool on your computer? If yes, then this is the game to get.

Publisher: Interplay
Developer: Celeris
Genre: Pool
Requirements: P233, 32MB RAM, 200MB hard drive space

February 5, 2001

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