Minnesota Fats Pool Legend

Minnesota Fats Pool Legend, released in Japan as Side Pocket 2: Legend of Hustler (Japanese: サイドポケット2 伝説のハスラー, Hepburn: Saido Poketto 2 Densetsu no Hasurā) is a pocket billiards video game for the Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn, featuring famed billiards player Rudolf “Minnesota Fats” Wanderone. It was released as a sequel to Data East‘s earlier success Side Pocket. The objective is to travel through different cities and defeat AI-controlled hustlers. The player can also take on another human player in order to prove his worthiness at the pool table.

The Saturn version of the game largely plays the same as the Genesis version, but includes a training mode, a short documentary on Minnesota Fats, and a completely different plot in the story mode. In the Genesis version, the player takes the role of an unnamed rookie pool player seeking to challenge Minnesota Fats, and cutscenes are computer-animation. In the Saturn version, the player takes the role of Minnesota Fats himself, in his quest to challenge fictional pool hustlers from around the United States; live-action, full-motion videos (FMVs) are used for the cutscenes.

The title Side Pocket 2: Legend of Hustler is only used for the Japanese release of the Saturn version, whereas the Genesis version, only released in North America, retains the Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend title.

Development – Minnesota Fats Pool Legend

As was typical of live action FMV in video games, the cutscenes in the Saturn version were shot on a minimal budget. Some of the opponents were portrayed by staff from Data East’s marketing department.^[2]

Reception – Minnesota Fats Pool Legend

GamePro gave the Genesis version a generally negative review. While they praised the “authentic” sound effects and the story mode, they commented that the overhead view makes the balls look small and flat, all the available music tracks are elevator music, and the controls are imprecise.^[1] Next Generation, in contrast, said Minnesota Fats improved upon the already excellent original Side Pocket by adding new modes and the ability to play eight-ball, “the staple of any pool game that was mysteriously absent in the original.”

They added that the cue-ball shaped cursor is more accurate, the physics are more realistic, and the opponent AI, while prone to making miraculous shots and missing easy ones, provides an overall decent challenge. They deemed it “easily the best pool game for a home system – though it still can’t beat a smokey bar”, and gave it 3 out of 5 stars.^[3] Acao Games gave it 4 out of 5 circles.^[4]

On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Sega Saturn version of the game at 28 out of 40.^[5] GamePro panned the game, calling it “a slow, plodding CD with clumsy controls.” They particularly criticized that shots which would be easy to make in real life often don’t come off in the game, and that the graphics are restricted to a single view with no close-ups or switchable camera points. 

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