Line #61 VideoGame/RocketLeague


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8	''Rocket League'' is a [[WreakingHavok physics-based]] vehicle sports game developed and published by Psyonix. The game is best described as [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball soccer]] [[RecycledInSpace with rocket-powered cars]]. It is a sequel to the 2008 Platform/PlayStation3 game ''Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars'', which describes your vehicles as well as their capabilities of boosting and jumping.
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10	The game flows as follows - two teams of up to four vehicles compete to knock a giant ball into the opposing goal. The standard game length is five minutes, with whichever team having the most points at the end winning, and a TiebreakerRound happening in case of a tie.
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12	Fairly simple rules, but the actual gameplay, much like the sport it's based on, has lots of strategy that can be employed. For instance, the arena is littered with pads that increase your boost (that regenerate a few seconds after consumption). Boost is a limited resource that increases your car's speed, and is essential for executing skillful aerial play, making its acquisition and management essential. The competitive and strategic nature of the game has led to it having [[UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming an active eSports scene]].
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14	The game also includes variations of its standard soccer-based gameplay mode (called Soccar). Major examples include ''Snow Day'', in which the soccer ball is replaced with a puck with different physics, making the game loosely feel like UsefulNotes/IceHockey; ''Hoops'', in which the net's shape and the ball's physics are changed to resemble UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}}; ''Rumble'', which is a variant of Soccar in which players are randomly given {{PowerUp}}s; and ''Dropshot'', in which players must hit the ball into the floor to damage it, so that the ball can be dropped into the floor to score. Several other variations have been released as limited time events (some of which can be recreated in custom matches with the appropriate settings).
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16	''Rocket League'' was released in July 2015 for Platform/PlayStation4 and Platform/MicrosoftWindows (on Platform/{{Steam}}), with a [=Mac=] and Linux Port being released September 6, 2016 (again via Steam). The game also includes cross-platform play between the PC versions and the [=PS4=] Version. An Platform/XboxOne version was released in February 2016, although Microsoft's policies kept that version relegated to between Xbox Live gamers until May 24, 2016 (sometime after Microsoft loosened those policies), which on that date [[http://www.polygon.com/2016/5/24/11759296/rocket-league-cross-platform-play-xbox-one the Xbox One version also received cross-platform gameplay between it and PC.]] [=PS4=] and Xbox One gamers ''finally'' got to play with one another in mid-2019, after Sony loosened their rules on cross-play. A version for the Platform/NintendoSwitch is released in November 2017, complete with cross-play support as well as some exclusive skins themed after the ''Franchise/{{Super Mario\|Bros}}'' and ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series.
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18	On May 1, 2019, Psyonix announced that the company was acquired by Creator/EpicGames. In September 2020, the game was delisted from Steam and made available for free on the Epic Games Store (though updates continue to be released for those who purchased the game on Steam). The game also went free-to-play on all platforms in September 2020.
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20	A spin-off mobile game, ''Rocket League Sideswipe'', was released in November 2021 for Platform/{{Android}} and Platform/{{iOS}}. Other than being played in 2D, the general mechanics and gameplay resemble the main game.
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22	A spin-off RacingGame developed by Psyonix, ''Rocket Racing'', was released in December 2023. It is available in ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'', another Epic Games property. Some cosmetics can be shared between both games provided you are logged into the same Epic account.
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25	!!''Rocket League'' provides examples of:
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27	* AndYourRewardIsClothes: At the end of every match, you earn a new cosmetic item. These include hats, wheels, paint patterns, and rocket boost trails.
28	* AntiFrustrationFeatures: This game has been released on PC, Nintendo Switch, [=PlayStation=] 4, and Xbox One, but only PC players can really type messages to their team. That's why there are 16 different quick messages, 4 of which are informative and 12 other ones are reaction messages, making it possible for console players to be able to communicate with other players.
29	* ArtificialStupidity: The bots are not the brightest around. Some of the hair-pulling behaviour you will see from your bot teammates include blocking your shots on the opposing team's goal, crashing into you and sending you flying across the field at the worst possible time, taking shots on ''your own'' goal (sometimes literally carrying the ball in a perfectly straight line from the opposing team's side of the field right into your goal), and most famously, "humping" the walls (accelerating and reversing in about a three-foot space because the AI doesn't handle the wall ramps well). It happens most often with the bots set to the easiest difficulty, but it can still happen occasionally on the higher ones. Also, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard you'll rarely see this from your bot ''opponents'', regardless of difficulty]], unless they ''also'' have human teammates to screw over.
