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Earn coins and pass the time by playing others in a game of pool on Facebook

Earn coins and pass the time by playing others in a game of pool on Facebook

Vote: (285 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Miniclip

Version: 2

Works under: Windows

Also available for Android

Vote:

Program license

(285 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Miniclip

2

Works under:

Also available for

Windows

Android

8 Ball Pool is Miniclip's rendition of a multiplayer pool experience. It's available conveniently in flash format, and users can practice before playing with other people.

One of 8 Ball Pool's most unique features is its cross-platform support. Users on iDevices can play pool with their friends across the globe on Desktop-based clients. The gameplay itself is very solid. Going by graphics and physics mechanics, this game appears very promising. The accuracy of hits is so high that it's almost indistinguishable from pool tables. There are also a lot of different aiming options, and the controls are very intuitive among all the supported devices. As a single player "practice" game, 8 Ball Pool stands up quite well.

However, in modern gaming, where so much is based on multiplayer competition and upgrades, this isn't enough for a positive review. Unless you already know people who play 8 Ball Pool, you will have to use matchmaking and be put together with a random player. Unfortunately, this feature often ends up pairing players with people of a widely different skill level. It's very hard to find a well-balanced match, making it hard to really get into the multiplayer aspect of the game.

Depending on how much money you are comfortable with investing in games, you may not like the fact that 8 Ball Pool uses a "coin" system for different upgrades, and, most importantly, 8 Ball Pool requires "coins" to be able to play at all. Unlike many other games, 8 Ball Pool must be played at the same time as your opponent. 8 Ball Pool can get quickly addictive if you get into a series of games with a competitive player. However, at some point, usually about 30-45 minutes, your "coin" supply will run out. Your choices at this point are to buy more coins or wait for a "refresh" period to get more.

In summary, 8 Ball Pool can be a fun experience if you want an authentic emulation of the real game. The multiplayer feature, which is also the most profitable feature, is hit-or-miss, depending on whether you're expecting to invest money. Overall, 8 Ball Pool gets a 2 out of 5. Below is a list of pros and cons:

Pros:

  1. Great graphics
  2. Realistic physics
  3. Support for lots of devices
  4. Logical and very specific controls
  5. Multiplayer support

Cons:

  1. Poor matchmaking ability
  2. Turns into a pay-to-play game
  3. Requires synchronous play - must be online the whole time