Review: MVR Pool 2
Score:
90%
Version Reviewed: 2
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Version number jumps in the computer industry can be a bit of a con. You know the sort of thing. New! Window Scrubber 7.0! When all that's changed are a few preference panels and new About screens because the developer got bought out.
Noumena's Mobile VR Pool 2 is nothing of the sort. The first clue is that its Symbian application ID is different, something developers never, ever change when simply upgrading a program. The second clue is that your old Pool registration code now no longer works.
But don't feel ripped off, this could be the best $15 you've ever spent. Pool 2 isn't perfect, but it is generations ahead of the original. To refresh your memory, Mobile VR Pool had a novel 3D engine but, even in the registered version, felt more like a demo, with a claustrophobic 3D interface in which it was difficult to see much of the table at any one time, with balls that fell into pockets when simply within smelling range, poor computer AI, no configurability whatsoever, and a cue power control that wrapped around from 100% to 0% and meant that many power shots accidentally turned into feeble prods.
All (yes, all) of these defects have been well and truly rectified in Pool 2, with an (optional) spectacular moving vantage point, with the camera swinging round the table to show you the action as it happens. Two packed screens of options let you change everything from trace/object ball lines to sound to cue/table/background colours to difficulty level, and so on. And, in addition to the usual 9 ball and 15 ball (
Best of all, Pool 2 is now far more playable. It’s easier to line up shots (with aiming lines that can be nudged by different amounts according to how far off centre you tap the screen), easier to take in your position on the table with a single glance and far, far harder to win. This last point is important; on ‘Easy’, the game is quite playable for complete beginners, even if takes a while. On ‘Hard’ or, God forbid, ‘Extreme’, the computer AI is so good that you’ll be reduced to the role of Graham Dott watching helplessly while Ronnie O’Sullivan cleans up in front of your eyes. In our tests, Pool 2 was quite capable of knocking in final scores of over 100.
All of which means that you’ll keep coming back to Pool 2 for one more go, trying to beat your P800/P900 on your chosen setting. Even sinking a few good long pots is tremendously satisfying! A final plaudit for Pool 2 is that, even though running on the Magic Game Station runtime, you lose no game information by switching away to another app, answering a phone call, etc. You simply pick up exactly where you left off, at a later date.
The only problem with Pool 2 is that the developers haven't implemented the rules of the game(s) terribly accurately, with fouls being handled unrealistically, meaning that you can 'cheat' if you feel the need. Still, the overall experience is just so satisfying that even the rules of the game can be bent a little if it means more time on the table...
Is this the best handheld Pool game ever? Not quite, that honour goes to Megasoft2000’s Billiards on Palm OS. Is this the only decent Pool for UIQ? Yes, although the Greek Team’s humble top-down version (8-Ball) is worthy of encouragement, too (drop him a line), if only because a simpler, less flashy, top-down viewpoint gives you more chance to develop strategy and skill.
Reviewed by Steve Litchfield at