Pool Live Tour impresses, but it's early days on Windows Phone

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From Facebook to iOS to Android, Pool Live Tour has proved a popular multiplayer implementation, and at last it's on Windows Phone (it arrived in the USA a week or so ago but now seems to be internationally rolled out). Begging the question, how good is it as a game, how has the freemium angle been implemented, and how does the experience work on our platform?

From the Store description, which is worth quoting more or less in full:

Natural touch control — use your real pool skills!

The incredible pool game enjoyed by 2.5 million players every day is now available on Windows Phone! Challenge your friends, or compete against millions of players to win coins and trophies. Practice offline in single player mode or against a friend to perfect your technique, collect the best cues and discover all the lively locations that make up this fun-packed pool game.

#1 POOL GAME ON FACEBOOK! 
· Go head-to-head against real players live. 
· 2 500 000 players every day — you’ll find a worthy opponent in seconds, 24/7. 
· Invite your Facebook friends for a quick match.

NATURAL TOUCH CONTROL — USE YOUR REAL POOL SKILLS 
· The only touchscreen pool that feels just like the real thing. 
· Pull to set power and direction then release to shoot. Simple! 
· Add second finger to perform tricky spin shots. 

ONLINE, OFFLINE, ON THE BUS — PLAY ANYWHERE, ANYTIME 
· Compete for coins and glory in the head-to-head Play & Win mode. 
· Facebook, tablet, phone … play against your friends wherever they are. 
· Start a bluetooth duel for those times you’re offline. 
· 2 player duel on a single screen — just the thing for those long journeys!

FROM HUMBLE MOE’S PUB TO THE LUXURIOUS MANHATTAN SKY LOFT 
· 5 amazing levels, each supporting aim-assist and no aim-assist modes. 
· Move through the levels and play for increasingly high stakes. 
· Win big against progressively tougher opponents from all over the planet.

BECOME A CUE COLLECTOR MASTER 
· Steampunk? Classical? Pixel art fan? Find your perfect cue! 
· Choose from over 50 cues like the simple-but-crazy Broom stick to a beautiful masterpieces such as the Dragon. 
· Unlock more powerful cues as you level-up, then show off to your friends and opponents.

Being the AAWP pool maestro(!), I had to dive in, of course:

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

It's all light and cheerful, and pretty stable - though see the big caveat below...

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

The central idea of multiplayer all the time, across the Internet, across all platforms, works well, and it dispenses with the usual choice of rules and aids by setting them in stone for each table/venue. So, as you play through them all, you get to play in each UI/rule variation.

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

The core aiming/shooting UI is excellent, drag back (from any point on the table) and release, with the twisting of your touch point determining aim adjustments and a second finger drag adding a touch of spin. 

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

You're limited in power and spin at first, but other cues add more capability later, once you've bought them. There's a time limit for each shot, note the way a black section is creeping across my player thumbnail etc.

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

A good start!

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

As you start winning, you get to access new tables ('levels'), as you might expect, plus you get enough dough to start matches there, plus pick up more powerful (and outrageously styled) cues....

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

At any time, you can examine both your own, and your opponent's, essential stats....

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

There's an integrated quick message system, but you're limited to canned text. Probably for the best?

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

The extra cues have to be charged, battery-style, if you want to keep on pulling off the power shots. This needs coins, which can be earned or bought, as you'd expect.

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

In addition to buying coins, you can buy gold, with some items in the game needing various combinations. All a little confusing, really, plus the usual excessive in-app-purchases for the unwary or careless....

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

Each cue looks different and acts different, though the biggest factor in success will still be your own skill...

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

Working your way through the tables/halls, you experience different rules, but don't worry, there's help text available for each.

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

Gotchas? Well, Pool Live Tour is buggy on Windows Phone... I was halfway through this heavyweight game against a great player, and then.... nothing. No timer activity from my opponent. I sent him messages... nothing. Turns out the Windows Phone app had disconnected behind the scenes and the server had duly awarded my opponent the win. VERY frustrating.

Screenshot, Pool Live Tour

In addition, Pool Live Tour hung on me a few times, with a never ending 'Resuming...' looop.... A phone restart was needed.

There's potential here, the fun of playing against real people always exceeds the frustration in waiting for opponents to line up their next shots. But the basic engine has to be foolproof and stable - and I think Pool Live Tour needs a couple of fix-up updates before I'm ready to review it formally and deliver a verdict.

See what you think. You can download Pool Live Tour here in the Store.

Source / Credit: Windows Phone Store