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 | World Snooker Championship 2005 Playstation 2 Sega/Blade  Ah, snooker. Hardly the sort of riveting sport you'd think would translate particularly well to the console market - a market demanding speed and excitement. An easy assumption to make, which made it all the more surprising to me when I was proven wrong. You remember the old cliche about what happens when you ass-u-me... Snooker may be a slow game but Sega, taking the slack up from Codemasters (who handled the 2004 version), have done their best to at least make it mildly entertaining. Furthermore, the game is graphically and aurally about as authentic (and exciting) as real pool gets, at least with the limitations of the now-aging PS2 processor. Expressions are interestingly well-modelled, sound effects are suitably sparse, and in championship mode, John Virgo, John Parrot and Steve Davis (presumably well-known snooker personalities that no-one you know is likely to have the first clue about) chime in with passable (read: not too repetitive) commentary. However, the difficulty level, most obviously apparent in multiplayer mode, is surprisingly low for a game as nuanced as snooker. To say the game aids you is understating things a little - it not only points out exactly where the white ball will roll when hitting it in any direction, but also the trajectory of the ball you're trying to pot. Useful when starting out, patronisingly pointless afterward. Much of the element of challenge simply disappears from the game right then and there, although in championship mode this problem is addressed by having your player's confidence increase and the aid arrows decrease as time goes on. In multiplayer especially though, there's just no question of where the ball's going to head - it's more a contest of who gets the best break and stays in control than who knows how to angle their shots better (of course, some would argue that things play out just the same in real snooker...). Coaching is there if you want it as well (that is, if the arrow aids weren't enough), generally a wise option to at least briefly examine while heading through the game's various tournaments. Billiards, pool and eventually a difficult 'Trickshot' challenge are offered in addition to the standard snooker championship and multiplayer modes for some variety. Undoubtedly, many who give the game a go will barely notice the difference between the games... and if you're in the mood for inflicting a bit of bizarre party gaming on a large number of friends, doubles matches are available as an option too! So is online multiplayer, in theory, but my home setup isn't quite advanced enough for that at this point in time, unfortunately. Despite my gripes, I have to admit that there's something bizarrely addictive about WSC 2005. It works it's hardest to be slow, overly easy and painfully authentic, but somehow there's still fun to be had. And if Sega's managed to spring anything surprising on us in the latest sports sim of the hordes available, it's that.  | |
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