ic-games Review - World Championship Snooker 2004 - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

ic-games Review - World Championship Snooker 2004 - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii ic-games Review - Home - Review, Preview and Interview for PC, Xbox,Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

World Championship Snooker 2004

Information
Reviewer: James Collins
Developer: Blade Interactive
Publisher: Codemasters
Reviewed: Xbox
Genre: Sports Simulation
UK Release: 26th Jun 2004
Article Date: 23rd Jun 2004
Difficulty: Hard
Retail Price:
Price Comparison:
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Score Breakdown

Experience:
Game Play:
Graphics:
Sound:
Overall Score: 87%

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Pros

Looks real

Plays real

Addictive

8 or 9 ball included

Xbox Live

Cons

Commentary + Exaggerated coughing

Other tiny obmissions

Screenshots

14 of 27

Jimmy White’s Whirlwind Snooker.., probably the most realistic replication of the sport to date and certainly the most successful. It wasn’t hard to see why, realistic graphics, amazing ball physics and many different modes of play. What’s shocking though is that Archer Mclean's masterpiece is almost thirteen years old and was released on the AtariST and Amiga. Codemasters have certainly come the closest to toppling the throne with some very playable efforts in the past, and now they have finally released their latest effort which they hope will settle this matter once and for all.

Graphically just about everything you could expect to see in a real live match has been recreated faithfully in WCS2004. You know when you have done your job when for brief glances it’s hard to tell the difference between a championship game and the real event on TV. The Xbox graphics did have a slight blur but truthfully nobody to date has beaten the Codemasters effort graphically. The snooker and pool balls move realistically when struck, the match referee re-spots balls when potted and you see a virtual representation of your player and opponent line up and take the shots. Having all the player animations switched on can hold back play a little but when was snooker a fast paced game? (They can be turned off anyway)

And with so much going off in World Champions snooker’s favour it’s such a pity that the commentary from snooker and commentary veteran John Virgo is so woeful it’s painful to hear him open his mouth. There’s nothing wrong with the script but either John wasn’t paid enough or he charged more for emotion, sadly it takes away some of the tension from the match that the codies worked so hard to build up graphically. John’s partner in commentating Dennis Taylor fairs much better though and he does his best to rescue some of the tension lost. Your usual unsuppressed coughing from the crowd mix well with realistic claps groans and gasps as the play progresses. Even the odd mobile phone going off will occasionally distract play.

If the prospect of playing against 100 of the finest players today wasn’t enough then the bonus options available straight out of the box should be (and we are not talking about a bonus game of “darts” either). For starters classic matches let you recreate (as you would expect) just that. Taking the final shots from historic matches like Dennis Taylor’s 18-17 win over Steve Davis in 1985 it’s up to you to recreate the victory with the table setup exactly as it was during the match. Sadly again the voice acting of the commentator is left wanting only this time it’s noticeably even worse than John Virgo’s effort and sounds like what can only be described as someone mimicking David Attenborough on powerful anti-depressants. Victory in these short but enjoyable matches brings bonus videos and other extras from the players archive area.

And with a game featuring snooker legend John Virgo it wouldn’t seem right if he didn’t teach us one or two of his very own trickshots (brought to fame with his appearances on TVs “Big Break”). The Trickshots menu can be accessed straight away with a starting trick to be completed. Subsequent trickshots are unlocked by completing the previous shot, and if the shot looks daunting then John Virgo himself will take you through the shot. When you have impressed John enough you’re invited to take the trickshot challenge.

Multiplayer modes have been well catered for with either the standard “hot seat” affair or courtesy of Xbox Live, with both events allowing you to create and name your own player from scratch. Xbox Live also features a ranking system with players around the world hoping to compete for the number one spot.

Snooker novices shouldn’t hide away from this title either. Beginners come armed with a shot guide which shows the trajectory of the ball you’re aiming for and the cue ball. With spin applied they don’t always give a true reading but this is exactly how it should be or the game would be pitifully easy. And if that wasn’t enough a fully featured coaching section of the game alleviates any problems you may have at first and even teaches you the basic rules of snooker if need be. Perhaps the greatest training mode to appear in a sports title would be the coached match with professional snooker player Dennis Taylor talking you through and commenting on every single shot you make in real time, an almost unparalleled feature.

And even if you’re not a complete snooker loopy nut the welcome 8 or 9 ball pool variations and other bonus options and unlockables add extra weight to an already impressive package only slightly marred by some poor voice acting and at times severe pertussis from the crowd. Jimmy White’s Whirlwind Snooker is finally allowed to retire after thirteen years at the top, but with an effort as good as the Codemasters it does, for once, only seem fair. Highly recommended.

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