Overview of the game
Rocket League is a sports action soccer, basketball and hockey game, yes you are reading this right, it is a cars you control playing these net based sports. The game setting is in indoor and close off arena where up to teams of 5 vs 5 on a field using the cars to hit the object into a net.
General Gameplay
Well it is soccer, basketball and hockey with cars! The game is very fun and also with a group of friends you can play this title both online on a local split screen and have hours of fun. The game itself puts a great spin on the old classic sports game and used cars, turbo boost and car tricks to make goals and trick shots.
Audio
The game has a great sound. The ambient sound in the game is wonderful done, as well the announcer and the in game sound effects. As this is a “hybrid sports” game there is not many music tracks in the game, but the game does have a licensed soundtrack for the menu area. The license soundtrack itself is a mixture of some rock, but mostly of an electronic, house style of music, from what we have heard there is nothing that would be consider raunchy for younger listeners. Where the game shines in audio is that the sound effects and in game bums, hits, and cars just bumping all over the place. The game does support 5.1 surround sound and also family gamers that use a headset that they will have no issues with the game sound.
Visuals
This is also where the game shines! The graphics are outstanding as you can see the details of all of the stadiums in the game, from the dome itself to the level of detail in the field. With the ability to customize your cars look, there is so many different accessories (in game, but unlocks when certain criteria is done) that you can use to tailor the look to your desire. Also with different looks for your car, you can also place decals, flags, and also other accessories onto the car as well. The game does a great job with its color pallet as in our playtesting there was no issues with any family gamers having trouble seeing any colors. Also in the menu setting there is an option to change some of the colors in case if there are some color issues.
Controls
This is where in our playtest there were some concerns, for some of our family gaming members they were able to pick up and play the game without any trouble where others had a fair amount of trouble with the basic controls of the game. The controls are simple as there is a forward, reverse, power slide, jump, boost and a secondary stick used for aerial tricks. With our special need family gamers, some had trouble playing the game, while others did not. We will monitor this to see if this is just a player by player type of issue or something that may affect others in the game. As with most car based games there is the standard layout with controls, however as this is a game where you also can maneuver your car in the air that the controls will get some use to.
Delivery
The game delivers! So if you are a remote control car fan, a sports (hockey, basketball, and soccer) fan then you will find a lot of enjoyment out of this game. With more content coming out as well cross play with PC players, you will have a fun time playing this title. Also with the ability to have “bots” play in the match this also adds more to the casual players that are looking for a fun co-op multiplayer game but not looking to go online to play against random people.
Family Friendly
The game itself is very friendly to family members, from the game itself, presentation, colors, sound this game is a great game to have in your library. As we pointed out earlier in our review that some family gaming member may have some control issues but with some practice and changing the layout of the button assignments (via in game menu) that may fix the issues. Again we will monitor this and will add an updated review if this changes. Also with more content and gameplay modes be added, this will be a great title for all. Also the ability to have both couch co-op and split screen this can be played with multiple family members as well. With the option to add “bots” to the game also, this makes the game more fun and challenging for all to have. This is one of the games that we highly recommend for families to have in their digital library. Also another thing that we have seen while playing was some lag online, however this could have been either a bad connection and/or that we were gaming during peek hours.
Closing
Rocket League is a great game, that has fun modes, fast paced gameplay, great soundtrack and overall fun it is hard to say anything bad about a title that gets it right.
