Rocket League - Futuristic sports game that keeps you coming back for more

Soccer (or Football for most of the non-US readers among you) with cars. Insanely fun or just another gimmick?
In a short timespan Rocket League, a futuristic Sports-Action game, has amassed an insane fanbase with players on multiple platforms across the world. Compete online with or against friends and strangers in frantic five minute battles in this simple but addictive masterpiece.
Why does Rocket League keep you coming back for more? Read the review and find out!

Life can be simple

Rocket League is a game that shows that life does not have to be complicated. It's often the simplest things in life you like most and Rocket League is part of it. The layout of the game can hardly be simpler. Soccer with cars, that's about it. Two teams from each of the three players compete in a small and empty futuristic arena around a big bouncy ball, with which they can crashed into with their cars. Each team has a goal and who knocks the ball in the opponent's goal more than the other teams wins the match. That's all.

It really doesn't need to be more than that, because of that simple set-up, Rocket League is insanely fun to play. it's available on mutltiple platforms: PlayStation 4, Windows/Linux/SteamOS, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and even on MAC. The game is extremely popular on the PS4, especially because it was offered to anyone with a PlayStation Plus subscription free of charge for one month. Who missed that promotion or wants to play the game on a PC, it is available on Steam for under 20 bucks!.



Is the game really nothing more than soccer with cars? Barely, but there are a few features that spice up the gameplay. There are some Boost Pads on the playing field. Drive over those and your Boost Meter fills, so your rocket-driven car temporarily has some extra speed. As if that's not crazy, you can make your car a leap and still affect the height of the jump: not very realistic, but very fun. Additionally, you can create a so-called Power Slide, especially handy to for quick U-turns. That's about its. You can gain experience by performing well during races, thus unlocking options to adjust your car. Between the races you can adjust the appearance of your car, but these changes are merely cosmetic. As far as gameplay is concerned, it only depends on the player's skills, not on his equipment.


Lessons learned

Because developer Psyonix has learned from the predecessor, the largely similar Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, that appeared in 2008 for the PlayStation 3, the game is fun and remains fun to play despite being simple. The new edition is slightly slower. As a result, there is more room for showing individual skills and especially for cooperation. Furthermore, the physical characteristics of the ball and the cars are slightly modified, which makes the game a little more playable.

What the creators are doing well is that the game is very easy, but still surprisingly has a lot of depth. Even though "depth" here may not be the right word; In particular I mean that you will only get the good grips of control after playing some matches. The arenas have no straight angles, the transition from floor to wall is round, just like the corners of the arena. That means not only that you can easily drive your car up those walls, it also means that the ball can bounce back to those places in unexpected ways.



However, it is especially the behavior of the ball and your car that you need to get to know. The ball, which is twice as high as your car, has some strange physical properties. Because he responds slowly it seems heavy. At the same time, it bounces very far and high. Learning the physics of the ball is the key to scoring. Perhaps the most important lesson is where you have to hit the ball with your car to give it the desired direction.

The same applies to your car; You need to get used to the steering behavior and especially the impact of jumps and boosts. You will undoubtedly miss the first matches if you try to jump to the ball and often miss the ball if you try to hit him with a boost. Rocket League is also a game where reversing can be of major strategic importance, to maneuver yourself in a favorable position. Also, get used to a game in which you control a racing car. This is what makes the experienced players stand out from the rest.


Cross-platform

It's exactly why Rocket League can make it without complicated rules and additional game modes. You can adjust handle the amount of players, from duels to hectic matches of four against four. It's great that Psyonix allows players from all over the world to play each other and especially that the game is 'cross-platform'. The makers therefore advise to play on the PC with a gamepad. We must admit that a gamepad offers better controls than with mouse and keyboard. The success of Rocket League also comes from the duration of the matches. After five minutes, it's over, but before you know, a new match has been launched, which you are about to join.

Yes, Rocket League is a simple game, but a nice simple game. It fully complies with the adage that Blizzard uses: easy to learn, hard to master. It's no more than soccer with some cars, but the cars have the right speed and the right options, and the ball has the right physical properties to keep matches exciting. Every match will have you craving for more, especially because they are finished after just five minutes. Rocket League is therefore a game that will keep you playing.


System requirements

Unlike many games of today rocket League does not require a super beefy gaming rig and has modest system requirements for PC owners:

MINIMUM:

        OS: Windows 7 or Newer
        Processor: 2.4 GHz Dual core
        Memory: 2 GB RAM
        Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 260 or ATI 4850
        DirectX: Version 9.0c
        Network: Broadband Internet connection
        Storage: 5 GB available space

RECOMMENDED:

        OS: Windows 7 or Newer
        Processor: 2.5+ GHz Quad core
        Memory: 4 GB RAM
        Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 660 or better, ATI 7950 or better
        DirectX: Version 9.0c
        Network: Broadband Internet connection
        Storage: 5 GB available space
        Additional Notes: Gamepad or Controller Recommended


Best of all; Rocket League is available right here on GameHag for only 6500 SoulGems!