Archer Maclean's Pool Paradise (GameCube) - Reviews

(4.8)

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1.6.2004

Archer Maclean, like my other favourite throwback programmer Jeff Minter has been programming games, it seems, ever since I've been playing them. They both have stuck to a certain non-commercial groove, I remember his 8bit IK+ like an old friend, Jimmy Whites Whirlwind Snooker on the ST with glee and now the game cube is graced with a mind boggling array of Pool games at a semi-budget price, you think I'd be happy now...Well, I am... in a mild sort of way.Pool Paradise on the Gamecube does indeed offer dozens of highly accurate pool games, as well as the now expected extras such as Darts and Dropzone (Mr Maclean's old school shooter). It's a terrific way to pass time solo or multi player and the extras are an added distraction.The controls are a little odd, sure, but you do get used to them after a short while and the analogue cueing works very well, once or twice it did seem to call a foul when a perfectly legal pot was sunk, perhaps this was down to my rule interpretation rather than an in game bug. It would be nice if their was an option to make the ball number more visible at times, sometimes you have to take a break from what you are doing and zoom in on a ball just to see it's number, then zoom back out and back into potting mode.The main problem lies in (and I hate to say this as I've argued time and time again gameplay over graphics) the lack of polish or should that be Gamecube native polish applied to the package as a whole.The whole caboodle, from the loading screens to the menus, to the environment to the games, looks like a late 90s PC game running on a with a cheap graphics card. While this doesn't effect the actual gameplay too much you certainly don't feel like you are immersed in paradise or even a modern game. DOA-Beach Volleyball it isn't. The waves, the volcano, the beach fauna are all pretty shoddy by todays particle waving standards. Apart from the joypad mapping it looks like it was dumped straight down from a PC with graphic settings set to low. It doesn't seem to exploit any of the Gamecubes custom power.The game characters too are a motley bunch, embarrassing puns and working mens club levels of sophistication abound. All told it does play a very good game of Pool, and you will get your moneys worth out of it gameplay wise. But I was expecting so much more from an inventive programmer who has had the basics of ball physics licked since the 90s (you can use that for one of the in game characters if you want guys). I suppose lush graphics combined with poor gameplay would have been a far worse, for which we should be grateful.More polish even if it meant pushing the price up a notch might have been a good idea, here's to a sequel (but I won't keep my fingers crossed).PROS:* Excellent ball physics - plays a realistic game.* Loads of games and tables.* Nice Analogue cuing control.* Semi-Budget priceCONS:* Looks like a straight PC Port.* Semi-offensive "humour".* Manual could have been better.SUMMARY:Plays an excellent game of pool for a very decent price. But doesn't push any gamecube boundaries. One for the Dads.GAMEPLAY: 8/10SOUND: 7/10GRAPHICS: 5/10LASTABILITY: 9/10OVERALL: 7/10