30	* AwesomeYetImpractical: Unless you are ''extremely'' practiced with them, aerials will more often than not take you out of the play than they will score that awesome flip-reset to slam dunk. At higher levels, being taken out of the play all-but-guarantees the opposing team/player a goal, especially if they properly distribute the ball to keep your teammates guessing.
31	* AwesomenessIsVolatile: When someone scores a goal, the ball explodes. You can even customize the explosion!
32	* BadassDriver: All participants in Rocket League are required to be ones to score goals and succeed.
33	* BoringYetPractical:
34	** Game sense goes a long way in helping someone climb the ranks compared to the flashy aerials that skilled and practiced players can do. Even players with next to no aerial ability can still climb high if they know when to move back to play defense when they sense a shift in play.
35	** ''Camera settings''. The default camera angle cuts off a lot of a player's vision and field of view, making it difficult for them to see enemy players (especially when dribbling) and generally anything wider out than the narrow angle it starts at. Pro players use a pretty uniform set of stats because they offer the best balance of peripheral vision and keeping the camera close enough to the player's car to allow them to better control the ball. Simply being able to see more of the field goes a long way.
36	* CarFu: Encouraged, as going fast enough enables you to ram other cars and make them explode, taking them out of the game for a few seconds.
37	* CharacterCustomization: Loads of it, you can customize your cars' paint jobs, wheels, hats, antennae, boosts, trails...
38	* CherryTapping: There are a number of vehicles that are excellent at maneuverability, acceleration, etc, and [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome those are the ones you're almost guaranteed to see at least one of in every ranked match]]. Then there are the Backfire, Roadhog, Scarab, and so on, which are almost rarely ever used because there are much better (and much worse) options. And then there's the Merc. It is massive, it has one of the worst turn ratios, it takes longer than most other cars to accelerate to full speed, both without boost and with boost, and up until the hitboxes were standardized, its boxy shape would make it unpredictable when the ball hit anything in any way that wasn't head-on. For these reasons, any time the Merc is used in a competitive setting, the person using it is almost always looking to humiliate their opponent.
39	* ColorCodedItemTiers:
40	** Common = black
41	** Uncommon = light blue
42	** Rare = deep blue
43	** Very Rare = red
44	** Import = yellow
45	** Blackmarket = pink
46	* CoolCar: All the cars in the game can count as this, the game also includes customization options for them.
47	* DownloadableContent: Occasionally, new cosmetic items are put up that can be purchased with real money.
48	** The ''Supersonic Fury'' pack gives 2 new cars with all decals, 5 paint types, 2 hats, and 2 sets of wheels.
49	** The ''Revenge of the Battle-Cars'' pack also gives 2 cars from SARPBC, along with 3 toon versions of paint types, 2 wheels, 2 rocket trails, 4 toppers, and 2 antennas.
50	** [[https://youtu.be/MWTGyIwgvZw The DeLorean is also available as DLC.]] [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Yes, that DeLorean.]]
51	** The ''Chaos Run'' pack also gives 2 new cars, 2 paint types, 2 sets of wheels, 2 rocket trails, 3 toppers and 3 antennas.
52	** Various incarnations of the [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batmobile]] are available too. This includes the ones from ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', and [[Film/Batman1989 the 1989 film]].
53	** The [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} Hoops]] update gives 30 flags based on 30 basketball teams.
54	** The Neo-Tokyo update releases 4 cars (2 from SARPBC, 2 [[{{Animesque}} anime-themed]] cars) sold separately.
55	** The Aquadome update releases 2 new cars sold separately.
56	** The Starbase Arc update releases only 1 car.
57	** Two Hot Wheels cars (Twin Mill III and the Bone Shaker) were released for purchase.
58	** Vehicles from the [[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious]] movies have also been released.
59	** And now we can throw in the [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 Ecto-1]] too.
60	** Don't forget [[Series/KnightRider KITT]] too.
61	* GratuitousEnglish: The Japanese announcer at Neo Tokyo will shout things like "Epiku Saevu!" (Epic save) or "GOOOOOOLUUUUU!" (goal).
62	* GuestFighter:
63	** [[VideoGame/TwistedMetal Sweet Tooth]] is an obtainable vehicle in the [=PlayStation=] 4 version.
64	** The aforementioned [=DeLorean=], Batmobile, Hot Wheels, Fast & Furious, [=McLaren=] and Ghostbusters cars.
65	** The Xbox One version has vehicles based on the ones seen in ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' and ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''.
