Pure Pool

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 85 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 85
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 85
  3. Negative: 14 out of 85
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  1. Sith_Malice_003
    Mar 14, 2015
    8
    Good game, server issues improved lately, after update having to delete game and reinstall works ok, good physics and plays basically like the real thing, as few mentioned being too easy you can remove the aim lines just change skill level settings.
  2. homerjnick
    Jul 31, 2014
    10
    Response to pithing_needle on the 31st of July.

    Yeah I understand what you are saying dude and to some extent I agree with you, the angle viewing could be better and markers but none of that detracts from the game quality. I prefer no power bar, no chalk, no gimmicks, just Pure Pool! I find the table very good so each to their own opinion, lets meet up and have a few games online!    Response to pithing_needle on the 31st of July.

    Yeah I understand what you are saying dude and to some extent I agree with you, the angle viewing could be better and markers but none of that detracts from the game quality. I prefer no power bar, no chalk, no gimmicks, just Pure Pool!

    I find the table very good so each to their own opinion, lets meet up and have a few games online! There are server issues with launch which they are fixing and is not anything to do with the game itself but rather the servers...

    I also agree it is harder to play opponents who are like minded and don't use aids etc, it seems you need to create a League or know your opponent and challenge them, the Quick Match I never used in HK since it would match me up with full aiming lines!

    Interestingly I played Virtual Pool 3 and Virtual Pool Hall a lot on the PC and was involved in the world leagues, I was ranked 9th at one point many moons ago...but never played 4...

    Original Review:

    I disagree with pithing_needle...I play pool for my pub team and this pool simulation is by far the nearest thing I've ever played on a console to real life.

    The game drips in quality and oozes class. The 1080p and 60fps does it justice but the game itself feels very right when you play it. I found the table speed very good, I felt the amount of power I pulled back with on the cue reflected what I wanted to do in the shot and love the fact that aiming lines are not so accurate.

    I much prefer no aiming lines but the angle you view the shots with can be hard to judge so the little circle makes sense so you can at least tell which side of the object ball you are hitting.

    Online play was smooth and seamless...I too would prefer to weed out those using a line but there must be a way to do this. In Hustle Kings if you went to a Quick Match you got a random person who may have used lines too but then in HK you could create rooms that specified no aiming lines. More time is needed on Pure Pool.

    This is by the far the best pool simulation game ever and deserves a 10/10 for me. The fact that The Last of Us Remastered edition is still in its wrapper shows how addictive this game is.    … Expand
  3. Rykkchii
    Jul 30, 2014
    10
    I bought this earlier today and havent turned it off since. After about half an hour the controls clicked, and it is So good that i can play pool just as i would - strategies and techniques as i do on my real table. Ive never played a pool sim where i didnt have to adapt my game to the physics of the sim, until now. Awesome game! And for £5.59 or $9.09 with psplus its an absolute bargain.
  4. iamTylerDurden
    Aug 4, 2014
    10
    Pure Pool is a fantastically addicting and fun pool sim that feels as good as it looks.....and boy does it look good in 1080/60. As a league competitor who owns a pool table i can honestly say that P.P. is the best feeling pool game with the best physics i have ever encountered in console gaming. The people who feel P.P. is a glorified demo are quite foolish in their argumentsPure Pool is a fantastically addicting and fun pool sim that feels as good as it looks.....and boy does it look good in 1080/60. As a league competitor who owns a pool table i can honestly say that P.P. is the best feeling pool game with the best physics i have ever encountered in console gaming. The people who feel P.P. is a glorified demo are quite foolish in their arguments considering the fact that P.P. is $9.09 and gives you 3 career modes, online/local mp, free play, DNA play, 8ball, 9ball, killer, accumulator and numerous other mini games along with a Platinum trophy. I spent $32.10 on MGS V Ground Zeroes and i'm okay with that, but to be honest MGS V GZ was a glorified demo with 14 trophies . If i had paid 60 bucks for P.P. then maybe i could sit back and knit pick like an elitist snob, but i would still be pleased with my purchase. The music is great and the pool hall/bar environment with people moving about in the background is great, but i would love it if they added more locations and more songs. I also have yet to play The Last of Us Remastered because every time i turn on my PS4 i'm playing Pure Pool. If you have a PS4 and 9 bucks then you owe it to yourself to get this game, at the very least it's a wonderful reprieve from the jarring cacophony of fps's and the hair pulling frustration of puzzle platformers - it's nice to just sit back, relax, and play some pool. I would give Pure Pool an 8.75/10 normally, but considering some of the egregiously asinine scores coming from the "pc elitists" i feel as though a 10/10 is necessary. We get it, pc is the greatest and virtual pool 4 is game of the century....is that why virtual pool 4's online community is " virtually" non-existent? J^¥ P.… Expand
  5. Adam1867
    Aug 20, 2014
    9
    This is the best pool game I've played for a long time.

