Hustle Kings is a high style, high rollin' pool simulator that nails the fundamentals and mechanics of the sport.
User Rating: 8 | Hustle Kings PS3
Pool simulators are nothing new to video games. They've released on various platforms, though usually as a casual experience on mobile devices. Hustle Kings presents the sport in a new style, and it may be the best simulation of the classic game of billiards yet. Right off the bat, you'll be subject to a few tutorials. It's suggested that you play through these text-only lessons to learn the basics of the game, though it is possible to learn as you go. Once you get into the real action, you'll find a plethora of variations and modes of pool to sink your time into. There's the standard US 8-Ball game, along with less common forms such as 9-Ball, and even more obscure modes like Cutthroat, and 14.1 continuous, which is basically a never-ending match. You can select your preferences before match and choose to play with either an AI controlled opponent or play against a buddy in two-player (which only requires a single controller, thankfully). Now, I will admit that the computer is most usually going to prove to you to be annoyingly bad, or annoyingly amazing. In easy mode, it will miss blatantly easy shots and shoot wide of a ball by an embarrassing stretch. It doesn't feel natural at all, and it takes away from the experience. Now, with the hard difficulty, it feels like you're playing with a geometrical mastermind of some sort. They'll make seemingly impossible shots, always making it as complicated as possible by including all types of tricks in it like banking, combos and so on just to sink a single ball. Also, neither of the settings ever go for the easiest shot available, which is very strange. While we're on the case of difficulty, it's appropriate to mention that shooting without the aiming line in this game didn't prove to be a walk in the park for me, though I can't hold this game liable for my own downfalls. Really, the difficulty may be the biggest problem of all here. Aside from the wacky AI, the aiming line (if turned on) makes things extremely easy, always giving you a clear view of where the ball will go. In this way, it feels like you're cheating the game, but it's difficult when you're getting shut-out without it. It would have been nice if they could find a happy medium, but what's here should suffice nevertheless. Other main attractions in this game include the career mode, online play, and additional side variations, all of which help you accrue cash over time in order to purchase something from the in-game store. In the store, you'll have the ability to purchase very attractive, very expensive shiny balls, along with the other minute options. They make gameplay really flashy, and it's fun to toy around with the different ball sets. Just be warned, these things don't come cheap, so you'll want to spend some time racking up cash. The most obvious choice for this might be the career mode, which sums up as a series of matches in which you risk large amounts of money in order to come out a true king of the game. It lacks depth, but the high risk moves that you'll undoubtedly need to make are a nice substitute. Should you risk it all, and go for the last few million you need to purchase those beautiful neon balls, or play it safe and buy what you can afford? It's thrilling, but know that if you take that risk and fail you'll need to climb back up and keep trying. The other option, which is the online mode, is presented extremely well and makes it easy to navigate. Set your server preferences and join a room. Here, you can chat with and challenge anyone in the match. All you have to do is simply click on someone's name, and challenge them. You can send out multiple challenges at a time, so the first person to accept will be your opponent. While I did have a hard time getting into a match, it's worth it when you get to go head-to-head with another player such as yourself. You can hustle a player by only showing off a certain amount of cash in your pool. You can display yourself as a poor amateur, whereas you're really racking it in by the truckload. It's a nice mechanic that gives the game some more strategy. Overall, the value of this game is great, giving you tons of modes to choose from. Here's a short list, just so you'll know: Tournament mode, Exhibition Mode (includes all standard types, including US 8-Ball, 9-Ball, etc.) Trick Shots, Survival, and more. I was extremely satisfied with the selection of modes, and it seems as though I got my money's worth.
Before wrapping it up, there are just a few last points to make: The game features in-game music, which is awesome since the soundtrack is sub-par. The physics are extremely realistic, and act as you'd think they would.
That's it. If you're a fan of billiards, I'd definitely recommend Hustle Kings. It's a great value, and you shouldn't be disappointed aside from the few nuisances in the difficulty.
