Ah, that classic faux pas: what Americans call billiards, we call pool (or American pool). Rather than update the title to avoid the confusion, Brunswick have flicked the bird, told us to get with the program and brought us Brunswick Pro Billiards regardless. Imagine the disappointment on the faces of the carambole billiards crowd (not something we write everyday). Brunswick Pro Billiards cues off today on Xbox One, Switch and PC via Steam.
Fair play to Brunswick, they basically owned bar billiards in America from the turn of the 20th Century, so they get to call the shots here. If you recognise the name, it might be because Brunswick are better known for slapping their name on the Brunswick Pro Bowling series.
Brunswick Pro Billiards doesn’t look like it’s doing anything too fancy. This is a bar billiards sim, with all the spit and polish that you’d hope for. These are modelled on real pool tables, pool cues and billiard balls, so if you like what you see, you can go import them from America. Good luck to you on that.
At least there are (most of) the modes you would hope for. You can play solo, with A.I. donning the bow ties to take you on, or you can compete against friends in local multiplayer. There’s no mention of online multiplayer through, which would imply it’s not included: a big miss if so.
Interestingly, it seems there’s a snooker hall sim baked into this. Winning matches will get you Brunswick Bucks (shameless self-promotion there), which you can spend on upgrading your hall and buying better equipment and tables. We hope you can hustle your opponents or crack a billiard cue over the nape of their neck, but we suspect not.
Sounds like your rub of the green? Brunswick Pro Billiards is out now on Xbox One and will cost you £16.74. It’s also out on Switch and PC via Steam.
Game Description:
Brunswick Pro Billiards is the most realistic and immersive billiards game available for any platform. This is an officially licensed Brunswick product featuring real pool tables, pool cues, and billiard ball sets. Compete against friends or other players online for Brunswick Bucks! Use those winnings to upgrade equipment and tables. Players can also hone their skills against A.I. opponents, battle friends in local multiplayer matches, and play single player Challenge Modes offering a variety of gameplay options.
