Pool Paradise Critic Reviews

There are other pool games out there but frankly there isn't one that is better - or as much fun.

It’s really hard to knock a game no matter what the genre if it’s done well, and Pool Paradise is really done well, and an instant classic. If you’re into pool it’s a must-purchase, hands down.

Pool Paradise is the definitive pool simulation for next-gen consoles. While nothing will ever replace the actual art of playing “real” pool, this is as close as it has ever come. The controls are intuitive and the interface is fun and accessible to young and old alike.

Beyond the tropical setting and mini-games, you get a very solid digital replication of everyone’s favorite indoor activity, minus the booze and hustlers of course. A solid offering that will delight billiards fans for a few months.

Pool Paradise creates a very enjoyable challenge for a single player, has an excellent and almost limitless lifespan in two-player, and above all it's a snip at just £20.

For console owners used to having to fiddle with power sliders in order to orchestrate their shots, it brings a nigh-on edible element of tangibility to the experience... An accomplished bundle.

In the greater scheme of things, this is not barrier-breaking software, but it is crisp, clean fun at a budget price.

The game’s core elements – cue control and ball physics – work so well, you’ll take any inconveniences into the bargain. In a world full of action games, Pool Paradise’s relaxed style is a welcome change.

The challenges offered in terms of beating your opponents were well tapered; the more you play the better you get and winning some dosh and opening the sub games, which were equally enjoyable, really topped the experience.

Minute irritations aside, for your 20 nupes you get a fantastic game of pool by the father of 3D ball rolling, enough stuff to keep you coming back on your own and if you bring a mate the competition is never ending.

Despite the oddities, the lackluster graphics, and the moronic character design, Pool Paradise is simply a great pool game that doesn’t disappoint.

Pool Paradise is one of the best budget games in years. This is an addictive, near-faultless pool simulation, with the various games played in the surrounds of an idyllic tropical beach resort.

Its puzzlingly addictive nature simply cannot be reasoned with, yet at the same time, it helps solidify the game as one of the best games of pool to come out on a console platform in many years.

The amount of billiards games available is impressive. The selection of extra sub-games is equally well received. And the heart of the title, which of course is the pool, plays solidly thanks to accurate control, decent competitive artificial intelligence and usually spot-on physics.

Pool Paradise may look like a homebrew video game, feature the most colossal collection of lame characters to interact with since "Tao Feng," but the bones of this game are strong and solid. This plays an exceptional, nay incredible game of pool.

The novelty tables (L-shapes, triangular, etc.) aren't mental enough. The closest thing is the slippery ice hockey table. They built an amazing pool simulation, but surely the next step was to subvert that with crazy game stuff?

The unnecessary challenge in actually figuring out how exactly to play the damn game. Next to nothing is explained as it seems to rely almost entirely on player intuition, and there are virtually no tutorials present to help you out either.

If the pool itself is the sweet caramel, everything surrounding it is a moist, fetis sponge.

The controls are unwieldy, requiring you to go through individual steps to select a target ball, choose a target pocket and aim the shot, but it becomes easier with practice.