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Snooker 19/This Is Snooker

Started by Blue Jam, April 08, 2019, 02:24:09 PM

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Blue Jam

You wait ages for a proper snooker game for consoles and then two come along at once...

Out next week, conveniently just in time for the 2019 Snooker World Championship, is Snooker 19, the first game to be officially licensed by World Snooker since 2003's World Championship Snooker. You can play in all of the big official tournaments, as any one of the 128 top ranked players, plus a few extra legends besides. It features a single-player mode where you can take on "advanced artificial intelligence that captures the traits of pro players", of whom "over a dozen" have been photo-scanned for the game, plus local and online multiplayer and a Q-school career mode where you can play as a complete unknown and earn yourself those RAAAANKIN' POINTS MATE:

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2019/04/hands_on_snooker_19_looks_for_its_big_break_on_ps4

Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmAApnq7kWw

Gameplay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIEd_8bWm7A



Following some time later in 2019 is This Is Snooker. It's endorsed by Stephen Hendry, who appears in the game as your coach and mentor, and you can replay some of the highlights of his career. Michaela Tabb is also on board as the in-game ref. As well as single-player and multiplayer options there will trick shot challenges and other minigames. There will also be the option to buy this as a bundle with This Is Pool:

https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2019/04/04/voofoo-announce-this-is-snooker-bundling-in-this-is-pool-and-stephen-hendry/

Announcement trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I39Rx2q-ANk

Judging by the early reactions it seems the concensus is that This Is Snooker may turn out to be the more realistic and more serious one and the graphics may be a bit better, while Snooker 19 gives you more players and venues and more options and it might be a bit more fun. I've pre-ordered the latter and will report back when it arrives. Snooker seems like a game best suited to phones and tablets (and tables) so I'm hoping this is decent.

Blue Jam

Achievements list here- not really spoilery if you know the rules of snooker:

https://www.trueachievements.com/game/Snooker-19/achievements

I don't think I'll ever have enough time on my hands to go for "Total Clearance"...

I also note that the game is in 4K HDR. Seems a bit pointless, and I'm not sure I want to see Mark Williams in that much detail, but this should at least make the venues look nice as they have apparently been rendered in minute detail.

I'm not sure how the online mode will work- I'd love to give it a go but I'm not sure I'd have the time or the patience and I suspect there will be a lot of rage-quitting, or maybe boredom-quitting. This could be one scenario where a Snooker Shootout mode would actually be a good thing.

I used to love Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker on the Amiga. Absolute god tier game. Not sure I have the patience these days but great to see that snooker is in a healthy enough place to have computer games made about it. Enjoying your snooker updates too, BJ. I used to play a bit, badly, but really enjoyed it. Again, no attention span any more. Good luck with it!

Blue Jam

#3
Cheers Bosto! Just remember: if I love this game, you'll hate it... ;)

Quote from: The Boston Crab on April 08, 2019, 05:34:41 PMgreat to see that snooker is in a healthy enough place to have computer games made about it.

Well, Snooker 19 is a mid-priced indie game and the budget limitations are noticable (not that I mind that personally). This Is Snooker is another indie and it may have a bit more cash behind it but it seems like This Is Pool was the big idea and the snooker version was an afterthought, perhaps as an add-on for the markets outside North America (tellingly, the bundle is being marketed as This Is Snooker with a pool add-on here, and This Is Pool with a snooker add-on in the US). I can't complain though- as you say it's just nice to see a snooker  game being put out, never mind two, and who knows, we may get an AAA snooker game if these sell well.

Snooker does seem ripe for a local multiplayer game though- it's got that "easy to play, hard to master" thing in common with Rocket League, and it's a nicely ambient game. I'm looking forwards to getting way too competitive while playing this.

biggytitbo

Jimmy White's Cueball world was the best one, even if it was a bit weird playing Neil Foulds at snooker on a caribbean beach. Cueball had a pretty credible darts game in it too, as you could wander around Jimmy's mansion and play games in each room, replete with Jimmy on a throne giving you advice.

