Billiards Done Right

This classic parlor game—pool to us Americans, but billiards to the rest of the world—is perfect for pick-up-and-play accessibility in videogame format. Its design is intuitive, its pacing quick, and the variety of game types plentiful enough to provide excellent variety.

Bankshot Billiards 2™ captures the essence of the pool experience with intuitive mechanics, up to nine gameplay modes, and offline and online multiplayer.

Break!

The Mechanics
At its most simple, pool is a game of geometry. You line up the appropriate angles between cue ball and the ball you want to go into the pocket, and take your shot. If your stroke is true and the angle correct, you succeed. That said, there are a lot of variables that add to the precision you need for success, and all of those are present in Bankshot Billiards 2. You can:

Download a demo and check it
out free before you buy.

• Adjust the power of your shot, from a rating of 1-100.
• Adjust the angle at which you hit the cue ball (e.g. you want to skip over another ball—you can aim down on the cue ball).
• Adjust where on the cue ball you want to strike, so you can aim low for backspin, up high for topspin, and to the sides to curve around balls in the way.

Clear them quick.

Game Types
When gathering around a pool table with friends, there's always a decision to be made: What game are you going to play? Maybe a quick round of 9-ball, or perhaps Cutthroat since there's three of you, or maybe classic 8-ball for a little old-school fun? You can find all these and more in Bankshot Billiards 2. Here are the game modes available:

• 8-Ball: This is the classic stripes versus solids game mode; sink all the stripes or solids and then sink the 8-ball to win.
• 9-Ball: Equally classic, but a bit trickier where strategy is concerned, 9-Ball requires that you drop the balls in numerical order, finishing with the 9-ball for the win.
• Cutthroat: This is a three-player game, with three different-colored sets of balls on the table. Each player is tasked with pocketing his opponent's color while trying to protect his own. Last player with a ball on the table wins.
• Euro 8-Ball: Very much the same as 8-Ball, but with different colors and no numbers instead of stripes and solids. The objective remains the same, however.
• 14.1 Continuous: If a lengthier round is more in order for you, try 14.1 Continuous. You must call every shot, and the first player to sink 30 balls wins.
• 3-Ball: Much the opposite of 14.1 Continuous, 3-Ball is your game for quick decisive rounds. The player to sink three balls in the fewest shots wins.
• Trick Shots: This mode offers several different tables, all set up with different ball placements. The goal is to solve the shot in one stroke.
• Time Trial: As the name suggests, the goal is to sink all the balls on the table in the shortest amount of time.
• Golf: Like Trick Shots, Golf sets up different tables, each with a unique puzzle-like challenge. Solve the puzzle to clear the board with the least amount of penalties.

Make the stripe, and don't hit any of the rest.

Extras
Game modes and mechanics aside, Bankshot Billiards 2 also provides the standards we've come to expect from any Xbox 360™ title. There are:

• Gamerscore points to unlock (Arcade titles have 200 points, as opposed to Xbox 360 retail titles, which have 1000).
• Leaderboards for each different game type.
• Multiplayer over Xbox Live® for each game mode except Trick Shots and Golf (both are unique single-player experiences), as well as offline multiplayer on the same console.

Bankshot Billiards 2 brings the classic felt and slate table to Xbox 360 with intuitive but comprehensive mechanics; nine different gameplay modes to satisfy your every billiards need; multiplayer online and off; and achievements to keep you motivated and rewarded. What's more, you can download a demo and check it out free before you buy.

Article by Alex McLain