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Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Playing With The Whole Staff: Should We All Get Rocket League?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - I don't have the answers this time. If you do, please comment!

Ever since its port announcement at Nintendo's E3 2017, discussion about Rocket League in KoopaTV's internal instant-messaging platforms has accelerated. That hasn't trickled tremendously onto KoopaTV's pages, but check out staff members’ reactions in the past two live reaction logs Rocket League has been in:

Nintendo's September 13, 2017 Nintendo Direct
(6:23:39 PM) (rawkhawk2010) I've always wanted to play Rocket League.
(6:23:42 PM) (Kamek) hmmmm
(6:23:54 PM) (rawkhawk2010) Was that Samus?
(6:23:58 PM) (Vortexica) I like Rocket League but I'm bad at it.
(6:24:06 PM) Ludwig Von Koopa: Ya.
(6:24:08 PM) (Kamek) Rocket League
(6:24:16 PM) (Kamek) was alot of fun
The Game Awards 2017:
[9:37 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Rocket League.
[9:37 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ON Switch.
[9:37 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Rated E for "Mild Lyrics" and "Users Interact"
[9:37 PM] Rawk: can you turn this music off?
[9:37 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Since when did "Users Interact" become an ESRB thing?
[9:37 PM] Kamek: Like i said guys. Rocket league should be our go to
[9:37 PM] Wendy O. Koopa: because
[9:37 PM] Wendy O. Koopa: fapping
[9:37 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "OUT NOW"
[9:38 PM] Kamek: W-what? @Wendy O. Koopa
[9:38 PM] Kamek: You know what. Nvm
[9:38 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (Do you WANT elaboration?)

...Let's just pay attention to what Kamek said there, his first line. With the power of cross-platform multiplayer (which we'll discuss in-depth in a future article), Rocket League can be the game that all of KoopaTV's staff members can play together. It can be... but should it be?

I don't know, but we are a little time-limited in our decision, so we are turning to our readers (and anyone else who wants to give their opinion) to help guide us to the correct decision, because of this: 

Rocket League Nintendo Switch eShop sale 25% off
“Rocket League® and select DLC are 25% off from December 19 to January 2!”

To my surprise, Rocket League is only $20 to begin with, and the until-January-2 25% off sale reduces that to $15. Still, I would rather wait for Rocket League to be released as a physical copy... Oh! Developer Psyonix made an announcement about the availability of the Nintendo Switch retail copy! It's coming January 13, 2018, and...
“Dubbed Rocket League Collector’s Edition, the retail version of Rocket League on Switch will mirror those available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with an MSRP of $39.99.” [Bolding removed because it was obnoxious and Psyonix uses bolding instead of italics]
They then list all of this included DLC that I do not care about, since the paid DLC in Rocket League is all cosmetic. I won't buy a Collector's Edition pre-loaded with cosmetic DLC for a game that I'm not even sure I'll like, so it looks like my only choice for Rocket League is via the Nintendo eShop, since the Collector's Edition is the only retail version there will be.

Should I we KoopaTV get Rocket League for Nintendo Switch
Should KoopaTV get Rocket League?!

With that out of the way, there are two questions here: Will I enjoy Rocket League, and will all of KoopaTV's staff enjoy playing Rocket League together? For some background on myself, I once called soccer “a lame sport” but I was interested in purchasing FIFA 18 for the story mode... until they released the Switch version without the story mode. As for cars, I'm a lot more into planes.

Still, I'm interested in paying for Nintendo Switch Online for non-Splatoon 2 reasons, and based on Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and Splatoon, I am obviously willing to invest my time in online multiplayer-based games with minimal single-player content. It takes a special game to be able to do that, though, and Super Smash Bros. and Splatoon at least have a lot of lore and character stories embedded in them. Rocket League does not. ...Not to my knowledge, anyway. And if the game approaches its style in any way like ARMS, then I'm not going to enjoy it.

I also place music as a very important factor in games. Does Rocket League's music make me want to play the game more, or does it make me want to play the game less? Would I want to listen to its soundtrack on my own time? Based on its trailers, no. Does it get much better than that? What is the deal with no music playing during actual gameplay? Does the soundscape feel cold and lonely?

