Pool Bar HD. One of the Best 3D Pool Games for Android but will it Hold Your Attention?

by Paul Wilks Dec 15, 2011 9:40 AM – Leave your thoughts

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Pool Bar HD is a cool and gorgeous-looking pool game for Android. Recently made available for free by Amazon, it’s a plush and enjoyable game that lets you choose between UK 8 Ball, US 9 Ball and US 8 Ball pool options. Controls are intuitive and accurate and the whole experience drips in nice 3D and smooth gameplay. While immensely enjoyable, the game certainly has both good and bad points…

Price: $3.99

Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone

AndroidTapp.com Android Game Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

Brilliant 3D graphics!
Intuitive controls!
Different pool game types!
Challenging!
Immersive sound!

Cons

No tournament mode.
Only 4 characters.
No online mode.
No explanation of rules.

Features:

Pool Bar 3D is a very cool pool sim that delivers some amazing graphics and challenging gameplay. Many good-looking pool games can be let down by shoddy controls, but those in Pool Bar 3D are intuitive and easy to use. The other thing I noticed is how good the AI is! There are three levels of difficulty and even on the ‘Easy’ setting you’ll get a tough game.

Controls feel very simple. Firstly, you sweep your finger in the direction you want to shoot the cue ball, taking note of the aiming lines which give you an indication as to where the balls will go. If you want to add spin, simply double-tap on the cue ball and easily position your cue tip in the right place. Double-tap again to leave this mode, before sweeping your finger back then upwards over the cue to shoot; the faster you do so the more power you put into the shot. It’s totally intuitive and just feels right. There’s little guesswork and it makes the game feel more realistic (well, it did for me!). You can also choose to view in a full 360-degree mode, which lets you check out angles etc, like you might do in a real game.

You can choose between three different types of games: US 8 Ball, UK 8 Ball and US 9 Ball, depending on the game you want to play, perhaps the one you are most familiar with. Obviously these games have different rules. Sadly there are no rules to be found in the game, so make sure you know what they are before you choose. This is one noticeable area the game falls short, but there are a few others. What the game lacks the most is a tournament mode. You only get 4 characters to choose from/play against but the games are one-offs and there is no continuity. The game doesn’t keep tracks of your wins or losses, there’s no way to play through a competition which gets gradually harder as you progress. This is a massive shame. It might have been negated slightly if there was an online mode, unfortunately this isn’t in the game either.

All in all, gameplay is brilliant; the graphics are spot-on, the controls are superb and the sound is really good. However, to me, the game feels like it has missed the opportunity to be truly fantastic by not including continuous scoring or a tournament mode. Lot’s of fun, but falls a little short of perfection.

Watch on Mobile

: Pool Bar HD – 9 ball US table

: Pool Bar HD – 8 Ball UK table

: Pool Bar HD – US 8 Ball table

: Pool Bar HD – Place cue ball screen

: Pool Bar HD – Jonny’s turn

: Pool Bar HD – Aim setting provides guidance of balls direction

: Pool Bar HD – That has to go in!

: Pool Bar HD – Kim wins

: Pool Bar HD – Oops

: Pool Bar HD – Controls

: Pool Bar HD – Pause menu

: Pool Bar HD – Pre-game screen

: Pool Bar HD – Select your character

: Pool Bar HD – Pick number of players

: Pool Bar HD – Select game type

: Pool Bar HD – Options

Fun Factor:

Pool Bar 3D is buckets of fun and great to play. The only issue I have with the game here is it’s longevity. Because there’s no long-term scoring or tournament mode, you might get bored quickly once you have beaten the other players in the game.

Addictive:

Yes, it’s very casual to get stuck into Pool Bar 3D and it becomes immersive and fun. It’s a short-term hit, however, and despite enjoying it immensely for the few days I’ve been testing it, my interest is starting to wane.

Graphics:

Graphics are flawless. Really smooth, great viewing options and the whole experience just feels incredibly natural.

Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:

The sound is pretty cool, giving your immersive bar sounds, as well as cheers (when you win) or boos (when you lose)- the spectators are really on your side!

AndroidTapp.com Rating

AndroidTapp.com Rating! (3.9 out of 5)

Should you Download Pool Bar HD? I would have liked to give Pool Bar 3D a higher score but it could be so much better if it included some structural gameplay tweaks such as scoring or a competition mode. On that basis, while I would still advise you to download it if you are a fan of pool games, you might feel it’s a bit expensive for a game which might only be a short-term fix. There’s no Lite version either sadly so there’s no way of trying it out. In terms of physics, graphics and gameplay it’s possibly the best pool game on Android, but it really could be so much better. Give it a go if you love pool games, avoid it if it’s not your cup of tea in the first place.

Developer: Future Games of London

Tags: 3D, 3D Games, Android App, Android Apps, Android Game, Android Tablet Apps, AndroidTapp.com App Review, Pool, Pool Bar 3D, Sports

Categorised in: Sports Games