World Snooker Championship 2005 (PS2)

However, if you're into playing miracle shots and the like, it's a good fun game all in all, quite a good entry level, with the first players being challenging enough, but not too far ahead. And if you want to feel like you're playing snooker like the pro's, this is as good a version as I've played. But you'll have to deal with some real annoyances too.

The commentary, promoted as a major advance, I'm afraid is to my mind absolutely mindless. A mix of the thoroughly obvious, 'he'll be looking for a break here', when you've potted your first ball, to sometimes mystifying suggestions of aiming for the green when there's an obvious pot. It's terribly scripted, and very obviously so from the sound of the commentators. The artificial intelligence is woefully lacking - I'd suggest a whole new way of modelling commentary rather than, 'paste the most appropriate sound clip here', is required. As it is, it's annoying and distracting, and has a nasty habit of coming back even when I've turned it off in the menus.

Additionally, the animations which are hyped as something sensational, really add very little to the game, and just slow down gameplay - an extra 10-seconds of slowly panning around the table here, and the referee's pain-stakingly slow replacement of colours, - none of which you can skip with any key-press. They can really get you quite impatient to get on with your next shot.

On the realism side, there seems to be an enormous amount of use of the rest of things that would normally be stretched for - far more than you'd ever see in a real game. And the amount of power and spin you can place even when using the rest is excessively generous. You can't really do extreme swerve shots with a standard rest at full stretch as far as I was aware.

Never-the-less, I definitely enjoy a quick burst on a bored evening, maybe a couple of frames of a tournament, as long as I stop before I get too irritated by the animation and commentary! And if treated in that way, it should keep me mildly entertained for a good while.


The best snooker title out there   May 25, 2005
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

This game really is top, plenty to do and plenty to unlock to keep you interested.

The graphics are really pretty stunning, and most players pretty well realised, with individual characteristics and so on.

The only thing missing from this in the hall of fame feature, present on the original version (on the psx) that allows you to save your top ten highest breaks (unless ive missed it stupidly)

Apart from that, great stuff, hasnt left my console since the day I got it


Snooker Is Back   May 8, 2005
Bob (England)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I have Played On wcs 2003, 2004 and 2005. 2005 is by fare the best one!!!! You can make your own player and be over 100 players. The Graphics are as good as you would need or wanted. The game Play is a lot better. This time the cue ball arrows are fare more accurate, meaning you can make high breaks.Witch is a lot more fun then just getting to 70 and then losing it all. (Like you do in 2003 and 2004) On wcs 2004 my top 10 breaks was from 60 to 102 and 2005 is 89 to 147.