On positive notes, Rawk is really into playing as vehicles in games, and I really appreciate smooth, fluid, and fun movement when playing as a character. Rocket League obviously excels at that kind of thing. I am also aware the game is highly customisable ala Super Smash Bros., which I appreciate.

Besides Rocket League, we're also looking into the Jackbox Games series of titles (the Jackbox Party Pack series). Kamek says it's great for streaming, and he wants to grow his KoopaTV-sponsored Twitch presence for 2018.

If you have any other good suggestions for games for the whole staff, let us know.


If you want to sell KoopaTV on buying Rocket League, please go do so prior to January 2nd so the Switch-having staff can take advantage of the sale. Not all KoopaTV members have a Switch, which is where the cross-network play comes in handy.


Ludwig hopes that other Rocket League players are friendly to newbies...
Years later, Ludwig regrets ever buying Rocket League, and it's now free-to-play.

13 comments :

  1. Hm... I also have some ready Nintendo eShop cash on my account, so I'm in the same situation, but mainly with Shantae and Rocket League.

    A notable comment I read (on an Anti-EA post) was that someone would've been glad to pay forty bucks for the game, but as it's twenty, he happily ignores the loot box mechanic.

    As far as I know, I am certainly the wrong person to ask for this, but if I have to say... maybe? Yeah, I don't know neither.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since it looks like you got Rocket League, hopefully you can make a more informed comment than this.

      Delete
    2. First, take everyone's word: it's a game where you're going to spend alot of time with, especially in turorials.

      Second, there's only music on the title screen, so feel free to listen to Ace Attorney music in the background. I believe the sound effects aren't as impactful as they are in Splatoon 2.

      The real meat of the purchase is the game. Customizability is also a factor, and that's where I'm sure most of the profits come from. Luckily, it's never required, and as you mentioned, it's purely cosmetic.

      The game also informs the player of their ping, something that other games (Splatoon 2 comes to mind) fail to do, and the "Connection Test" option doesn't include.

      The community is, in my best way of describing them, passionate. I recommend starting out playing in the game modes Chaos (4 vs. 4) or Standard (3 vs. 3), so that way, you have familiarity with the players around you. Also, don't do one-on-one, unless if you have much faith in your skills.

      Be aware that you can't play with Playstation 4 players, as that may influence your decision.

      Controls are smooth, but the control scheme is very disorienting for someone like me. I ended up altering my button mapping to be similar to that of Mario Kart, so be wary of that. I can share you the control scheme if you desire.

      Note that I haven't unlocked Ranked Mode, and I also haven't tried every game mode (Hoops is the first thing that comes to mind).

      Overall, Rocket League is fun for a pick-up-and-play game. Some problems are that it's time-consuming and there's not much of a soundtrack, along with the Rocket League community being rough on the newbs (I know I said it, but still, I don't recommend one-on-one games). As I have little contacts who'd want to play with me, I can't determine with certainty on the friends' portion of the game. However, Rocket League is a game that rewards players when they take risks, and it especially shows when one manages a save (there's no goalie) and/or scores a goal unconventionally. It's fun.

      As for the Jackbox Games, I also recommend it. I enjoy watching streamers stream it, even if I don't participate in it myself.

      Delete
    3. Status update: I bought Rocket League last night (still on sale), and Kamek got the Jackbox Games suite. Rawk also says he got Rocket League last night as well.

      Delete
    4. I'd like to know your thoughts once you get it. If I may ask, does Kamek have the game, too?

      Delete
  2. I was at Nintendo NY when they had Rocket League demos there and I did not even try them as THE BABY was cranky so we had to go home and I was not even interested in the first place. I never even bothered to watch any trailers either. I am really out of touch with most indie titles thanks to THE BABY!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everytime I see those two words in CAPITAL LETTERS, I think of Metroid: Other M.

      My siblings, too, I guess.

      Delete
    2. I am referencing Metroid: Other M on purpose.

      Delete
    3. We all have our own referential ALL CAPS sayings. I probably have several, with the one immediately coming to mind being FAKE NEWS.
      Girafarig at least opens up one guest article with THE BABY.

      Delete
  3. I've only played a demo at a Best Buy, but I had fun with it as terrible as I was. For $15, you cannot really go wrong with one of the most popular games out there.

    ReplyDelete

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