Rocket League
is a game that shows people that the most important thing in making a video game successful is to make it fun… and man, is Rocket League fun.
Originally being made available in 2015 via digital download for PS4 (and Xbox One in 2016), Rocket League quickly gained a massive fan base for its mix of rocket-car based physics and football, a mix that didn’t just work well but took competitive play to new levels of frantic insanity. Now, after more than a year, the game gets a physical release for both PS4 and Xbox One, which gives anyone who hasn’t already tried it a perfect reason to pick it up.
The main drawing point with Rocket League has always been how fun it is, no matter how good or bad you may be, the exhilaration you feel whilst careening around in a little remote controlled car whilst trying to gracefully guide your oversized football into the back of the net is second to none. The excitement felt when you’re mere millimetres away from the ball is palpable, and the fun of getting from where you are to the ball is a genuine rush. Mix that with the ability to boost the car and have it perform air moves in the form of a jump and aerial roll, and the level of hectic gets to way over 9000.
Of course, with fun comes responsibility, and Rocket League gives you the responsibility of working out physics and angles. Unlike most football games where you’ll kick the ball and it’ll go in the direction the player is facing, in Rocket League, the angle you hit the ball at will dictate which way it goes. This not only adds an extra layer of technicality to the game but vastly improves how involved you become into the game, pushing you to not only think of where you are now but also think of where you need to 
be and how fast and at what angle to come in at to get the most out of the ball. The aerial side of this plays massively into this, as a well-timed air roll can get the ball exactly where you want it to be and even give it extra speed, perfect for setting up or scoring a goal and equally perfect for making a last second save.
Rocket League also excels in the design side of things, giving you a whole host of interesting cars to drive which can be customised to a heavy degree. Everything from the wheels to the antenna to the colour and even the vapour trail your boost leaves behind can be customised, meaning that in online play, you rarely see two of the same car. Plus, with a steady slew of unlockables coming as you progress, you always feel like you’ve earned something new for the car as you play. As well as that, the overall feel and aesthetic is stunning, being both simple and complex at the same time, with just enough detail to be involving, but not too much that it detracts from the gameplay side of the matches.
In my opinion, Rocket League is probably one of the most fun games you’ll ever have the chance to pick up and, now you can get a physical copy of the game, there’s no excuse not to have it. I implore you to buy Rocket League, set aside a few hours and get online to experience a mix of triumph and defeat the likes of which you’ve never experienced before.
Author: Hal, Plymouth store
