Martin Carr reviews Rocket League…
You’re in a huge stadium. Floodlights blaze down from atop vast scaffolding constructs encompassing an arena decked out in full regalia. People rev their engines in anticipation of that klaxon kicking off another adrenaline fuelled foot to the floor fiasco. Rocket League is foolishly simple yet savagely addictive from almost the first moment you careen across that football pitch. I say football and pitch because that is exactly what you have.
Developers Psyonix have simply produced a FIFA clone replacing players with supped up kit cars. Whether you jump up and catch it mid-air halfway through its trajectory, or ricochet that bad boy off an opponent. Your sole aim is get an oversized orb into a goal at either end. Whatever the method its purpose remains identical; win the match and progress onto a higher division. As with any game of this nature there are power ups in play as well as different liveries for your motor. Meaning that the custom possibilities are seemingly limitless.
Since it was released on PC Rocket League has proven quite the success, hence the inevitable jump to next-gen console. Meaning that all that manic multi-player action can be experienced beyond the confines of Steam. Which in my case equates to a game combining my love of driving with a little healthy competition. Which culminated in several hours glued to a screen, combined with moments of swearing and incidents where my controller was almost pitched into the kitchen. So much for me having conquered my baser instincts dormant since those Tekken 2 days.
Control wise Rocket League is merely accelerate, reverse, jump and hand brake turn. Frame rates never suffer during on-line play and matches are quick to load. Meaning the only thing slowing you down is your stamina. There are no tricky combos to master and the cars remain seemingly indestructible. On top of this developers have kept the additional content coming, adding longevity beyond your initial investment. Swiftly elevating Rocket League into the realms of classic indie title, especially when you realise this is only fifteen pounds to download. One big old bargain guaranteed to give you hours of gaming pleasure for little more than pocket change.
So to recap Rocket League is highly addictive, has little or no learning curve and costs pence. Everything an indie game should be. Do yourself a favour and download this without delay.
Rating: 10/10
SEE ALSO: ORDER ROCKET LEAGUE VIA AMAZON US OR AMAZON UK
Martin Carr – Follow me on Twitter
. url=”.” . width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]
Originally published February 25, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
