Rocket League Reviewed!

One of my favorite TV shows is Top Gear.  It’s a show about 3 middle aged British guys who review cars in an offbeat way.  One segment they showed was playing soccer with little Toyotas.  Rocket League is that, but on steroids.  It’s a game where you boost around a giant soccer field with rocket powered cars.  That’s it.  There’s no complex narrative, it’s not a technical masterpiece to show off the power of a gaming console, nor is it an experiment in gameplay.  It’s a game where you drive around in rocket propelled cars hitting a giant soccer ball into a goal...no seriously that it.  Wait, hear me out!

Rocket League is available for PC and PS4.  It was released July 7^th, 2015.  It currently sells for 15 USD, though I picked mine up on sale for 11 USD, because I shop the sales, yo.

I am not a sports guys.  I have never been one to sit down and watch a sporting event, unless it’s with a couple friends who can explain to me what in the hell is happening.  Nor, am I person who is that into cars.  Sure, I watch Top Gear, but that show is basically a bunch of 20 something year olds stuck in the bodies of 50 year old men.  It’s 3 guys doing dumb things with cars, and we get the pleasure of viewing it.  However, I don’t particularly care about which car has how many dead horses in its engine or what a torque even is.  I think it’s a dance move where you shake your butt, but don’t quote me on that.  But, something about Rocket League transcends that.  It’s just a fun game.  To be as cliché as I can, it’s easy to learn but difficult to master. 

The official trailer with gameplay footage for Rocket League

The matches in Rocket League are short.  They are 5 minutes of in game time, with a game lasting anywhere between six to ten minutes depending on in game pauses.  The matches are short enough to where you won’t rage quit, but long enough to think that even if you’re down 2 goals, you can still make a comeback.  The physics takes a little getting used to.  This isn’t a simulation game where you can test out your dream cars.  It’s a ridiculous on purpose.  You can fly into the air and knock a soccer ball around.  Controls are very easy.  The game recommends you play with a controller, but I have played it with a keyboard and mouse, and it still remains rather intuitive.  The online is pretty good at keeping the game lag free, but only if you play on a server close to you.  So, if you live in the United States, play on a United States server.  I played on an Asian server once, and while playable, there were some times where I had to yell at the TV for some crap that happened on screen.

This review is short.  Mainly because this isn’t a deep game.  It’s great for getting online, playing a couple rounds, getting off and getting back to the world.  It’s not a game meant to shake gaming to its core, but it didn’t have to be.  It’s exactly what a game should be: it’s fun as hell.  Is it for everyone? No, that’s a dumb question.  No game is perfectly suited to everyone.  However, I would give this game a definite buy recommendation, and at 15 dollars, I think it is perfectly priced.