Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend

by Data East · Side Pocket series

1995 · Genesis/MegaDrive, Saturn

Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend (released in Japan as Side Pocket 2) 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 player can participate in a story mode and play against a set of pros in six different pool halls in an attempt to face off against Minnesota Fats himself. There are seven different variations of pool to play: Eight-Ball, Nine-Ball, Rotation, 14-1 rack, Three ball, Cut Throat & One Pocket. There is also a Versus Mode to let players take on any opponent of their choice including a two-player option to take on a friend and a Tournament Mode. Players can also try out the Trick Mode that has the player try to compete 16 different trick shots. 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. In Japan, the title Side Pocket 2 is only used in the Saturn version, whereas the Genesis version retains the Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend title.