Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend
Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend on?
- Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn.
- When did Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend release?
- Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend was first released on March 31, 1995.
About Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend
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.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn
- Developer
- Data East
- Publisher
- Data East
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Non-fiction
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1995 | $29 | $98 | — | Low |
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Sega Saturn. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $21 in Oct 2007, $15.12 five years ago, and $29 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $22 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $8.49 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $3.65 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $5.00 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $3.95 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $7.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $4.74 | $14.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $10.99 | $50 |
| Jan 2016 | $9.95 | $39 |
| Jan 2017 | $50 | $80 |
| Jan 2018 | $15.94 | $42 |
| Jan 2019 | $9.95 | $41 |
| Jan 2020 | $10.00 | $34 |
| Jan 2021 | $18.10 | $44 |
| Jan 2022 | $17.30 | $90 |
| Jan 2023 | $30 | $186 |
| Jan 2024 | $22 | $90 |
| Jan 2025 | $18.87 | $65 |
| Jan 2026 | $25 | $73 |
| Oct 2026 | $29 | $98 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| North America | May 1995 | 013252014114 |
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1995
- Authenticity
- Low
A pool game that follows Side Pocket and is one of the pricier US carts, though critics were cool on it.
Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend came to the Genesis from Data East in May 1995 as a follow-up to Side Pocket. In the Genesis version you play an unnamed rookie hoping to challenge Minnesota Fats himself, with computer-animated cutscenes. A Saturn version has a different story and extras; this page is about the Genesis cartridge.
Next Generation, reviewing it under the title The Pool Master, said it added a slough of features to Side Pocket, including a story mode where you take on various sharks. GamePro gave the Genesis version a mostly negative review.
What the press said at the time
“Although the look of the game hasn't changed much, a variety of new games and features have been included.”
How the Sega Genesis version differs
In the Genesis version the player is an unnamed rookie challenging Minnesota Fats, and the cutscenes are computer animation rather than live action.
GamePro gave the Genesis version a generally negative review, praising its authentic sound effects and story mode but criticizing the small, flat-looking balls, elevator-music tracks and imprecise controls.
Also on other platforms
Sega Saturn
- Sega Saturn. The Saturn version plays much like the Genesis game but adds a training mode, a short documentary on Minnesota Fats and a completely different story mode in which the player is Fats himself, with live-action FMV cutscenes.
- Sega Saturn. The Saturn version's cutscenes were shot on a minimal budget, with some opponents played by staff from Data East's marketing department.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits above the middle. A complete US copy means the case, the cartridge and the manual.
Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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