Side Pocket SNES

Side Pocket is Data East’s billiards simulator, originally released to arcades in 1986 and given an enhanced SNES port in December 1993. Rather than a straight pool simulation, its main Pocket Game mode frames each stage as a themed American city, requiring players to sink a specific number of balls before time runs out to advance.

The SNES version adds new cutscenes and music over the arcade original, plus a Trick Shot mode for practicing elaborate multi-ball shots outside the main game’s time pressure. Its arcade-style presentation of a traditionally slow, simulation-heavy sport made it one of the more approachable billiards games of its era, launching a small Side Pocket series that continued into the following console generation.