Nerdicus NES Review #124: Championship Pool

Title : Championship Pool

Publisher : Mindscape

Developer : Bitmasters

Genre : Pool

Players : 1 / 2 Players

Release Date : 1993

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $2-$4

On our last episode of NERDICUS NES REVIEWS, we tackled Championship Bowling. Sporting our mighty pornstache, we were knocking down pins left and right, tackling those turkeys and landing those strikes. Meh, not really. But it wasn't too bad. We move away from our wrist brace ways and slip our gloves on for some Championship Pool.

I think I brought this up the last time I reviewed a pool game, but I'm too lazy to go back and check, but I am quite the pool hustler. Grew up with a pool table in my basement, and my friends and I would play almost nightly. When you're 16 and you have access to a pool table and a full service bar right downstairs, well you're going to take advantage of that. 

Now we've got Pool on the NES....again. This should be another quicky, but let's see if this game offers anything different. If it doesn't, I'm escaping on my lunch break and going to an actual pool hall to gain back these lost minutes of my life.

Side note - do you know what would make a good addition to any pool game? The ability to perform trick shots. Not sure how that would work in a game, but you know, would be cool to watch. Minecraft of pool, eh?

One thing is for sure, this game has a LOT of variations of pool. Much more than the last one we played. Here's what we have to choose from. It's mad, I tell you. MAD!

1. Eight Ball
2. Nine Ball
3. Three Ball
4. Ten Ball
5. Fifteen Ball
6. Straight Pool
7. Rotation
8. Equal Offense
9. Speed Pool

You'll also have your choice of playing up against the computer (who is cheap as hell mind you), or your friend. Much more fun versus your friend, but still, go play regular pool if you want to play vs your friend. Then you can throw money on the pool table and hustle the crap out of him! Do it!

The game may offer a lot of variations, but damn..this is one of the ugliest pool simulators I have ever played. It's absolutely disgusting. The graphics come across as being something pulled straight from an Atari 2600, but this is 1993? 1993?!? And this is what you're giving us? 

And the music....the music is good but it does NOT fit the pool atmosphere. It feels like I'm listening to California Games music while playing pool. Maybe it's supposed to simulate the crappy music that's playing from a jukebox while you're in some random pool hall.

The only thing this game has going for it, is the ability to zoom in and out and really measure up your shots. But, this turns the game into a physics / math lesson and I really don't really feel like figuring that crap out while I'm playing an NES game. 

(A+B) where A is the cue ball, and B is the strength of your cue stick taking into account stroke speed = C where C is the velocity of the cue ball directed toward the target. Something like that. I performed really poorly in Math.

Overall? MEH.

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!