It's been quite a while since consoles get an officially licensed Snooker game of the latest generation. Snooker 19, to be released this spring on PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One might be the one we’re looking for.
About Snooker 19
Snooker 19 was developed by Leamington Spa-based studio Lab42 and owns as many as 128 officially-licensed pros within. That includes big hitters like Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Selby, Ding Junhui and Judd Trump. There are also older ones who are still appearing on pro tours like Peter Ebdon, Jimmy White, and Ken Dohert. The game also features famous snooker venues like Alexandra Palace and The Crucible. Here's the official trailer of the game:
Gameplay Wise
Turning to the gameplay, Snooker 19 lets players lining up shots, applying side or spinning to the cue ball. They will then set the stroke power, use the left stick to hold back before hitting the ball. If you time the shot well, that’d be a clean strike. Otherwise, the cue ball would definitely wobble off.
After a few tries in Snooker 19, it didn’t take much for any of you to be familiar with the controls and build the breaks quickly. The catch here is that Snooker 19 being such a realistic simulation. Therefore, it’s hard, just like in real snooker. In fact, shots that are hard in real life would be as hard as the in-game ones.
An example of such shots would be ones from tight angles to hit middle pockets. It’s tricky to keep the position, but it won’t be so problematic if your real life’s snooker level is decent. You'll know the best approach towards each shot in the game, at least.
It is possible to adjust the difficulties to match your skill level. There are also various in-game assists to help you. One of them is a guide on screen, telling you the direction that the cue ball will follow. This would definitely help a lot when you’re facing experienced opponents. On the other hand, if you are an experienced player yourself, you could totally play on the highest difficulty, which removes such assists.
Sounds and graphics
When it comes to sound effect, Snooker 19 completely nails it. All sounds from cue-on-ball, ball-potting, and ball-on-ball are very satisfying. The commentary does an average job, although it might be a little scarce and basic.
Graphics wise, Snooker 19 creates incredibly amazing ball movements and ball reflections. Moreover, the game tables look great and sound great, as well. However, player animations should be a little less janky, just to match the recognizable faces.
To be fair, Snooker 19 doesn’t have the budget of a FIFA-style game, so we can’t be expecting too much. However, once you got down to play in the ball-striking point of view, you can't fault it.
Game Modes
Talking about modes, there are plenty of them to choose from: from the established rules to the Six Reds format as well as the quickfire Shootout. There's also a career mode that allows you to play like a pro but much easier, or as a rising star but much more challenging. Furthermore, online tournaments are available in-game, which synced to real life tournaments and offers great rewards. We’re talking about aesthetic items like fancy waistcoats, cues, and bow-ties.
In general
Snooker 19 seems to be a decent beginning for a series which hopefully would improve through time. Currently, there’s not much in Snooker 19 compared to similar sports games out there, but much more content should be coming as long as it does well. As a matter of fact, Snooker 19 does look like the best snooker video game in a long time. And since it’s coming to Switch as well, it could be a legit commute killer if the game runs well enough.