Windows Phone Thoughts: Rack 'Em Up: Virtual Pool Mobile v1.0 from Celeris reviewed

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Friday, June 25, 2004

Rack 'Em Up: Virtual Pool Mobile v1.0 from Celeris reviewed

Posted by Andy Whiteford in "SOFTWARE" @ 09:00 AM


That's my cue...
The icing on this already rich and tasty cake is the interface and specifically the stylus control. Coming from the desktop incarnation with the mouse for a virtual cue, the transition to stylus is seamless in the most natural way. You simply drag the screen around to rotate your view and set up your angles. Grab the tip of the cue and drag it over the cue ball to set English (or spin) and grab the cue and stroke back and forth to play. The faster you stroke, the harder the shot. I don't see how this system of play could be more intuitive on the Pocket PC platform. The same applies to looking around the table; just tap the view icon and scroll around or tap on a ball and move it to the desired location as the game permits. To supplement this, there is a row of icons along the bottom of the screen that allow you to switch between certain modes such as moving balls, aim/shoot, moving or rotating your view and zooming in and out, all controlled by the stylus. Further in game options allow the action replay of a shot or pressing down on the d-pad for ending a turn and placing all balls in their final place for a shot if you are short on time and want to rush through a game. Tapping the O icon or pressing the Calendar button with bring up the overhead view of the entire table whereas the A icon will allow you to select the angle of the butt of the cue when making a shot. Pressing up on the d-pad or tapping the ? icon pulls up the in game menu which provides you with various options depending on the game in progress.


Figure 12: Drag the cue tip to set spin.


Figure 13: And pull the table around to view from any angle.

Winner Takes All
Celeris have made this a thoroughly complete product with such extras as an excellent help section that explains the game in detail including the various game rules, controls and play modes. You can, of course, be hand held through the career mode by Curly, the main character in a series of short video clips that offer you tips as you progress through the game. Even smaller more obscure options are in place such as using the tracking mode in Practice that will show you the path of all balls on the table depending on angle and power or the in game status that shows balls pocketed / remaining etc.


Figure 14: Tracking proves a great tool for the novice player in practice.


Figure 15: Curly, the final boss, talks you through your career.

Conclusion
Being a huge fan of the Virtual Pool series, I was very excited about the news of the mobile version even if I was skeptical about how well it would fare on a pocket device. After playing this even briefly I knew it was going to be a winner and this is exactly how it has turned out. Superb graphics, fast, smooth game play and a great range of features all wrapped up in a highly intuitive interface make this easily one of the best games on the Pocket PC platform. The 3D nature of this game so expertly realised, raises this title head and shoulders above the competition and, in my opinion, nothing in the pool simulation market will come close until VPM 2 is announced. This is the only application I have installed that has single handedly been responsible for ruining a screen protector and you will want to ensure you have protection in place. Fans of Pool and good games in general should pocket this one, it's as simple as that. Sales of screen protectors are going to go up I'm sure!

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