Latest news with #RocketLeague
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Rematch review - Rocket League without the cars
There's finally an alternative to EA Sports FC, with Sloclap's 5v5 street football game offering less serious and more arcade style action. Away from the ever-growing realism (and correspondingly rapacious commercialism) of EA Sports FC, there's clearly a desire among gamers for a more arcade style football gaming experience. That's lead to the venerable Sensible Soccer being reinvented as Sociable Soccer and now Sloclap – previously known for the beat 'em-up Sifu – has taken to the pitch with a clever and imaginative offering entitled Rematch. Rematch is basically what you would get if you stripped out the single-player options from EA Sports FC's Be A Pro mode and turned it into a standalone, online-only game. Or, if you prefer, it's Rocket League, except with footballers instead of cars. It lets you control just one player on a football pitch surrounded by glass walls, which the ball bounces off, in six minute matches which can be contested by two teams of three, four, or five players. It's online-only, with no local multiplayer and no way to play on your own except in practice and free play. Similarly to Sifu, it has a pretty distinctive and quite complex control system; shot direction, for example, is determined by the right stick (with the left stick controlling aftertouch), yet you set the direction of passes and lobs with the left stick. In Rematch, there are quite a few skills to master, among them dribbling tricks, nailing the timing of button stabs to intercept balls passing nearby (the ball acquires a diamond-shaped highlight to indicate when that's possible), timing and directing your dives if you're in goal, and even lobbing passes over incoming players – which requires a modifier rather than a single button press. Perhaps the easiest skill to perform in the game is a lunging tackle, which indicates the complexity of the rest of the control system; although once you dive in for one of those, it takes your player a while to get back to their feet. At least you don't have to worry about being sent off for taking out the opposition, though: there are no referees or fouls in Rematch and a street or cage football vibe very much prevails. That's telegraphed by the cartoon style visuals, which by default are pastel-ish but are often more luridly coloured and reminiscent of Fortnite or Overwatch. Which is something of a giveaway, since Rematch is obviously an attempt to make the next big online team game, as opposed to anything resembling a traditional arcade style football game. The whole football aspect can be viewed as something of a Trojan horse, similar to how Rocket League never really acknowledges it's actually just football with cars. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. When you play it, Rematch very much feels like a wheel-less version of Rocket League. In that context, Rematch's unusual control system works brilliantly. It's easy enough to learn but definitely hard to master and when you do get to grips with it, and make it into the big leagues, you'll find entire matches hinging on perfectly executed moves, made at precisely the right moment, which is classic esports fodder. In terms of achieving that mastery, Rematch – despite being about as minimal as it's possible to be in terms of game modes and general structure – gives you all that you need. There's a basic tutorial, called the Prologue, plus other tutorials that focus more closely on honing specific skills and putting them all together. Then it lets you jump into quick matches; it's wise to start with the 3v3 ones, which are frenetic, unstructured and can be navigated with a mastery of the basics. Whoever is nearest to your goal, for example, becomes the keeper, but in 3v3, a lot of goals tend to be scored from way out, with whoever was in goal having gone for a jaunt upfield. Jumping up to 4v4 requires a bit more teamwork and discipline. In all modes, every time a goal is scored Rematch puts you in another position on the pitch from the kick-off, which you can adhere to or ignore. Although if you abandon goalkeeping duties and concede cheaply, you might receive some opprobrium as by default, Rematch keeps its players' microphones live. Thankfully, you can respond to in-game events by picking from a small number of text phrases – mostly encouraging, although 'Sorry' is also included. The 5v5 mode feels like it will become the default for gamers who are serious about playing Rematch. It's the most structured and rewards discipline and positional sense more than the 3v3 and 4v4 modes. Matchmaking, at least in the early stages of the game, feels pretty impressive; we did occasionally encounter the odd player with better skills than us, but not to an annoying degree. Sensibly, Rematch forces you to work through quick matches in order to reach level 5 status, before letting you loose in its pre-season. That stratification should help enormously with matchmaking. Beyond the global league, you can set up one-off custom matches with a bunch of friends (generating a code allowing other invitees to join) and that's about it. Structurally, it's early days for Rematch, which will undoubtedly add features as it becomes more established, and a call for feedback from players when you boot it up emphasises that. More Trending As with its rival online games, Rematch contains a vast array of cosmetic items and skins which can be purchased using real money (somewhat expensively, in our opinion, especially given that it's not a free game), although as you progress you do slowly earn currency with which to buy them. That will probably annoy some, but it's an inevitability in a modern game of this nature. Patches already appear to have fixed some stability problems, that were reported in the game's early stages, at least for the PC version. It seems the PC is the lead platform at this stage, with no console cross-play at the moment – although hopefully it'll be added later. Rematch is a fun, thoroughly playable and cleverly constructed online team game, that has a great chance of becoming an esports staple. However, it currently feels very much half-finished, so it will be fascinating to see how quickly Sloclap can convert its potential into something that becomes a pillar of the gaming world. Just don't be fooled into believing that it's the future of arcade football games: it's a Rocket League competitor dressed in a football kit. In Short: A clever and hugely enjoyable online team game, even at this early stage in its career -although it feels more like a rival to Rocket League than EA Sports FC. Pros: Arcane but inspired control system, that's easy to learn but hard to master. Great street football vibe and working your way up from 3v3 to 5v5 is a satisfying journey. Cons: Currently missing a lot of options and features. Initially more stable on PC than consoles. Paying for cosmetic items is as gross as ever and the potential for in-game verbal abuse is high. Score: 7/10 Formats: PC (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5Price: £20.99Publisher: SloclapDeveloper: SloclapRelease Date: 19th June 2025 Age Rating: 3 Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 leak reveals new modes and screenshots via Xbox app MORE: Resident Evil Requiem gameplay footage – watch the new trailer here MORE: Jurassic World Rebirth DLC gives you a reason to revisit Funko Fusion
