It takes a lot these days for me to buy a WiiWare game. I have a full system memory and a full 2GB SD card, so any new purchase requires a bit of maneuvering on my part to free up space somewhere so I can play new games. In most cases, I just pass over the new WiiWare titles because of the inherent hassle, but Midnight Pool was different. I’m a big billiard fan, both in real life and in video games. After seeing some of the videos and previews, I had to check this one out.

Midnight Pool is a translation of Gameloft’s popular web and mobile billiard game. The Wii version looks decent, but it’s not the best graphics we’ve seen on WiiWare. Character models are bland and the environments are decent. You’ll forget about that quickly though, as most of your focus is on the table itself, which looks just fine. The worst part of the game is the sound. The background music is cheesy and the voice over work will make you groan from time to time. Just crank some tunes and sit back, because the gameplay is terrific.

This is one of, if not the best video game implementations of billiards I’ve played. Ball physics is spot on and everything behaves as it should on a pool table. The game has both Arcade and Story mode options for you to choose from. In Arcade, you can play 8 Ball with either US or UK rules as well as 9 Ball and various Challenges (trick shots). The Story mode takes you through a saga to prove you’re the best billiard player around. There really isn’t a story, it’s more just a series of matches against various opponents in various locations.

The gameplay mechanics work perfectly with the Wii Remote. When lining up your shot, you can either use the D-pad to aim left and right or point your Wii Remote at the screen and press A to line up your shot. I recommend using the D-pad since it’s more precise. You can press the “2″ button at any time to change your camera angle to various distances from very close to an overhead view of the table. Once you have everything lined up, pressing the B button puts you into shot mode.

By pressing the “1″ button in shot mode, you can put various English (spin) on the ball by aiming the Wii Remote and pressing A as well as altering your stick angle by tilting your Wii Remote and pressing A. You get a large amount of control over each shot, which is great for more experienced players. If you don’t want to make any adjustments or have no clue what you’re doing, it’s perfectly okay to skip these settings and just push the Wii Remote forward to make your shot (no pulling back required). As expected, how fast you thrust the Wii Remote forward translates into how hard your shot rockets around the table. It all comes together in a very fluid game of pool, whether you’re playing the computer or a friend locally on your Wii.

For the cool price of $8, this is a terrific pick up. While the graphics are just okay and the sounds aren’t very good, the gameplay is great. That’s what it’s all about, anyway. Midnight Pool is one of the better titles to come out for WiiWare. If you’re a billiards fan, definitely pick this one up.

Overall: 8 out of 10

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