Game Description

Q-Ball: Billiards Master features a number of different billiards games that you can play alone or with a friend. 8-ball, regular pool, and 9-ball are the main games included. If you don't have a friend around, you can select one of the A.I. opponents, each of whom has different strengths and weaknesses. If you're not interested in a single match, there is a round-robin style mode where you can play different opponents, either human or A.I., to determine who rules the table.

The game also features a unique mode called Frozen Mode. The task here is to get the ball as close to another predetermined ball without touching it. As you progress through the levels of this mode, your tasks become more complicated. You'll have to pocket a first ball and then approach the object ball. And then pocket two balls, and so on. While making an actual shot, you can check out the angles, position the cue to give the ball a lot of English or just a little, and then utilize the analog buttons to make a hard shot or give the ball a soft, gentle tap. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

This is a game for pool enthusiasts, first and foremost, so casual fans will probably not find enough enjoyment out of this title to warrant a purchase. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Is there anything more relaxing than a night in the local smoke-filled billiards hall with your friends, shooting some friendly stick? If there isn't, you will probably enjoy pool on a virtual level as well. While nothing can beat the real thing, there are some titles out there that are very faithful to the physics and feel of pool. One of those titles is Q-Ball Billiards Master, a decent game that will entice fans of billiards and few others.

This 3D pool game puts you behind the ball, giving you liberal control over the spin you can put on the cue and a good opportunity to explore the angular options of the shot. Using the analog buttons to determine how hard you want to strike the cue ball feels intuitive, which is important when you consider the dichotomy of raw finesse and computational logistics that combine to make the game of pool. It is welcoming that this game gets these two extremely different facets down very well.

While the engine is strong, it probably won't matter much to the casual gamer. Q-Ball offers the standard pool games (although, curiously, no option to play actual billiards, despite its name), but there are no arcade-style twists or puzzle elements to spice up gameplay. The one unique addition in Q-Ball, the Frozen Game, is a mode that quickly becomes difficult and doesn't really engage the non-enthusiast to any degree.

The multiplayer aspect of Q-Ball is welcome, especially the round-robin tournament modes, which can be played by a number of human and computer controlled opponents. There's no variance in plot or theme for the tourney, however -- it's just set up and go, very bare bones. Opponents range from slightly difficult to almost impossible, with the best players sinking nearly every shot they attempt, giving you little, if any, room for failure.

While it is probably one of the best titles released when it comes to the raw game of pool, the game still suffers from the aliased, jagged edges that have plagued early PlayStation 2 games thus far. Yet the movement on the balls is very nice, and the sounds that accompany them instill a realistic feeling of pool as you shoot. Its menu presentation is cause for less enthusiasm, promoting the overall dull nature of the game for outsiders.

Q-Ball Billiards Master is definitely a title that fans of pool will want to check out and in that regard, it is an excellent simulation. If you're expecting more than just a straightforward simulation, however, Q-Ball isn't going to do the trick. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

The game looks good, for the most part, and moves very smoothly, but it does suffer from aliasing problems that makes objects appear somewhat blocky. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

The sounds are subtle, and the actual pool effects are just fine, although the electric lounge music isn't helping the title in the least. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

If you are an enthusiast, however, you'll find a lot of play value in this title, as the different modes are all decent, and the multiplayer options are varied enough to keep you busy. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The instruction manual explains most aspects of the game, but the small print and jumbled appearance actually makes things extremely confusing. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide