Software:Q-Ball: Billiards Master

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Short description: 2000 video game
Q-Ball: Billiards Master
Developer(s)Ornith
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Steve Robert
Artist(s)Kurt Miller, Brian Weber
Composer(s)Tomoyuki Hikasa, Jun Washida
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • JP: March 30, 2000
  • NA: October 26, 2000
  • EU: January 12, 2001
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Q-Ball: Billiards Master, known in Japan as Dōkyū Billiard Master 2 (撞球 ビリヤードマスター2, Dōkyū Biriyādo Masutā 2), and in Europe as Pool Master, is a video game developed by Ornith and published by ASK and Take-Two Interactive for the PlayStation 2 in 2000-2001. It is the sequel to the 1998 video game Pool Hustler, which was released for PlayStation.

The game's working title was Cool Pool Billiards Master, which was originally set to be released on November 26, 2000, one month after the launch of the PlayStation 2.[1] However, Take-Two Interactive launched its new website for the game while changing its name to Q-Ball: Billiards Master, but why the release date was changed back to October 26 is unclear.[2]

Characters

Normal Rank

  • United States Ranking Abrahams
    • Cheerful and outgoing; he does not fuss over small details. He is a powerful shooter, but his span of concentration is short. He has a firm grasp of the fundamentals, however, he becomes unstoppable once on fire. If it happens, the player is in trouble. There is nothing they can do except pray that his concentration will be exhausted soon.
  • United States Natalie Baltimore
    • Young, beautiful, and brilliant. The extremely well calculated shots she delivers explicitly reflect her strategic nature. With an unsurpassed ability to think ahead, she allows no one to take advantage of an unguarded moment. However, she is the least powerful player in the lineup.
  • Vietnam Ton Vinh Kiem
    • A black sheep in the world of billiards, who pulled himself out of a dissipated, almost-gangster-like life. In those days, he was the king of hustling, bleeding the local young gang members dry. The word "theory" cannot be found in his book, nor can the word "basics". He plays like a shot-gun, blasting through competition with force.
  • United Kingdom Ruth Skinny
    • Born to an upper-class family of England, he grew up playing with billiard equipment since his infancy. At the tender age of 17, his youth does not seem to prevent him from competing squarely against veterans. Unfortunately for him, however, his family was too indulgent with him. Once in a pinch, his mental frailty betrays him. Assail him at that moment. He's not as powerful as he seems.
  • Brazil Eli Golding
    • She is neither a powerful nor strategic player. However, she turns into a brilliant player at critical moments. Her resilience and outstanding ability to do the impossible are almost supernatural. Her staying power is high despite her fragile appearance.

Professional Rank

To unlock the Professional Rank opponents, the player must beat any of the Normal Rank opponents and collect four colored portrait pieces on Panel Bingo in VS. Player Game mode. Once he or she found all four portrait pieces, a roulette will decide which billiard game to compete with a Professional Rank opponent. When one game is selected, rules will be set automatically. Then, the player must defeat one of the Professional Rank opponents. If the player wins the games, the Professional Rank opponent will be unlocked. If the player loses, he or she will lose one portrait piece as a penalty, and the roulette will decide which piece will be removed.

North America and Europe

  • United States Jethro Madison (Unlock by collecting four magenta portrait pieces in Normal Rank)
    • Starting to play at the age of 17, Jethro became known as the best amateur player in history. Now an all-around Q-Ball Pro with substantial stamina and techniques, he is not easily bent at times of crisis.
  • United States Nick Jericho (Unlock by collecting four yellow portrait pieces in Normal Rank)
    • Immediately upon joining the Q-Ball Pro Rank at the age of 23, Mr. Jericho won Billiard Master's Professional Championship, giving the public a powerful impression of his coming of age. He continued to win many tournaments in the following decade, earning a nickname "Young Jericho". He later stepped onto the World stage and is highly regarded as a "tough-hearted player." Steady at all times, he does not have any particular weakness and waits patiently for the opponent's mistakes.
  • United States Heather Huntington (Unlock by collecting four green portrait pieces in Normal Rank)
    • Learning to play at the age of 18, Heather turned pro in 1990. She does not budge even an inch against male opponents. Do not take her lightly by any means, or you are going to be sorry. However, she occasionally makes careless mistakes; make sure to seize those opportunities.
  • United Kingdom Andy Siegel (Unlock by collecting four orange portrait pieces in Normal Rank)
    • Turning pro in 1996, Andy gained popularity with his explosive performance. An aggressive player, he is difficult to defeat once he gets on a roll. His ups and downs are rather drastic, however. Be careful not to give him the initiative of the game.
  • United States Theodore "Buzz" Fletcher (Unlock by collecting four blue portrait pieces in Normal Rank)
    • A year after turning pro at the age of 20, Buzz won the Q-Ball Professional Championship and held the title for four years consecutively. He turned his eyes to the world after playing in American games and started attending tournaments held in various countries. He is an all-around player in all styles of play, but you might have a chance of victory if you succeed in turning the game into a test of endurance.

Japan

  • Japan Satoshi Kawabata
  • Japan Akikumo Toshikawa
  • Japan Akimi Kajitani
  • Japan Takeshi Okumura
  • Japan Kunihiko Takahashi

Extra Rank

To unlock the Extra Rank opponents, a player must beat all opponents in both Normal and Professional Ranks with all billiard games (8-Ball, US 9-Ball, International 9-Ball, Rotation, and Straight Pool) on Panel Bingo in VS. Player Game mode.

