Side Pocket FAQ/Walkthrough

Side Pocket FAQ/Walkthrough

by Brian Mills "DarkBlade22"
version 0.7 (2-7-2003)
e-mail me at [email protected]

Version History
---------------

version 0.8 (2-24-03) - added info on trick shots 15 and 17

version 0.75 (2-15-03) - added info on trick shots 12 and 19

version 0.7 (2-7-2003) - wrote most of the walkthrough and as many of the
trick shots as I could do

Introduction
------------

This walkthrough is for the Super NES game Side Pocket by Data East. This game
came out in 1993 and IMO is one of the best pool games for the Super NES - as
well as one of the hardest to find these days. I finally came across this
game after years of looking and hoping to find it for sale at a store or
somewhere like E-Bay. Now that I have it I can write this FAQ for it. I hope
that others will get something out of it.

Controls
--------

- start - starts game
- select - does nothing
- A - cancels action
- B - hit once to start power meter; hit again to shoot
- X - does nothing
- Y - shows the numbers of the balls; hold it in to set spin on the ball
- L and R - moves the cursor in small movements
- control pad - moves the cursor

To set spin on the ball, hold the Y button and press one of the following:
- press left for left
- press right for right
- press up for follow; keep pressing up for masse 1-3
- press down for draw
There are 3 degrees for each spin, with each one becoming increasingly
powerful.

Game Selection
--------------

After the title screen, you will be able to choose what game you want to play.
- 1P Pocket Game - this is the one player game
- 2P Pocket Game - same as the first game, but for two players
- 2P Pocket Game - a two player game where the object is to sink the
ball
- Trick Game - this is where you can practice all of the trick shots in
the game
- Jukebox - this is where you go when you're having a party, so you'll
have music to mosh by

1P Pocket Game
--------------

This is the one player game for Side Pocket. While it is the only one player
game, it presents a good challenge. There are five cities that you play in,
and each one has stricter requirements for passing. This is how it works:

- You start with 16 shots. YOu lose a shot every time you miss or scratch.
When you run out of shots, the game is over.
- The goal in each stage is to reach a certain score. This score increases
for each stage and is obtained by sinking balls and getting bonuses for
balls pocketed in a row and consecutive numbered ball sunk. Miss any
requirement and you will stay in the same city.
- While you get 100 points for every ball sunk, you must get bonuses in
order to pass each stage. Sinking several balls in a row or sinking
consecutive numbered balls will get you the biggest bonuses. Two balls
in a row will get you 600 points, three will get you 1200, four will get
you 1800, and so on.
- The tables will alternate between six and nine balls, so scoring on some
will be harder than others.
- During play, a star will sometimes appear in one of the pockets. Sink
a ball in that pocket to earn bonus points, more balls, or a trick shot
(see below).
- Once in a while (usually on the last ball of the table), a glowing sign
that says "zone" will appear in one of the side pockets. Sinking the
last ball in this will earn you a bonus, but if you sink the cue ball,
not only will you not lose the ball, the table will change, and hitting
the ball will be like hitting a super ball (see below). Sometimes a zone
will appear when there are several balls on the screen. Sinking the cue
ball will cause all the balls to be positioned right in front of the
pockets! This is a great way to rack up a score.
- Sometimes a ball will start to glow while the word "super" flies around
the screen. Hitting this ball will cause this ball to bounce around at a
high velocity. Any ball it hits will also be affected. You can pocket
several balls by using this.
- If you earn a trick shot, after you clear a table you will go to another
table and have an opportunity to earn more shots by sinking one of the
trick shots in the game.
- In addition to the point requirement, each stage after stage one requires
that you make one of the trick shots. If you can make one of these
shots, you will also get a bonus.

This is how the stages break down:

- Stage one - Los Angeles - 3000 points
This is an easy stage. Just make a few consecutive shots and use the
zone, and you'll go to the next stage.

- Stage two - Los Vegas - 4000 points and challenge stage
This one is still not too hard, but may take more than one try. The
super ball usually appears here first if you start with nine balls.
The hard part here is the first challenge stage, which is trick shot
number three. If you can get this, however, you will gain 7 balls!

- Stage three - San Francisco - 5000 points and challenge stage
It starts to get hard here. Hopefully you can hit a lot of consecutive
balls, because you're going to need them. I haven't gotten past the
point requirement, but I will update this when I do.

