World Championship Snooker 2003

Published by Codemasters
Developed by Codemasters
Platform: PlayStation 2
Released - Out Now
Price : £39.99

It's always been a challenge to do a Snooker (or Pool for that matter) game on a console. I've always felt simulations of these games seem to be more suited to the PC as the mouse could easily be made into a 'virtual cue'. However it has to be said that World Championship Snooker 2002 was a damn good game that most Snooker fans are probably still enjoying. What is strange though is that in all the time that has elapsed since the release of WCS 2002, no one has released another Snooker title (at least to my knowledge) on the PlayStation 2. Anyway it's time for World Championship Snooker 2003, so let's see how it plays.

Of course it's difficult to think what could have been added to the last version but let's see what this years version contains. You can play a single match of snooker, take part in a tournament, compete in a career, attempt trick shots (once you've completed all of these you'll have access to John Virgo's Trick Shot Challenge), play fun games and even receive coaching from Dennis Taylor. Pool fans will be pleased to learn that both the 8-ball and 9-ball versions of the game have been added but whilst single matches can be played, you can't compete in tournaments or play a career as a pool player (this is a snooker game after all). On top of all that the game boasts improved physics, which is impressive because there was little wrong with WCS 2002.

What all snooker enthusiasts are going to interested in though is the career mode. Here you create your own snooker player, customise his appearance, and embark on a journey to become the number one player in the world. You begin, of course, at the bottom of the pile, ranked a lowly 71st. The other seventy players are a mix of professional and fictitious players. There are 28 professional players all in all and these include the likes of Peter Ebdon, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Williams, to name just a few. Making it to the top is no easy feat and it will take most of us more than a couple of seasons before we are anywhere near ready. Throughout your career you'll earn money and you'll be able to buy new waistcoats and other pieces of kit. Career mode is a time consumer and probably justifies the price of the game on its own.

Graphically not much has changed from WCS 2002. The whole thing is presented very well indeed and will instantly be recognisable to anyone who has watched the game on BBC. The balls and board do indeed look realistic but the same cannot be said for the visual quality and animation of the players. The framerate is susceptible to dipping from time to time and although it doesn't affect the gameplay in any way, it is a little disappointing to see (this might not be the case with the Xbox and PC versions though).

World Championship Snooker is fine for deaf gamers. You can enable subtitles (they can be found under the graphics options). With the subtitles on, you'll find the commentary in matches is shown in text and you'll be able to follow the coaching section. It would have been better if the subtitles had appeared on an overlay for the coaching though as it would have made the text easier to see.

Overall World Championship Snooker 2003 is a good sequel to WCS 2002. I suppose the main grumbles will be that the players could look a lot better and while it's true they could do, the professional players are recognisable, which is what matters. Whilst the game is great value for money and the career mode is improved (not forgetting the addition of pool) the actual gameplay doesn't really feel much different. The bottom line is that if you enjoyed WCS 2002 you're going to enjoy this but if you didn't then there's nothing here to change your mind.

Overall Game Rating: 8.0/10
It replaces WCS 2002 as the snooker game of choice on the PlayStation 2 but only just. The arena, player animations and graphics could have been better too.

Deaf Gamers comment:
No problems at all as you can enable subtitles.