  • Jamie (in the yellow outfit)
  • Stevie (in the pink outfit)
  • Sammy (in the blue outfit)

Cue Sticks

The cue sticks can be unlocked by doing a vertical bingo in VS. Player Mode. The full list of all cue sticks is outlined below:

No. Cue Type Shot Power "English" Strike Point Area CPU Opponent
1 Mezz Cues SA-1 Medium Medium Medium N/A
2 Mezz Cues SA-3 Medium Medium Medium N/A
3 Mezz Cues SA-6 Medium Medium Medium N/A
4 Mezz Cues SA-8 Medium Medium Medium N/A
5 Mezz Cues SA-9 Medium Medium Medium N/A
6 Mezz Cues SA-10 Medium Medium Medium N/A
7 Mezz Cues SA-11 Medium Medium Medium N/A
8 Mezz Cues SA-12 Medium Medium Medium N/A
9 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-1* Medium Medium Medium Ranking Abrahams
10 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-2* Strong Medium Medium Natalie Baltimore
11 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-3* Medium Medium Large Ton Vinh Kiem
12 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-4* Strong Strong Medium Ruth Skinny
13 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-5* Medium Strong Large Eli Golding
14 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-6* Strong Medium Medium Andy Siegel
Satoshi Kawabata
15 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-7* Strong Strong Medium Nick Jericho
Akikumo Toshikawa
16 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-8* Medium Strong Large Heather Huntington
Akimi Kajitani
17 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-9* Strong Medium Medium Theodore "Buzz" Fletcher
Takeshi Okumura
18 Mezz Cues Professional UJ-10* Medium Strong Large Jethro Madison
Kunihiko Takahashi
19 Billiards Master Original Cue 1 (Yellow)* Weak Weak Small Jamie
20 Billiards Master Original Cue 2 (Pink)* Weak Very Strong Very Large Stevie
21 Billiards Master Original Cue 3 (Blue)* Very Strong Weak Small Sammy
  • * Represents as an unlockable cue stick.

Music soundtrack

The soundtrack for Q-Ball: Billiards Master was composed by Tomoyuki Hikasa and Jun Washida. The music was recorded in early 2000. A player can select a track to listen in the in-game options. The list of tracks was shown below:

  1. "A Certain Vibration" (4:44)
  2. "At Liberty to Go" (6:22)
  3. "Dic Dic Dan" (2:12)
  4. "Is This Meaningful Try?!" (5:49)
  5. "Morning Fright" (5:03)
  6. "Soul of Jazz" (1:34)
  7. "Spice" (2:24)
  8. "With Modern Sense" (3:08)
  9. "Your Chaos" (3:54)

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic65/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStar[4]
EGM6.5/10[5]
Famitsu29/40[7]
Game Informer4.5/10[8]
GameSpot6.6/10[9]
IGN5/10[10]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[11]
OPM (UK)5/10[12]
OPM (US)StarStarStarHalf star[13]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3] Mike Wolf of NextGen said, "We wouldn't label this a must-buy, but it's certainly worth a look."[11] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 29 out of 40.[7]

References

  1. ↑ IGN staff (August 16, 2000). "Q-Ball Billiards Master (Preview)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/08/17/q-ball-billiards-master-2. 
  2. ↑ IGN staff (October 11, 2000). "Take-Two Launches Pool Site". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/10/12/take-two-launches-pool-site. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Q-Ball: Billiards Master". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/q-ball-billiards-master/. 
  4. ↑ Thompson, Jon. "Q-Ball: Billiards Master - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=26528&tab=review. 
  5. ↑ Dudlak, Jonathan (January 2001). "Q-Ball Billiards Master". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (138): 211. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_138_January_2001_U/page/n209/mode/2up. Retrieved September 1, 2020. 
  6. ↑ Hudak, Chris (November 27, 2000). "Q-Ball: Billiards Master". Greedy Productions Ltd.. http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=4546&full=1. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "撞球 ビリヤードマスター2 [PS2"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=9344&redirect=no. Retrieved January 7, 2024. 
  8. ↑ Fitzloff, Jay (January 2001). "Q-Ball: Billiards Master". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (93): 95. 
  9. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (April 18, 2000). "Q-Ball Billiards Master Review [JP Import [date mislabeled as "October 26, 2000"]"]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/q-ball-billiards-master-review/1900-2557994/. 
  10. ↑ Smith, David (October 30, 2000). "Q-Ball Billiards Master". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/10/31/q-ball-billiards-master. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Wolf, Mike (February 2001). "Q-Ball: Billiards Master". NextGen (Imagine Media) (74): 72. https://archive.org/details/NextGen74Feb2001/page/n73/mode/2up. Retrieved September 1, 2020. 
  12. ↑ Richards, Sam (December 25, 2000). "Poolmaster [sic]". Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine (Future Publishing) (2): 135. 
  13. ↑ Rybicki, Joe (January 2001). "Q-Ball Billiards Master". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) (40): 131. https://archive.org/details/official-u.-s.-playstation-magazine-issue-40-january-2001/page/n131/mode/2up. Retrieved January 7, 2024. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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