''Virtual Pool 64'' is a 3D first-person

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

simulation A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

that was developed by American studio Celeris and released for the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...

Crave Entertainment Crave Entertainment (aka Crave Games) was an American video game publisher founded in 1997 by Nima Taghavi. Its headquarters was in Newport Beach, California. It was acquired by Handleman Company in 2005 in a deal valued up to $95,000,000 but w ...

on December 17, 1998, in North America, and in Europe on February 26, 1999. The game features simulations of 11 forms of

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

(pocket billiards). It is part of the "

Virtual Pool ''Virtual Pool'' is a 3D, first-person sports simulation video game series with computer simulations of cue sports which was developed by Celeris. The games in the series simulate pool, snooker and carom billiards. The ''Virtual Pool'' series f ...

" game franchise, which also includes the PC games ''

'', ''

Virtual Pool 2 ''Virtual Pool 2'' (acronymed to VP2) is a 3D computer graphics, 3D, First person (video games), first-person Sports game, sports Simulation game, simulation video game developed by Celeris and released by VR Sports on behalf of Interplay Product ...

'', ''

Virtual Pool Hall ''Virtual Pool Hall'' is a sports simulation video game developed Celeris and published by Interplay Entertainment as an entry in the ''Virtual Pool'' franchise, an improvement and sequel to ''Virtual Pool 2'' and PC sequel to '' Virtual Pool 64 ...

'' and '' Virtual Pool 3''. The game has been simultaneously lauded as "a top-notch simulation" and criticized as dull, lacking both player incentive and engaging characters.

Gameplay

''Virtual Pool 64'' as the follow-up to the main series title ''Virtual Pool 2'' retains the same different pool games, and adds new games, such as

Rotation pool Rotation, sometimes called rotation pool, 15-ball rotation, or 61, is a pool game, played with a billiards table, , and triangular rack of fifteen billiard balls, in which the lowest-numbered on the table must be always struck by the cue ball f ...

. The game features 11 different pool games:

Eight-ball Eight-ball (also spelled 8-ball or eightball, and sometimes called solids and stripes, spots and stripes, bigs and smalls, big ones and little ones, or rarely highs and lows) is a discipline of Pool (cue sports), pool played on a billiard tabl ...

including American "" rules, British rules and APA league rules)

Nine-ball Nine-ball (sometimes written 9-ball) is a discipline of the cue sport pool. The game's origins are traceable to the 1920s in the United States. It is played on a rectangular billiard table with at each of the four corners and in the middle o ...

including variations such as

Three-ball Three-ball (or "3-ball", colloquially) is a folk game of pool played with any three standard pool s and . The game is frequently gambled upon. The goal is to () the three object balls in as few shots as possible.Six-ball Nine-ball (sometimes written 9-ball) is a discipline of the cue sport pool. The game's origins are traceable to the 1920s in the United States. It is played on a rectangular billiard table with at each of the four corners and in the middle of e ...

and

Ten-ball Ten-ball is a rotation pool game similar to nine-ball, but using ten balls instead of nine, and with the 10 ball instead of the 9 as the "". Although the game has existed since the early 1960s, its popularity has risen since the early 2000s as a ...

, as well as

Straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, normal person * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Straight, an alternative name for the cross, a type of punch in boxing * Str ...

One-pocket One-pocket is a pool game. Only one pocket for each player is used in this game, unlike other games played on a pool table where any can be used to score . The object of the game is to score points. A point is made when a player pockets any obj ...

Bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

and

. The game follows on from

, including additions such as a tournament mode, allowing the player to play through up-to a 32-man tournament with AI players, a trick shot mode, and three difficulty levels, amateur, professional and championship. The different levels of gameplay not only change the skill level of the opponent (who range from "pushover" to "vicious"), it will also change the size of the table and pockets for the table. It can also be played in "free play" mode, with no rules, or "shark-skins" mode requires you to clear a table of three, six, and nine balls in the fewest strokes possible.

Reception

''Virtual Pool 64'' received mixed reviews according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

. ''

Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninte ...

'' said the game's graphics had "ultra realism", but also said the number of controls were confusing. Jack Curtis of ''N64 Gamer'' said, "Celeris have created a very commendable pool game that remains true to its real-life counterpart", but that the game may have "limited lastability." Robin Alway of ''Arcade Magazine'' said that "the only faults are those you'd associate with any 3D game." Peer Schneider of ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' was "impressed" by the games physics engine, and called the visuals "exceptionally sharp." However, he was not so impressed with the presentation, stating that VP64 "comes short in the presentation department. No characters, no sense of atmosphere"; and also critical of the game's soundtrack, with "extremely dated midi music." Nelson Taruc of ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' said that the gameplay engine is "as close to the real thing as you'll find anywhere." Taruc also called the game's presentation as "excellent", when discussing the pool table and balls. However, he named games ''

Pool Hustler Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a sport or game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into gambling (or gambling for higher than current stakes) with the hustler, as a form of both a confidence tri ...

'' and '' Backstreet Billiards'' as having more of an in-game incentive to play more, as the game does not have a clear career mode. Taruc even called the game "bland" and "boring", saying "it's the video game equivalent of a college textbook: great to learn from but not really exciting to read."

References

External links

*
Official Virtual Pool Website
{{Virtual Pool 1998 video games Crave Entertainment games Cue sports video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo 64 games Nintendo 64-only games Video games developed in the United States Virtual Pool