Rocket League sounds like a five year old’s fever dream, and I couldn’t be any happier playing it.
In developer Psyiox’ latest title, Rocket League, you take the wheel of a supercharged car… playing soccer. Teams of up to 4v4 take the pitch and attempt to score goals on one another, while pushing a massive ball across the field. In short, Rocket League is the best time I have had on PlayStation 4 since its release.
In a world of drab, serious shooters, and nightmare inducing horror titles, this game is a breath of fresh air. It reminds me of the old days of gaming, where everything didn’t have to be hyper realistic or make much sense, but in terms of gameplay everything would click and the fun times would roll on.
Personally, I am not interested in soccer whatsoever, I can only watch people trip each other for so long, but once the wacky physics and high octane action are introduced to the classic sport, everything changes. However that doesn’t mean that sprinkles of reality aren’t there.
When you take to the pitch, thousands of fans line the stadiums seats, large flags are waved and in the throws of an intense match, chanting and singing can be heard among spectators. Players a feeling that this IS a sport, and that you are stepping onto a battleground to prove your worth. The game instills a sense of urgency, while still remaining upbeat.
Rocket League not only plays well but it looks good doing it, the colorful pallet of team colors amid a field of explosions and fireworks bring even more life into an already lively title. After sampling the PC version, I noticed a substantial amount of graphics options, allowing a wider audience to experience this fantasy sport sim.
After playing through the games’ brief tutorials, I felt armed with enough know how to partake in my first game, which luckily, my team wound up winning. With each matches fast pace, small mistakes can be forgiven at first. Timing is a key skill that needs to be honed in Rocket League, as players will need to learn exactly when to rocket boost up to block a shot on the goal, or push back against the opposing team as they barrel downfield.
Players who successfully time their actions and master their cars are rewarded with extra points for pulling off feats such as backward bicycle kicks, and even more points if one of your flashy stunts leads to a goal. Not everything is smooth sailing however, players can notice improvement in their skill when they are no longer making mistakes, but the AI sure are.
While playing the single player exhibition or season modes, you will be paired with AI teammates whose skills are at times lackluster to say the least. You will find yourself cursing them as they steal shots, accidentally block shots, or advance the ball towards your own goal. These mistakes aren’t rampant however, and may happen one or two times a match.
In exhibition players can jump into a single game to hone their skills, while season offers a much larger experience. Users can specify how many cars will be on a given team, how many matches the season will consist of, and then create their own team with various logos and team members to choose from.
As players progress, new unlocks will be awarded which will allow you to customize your car with different decals, rims, decorations and antenna. After learning to cope with the occasional slip up from my AI teammates, I found season mode to be the most enriching feature in the game.
Jumping online is Another issue entirely with Rocket League‘s online servers, as they do not seem to be able to 
handle the traffic they receive, especially after this wonderful title has made it rounds about the internet, gaining many new fans along the way. When you can find a match that isn’t terribly laggy, gameplay can be a mixed bag.
At times, you will find players who pick specific roles on the field and play as a team, or everything will devolve into a mess of explosions as every single player mindlessly throws their car at the ball in the hopes of scoring a goal. If you are deciding whether or not to pick up Rocket League, don’t fret, a fix for their server issues is on the way.
One positive that definitely balances out this negative is the ability to play Rocket League cross platform between PS4 and PC, an amazing feature we would love to see more of across the board.
Even with its minor flaws, I stand by my original statement, Rocket League is the most fun I have had on PS4 since the consoles launch. The fast paced addicting gameplay will leave you coming back for more, saying “one more game” into the wee hours of the night.