    For me the absolute number one requirement for a pool game is realistic physics. This game feels spot on in that regard and that's enough for me to score it 9/10. The one criticism I have of the physics so far is backspin. It seems to have a delay whereby the cue-ball continues to move forward a few inches after striking the target    This is the best pool game I've played for a long time.

    For me the absolute number one requirement for a pool game is realistic physics. This game feels spot on in that regard and that's enough for me to score it 9/10. The one criticism I have of the physics so far is backspin. It seems to have a delay whereby the cue-ball continues to move forward a few inches after striking the target ball before the spin kicks in.

    The only thing the game needs is a bit more polish. A few more options and game modes, a slightly more slicked up interface perhaps.

    My main suggestions would be:

    UK modes (smaller different colour balls, smaller pockets, different table size, and different rules).
    Custom cues, table clothes, chalk etc.

    Still, the main aspect is there and playing the game on master difficulty is a good challenge which keeps me going back to play it again.    … Expand
  6. Duke_Nukem
    Nov 6, 2017
    8
    Pure Pool looks good and sounds good (with nice ambient music in the background, but it can get tiresome real quick to hear the same tracks over and over again). The gameplay is kinda good, not better than WSC on the PS3 though. In fact some things are worse than the WSC series, which I played a lot on all the PS consoles.

    First the camera position. When you're playing you can't see all    Pure Pool looks good and sounds good (with nice ambient music in the background, but it can get tiresome real quick to hear the same tracks over and over again). The gameplay is kinda good, not better than WSC on the PS3 though. In fact some things are worse than the WSC series, which I played a lot on all the PS consoles.

    First the camera position. When you're playing you can't see all the balls on the table, there is no option to look left or right, and there is no overhead camera eather. You can push the square button to stand up and 'walk' around the table, but even then the view is not good at all. And when you go back to your aiming position, it has changed because you've been 'walking' around.

    It's understandable that the makers of this game don't want to make it to easy by allowing an overhead camera to aim your shot, but they could have solved that problem by allowing the use of an overhead camera only to take a look at the table without allowing you to aim your shot.

    Also the colors of the corner pockets are far too dark so you can't see where the holes in the far corners are very well. In my local Snooker hall the corners are made of a light colored leather, allowing a much better view (even in a dark pub).

    Secondly the gameplay. Taking a shot is being perfommed by using the right stick, which is fine but it makes it very hard to play softly and there is no meter to show you how hard you'll be hitting the white ball. In WSC you can use the x-button by pressing it once to see how hard you'll be hitting the white ball and twice to take the shot.

    You can Fine Aim by using the x-button, Apply Spin by using the circle button and lift the back of your cue up and down using the left stick. Don't try to use too much spin though or you will make the white ball fly off the table very easily, which isn't realistic at all. I used a lot more spin in snooker games in real life and the white ball almost always stayed on the table. Even if it flew of the table, it only happened when I used too much force, but in Pure Pool it happens even with moderate force and a little bit of spin on the ball.

    Thirdly the menus are very confusing. It's not very clear how to change certain options in the game. First you need to go to My Profile before you can go to Options. Before you can play a game you need to go to My Games and then choose a Quick Game to play online against a human player. You can also choose My League but I have no idea what that's for.

    Fourthly, playing online is very unfair: the game doesn't give you the opportunity to play against a player with the same skill level as you. There is no way to choose against which rank you play, for instance in my first online game I was given an opponent with World Rank 32, while I am rank 59964!

    And it got even worse! In the middle of the game my opponent left the game... and I lost the game! So on the Ranking List I had: Online Games: played 1, Won 0, Lost 1. I don't know if this was just a mistake in the game or a bug, but it's hardly fair is it?

    Setting up an online game against a human player is also very confusing. All I could find is how to play a Quick Game against a random player. You can see a list with all players (who are online.. or who have the game, I dunno?), but you can't see their World Rank next to their name so you have to click on each name to check it. And when you invite a player for a game of Pool or Snooker (since I bought the Snooker packet too), most times they don't respond.

