Publisher: Hudson

Genre: Sports

Wii Points: 500

Rating: Fair

Here is another game that could have fared a lot better if Nintendo games had a more interactive online mode.  There is nothing here that is too wrong.  It’s just that if you weren’t a fan of pool before this game, there is no reason to believe you’ll enjoy this.

The graphics are fine for a WiiWare title.  Sure they could have been more exciting, but let’s face it, this is pool.  The controls were satisfactory.  As with a lot of Wii games, I found myself cursing at the Wiimote once in a while wondering why some shots that I thought would turn out better ended up going nowhere.  But overall, the Wiimote gets the job done here.  The sound effects seem okay.  The music could have been a lot more exciting and varied, but it’s really no big deal.

What is hurting this title and all Nintendo games is that you can’t communicate with people online yet again.  Cue Sports is begging for some sort of lobby system where you can text each other before and after a match!  If it had that feature, I might have fully recommended the title.  But if you play a random match online as it is, you can’t even see the name of your opponent while you are playing!  There is just something wrong with these asinine restrictions Nintendo puts on the Wii’s online games.  Pool is not that exciting to play in a video game format, but if you could interact with people while doing it, the value would be ten times higher.

When all is said and done, this is an average game.  There is nothing grossly wrong about anything.  There are enough features and game modes to keep people who can’t get enough of sticks and a green table happy.  But if this wasn’t your type of thing in the first place, it won’t be here.