Billiards, as the title suggests, is a billiards game. The game features a Pocket Game mode and a Trick Shot Game mode. There is also a tutorial mode where the mechanics of the game are explained to the player.
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I spent a couple of my teenage years in what could charitably be called a "vocational school." It was a bit a lot more complicated than that, but it's also not worth elaborating on in a review for a budget PS1 billiards game. There wasn't much to do there recreationally speaking, but the rec center did have a pool hall, and so - wanting to stay out of trouble and have something to do - I got waaay into playing pool. My obsession ran so deep that I was even playing pool in class, taking advantage of blind spots in the computer lab to sneak onto a flash website and get in a little time with a particularly good top-down billiards game. If there's two things my time as this facility has made me an expert in, it's cigarette-based economies and playing pool.
Naturally, when I see a billiards video game, old compulsions start to kick in and I become overwhelmed with a desire to try them. Billiards is an A1 published game, and part of the same low-budget "Simple Series" of titles that Backloggd favorite Shooter Starfighter Sanvein belongs to, which was all the more reason to dump about 12 dollars on a new-old copy. The temptation is still very much there to just buy every game in this series... I mean how expensive could a new copy of Battle Hunter or Racing be? Probably like, 14 dollars (that's 28 cigarettes.)
Unfortunately, Billiards shows its budget much more than Sanvein did. There are 10 different modes to choose from, including very standard stuff like 8-ball to more unique modes like Bowlliards, which is a sort of fusion of bowling and billiards. There are four AI opponents to play against by default with three additional characters to unlock, though I don't know how the hell you get them because I'm too busy getting my shit pushed in by Jean in 14.1 Continuous. Really, any AI opponent other than Leonard likes to do this fun thing where they whiff really easy shots, then break out Lucille and run the entire game back in like, a turn. If you're skilled enough you can clear a table before the AI decides to get "real" on you, but a poor camera and sense of offness to the physics are an ever-present encumbrance. Billiards is a simple game of geography, but Billiards is a video game, and that means playing by different laws entirely. I can sink a ball into a pocket from around the table in real life, but in Billiards I totally miss the mark, scratch the cue ball, my pants fall down, and I go home to find my wife in bed with another man. Every time. Every time.
Games are also far less fluid than they ought to be, mostly due to how frequently it needs to load or to let the AI "think," which is can occasionally get stuck doing, requiring you to reset the console. I checked the manual, and it didn't mention anything about "Jean's nefarious traps," so I don't think that's a feature. You cannot simply line up your shot and follow through in one smooth motion either. No, determining where you'll strike and with how much force is just the paperwork you have to fill out, you then need to send it away and wait 8 to 12 weeks for the game to respond.
There are worse looking games in Simple Series, and maybe I'll try those at some point. Despite Billiards being so mediocre, I remain curious about titles like Card Games and Top Shop. Not that I need to get them to prove I'm Backloggd's number one A1 Games fan, which I have firmly established by reviewing more than Sanvein.
Naturally, when I see a billiards video game, old compulsions start to kick in and I become overwhelmed with a desire to try them. Billiards is an A1 published game, and part of the same low-budget "Simple Series" of titles that Backloggd favorite Shooter Starfighter Sanvein belongs to, which was all the more reason to dump about 12 dollars on a new-old copy. The temptation is still very much there to just buy every game in this series... I mean how expensive could a new copy of Battle Hunter or Racing be? Probably like, 14 dollars (that's 28 cigarettes.)
Unfortunately, Billiards shows its budget much more than Sanvein did. There are 10 different modes to choose from, including very standard stuff like 8-ball to more unique modes like Bowlliards, which is a sort of fusion of bowling and billiards. There are four AI opponents to play against by default with three additional characters to unlock, though I don't know how the hell you get them because I'm too busy getting my shit pushed in by Jean in 14.1 Continuous. Really, any AI opponent other than Leonard likes to do this fun thing where they whiff really easy shots, then break out Lucille and run the entire game back in like, a turn. If you're skilled enough you can clear a table before the AI decides to get "real" on you, but a poor camera and sense of offness to the physics are an ever-present encumbrance. Billiards is a simple game of geography, but Billiards is a video game, and that means playing by different laws entirely. I can sink a ball into a pocket from around the table in real life, but in Billiards I totally miss the mark, scratch the cue ball, my pants fall down, and I go home to find my wife in bed with another man. Every time. Every time.
Games are also far less fluid than they ought to be, mostly due to how frequently it needs to load or to let the AI "think," which is can occasionally get stuck doing, requiring you to reset the console. I checked the manual, and it didn't mention anything about "Jean's nefarious traps," so I don't think that's a feature. You cannot simply line up your shot and follow through in one smooth motion either. No, determining where you'll strike and with how much force is just the paperwork you have to fill out, you then need to send it away and wait 8 to 12 weeks for the game to respond.
There are worse looking games in Simple Series, and maybe I'll try those at some point. Despite Billiards being so mediocre, I remain curious about titles like Card Games and Top Shop. Not that I need to get them to prove I'm Backloggd's number one A1 Games fan, which I have firmly established by reviewing more than Sanvein.