‘Rocket League’ features cars with quite a kick
July 7 marked the beginning of a new phenomenon in video games. It’s called “Rocket League,” and its concept is simple. It takes the sport of soccer, removes all of the human players and replaces them with rocketpropelled supercars.
This idea has since sparked a competitive scene that is usually reserved for hardcore fighting games and “League of Legends.”
Few games capture the excitement of competition quite like “Rocket League” does. The team-based matches can be anywhere from one-on-one to the aptly named “Chaos Mode” of four-on-four. As silly as the game sounds, organized teamwork and communication are essential to victory.
Players have to fill roles just like position players on the soccer pitch. Before the frantic face-off, teams benefit from coordinating who will fill defensive roles and who will act as strikers. Once the ball starts literally For: PC and PS4, $19.99 (free in July for Sony’s PlayStation+ subscription service subscribers).
Rating: E for Everyone. rolling, “Rocket League” becomes a joyous exhibition of controlled chaos.
Cars primarily stay on the field but have the ability to jump twice in the air to go for a live ball. Once airborne, cars can flip to strike the ball and send it in a desired direction. Achieving that desired direction is easier said than done. Opposing cars and the ball itself are traveling so fast that hitting the ball exactly as intended is a rarity. Players will feel the agony of a missed shot more often than the ecstasy of a perfect goal in the upper 90. That’s all part of “Rocket League’s” thrill.
As imprecise as the game often feels, basic movement never feels out of control. The cars can turn on a dime and can be stopped and thrown into reverse almost instantly. Boosting puts the car into overdrive and can propel it into the air if activated mid-jump. Boost pads are scattered around the field that fills the car’s boost meter.
Online competition is the game’s premier mode, but offline local, practice and league modes are included. In league mode, players can create their own team and try to be on the top of their division throughout a season. Playing with computer players isn’t without its charm, but it fails to match the glory of competing with friends against other human players.
Cars are fully customizable but keep the same movement specifications. The playing field is always even, because no car ever has a special advantage. Appearances like paint jobs, wheels, decals and even funny hats can be unlocked and equipped to give cars a personal flair.
Available for PC and PS4, “Rocket League” has an asking price of $19.99, but it is free in July for any members of Sony’s PlayStation+ subscription service. For those who can’t get it for free, $19.99 is a steal for the amount of replay value the game has.
“Rocket League” has only been officially released for three weeks and is already garnering a fierce competitive scene. The Electronic Sports League that hosts competitions in “Call of Duty,” “Halo” and “StarCraft,” among others, already has tournaments scheduled for August. “Rocket League” is young, but this explosion of early interest has it on pace to be around for a long time.
While Van Halen’s time seems to be running down, Hozier is just getting started — and an impressive start it is.
The 25-year-old Irish singer-songwriter, born Andrew Hozier-Byrne, is on his first U.S. tour, making his Pittsburgh debut at Stage AE Outdoors. The concert sold out quickly with last year’s Grammy-nominated hit “Take Me to Church” as his calling card. The song began as a rough attic demo that caught the attention of small label Rubyworks, and it was fleshed out with producer Rob Kirwan, best known for his work with U2. The accompanying black-and-white video of thugs beating a gay man went viral in late 2013, prompting his signing with Columbia.
The four songs from his Rubyworks EP turned up on his widely acclaimed self-titled debut, which was released in September and went to No. 2 on the charts.
In an interview earlier this year, he told Rolling Stone that he grew up in the Irish countryside with a bad Internet connection, and explained his rootsy style stemming from his musical fascination with American blues and soul, singling out Muddy Waters and Nina Simone. The song “Jackie and Wilson” alludes to one of his inspirations with the line, “We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson/Raise ’em on rhythm and blues.”
“I always thought of myself as a very, very obscure artist,” he said. “I never thought Irish radio would be turned on by my music — or any [expletive] radio station, excuse my French.”
Fans won’t have to worry about him being able to carry a tune live. He served time in the esteemed Irish choral group Anuna and proved himself to American audiences with strong showings on “Saturday Night Live” and at Coachella.