    In conclusion, I would say that Pure Pool is a fun game but not the best Pool/Snooker game around. It's nice for a little game against a computer opponent (although I read in some reviews here that the level of the computer opponents gets too hard too fast), or against a friend locally. If only the camera would be placed a bit better, allowing a better view around you!

    Pure Pool is very cheap in the PS Store now, so if you are a fan of pool or snooker (the snooker packet costs extra) then this is a nice game to buy. But Pure Pool is definitely not better than WSC on the PS3.    … Expand
  7. Kuifje
    Jan 4, 2019
    9
    Good physics, great graphics, a very relaxing game with nice lounche music (which gets old fast though, more variaton would have been nice). The AI can be too hard for beginning players, and it can be hard to find human players to challenge. The table felt is too dark so you can't see the far corner pockets very well (the slate is the best one to use).
  8. trinityB7
    Aug 7, 2014
    10
    This is without doubt the best representation of pool I've ever seen in a video game. Everything about the control and feedback is spot on. People are complaining about the lack of a top down view. Do you guys hang from the ceiling to aim your shot in real pool? The graphics and presentation are breathtaking. For the price, this game is the biggest steal of the year..
  9. phil6ailey
    Aug 28, 2014
    9
    Whilst I agree with comments made in a lot of the reviews here, for me my biggest gripe so far is really just not being able to get a lower view for lining shots up. I absolutely love the speed potter game mode, and perfect potter as well. I've pumped a lot of hours into this game, some of the rules are bizarre and I cannot beat tourney 5 best of 7 against Maddison Williams which isWhilst I agree with comments made in a lot of the reviews here, for me my biggest gripe so far is really just not being able to get a lower view for lining shots up. I absolutely love the speed potter game mode, and perfect potter as well. I've pumped a lot of hours into this game, some of the rules are bizarre and I cannot beat tourney 5 best of 7 against Maddison Williams which is starting to affect my psyche, but I love it. No nonsense arcade pool.… Expand
  10. MJtheMC
    Aug 27, 2014
    8
    As far as the games physics and mechanics go this game is A+. Love it. The menu system is however really confusing. The online match making is confusing. Sometimes I'm not sure it fair counted some of our matches. I wish there was more options for offline play, like couch multiplayer. I really do like the game overall, I just hope they update it more. And from what I just read the otherAs far as the games physics and mechanics go this game is A+. Love it. The menu system is however really confusing. The online match making is confusing. Sometimes I'm not sure it fair counted some of our matches. I wish there was more options for offline play, like couch multiplayer. I really do like the game overall, I just hope they update it more. And from what I just read the other day they had a big update So maybe I'll be back here to edit soon :)… Expand
  11. JoshLuck1995
    Feb 22, 2015
    8
    This game is great fun and great value (£7.99) - in all honesty i bought it out of boredom but i quickly ended up enjoying it and its the most enjoyable pool game ive played, ever. however the online is a mess if you want to play against a friend, it works fine but actually getting it set up is a massive headache
  12. WackoDaSniper
    Dec 2, 2015
    9
    I really wanted a pool game on PS4. I love small easy games like this that I can sit back and play for hours and be relaxed. From the music to the graphics, the game is nice. When I want to get away from the triple A's and artsy indies, I come play this. I really like the game. I'd give it 9/10. -1 for nobody online anymore, hopefully it'll be on PS Plus and it'll revive the community.
  13. Samueledwards
    Apr 11, 2015
    8
    I have played the game for 2 hours now its very entertaining but i encountered a lot of bugs which i had to restart the game to fix. Apart from the bugs and all pure pool is a great coop game to play with friends.
    You can play online matches on a quick match or a league which is competitive. Overall its a solid 8.
  14. 64bit
    Dec 18, 2019
    8
    Greatest pool simulator on the Playstation Network store. Great graphics, realistic physics, indepth controls and superb A.I to go against.
  15. Cmaman
    Jan 22, 2023
    10
    The best representation of pool on console and scratches that itch for casual gaming fun. Very smooth controls and it looks great too. Plays really well on the PS5!

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Best PS4 Game of 2014
71
#71 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
46
#46 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Sep 29, 2014
    80
    Plucky. [Oct 2014, p.92]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Sep 19, 2014
    60
    Pure Pool is as succinct a product as its name suggests. Expect solid ball-on-ball action but little more. [October 2014, p82]
  3. Everyeye.it
    Sep 4, 2014
    70
    A solid start for a pool simulator: the way to catch Hustle Kings is long, but with this physics simulation and an interesting online structure Pure Pool will be appreciated from fans of the genre.
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