Games review: Rocket League (PS4)

Some of you might remember the fantastic 1994 classic 'Street Racer' on the super Nintendo.

For me, it was memorable not because of the crazy characters, weapons or racing. Instead it was the small football extra mode which was so much fun I've always been a little shocked we haven't seen much similar since.

That was until 2008 when Super-Sonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars arrived to a pretty mediocre response from gamers and critics alike.

So, seven years and a gaming generation on, Psyonix return with Rocket League, a sequel with a thankfully shorter title.

For those who aren't aware, Rocket League is basically football with cars, with teams of up to four players on each side. You all have cars with identical speed and handling, the large ball starts in the middle of the arena, and as the five-minute timer begins you dash towards the ball in an attempt to get the first touch and hopefully knock it towards your opponent's goal.

The cars can jump, flip and boost and around the arena there's a selection of pads containing a small boost, with larger 100% boosts available around the edges of the area, surrounded by half-pipe walls and a ceiling that keeps the ball in play constantly, so there's constant action.

Fortunately, controls are simplified. The triggers control acceleration and braking with the face buttons allowing you to jump, boost, pull a handbrake turn and switch between a follow camera and one that keeps facing the ball.

Heading into the main menu, you have the choice between play online, exhibition, season, garage, training, extras and options. Most are self-explanatory but let's have a quick look at each.

Starting from the bottom, options gives you various choices for camera, control and audio as well as a few others such as toggling your split-screen layout, guidance arrows for the ball or cross-play.

Extras lists replays, stats, leaderboards and credits, but your first port of call will want to be training. This is a quick run-down of everything Rocket League, and sharp tests get you used to the various tricks from rolling sideways to flying through the air for a shot or a save. While most game tutorials are boring, long-winded or pointless, Rocket League's fits in perfectly. Each little test is short but effective and running through at least a few is sure to make you a better Rocket League player.

Moving on is garage. This is the place you'll frequent over and over again, because while sparse at first, it will soon be populated with content. Firstly, you can select the exact vehicle you want, then it's paint job dependent on which team, as well as extras such as wheels, decals, boost, flag and topper. These are a great way to be individual and while many will opt for the more popular bodies, there are plenty of options and the regular unlocks mean you're constantly able to dive back in to test out the new Halo or hat for your vehicle.

Heading into the main game modes, these are split between exhibition, which allows you to specify the setup for a single match, and season which allows you to create a team, choose your logo/colour and battle against seven other teams in a league, with the top four then going into play-offs to determine the overall champion.

Finally is online play. While season is more than adequate to keep you entertained for months, online play is where the fun is at. While I was a little late to the party (and some players have clearly had a lot of practise) I soon found the game had thrown me into a lobby with five others. In the first game we were beaten pretty badly, but in the next game the teams where mixed and it was a much fairer match.

There is also ranked play, which is based on ranking points to push you through the divisions to battle for supremacy. In the depths on the higher leagues you'll find some polished teams, who employ tactics the AI couldn't even be programmed to do. This means that no matter how much you play or how good you get, there will always be a challenge, and with Psyonix constantly working to add more downloadable content (DLC), it looks like Rocket League is set to have a pretty good shelf life.

Best of all, most DLC will be free, such as new items and new arenas, as well as the promise of forthcoming alternate designs like the u-bend stadium I was so fond of on SSARPBC.

There is also paid DLC, which is a bargain compared to many (less than £4) and contains new vehicles, as well as paint jobs, wheels and boosts. I think it's great to see more and more developers giving core content free with more aesthetic items as paid DLC so thumbs up to Psyonix for that one. Also, it seems support is promised monthly as well as regular 'season' competitions for the online community to take part in.

Overall, everything is incredibly fun, whether it's flying through the air to smash a ball past oncoming vehicles, or flipping like a bicycle kick to divert the direction of the ball. You'll occasionally wow yourself, or be shocked by a truly spectacular move, whether it's agility or timing, and these moments stick with you far past the resulting goal or save, and keep you smiling well into the next match or save-worthy replay.

There's also a major emphasis on team work, playing together and working together. If you're on a team of three and everyone charges after the ball every time, you'll easily be caught on the break. Trying to keep one player back, one player between the ball and goal, and the third trying to attack the ball is a much safer area, especially if you can rotate to keep everyone with boost.

Team work is best using voice chat, but even for regular games with random players, there's a selection of quick commands on the d-pad for easily congratulating or berating your fellow gamers.

Graphically, everything is sharp, and while it could be classed as basic, with nothing major going on outside of the arena, the action inside runs perfectly sooth, even in a 4v4 online game with three players registering a bad-ping the gameplay was fast, frantic and perfectly smooth and the selection of arenas adds some great colourful environments and a few impressed night modes.

The same can be said for the sound. There's nothing too distracting in play, there's a steady wave of soundtracks on the main menu, and inside the arena you're limited to atmospherics and the roar of the crowd but all discreet enough to warrant keeping the sound on even if you're in a voice chat with numerous others.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that at only £16 it's amazing value for money, with cross-play between PS4 and PC there's a large number of challenges waiting online and continued developer support keeps the content fresh.

Bottom Line

There's very little bad to be sad about Rocket League. It's quite simply some of the best fun I've had in 2015, the fiv-minute matches are the perfect length to keep you busy without becoming tiresome, and graphics and sound might not wow you, but they will do the job perfectly.

There's an adequate season mode, plenty of unlockables and customisation and, best of all, a bustling online community meaning there's always a challenge.