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

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

simulation A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of Conceptual model, models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or proc ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

that was developed by American studio Celeris and released for the Nintendo 64 by Crave Entertainment on December 17, 1998, in North America, and in Europe on February 26, 1999. The game features simulations of 11 forms of pool (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'' serie ...

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

'', '' Virtual Pool 2'', ''

Virtual Pool Hall ''Virtual Pool Hall'' is a sports simulation video game developed Celeris and published by Interplay Productions 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 ''Virtual Pool 3'' is a 3D, first-person sports simulation video game, developed and released for Windows and PlayStation by Celeris. Overview The Virtual Pool series made its debut in 1995 with the release of Virtual Pool. From there, Inter ...

''. 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 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 first, to attempt to ...

. 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 or rarely highs and lows) is a discipline of pool played on a billiard table with six pockets, cue sticks, and sixteen billiard balls (a ...

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 of e ...

including variations such as Three-ball, Six-ball 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 for since the early 1960s, its popularity has risen since the early 2000s ...

, as well as Straight,

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

Bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts 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 markets. Because ...

and

. The game follows on from Virtual Pool 2, 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 of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

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 Ninten ...

'' 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'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game 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 distri ...

'' 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 tr ...

'' 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 Nintendo 64 games Nintendo 64-only games Video games developed in the United States Virtual Pool