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»Side Pocket
"The best pool game on the Game Gear? Well...that goes without saying."
Before you say, “Hey, Wolfdogg! You already
reviewed this game. TWICE!” let me just say that this game deserves as
many reviews as possible. Besides, each of the games were released in
different eras: one in the early 90’s (Game Boy), one in the late 90’s
(WonderSwan) and now, one from the mid-90’s (Game Gear). Side Pocket is a long-lasting series, lasting from the days of the NES all the way to the Saturn.
Much like the other games in the series, Side Pocket
doesn’t really have a storyline to it. Sure, the Genesis and Super
Nintendo versions had players cruising across the United States,
meeting challenges, but none of the other games really had the much of
a developed storyline. In the Game Gear version’s Pocket Mode, players
travel between various clubs, much like in the Game Boy version.
The Side Pocket series never really
focused on delivering a realistic simulation-style pool game, it was
intended for casual gamers which is what made it fun. In order to take
shots in the game, one must first line up the angle and trajectory of
the shot, by using the D-Pad. Hitting the 2 button sets up the shot
gauge, a sliding scale that allows players to define the strength of
the shot. The 1 button can be used to switch the balls between views
(between the balls themselves or number representations for them) and
when held down, the D-Pad can be used to align how ball is shot,
raising or lowering the collision point between the pool cue and the
cue ball.
There are four different modes in all. First off,
there are the two single-player modes: 9-Ball and Pocket Mode.
Basically, these modes are the same as they were back on the Game Boy
version. 9-Ball’s just a single game of 9-Ball with infinite cue balls.
Meanwhile, Pocket Mode is essentially the game’s story mode, where
players move from venue to venue, trying to reach or beat a target
score, in order to move on to the next stage. Games switch off between
6-Ball and 9-Ball and players are only allowed 10 cue balls (which are
used up when a shot is made without sinking a ball into a pocket). Of
course, by sinking starred holes or the ZONE hole, players can earn 2
or 6 more cue balls, respectively. If the target score isn’t reached by
the time all the balls have been sunk, then players must try again, in
the same venue, but playing a different game (6-Ball or 9-Ball,
depending on the last mode played).
There’s also a Two-Player mode, which utilizes the
Gear to Gear Cable, but a single-system game would’ve been a lot nicer.
Finally, there’s Trick Mode, which makes its debut on a portable
system. Basically, Trick Mode gives players various trick shots to
perform (19 in all). They range from simply hitting a ball into one
designated hole (the others have been blocked off) to trying to hit a
ball at a certain angle, such that it goes into a hole and knocks two
other balls into holes, while avoiding crashing into wine glasses.
Needless to say, it’s a pretty neat mode and I’m glad it got a chance
on the Game Gear.
Compared to the other two portable versions I’ve
played, the Game Gear’s graphics reign supreme, even trumping the
WonderSwan. This game actually looks like the versions that were
released on both the Super Nintendo and the Genesis. Meanwhile, the
Game Boy version looked more like the NES and the WonderSwan looked,
well, completely original. The Game Gear does do a good job of
replicating the look of the console incarnations. Everything’s at a
proper scale and easy to see. Besides, a game of billiards was designed
for color. Being forced to switch views in order to tell which ball was
which was an annoying but necessary facet of the monochrome versions,
but at least the Game Gear version escaped that fate.
The sound follows suit, as the game’s soundtrack
samples various tunes from the Genesis/Super Nintendo versions. Despite
the system’s lesser sound card, the music still sounds pretty good,
despite losing a bit of the jazzy tone. Meanwhile, the sound effects
are pretty much what you’d expect for a game of the time, it does a
decent job of portraying what they’re supposed to be representing.
The replay for this game is better than the other
two portable versions, simply due to the addition of Trick Mode. It
adds a nice puzzle element to the game, almost like the “Puzzle” modes
found in various puzzle games. Still, a versus mode where players can
pass a single system around, as opposed to having to link up. Needless
to say, this is probably the best version of Side Pocket to hit a
portable, so unless the DS, the PSP or some future handheld we haven’t
even heard of yet decides to bring out a new version of Side Pocket (which is doubtful, due to Data East’s bankruptcy), go for the Game Gear version.
Article by: Wolfdogg
Posted on: Jul. 25th, 2007 |
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Review Recap |
| Gameplay |
| The fun of the series is seen here, and Trick Mode just makes things better. |
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Graphics |
| This game looks pretty much like the Genesis version. That’s pretty good, considering every other portable version was monochrome. |
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Sound |
| The sound effects are average, but the Game Gear does a good job of emulating the soundtrack of the console versions. |
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Replay Value |
| Trick Mode definitely adds to the game’s replay. Still, single-system multi-player would’ve been a nice touch. |
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