Rocket League Review
Rocket League isn't necessarily a new game when compared with some of our other reviews, but we figured its release on the Xbox One last week deserves a review of its own. Rocket League launched originally on PS4 and PC back on July 7th of 2015 but just made it's debut on the Xbox One on February 17th 2016. The game so far has seen great reviews all around and has even become increasingly popular in the eSports world. Oh, and it's also a ton of fun.
The gameplay is based around two teams ranging anywhere from either 1v1 to 4v4 (with 3v3 being the standard match) using rocket-powered cars in a sort of futuristic soccer match. However this "soccer" match has no rules, time outs, or commercial breaks; each match is an adrenaline rush that lasts from start to finish and only stops for epic instant replays after each goal. The mechanics are easy to learn but leave so much room for one to master over hours and hours of playing.
During our time with Rocket League so far we have seen all styles of gameplay from very defense heavy players guarding the goal to overly aggressive racers chasing the ball like a cat after yarn, both styles and all in between seem to find a place in the game. We tried playing it all different ways and always had a blast (rocket pun) both while playing with friends and even alone, something very difficult for a lot of multiplayer-focused games to capture.
The game features a league ranking system similar to those of Halo 5, League of Legends, and other highly competitive games. Meaning you start out playing a few preliminary matches and then are placed into a ranking within a league, wins and losses within this ranking system will raise and lower your standing within the league and can eventually take you to the next league, a perfect system for this type of game.
Aside from the addicting fast-paced gameplay we also loved the amount of total content there is to the game. The customization options include various car body styles, paint materials, boost trails, car hats, wheel types, and even antenna flags; giving you hundreds and hundreds of options to choose from when designing your car. Each of these items (with the exception of just a few) is unlocked in random order as you progress through the ranks. To make this customization even cooler there are platform specific items paying homage to various games on each platform. In the new Xbox One version of the game the developers have included customization items from Portal (Want the famous cake on your car? Or maybe a little repulsion gel boost trail?) as well as unique cars inspired by Halo and Gears of War.
Overall we have absolutely loved the hours we've spent playing Rocket League and are sure we have hours and hours ahead to play. The addicting rocket-paced gameplay and great customization options insure that you will have a great time every time you play. If you get good enough, you may just make it into a spot in the Official ESL Rocket League championships! All these features and so many more definitely make Rocket League a game worth buying.
