Is Side Pocket [SNES] Worth Playing Today? - SNESdrunk

Just added to the Nintendo Switch Online service...

[fmsyntheses]

A pool game with physics that work is always a treasure. This one is oozing 90s pool-hall ambience as well.

[SuperXzm]

Wow! The amount of time me, my friends and my dad spent in this game. It's just incredibly simplistic yet addictive and accessible.

[mademedothis]

Man, I played a TON of Side Pocket as a kid. I was a tween and thought playing pool in a smoky pub or a pool parlor was the edgiest stuff ever, so a pool game that didn't play like garbage was actually not a "dad" thing. It helps that Side Pocket is actually really well put together. I don't know who bought the Mega Drive cart, it may just have been the cheapest thing available at the local store, but I never once regretted getting it.

[panagenesis]

"We're immediately greeted by one of the girls of Wilson Phillips." Great 90's reference!😂

[miaouew]

My friends dad hated video games and always talked about how much better movies were, but one night when I was spending the night there we rented Captain Commando and some other stuff and this cartridge was in the Blockbuster box instead of Captain Commando. it was too late to take it back because we waited until after pizza to sit down and play. We were disappointed but we ended up sitting there the whole night and watching his dad become fascinated with the game and play pool for hours, was some of the most fun I have ever had sitting next to my friend and watching his dad play this. His parents ended up buying a second SNES and a copy of this for their bedroom...and then he discovered Ken Griffey Major League and NBA Jam. It was fun converting a grown man into a gamer.

[benatv]

I was last month playing this game with a friend at a beach house. It is undoubtedly a classic, very popular here in Brazil.

[yoteca]

Man, i freaking love this game. Fantastic physics for an SNES game, love the atmosphere and graphics between levels and that music..one of my favorite soundtracks for the system. Just lounging and shooting some pool.

[WillCooper]

I have a really different take than you on this game. To me this is a puzzle game. (The 2P mode is a throwaway.) The best part of the game is the trick shots mode which is devilishly difficult. It is quite difficult trying to learn how to beat each of the trick shots, but the cool thing is that once you figure it out, the same setup works every time. You can precisely setup the same settings with the spin on the ball which means that the only variable that is somewhat hard to control is the precise setting on the power meter. I never managed to beat all the trick shots, but it would be an interesting challenge to revisit now. It is very satisfying once you figure out how to beat a trick shot after making many attempts and feeling like it is impossible. Once you have mastered all the trick shots, that helps you advance farther in 1P mode.

[Diggy]

I first stumbled across Side Pocket back when I first got into emulation back in ‘03. As someone who grew up around billiards almost all my life, I was drawn to it. The physics were almost spot-on, the music was so relaxing, and even figuring out the bonus system made for some long gameplay time for me. When they brought Side Pocket onto the Switch SNES Online library, it was my first time playing it on an actual console instead of a laptop or a cellphone. All of those relaxing nights came back to me. It was an addition to my Switch library that I didn’t know I needed.

[louyork]

I absolutely loved this game! I compare all pool games to this one cause it was the first one I played lol

[Midnight_Kamishibai]

Not gonna lie, I was pretty happy when I saw they added this game to Switch online. It's one of my chill out games. It's funny that you mentioned this game being a step towards adding stuff like Caesar's Palace, because as soon as they announced this as one of their picks my first thought was "Sweet, I hope they add Vegas Stakes soon!" I'm probably the one person with that on their wish list. Although people would probably be more receptive of Dad games being added if more than three SNES games a year were put on the service.

[OSW]

"A friend's dad had a gameboy with 2 games: Tetris and golf" holy crap I didn't realise this was a shared experience! Same in ireland!

[Hynnin]

This game was a huge hit in Brazil, everyone knew it back then

[zaturnneo]

I played the Genesis version the most, and loved it. I also grew up playing pool with my uncles every weekend. Hustle Kings was my last foray into the pool world.

[romulopereira]

When I was a teenager my dad had a bar with 2 arcade machines. A neo geo arcade (that was hugely popular here in Brazil) and a second one that was simply an arcade cabinet with a super Nintendo inside and a timer working as credits. One of the games in the snes multi game cart was side pocket. The regular people at the bar (all 50+ years old men that worked in a truck company next to the bar) loved to play side pocket. They were the most hardcore gamers that I ever saw and I bet my life that they never played other game. I love this game.

[Liquidcadmus]

This was actually pretty popular at the arcades (at least here in Argentina and in Brazil). it's a pretty fun and relaxing game if you give it a chance.

[ak]

randomly tried this on the switch and loved it. had me hooked at the badass title screen and then the music and vibe was enough to keep me occupied for a while.

[MegaKirbySuperstar]

My mom LOVES playing video games with me, and she's 59 years old, haha. She's huge into Kirby. Kirby is a GREAT series for newcomers. Highly recommend Kirby games as a way to introduce new players and children.

[jerryxx]

It was actually my mom that introduced us kids to video games. I will always have vivid memories of her just blasting thru Contra on nes like nothing in her 20s lol. I have watched her beat Side Pocket several times and countless other games. She currently owns the switch and still plays Tetris Attack/ Pokemon Puzzle League on Nintendo Switch Online every once in a while

[angelriverasantana]

Side Pocket is a favorite of mine. Genesis, Game Gear and Game Boy versions are my favorites, port wise. The best games in general are Side Pocket 3 and Minnesota Fats