8 Ball Pool™

Gamer reviews for 8 Ball Pool™

8 Ball Pool

8 Ball Pool

Considering the fact that games of skill like pool have been around for hundreds of years it is not all that surprising to see them adapted to video game play. In fact pool was among the first such games to be turned into video games. There are probably as many video game versions of pool as there are for bowling come to think on it.

Despite the game being given the video game treatment so many times, and with so many different approaches with respect to interpreting the controls thanks to the touch screen and the very simple but elegant approach in 8 Ball Pool, it actually stands out among pool games!

More than that though, when you combine its intuitive controls with the unique approach of making its game play online, and player vs. player, it really stands out.

The money track for 8 Ball is split into two basic approaches - low-key ads for other games, and premium currency.

On the Premium Currency side you start out with Coins and Cash - Coins are used as the cost for playing with other players - each offers up a bet (usually 25 Coins at first) and the winner gets the pot. Of course you need coins to play - but they are also used for purchasing better kit like cues as well as chat packs and access to mini games.

The cost of getting good enough to win unfortunately does have to come at the expense of being forced to purchase coins for a lot of players, because even the offline practice mode requires the player to pay a 25 Coin fee to access. In fact that is one of the reasons why the game scored so poorly with us...

If they had just resisted the urge to force the player to pony up for what amounts to offline play that would let them develop enough skill to be competitive online, it very well might have been the perfect mobile and online pool game!

In terms of game play longevity it is just not here - and the reason for that is simple: once you lose enough games, you run out of free Coins. And considering that the starting allowance was less than 500 Coins, it is not likely that most players are going to be so enamored with this game that they will choose to - or want to - spend money getting more!

The graphics and sound in the game are excellent - the table and balls, the cues and the action are very well articulated, and have associated sound effects that leave no doubt that you are playing a game of pool. That is about all that can be said about them however, as they are not really special or fancy. Perfectly adequate.

Unfortunately as we come to the point at which we share our conclusions with you, we run into something of a problem... The greedy manner in which the in-game Premium Currency was handled is such that it leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. And that is too bad because this game was very well put together, has an excellent interface and game play mechanic, and just happens to be VERY fun to play... If it were not clearly designed to rapidly dig into our wallets, that is.

Despite its praise-worthy design and play elements, the pay-to-play approach is simply too over-the-top, and that is why it not only gets so low a score from us, but also our suggestion that this one you avoid - because its cost is too dear to make it worth playing.

2.0 / 5.0
 
Review by CMBF | Nov 19th 2014

Total Reviews: 11
4+: 5
3+: 3
2+:
1+:
<1: 3


Showing 4+ star reviews: [Show All]


Review by GuestAug 31st 2023

Love it to bits, but too many intrusions while playing

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Review by GuestMay 29th 2023

Interruptions for promotions and sales are relentless. Game has improved a lot

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Review by GuestJul 7th 2020

Can be really addicting and fun

No ads. Really entertaining.

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Review by GuestMay 4th 2020

I love this game but I don’t understand what the numbers mean on the cues when they upgrade.

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Review by GuestApr 19th 2020

It is amazing and just wanted to ask a question so that I keep my account safe.

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