Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend

Reception

GamePro gave the Genesis version a generally negative review, praising the authentic sound effects and story mode but criticizing the overhead view for making balls look small and flat, the elevator-music soundtrack, and imprecise controls. Next Generation, however, stated that Minnesota Fats improved upon the original Side Pocket by adding new modes and eight-ball, calling the cue-ball-shaped cursor more accurate and the physics more realistic, and deeming it the best home-system pool game despite the opponent AI's tendency to make miraculous shots and miss easy ones; it scored 3 out of 5 stars. Ação Games gave it 4 out of 5 circles. For the Saturn version, Famicom Tsūshin scored it 28 out of 40. GamePro panned it as a slow, plodding CD with clumsy controls, noting that easy real-life shots often fail and that graphics are restricted to a single view with no close-ups; the review erroneously called the original Side Pocket a Sega CD game and stated the story mode climaxes in a duel with Minnesota Fats. Next Generation, in a brief review over a year after release, criticized the poorly written and acted FMV clips atop a top-down 16-bit pool game, scoring it 1 out of 5 stars.