Virtual Pool

Virtual Pool is a 3D, first-person sports simulation video game series with computer simulations of cue sports which was developed by Celeris. The games in the series simulate pool, snooker and carom billiards. The Virtual Pool series focuses on accurate simulation and improving the player's ability to play the sport in real life. Virtual Pool releases are sold with a money back guarantee to improve a player's external game.[1] The series should not be confused with Hudson Soft's Virtual Soccer.

Virtual Pool Series
Box art for Virtual Pool 4
Developer(s)Celeris
Publisher(s)Interplay Productions, Crave Entertainment, Global Star Software, Celeris
Platform(s)PC, Mac, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, iOS, Android

Overview

The main selling point of the Virtual Pool-series games is that they were designed and tested by programmers, physicists and professional players. According to the game box, its simulation was "guaranteed to improve your actual pool play or your money back".[1][2] The series was endorsed by professional players Mike Sigel and Jeanette Lee and equipment manufacturers Viking Cues, Imperial International, Schön Custom Cues, Creative Innovations and Joss Cues.[1][3]

The games' graphics capabilities vary by platform to platform, but their environmental realism (such as a pool hall) is on par with the graphics in other contemporary rendered games (like first-person shooters). The games' use of first-person perspective, rather than using an overhead view, contributed to the series' success.[4]

The complexity of the games increased over time, from Virtual Pool's four game types to Virtual Pool 4's 18 pool games on championship and bar tables, snooker, English billiards, four carom games and four pub pool eight-ball games. Other improvements included more venues and computerized opponents, equipment-upgrade purchases, customizable tables, video tutorials, two career-play modes and a trick-shot library. Online capability includes pool rooms with multiple players and spectators, tournaments, ladders, a social network with player profiles, friends, statistics and shot uploads.

Series
Release timeline
1995Virtual Pool
1996Virtual Snooker
1997Virtual Pool 2
1998Virtual Pool 64
1999Virtual Pool Hall
2000Virtual Pool 3
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005Virtual Pool: Tournament Edition
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010Virtual Pool Online HD
2011
2012Virtual Pool Mobile
Virtual Pool 4
2013
2014Virtual Pool 4: Multiplayer

Celeris, creators of the Virtual Pool franchise, created their first title (FlixMix, a DOS jigsaw puzzle game) in 1993.[5] After this release, Celeris published their first 3D game (Virtual Pool) in 1995. The game had four pool modes: straight pool, eight-ball, nine-ball and rotation pool.[6] With pool world champion Lou Butera, it guaranteed to improve the player's pool game (a guarantee which continued through the main-series Virtual Pool titles).[7]

The game was successful, and Virtual Pool 2 (with a wider range of pool games, including three-ball and bank pool) was produced in 1997. Virtual Pool 2, with improved graphics, was released exclusively for PC. Over 120 AI opponents and online multiplayer capability were introduced, with Mike Sigil joining Butera for this game.

The following year's Virtual Pool Hall for Windows contained graphics and game modes similar to Virtual Pool 2 and features which would be retained in Virtual Pool 3, including a snooker mode (adapted from Virtual Snooker) and the series' first carom billiards mode.[8] The game contained instructional videos similar to VP2's, performed by world champion Mike Sigel.[9]

Virtual Pool 3 was released in 2000 for PC, but was later ported to the PlayStation and PlayStation Network. VP3 featured snooker, carom and billiards games in addition to pool. The game, endorsed by women's world champion Jeanette Lee, was released and distributed by Interplay Entertainment and Global Star Software. It received the highest Metacritic score of any main-series title (see Reception).

More than eleven years after VP3, Virtual Pool 4 was released; in the interim, many patches were released for VP3. Virtual Pool 4 had two releases: a single-player and offline multiplayer version in 2012 and an online multiplayer variant, Virtual Pool 4 Multiplayer, in 2015.[10][11] Virtual Pool 4 (in both versions) was later released on Steam after a period on Steam Greenlight.[12]

Virtual Pool 4 has mode and graphical upgrades from its previous incarnation (including snooker, billiards and pool modes) and the ability to change table size and handicaps for certain players. The game also has a trick shot mode, with standard trick shots and the ability to set up new ones.

Spin-off and ported games

Although it is primarily a PC game,[lower-alpha 1] console versions have been released. Celeris released Virtual Snooker, a snooker game with the same engine as Virtual Pool, in 1996.[13] It contained only snooker games (no pool).

Screenshot of straight pool from the handheld Virtual Pool Mobile

After the release of Virtual Pool 2, Celeris worked with VR Sports to produce a game for the Nintendo 64.[14] The game was released in 1998 as Virtual Pool 64,[15] using the same naming convention as Super Mario 64, and Goldeneye 64. With gameplay and modes similar to Virtual Pool 2, it was condensed to fit on a cartridge.

