World Pool Championship 2D Review

Costas Stephanides’s Review

Takes pool games to another level.

Pool and snooker have been a mainstay of mobile games since they began. Apart from different coloured balls and a few rule changes, the mobile games were interchangeable. World Pool Championship looks to create the ultimate pool experience and totally distinguish itself from its Imperial predecessor.

Pool is a very different beast to Snooker, most debates about Snooker players revolve around the players' tactics, speed and composure. The fast paced game of pool isn't concerned with these attributes. It's more about who's got the biggest shot and who can control the cue ball the most. It's a subtle difference but an important one that Iplay and Blade have picked up on to create a unique Pool game.

The game format is pretty standard and has championships, arcade and trickshots. WPC does have licensed players and more importantly assigns them individual attributes (power, spin & accuracy). You can really feel the difference between two players and enables you to pick a player that suits your style.

The ball physics are excellent and once again WPC have scored brownie points for their execution. The motion of the cue ball as it spins back after a cue shot is very realistic - the ball will be stationary for a second while the spin takes effect. The pockets are like buckets so potting isn't too difficult. This is the 2D version where the game is played from above. As you might expect, there is a pointer to show the direction of the object ball. Press 4 or 6 to direct the pointer and 7 or 9 for fine adjustment.

Unlike other games, you don't have to confirm your spin. This helps to speed the whole process up and increases the pool experience. If you want to add spin, these can be accessed by pressing * and the cue angle by #. The power is selected by a constantly moving power bar. After playing with a few different characters, you can really see how the attributes affect every aspect of your game.

The only thing missing from this 2D version is the ability to create a new character and gradually upgrade his attributes. Apart from that, this is as good as a 2D pool game can get. A 3D version is due to be released and we'll be sure to get our hands on that as well.