They should also help with anyone's game in the real world too - such is their usefulness. The second main improvement is on the multiplayer side of things. In this day and age we expect to be able to play most games online, and Virtual Pool 3 is incredibly easy to play against other humans across the Internet.
Using a free program called GameSpy Arcade you can hunt down Virtual Pool 3 games quickly and easily, then challenge like-minded players to take you on. There are few lag problems when playing over a 56K modem connection, so games are smooth and flow property.
And, if you can't find someone who's playing the type of game you want to play, you can set up a challenge yourself. Even easier, though, is playing a multiplayer game around one machine with a load of mates. Virtual Pool 3 really is an excellent multiplayer game - just like the real thing. Moving away from the multiplayer side of things for the moment, it must be said that Virtual Pool 3 is also the ideal game for those without any friends, because there are literally hundreds of singleplayer options too.
The most important single-player game is Career mode. In this you create a player and take them on a money-winning tour of six themed pool halls. Early opponents are easy to beat, but wager little money on their games. Later opponents wager thousands on every game, though, and are capable of fleecing you of all that you've earned.
As with most things in life, success at Virtual Pool 3 is linked directly to practice and confidence. As you play more games you get better at judging angles and delivering power, and as you get better you become less worried about betting large sums of money against the crime de la creme of VP3s computer opponents. Spending days building up your winnings, only to lose in one game is a sickening feeling, so you're advised to put in plenty of practice before attempting to beat them.
In total there are 18 different types of pool games on offer, two billiards games and a proper snooker mode. And those looking to broaden their pool horizons will be able to indulge themselves in ball; One pocket; Bank pool; 6-ball; 3-ball; etcetera, etcetera -every game of pool imaginable except, for some strange reason, Killer, which was in VP2. Unfortunately, the developers chose not to include any help with the rules for all these different games, so on occasion you won't know what's going on if you're playing a game the rules of which you're not familiar with.
Despite this oversight MP3 is a must-have title for pool fanatics. The graphics, ball physics and sound are absolutely spot-on. There's little or nothing to criticise. It's addictive stuff, too - especially when you get a taste for money in Career mode. Still, the actual gameplay remains almost completely unchanged. Granted, the original game was almost flawless in how it depicted billiards.
Using the mouse as the primary control device, you can position the cue at almost any angle, adjust your view of the game, and smack the cue ball into the field with very little effort. The game has an extremely short learning curve. Amazingly, the series has always re-created the game of pool so well that your ability in real-life will probably carry over to the virtual game.
The question comes down to this: Is the new version really worth buying? How you answer depends on how much you like pool and whether you own one of the first three games. For pool fanatics, there are a lot of additions that will probably help improve your game and keep you happy when you can't get out to the local pool hall we'll cover the updates in a moment.
For those who have never tried a Virtual Pool game, it is easily one of the best simulations of any recreational sport and it puts most sports simulations of any sort to shame. Casual fans who own any of the predecessors might want to pass, however. As good as the gameplay is, things haven't changed that much in the past few years.
The most significant addition to the series is Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee, the powerhouse pool phenom who has been ranked either number one or in the top ten for the past five years by the WPBA. It's no coincidence that Virtual Pool 3 was released while WPBA tournaments are underway including the California Classic, which is running on ESPN2 as I write this or that the public attention has turned to indoor sports as the long cold winter begins.
Lee adds a sultry side to the game of pool since she is decked out in black leather and obviously enjoyed spicing things up in her many video segments. All of her training videos are short, but they might give you some good tips for playing the real game. Of course, you'll quickly realize that Lee's presence has nothing to do with the actual gameplay unless you happen to play through the entire career mode and challenge her to a game at the end.
Welcome to the Black Widow's lair. Career mode is where most veteran players will go first. Taking its cues excuse the pun from popular console games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 , this setting allows you to advance through various tournaments.
Along the way, you'll be able to upgrade your equipment, take on increasingly tougher opponents, and unlock new locations. This might sound okay, but there are a few things missing. For one, there doesn't seem to be any difference between the computer opponents other than minor variations in their abilities. If the game intends to be more realistic, then each of the opponents should have some kind of personality and character traits.
While each location is distinct from the grimy maintenance garage all the way to Jeanette Lee's own beach house , the players in each room all seem the same. Each room has a boss that you must beat in order to advance, but you won't be able to tell the differences between any of them because they don't appear players are once again represented by floating pool cues or speak during the game.
Essentially, the AI just gets gradually harder with each new room. Some players seem to have a unique playing style. Some tend to put way too much power into every shot in single player, you can customize one of about 20 AI options. The more games you win, the more cash you will accumulate. You can upgrade your cue stick as well, and there is something compelling about hoarding a bunch of cash as you win.
Still, the gameplay itself never actually changes as you advance. Some of the action on the pool table has been tweaked. I noticed that some shots seemed to react differently than in previous releases, and my power shots would either work exceptionally well sinking more balls than I was aiming for or would send my target over the lip of the table. There seemed to be more animations that would kick in after shots, although this is one small area where the game still seems to be lacking: there's an animation for a fast moving ball, a slow moving ball, and a ball spinning wildly out of control -- but not much more.
In previous releases, I sometimes thought the ball would stop too soon, but that problem has been solved here. Straight pool for some big bucks. As was mentioned earlier, there are many options available for setting up your shot. In addition to controlling the view and angle, you can configure any english spin played on the shot, reposition on the cue ball to control your eventual shape, and enable a handy tracking option that shows you where your shot will go and what will happen to your target.
Tracking is not a new feature, but it's easily the best option for learning the game. Of course, tracking makes the game way too easy and is only available when you're playing alone. Whether you're in the Career or Quick Play modes, you can select from various game types that include straight pool, 9-ball, 8-ball, the more eclectic Cribbage and Bowlliards games, plus many more.
Just about any game you've ever heard of is included here. Graphics have been tweaked, but they still have a somewhat cartoony look to them. What's missing is some texturing on the pool table itself, which appears too much like a one-color green mat.
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