The series' first Xbox console version, Virtual Pool: Tournament Edition[16] (ported by Ingram Entertainment), was released in 2006. It contained a career mode which would later develop into the hustle-tour mode in Virtual Pool 4,[17] the iPad and iPhone game Virtual Pool Online HD (ported by Fried Green Apps in 2010)[18] andVirtual Pool Mobile, an Android 2.2+ version released in 2012 by Celeris.[19][20][21]

Releases
Games by year, publisher, and platform
Title Year Publisher Platform(s)
Console Computer Mobile
Virtual Pool 1995 Interplay Productions PlayStation PC, Mac & DOS
Virtual Snooker 1996 Interplay Productions PC
Virtual Pool 2 1997 VR Sports PC
Virtual Pool 64 1998 Crave Entertainment Nintendo 64
Virtual Pool Hall 1999 Interplay Software PC
Virtual Pool 3 2000 Interplay Entertainment
Global Star Software		 PlayStation, PlayStation 3[lower-alpha 2] PC
Virtual Pool: Tournament Edition 2005 Global Star Software Xbox
Virtual Pool Mobile 2012 Interplay Entertainment iPhone,[lower-alpha 3] iPad[lower-alpha 3] & Android
Virtual Pool 4 2012 Celeris PC iPad

Reception
Aggregate review scores
Game Year GameRankings Metacritic
Virtual Pool 1995 75% [22]
Virtual Snooker 1996 67%[23]
Virtual Pool 2 1997 73% [24]
Virtual Pool 64 1998 65% [25]
Virtual Pool Hall 1999 78% [26]
Virtual Pool 3 2000 85%[27] 82%[28]
Virtual Pool: Tournament Edition 2006 61% [29] 62% [30]
Virtual Pool 4 2012

The Virtual Pool series has received a moderate-to-good reception from critics, with Virtual Pool 3 the highest-rated game.[31] A GameSpot review of Virtual Pool Hall praised its game mechanics, particularly the ball-collision physics.[8] Virtual Pool 2 received a perfect score (100) from the German PC Player magazine.[32] However, some reviews of the series called the games "boring" due to the nature of pool simulation.

Awards

Virtual Pool was voted the Best Sports Game of 1995 by PC Gamer US[33] and the 1995 Game of the Year by Games magazine.[34] Virtual Pool 2 was a finalist for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 1997 Personal Computer Sports Game of the Year award,[35] which was won by FIFA: Road to World Cup 98.[36]

Notes
  1. Whilst games in the Virtual Pool franchise do appear on other platforms (generally PlayStation), the games were created for PC and Macintosh, then ported to other systems. The games are designed for keyboard and mouse controls.
  2. The game was released originally for PlayStation in 2003, but was later released on PSN in 2010 for PlayStation 3
  3. Known as Virtual Pool Online, or Virtual Pool HD.
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References
  1. Virtual Pool 3. Beverly Hills, CA: Interplay Entertainment. 2000. Box cover; Instruction Manual.
  2. "Bits & Bytes: The Enter*Active File". Billboard. July 1995. p. 66.
  3. "Virtual Pool 3 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  4. Newman, Jeff (December 1995). "Bosses Bound and Gagged, Now Let the Games Begin". Network Computing. 6 (16): 32.
  5. "FlixMix". MobyGames. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  6. Desjardins, Dawn (1998). CD-ROMs in Print 1998. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. p. 940. ISBN 0-7876-1059-3.
  7. "Bits & Bytes: The Enter*Active File". Billboard. July 1995. p. 66.
  8. "Virtual Pool Hall Review". GameSpot. January 18, 2000. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  9. "Virtual Pool Hall review". IGN. February 1, 2000. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  10. "Latest News". 9Ball.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  11. "Sports Games: Virtual Pool 4 Multiplayer". Store.SteamPowered.com. Steam. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  12. "Steam Greenlight: Virtual Pool 4". SteamCommunity.com. Steam. Archived from the original on 2017-12-25. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  13. "Virtual Snooker Review". GameSpot. San Francisco: CNET Networks. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  14. Taruc, Nelson (January 29, 1999). "Virtual Pool 64 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 5, 2006. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
  15. "Virtual Pool 64 (Nintendo 64)". MobyGames. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  16. "Virtual Pool Tournament Edition (Xbox Only)". Amazon.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  17. "Virtual Pool: Tournament Edition, Ingram Entertainment". IGN UK. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  18. "Virtual Pool Online HD, Friend Green Apps". IGN. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  19. "Virtual Pool Mobile by Celeris Inc". Amazon.com. August 24, 2011. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  20. "Virtual Pool Mobile". Android Play Store. Google. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  21. Hartley, Adam. "Apple lists top 20 free and paid-for iPhone apps". TechRadar. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  22. "Virtual Pool for PC". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  23. "Virtual Snooker for PC". Game Rankings. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  24. "Virtual Pool 2 for PC". Game Rankings. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  25. "Virtual Pool 64 for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  26. "Virtual Pool Hall for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  27. "Virtual Pool for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  28. "Virtual pool 3 for PC". Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  29. "Virtual Pool: Tournament Edition on Xbox". GameRankings. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  30. "Virtual Pool: Tournament Edition for Xbox". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  31. "Virtual Pool 3 for PC". GameRankings. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  32. "Critic Score PC Player". MobyGames. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  33. Editors (March 1996). "The Year's Best Games". PC Gamer US. Vol. 3 no. 3. pp. 64, 65, 67, 68, 71, 73–75.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  34. "GAMES Game Awards – 1991–2004 Games of the Year". GamesMagazine-Online.com. Kappa Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  35. "The Award; Award Updates". Interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  36. "Award Updates". Interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
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