66	** The Switch version has two vehicles based on Nintendo franchises: one that represents ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' (with one color scheme based on Mario and another based on Luigi) and another modeled after Samus Aran's gunship from ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' (with an alternate color scheme based on Samus' Zero Suit).
67	** The ''Film/JurassicPark''/''Film/JurassicWorld'' jeep wrangler.
68	** The [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 Ecto-1]] is also present.
69	** [[Series/KnightRider KITT]] as well.
70	** The Battle Bus from ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' joins up in 2020 as part of a {{Crossover}} event.
71	** [[Franchise/{{Cars}} Lightning McQueen]] was added in 2023.
72	* IMeantToDoThat: "Calculated." Most often used by players after something flukey or (un)fortunate happens during the game, and almost always for comedy rather than being used seriously.
73	* MemeticMutation: Many of the preset text messages (accessible via button shortcuts and are cross-platform unlike custom text messages) have become this. This is mainly because if you rapidly press a message's shortcut, you'll send it 3-4 times in a row before seeing a message such as "Chat disabled for 3 seconds." Perhaps the most memetic preset message is "What a save!", which more often than not, is used to sarcastically mock a player who failed to save, rather than a praise of a successful save.
74	* NitroBoost: Available for all cars. It's accumulated by driving over special pads scattered around the playfield, with six containing a special sphere that maxes out your vehicle's boost.
75	* NoPlotNoProblem: There is no story mode; it's basically your typical sports simulation game, just about a physically-impossible game that doesn't exist.
76	* OrangeBlueContrast: In normal online matches, the colors for the two teams are blue and orange. If colorblind/high-contrast mode is enabled, the nameplates and font colors shift to a darker blue and a bright (almost neon) yellow.
77	* PortOverdosed: This game has been ported to pretty much every 8th generation platform. In 2015, the game initially started with the [[Platform/Playstation4, Platform/XboxOne, and a [[Platform/{{Steam}} PC]] port, which then got expanded upon to include Platform/{{MacOS}} and [[Platform/{{Unix}} Linux]] in 2016, with a Platform/NintendoSwitch port releasing in 2018. It's entirely possible, thanks to cross-play, that all of your mates from each platform can be in one online lobby. What a time to be alive.
78	* ProductPlacement: Well, to call these things "product placement" is a bit much, but to call them {{crossover}} items isn't really fully accurate either. Anyway, players can customize their cars with various items based on other video games (such as ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'') or have community flags based on popular online communities on their antennae (such as Creator/RoosterTeeth and [[Creator/AchievementHunter two of its]] [[Creator/{{Funhaus}} divisions]], Website/{{Twitch}}, IGN, and Website/{{Reddit}}).
79	** Somewhat played straight with the Hot Wheels and Fast & Furious cars.
80	* RuleOfCool: The game's premise runs on this. It's soccer with rocket-powered cars. Why? Because it's cool and over-the-top.
81	* ShoutOut:
82	** The Japanese tuner styled car from ''Supersonic Fury'' DLC is called [[Manga/InitialD Takumi]].
83	** One AI team is called the Dragons, and are named after nicknames for characters from ''Series/GameOfThrones'' and ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''; Imp (Tyrion Lannister), Hound (Sandor Clegane), Mountain (Gregor Clegane) and Viper (Oberyn Martell).
84	** Another AI team, the Bombers, are named after famous ghosts: [[WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost Casper]], [[Literature/TheRing Samara]], [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Marley]], and [[Literature/HarryPotter Myrtle]]. The Rovers are collectively named after astronauts (Armstrong, Buzz, Shepard) and a cosmonaut (Yuri).
85	** And another AI team called [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Team Rocket]].
86	** The ''[[Film/MadMax Chaos Run]]'' pack.
87	** ''Neo-Tokyo'' and its cars are both [[{{Animesque}} themed around anime]]. One of the cars, the Esper, is mentioned to resemble a [[Manga/{{Akira}} bike]].
88	** The Starbase Arc is themed around space, and the aformentioned car in this update is called the [[Franchise/StarTrek Vulcan]].
89	* StealthPun: It’s a game about playing sports with cars, so you’re driving LITERAL sports cars!
90	* StuffBlowingUp: The ball explodes after every goal.
91	* SwapTeleportation: One of the power-ups in Rumble Mode will swap your car with an opponent's car. You two will also swap position, direction, velocity, and orientation. [[{{Troll}} Have fun]].

Context VideoGame / RocketLeague