- Stage four - coming soon

- Stage five - coming soon

2P Pocket Game
--------------

This is just like the one player game, but with two players. This game is set
up as a five set match, with the winner being the one to gain the biggest
score in the five matches. Stars still appear in the pockets, and each player
still gets points for consecutive balls pocketed. In addition, there is no
penalty for fouling, you just lose your turn. The first player to play is the
one who wins the bank shot.

2P 9-Ball Game
--------------

In this game, the winner is the one who can sink the 9 ball first. However,
the rules are more strict in this game. At the beginning, you select either
a 3, 7, or 9 game match. As in the pocket game, the player to win the bank
shot goes first. Each player must hit the lowest numbered ball first before
any others, or they will foul out. Each player starts with 3 balls in stock.
This is decreased by one with each foul, and a foul is obtained by scratching
or hitting the wrong ball. Three fouls in a row results in an automatic loss,
but one legal move will reset the stock. After a foul, the other player can
set the ball where they wish.

Trick Game
----------

The trick game selection takes you to all of the trick shots for the game.
These offer a good challenge when the other games become boring. While some
of these can be figured out in a few tries, some will make you want to tear
your hair out with frustration (me included). I will try to complete these
and will post the solution to each one as soon as I can. Also, some of these
shots are very precise, so you may need to make several attempts before you
sink it.

- shot 1 - With the cursor set straight, set the spin left twice and hit
the ball at about 3/4 power.
- shot 2 - coming soon
- shot 3 - Center the cursor on the ball, push R 8 times and hit the ball
at full power.
- shot 4 - Center the cursor on ball 2, set the spin on draw 3 times, and
hit the ball at full power.
- shot 5 - Set the spin at masse 3, then hit the ball at full power.
- shot 6 - Center the cursor, then hit it at full power.
- shot 7 - coming soon
- shot 8 - coming soon
- shot 9 - Push L once, and hit it at full power.
- shot 10 - Aim at ball 1, set the spin on draw twice, and hit it at full
power.
- shot 11 - Push L once, set the spin on follow twice, and hit it at full
power.
- shot 12 - Push R 4 times, set the spin at masse one and right once, and
hit it at full power.
- Shot 13 - coming soon
- shot 14 - coming soon
- shot 15 - Don't move the cursor. Leave it where it is, set the spin on
masse 3, push L 3 times, and hit at full power.
- shot 16 - coming soon
- shot 17 - Aim the cursor straight to the left, push L 16 times, and hit
at about 7/8 power.
- shot 18 - coming soon
- shot 19 - Aim straight up, set the spin at masse 2 and right once, and
hit it at full power (this one looks cool).

Tips
----

- Practice the trick shots. You will have to make some of these in the one
player game to advance or get extra shots, so it is important to know how
to do these.
- Practice hitting consecutive balls. You will have to get some high scores
late in the one player game. This will also help against a human opponent.
- Pocketing several shots in a row may be easier than consecutive numbers,
but play according to your style.
- Use the bonuses to your advantage. Stars, zones, and the super ball may
get you more points than if you continue with a pocketing streak.
- Use the early tables to practice getting points for the later tables.
- If you sink a ball before you scratch, you won't lose a shot.

A Little About Myself
---------------------

My name is Brian. I am 22 and have been playing video games since I was five,
when the NES first came out. This is my first FAQ. I have been a big fan
of GameFAQs since I first discovered it, and I decided to write this when I
saw that there was nothing written on it and that someone requested one.
Hopefully this will be helpful and I will find something else to do a
walkthrough for.

Thanks
------

CJayC - for putting this on GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com)

Nintendo - for some good game systems and for getting me hooked on games

Data East - for a good pool game, since I can't shoot a ball on an actual
pool table to save my life

Ben Mills - my brother, for helping me with the trick shots

Dave the Rave ([email protected]) - for pointing out that player one and player
two look like Tom Cruise and Paul Newman
from The Color of Money. I knew they
looked familier...

Juan c. Zuniga ([email protected]) - for e-mailing me help on shots 12 and
19, and also 2, which I am still
working on

Spinel ([email protected]) - for e-mailing me help on shots 15 and 17

Copyright
---------

This walkthrough is copyright 2003 Brian Mills, all rights reserved. This
guide may be reproduced for personal use, but otherwise cannot be reproduced
in part or whole for any reason. It may not be sold for any reason, and may
not be posted anywhere other than www.gamefaqs.com. If you have any questions,
you may e-mail me at [email protected] and I will try to answer when
I can. If you see this guide used anywhere other than GameFAQs, please email
me so I will know.