June 20, 2015 by Paul Curtin
It’s always good to see new games at E3 from developers looking to offer more objective-based multiplayer modes that shift away from the stale and simple deathmatch modes of today. Rocket League does just that by hoping to introduce the growing market for eSports to rocket-powered cars trying to score goals on a field similar to soccer, or futball for those not here in the states.
Admittedly, as much as I love the idea of cars and soccer coming together in a video game, I had never heard of developer Psyonix’s previous game, Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, which came out on PlayStation 3 back in 2008. SARPBC featured the same concept of two teams knocking a giant ball around in an attempt to score on the opposing team’s goal. Rocket League looks to take that original concept to the next level with upgraded graphics, better controls, more customization, cross-platform play on the PC and PlayStation 4, and of course, a much better and easier-to-remember name.
In our hands-on time with Rocket League, we learned how simple the beautiful game is to play. Multiplayer allows for friends to play together on up to 4-player local split-screen and also together on PlayStation 4 and PC. Anybody can pick up a controller, drive their car around, and throw themselves into the giant ball in an attempt to pass the ball downfield or score goals. But just like real-life soccer, Rocket League is going to take a lot of training to master. Shot accuracy and ball-hanging are key to victory and not as easy as they sound.
Just like little kids playing soccer in real life, everyone playing at E3 just charged straight towards the ball, knocking it in random directions. So it’s going to be very interesting to see how Rocket League evolves once players begin to clock more hours and develop new skills and tactics. A quick Google search of the original game produces videos of skilled players making ridiculous plays and epic goal-line saves, and with the sequel’s improved controls, the amount of trick shots on YouTube is sure to skyrocket.
With thousands and thousands of customization options, cross-platform multiplayer, and the recent announcement of characters coming over from other popular franchises like Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal, we can’t wait to get our hands on Rocket League and play with friends when it launches later this summer on July 7, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and PC.