Blue Jam

Neil Foulds is one of the commentators for Snooker 19. Probably not a popular choice among the CaB snooker contingent but with a limited budget and video game scripts being as thick as phone books I would have been surprised if they'd managed to get the likes of John Virgo and Ken Doherty on board, plus Hendry has obviously been busy voicing his own game.

biggytitbo

Neil Foulds does Eurosport I think, him and Joe Johnson, leagues ahead of BBC soul vampires like Virgo.

Lost Oliver

Jesus Christ. It's only just clicked that This Is Pool is a pool game and not some weird swimming / diving competition.

Blue Jam

Hahahaha...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-47906870

QuoteThe makers of the official world snooker video game have been accused of a marketing failure after leaving the current world champion off the cover of their latest title Snooker 19.

Images of Mark Selby, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Neil Robertson were preferred to the 44-year-old Welshman Mark Williams.

Six-times world champion Steve Davis joked that the makers of the game were "trying not to scare kids away from the shelves"

Bit harsh Steve, but I can't pretend I wasn't thinking the same thing...



(from Twitter)

Blue Jam

Some copies of Snooker19 have shipped early  (there will be a patch coming out on the actual release day) so there is a bit more gameplay footage on YouTube now. It does look a bit cheap but what the hell, Snooker Shootout mode looks fun and Jimmy White's "hair" has been rendered pretty accurately:

https://youtu.be/4NSipr1Ngvo

biggytitbo

The player models are absolutely terrifying.

Blue Jam

To be fair to the developers Biggy, you are playing as Martin Gould.

biggytitbo

Apparently there's an unlockable Martin Gould bonus level:


Blue Jam

Reviews starting to trickle out:

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-03-14-snooker-19-breaks-off-right-on-cue

Again, it sounds a bit cheap but good fun like your mum. I should have guessed that this wouldn't be immune to the inclusion of cosmetic items, and I'm slightly looking forward to getting my player a daft waistcoat and a fancy bow tie. I wonder if there will be a massive watch and monogrammed shirt cuffs for Marco Fu...

biggytitbo

Will it let me treat Ding by levelling him up and buying him a solid gold cue?

Twed

I'm going to buy the snooker game.

Blue Jam


Twed


Blue Jam

I am totally going to watch this as an eSport like the sad twat I am.

Blue Jam

Quote from: biggytitbo on April 16, 2019, 06:49:46 PM
Will it let me treat Ding by levelling him up and buying him a solid gold cue?

Serious answer- it looks like cues will be one of the collectibles. Maybe treat Ding to your special pink cue?

biggytitbo

If I ever got to play with Ding my cue control would be all over the place. It'd be good if you could power Ding up so he became a mega Ding who can level whole tournaments with a flick of his extension.


Will there be a downloadable Alex Higgins?

Bazooka

How do you unlock the Willie Thorne head polishing mini game?

madhair60

Does this have Big Break Mode?

hedgehog90

I'm not a stickler for graphics, but dear god this is an ugly looking game.

Thursday

Quote from: madhair60 on April 17, 2019, 03:46:20 PM
Does this have Big Break Mode?

John Virgo and Jim Davidson are DLC characters.

biggytitbo

Quote from: hedgehog90 on April 17, 2019, 06:09:17 PM
I'm not a stickler for graphics, but dear god this is an ugly looking game.


Not much they could do with spheres on a green table, but they could at least have put bags on the players heads.

Blue Jam

Fuck's sake... Just got an email from Amazon warning that delivery of my order will be delayed. A quick Google suggests loads of customers have been getting this email, because Amazon have somehow managed to underestimate the demand for this game despite taking pre-orders.

I also saw that the game is cheaper at Argos, and have ordered what is apparently the last copy at my local store, for collection tomorrow.

Good to see it's popular, at least...

biggytitbo

Kim Justice did a review of this the other day and said it was the best snooker game since Jimmy white.


I'll get it when it's £2 in cex, and there is a nude cheat out.

Blue Jam

Got a link to that Kim Justice review please Biggy?

Amazon have apparently now cancelled a load of orders (it seems I was one of the lucky ones for just having my ordered delayed, possibly until May) and it's now listed as out of stock...

biggytitbo