“Snooker loopy nuts are we, me and him and them and me“, sang the musical wordsmiths, Chas and Dave.
That was a time when snooker was a mainstay of English sports culture, coming to prominence in the late 1970s, seeing players like Alex ‘Hurricane” Higgins and Jimmy “Whirlwind” White become household names and celebrities.
There have been a lot of video games made over the decades with snooker as its star. From the 1980’s and Steve Davis Snooker to the more recent Snooker 19 on Xbox. Now we have Snooker Blitz which is a free-to-play game. But of course, the temptation of microtransactions is very present.
For a game that was founded in the late 1800’s, it’s got a pretty sturdy heritage. For those who don’t know, snooker is played on a green felt table and has 15 red balls, a yellow, a green, a brown, a blue, a pink, and a black ball, all looking to be popped into one of the table’s six pockets. A white ball is the one that gets hits with a cue and as you pocket each ball each one is valued with points – the person with the highest score wins. We probably don’t need to tell you all that, but it’s down in writing now, and it’s that which will be the focus of your play in Snooker Blitz. If you’re not into snooker then turn away now.
The game itself is easy to get started with, and a few detailed tutorials help you work out the basics and the more advanced elements. You line up the shot with your thumbsticks and a cursor shows where the ball will hit and then go. You hold back on the right stick to gauge the power needed for each shot and away you go. There are more final details like putting spin on the ball and a closer camera so you get the shot right in micro detail. It all works brilliantly and is easy to pick up and play.
You can play Snooker Blitz online, against real-world opponents or with bots – and that means there is always the opportunity to get involved in a match, no matter what time of day. When you do jump in, you get to work with some currency, a cue, and your wits. You can join a league, and there are weekly tournaments to partake in.
And the more you play, the more currency you gain. But every time you play the game you mostly need to use some of that currency to buy in. I think the idea kicking around in Snooker Blitz is that you’ll find some kind of addiction, wanting to pay some real money to continue your involvement, instead of sitting around, waiting for things to happen. Whether you like that marketing model or not will be a personal thing, and whilst I can understand the free-to-play ideas and see how they need to pay for it, I would have loved to have had these features baked in, sitting behind a normally priced game.
The visuals for Snooker Blitz are pretty nice and the tables look as a snooker table should – it would be a bit of a shock if they didn’t. And whilst the surroundings are of some kind of bar, it’s hardly bustling, rarely full of people or players, and that’s a bit of a shame. And Snooker Blitz doesn’t help itself with the menus. They are mad, and for me it’s all a bit confusing at times, full of colour, complete with things like chests to open, and tons of opportunity to spend real cash on cosmetic goodies and in-game currency. It’s just all a bit ‘much’.
The sound is good though, with people politely clearing their throats in the background. There is an umpire who announces the score when you pot a ball which is always satisfying.
Snooker Blitz is one of those tricky games to nail down. As an addition to the snooker genre, it is a solid, pretty addictive game. The mechanics are fine, and the requirements of a snooker title are all there, as are league tables and knockout tournaments. But right at the fore is that dirty old question – should you spend money to progress? Yes, many are mature enough to be able to spend their money how they like, but for me, it’s a format that feels dated.
As a free download, if you’re a bit snooker loopy, then consider a download of Snooker Blitz. Just be aware of the microtransactions.
Rack ‘Em Up for Free: Snooker Blitz Hits Xbox, PC and Play Anywhere – https://www.thexboxhub.com/rack-em-up-for-free-snooker-blitz-hits-xbox-pc-and-play-anywhere/
Download Snooker Blitz for free – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/snooker-blitz/9NHQ5CB04K4P
This game sucks so bad and is basically pay to win,
The shot view is very restrictive and you cannot free cam when taking a shot to see angles, they do offer a vision ability, you start off and have 3 bars, after that you have to pay via microtransactions for game currency to refill it.
The game is fun for the first 3 games until you have to recharge the abilities or what ever they are called by paying for in game currency or have a very limited view, which means anyone you’re playing that has the vision shots will beat you no matter how good you are.