Engadget
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Silky soccer, romancing everything and other new indie games worth checking out
Summer is finally here — at least for those of us north of the equator — and you might be planning to spend more time outdoors. Thanks to a swathe of great handheld devices, it's never been easier to play some fantastic indie games wherever you might be, so you can soak up the sun while unlocking achievements. There are a bunch of intriguing new indies you can check out right now, as well as a significant update for a certain thirst-inducing roguelite that's still in early access. I've also a few upcoming titles in this, the latest edition of our indie roundup. One of them has a Steam demo that you might end up spending several enjoyable hours with. Before we get started, a quick word of warning: Your wishlist and resolve are about to be tested as the Steam Summer Sale starts next week. I mean, good luck in advance with the bargain hunting! To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. I have to hold my hands up, I was skeptical about Rematch . When it was revealed that Sloclap — the team behind martial arts games Absolver and Sifu — was making an action-focused soccer game, I had some doubts that it would work. Rematch looked like the studio had taken Rocket League and retrofitted it with human characters. And with both that car soccer game and EA Sports FC 25 as competition, Sloclap was really going to have to do something special to break through. I think the studio might have just pulled that off. Rematch is entirely skill-based with no stat upgrades for your character. You control one player throughout the match, and you'll transition between attacking and defending while rotating the goalkeeper role with teammates. The action is very fluid and fast, and the controls are responsive (they'd have to be). Like in Rocket League , the ball doesn't go out of bounds. There are no fouls or offsides either. I've really enjoyed my first dozen or so games of Rematch . I came to realize that I'm more effective in a midfield/playmaker role or even as the goalkeeper than as an attacker. I haven't been able to get the hang of using the twin-stick controls to aim and shoot at the goal well enough as yet, but I've figured out a way to both help my team and have fun. There are some bugs that the developers are racing to fix and the lack of cross-play at the jump is a bit disappointing (Sloclap says it ran into some technical issues there, but getting that sorted is a top priority for the team). Still, Rematch feels like a very sticky game that I imagine many folks are going to sink dozens of hours into. It's already off to a strong start — it surpassed a million players on its first day. Rematch is out now on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. After some delays, it's finally time to date everything in Date Everything! As the title of this dating sim from Sassy Chap Games and publisher Team17 suggests, you can romance anthropomorphized versions of things around your home. There are more than 100 voice-acted characters you can woo, from the doors and wall, to a mouse trap and dust bunny behind a couch, to fire and air. Things get pretty meta, as you can also date the devs, the game itself and "your overwhelming sense of existential dread." There are multiple endings for each character and around 70,000 lines of dialogue, so there's plenty to explore here. Reviews have been generally positive, with praise for the writing and design. I can't wait to see the reactions of my seatmate when I'm playing it on my next flight. Date Everything! is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Lost in Random was received fairly well a few years back and now a roguelite spinoff has arrived. Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is out on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. This is a run-based action game with an isometric perspective and some permanent progression. So, it's very much Hades -coded, though it gives the genre a gothic storybook spin with a dice-rolling element. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Speaking of which (and in case you missed it), the third major early access update for Hades II arrived this week. Oh, sure, there are new bosses and combat options and so on. All of that's great. But for many fans, the biggest addition this time is proper character art for Narcissus. Unsurprisingly, he's hot and he knows it. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. From time to time, I'll start playing a demo and very quickly feel that GIF of Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons pop into my head. You know, the one where he goes "Haha, I'm in danger!" (the GIF is actually from a crossover Family Guy episode in which characters from that show visited Springfield, fact fans). Such is the case with Ball x Pit , a game that I am already certain is going to absorb many, many hours of my life. I didn't get to the Ball x Pit demo until after Steam Next Fest ended, but it's still available until the full game goes live later this year (it's coming to Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch too). After playing the demo, it's easy to see why publisher Devolver Digital dedicated the entire Summer Game Fest edition of its Devolver Direct showcase to this project from indie developer Kenny Sun and half-a-dozen collaborators. Ball x Pit is a blend of Breakout and Vampire Survivors with base-building elements. As you play the brick-breaking survival levels, you'll earn resources you can use to build out your homestead, which feeds back into the projectile chaos. It's an absorbing loop, but the real fun for me comes in the pit. Here, your character will (either manually or automatically) fire magic-infused balls at enemy tiles while avoiding their attacks and making sure the bad guys don't reach the bottom of the screen. You'll collect more projectiles and passive upgrades throughout your run. The real magic happens when you're able to fuse together a pair of balls to combine their effects. So, a ghost ball that passes through enemies instead of bouncing between them might also deliver a laser attack to other baddies in the same row or column. It's already apparent that the gameplay here will run deep. There will be a host of levels, characters and upgrades to unlock. I really can't wait for Ball x Pit to entirely ruin my productivity. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. I loved the Goosebumps books and TV show as a kid, so a stealth game based on the series caught my eye. In Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek (from PHL Collective and publisher GameMill Entertainment), you'll try to avoid monsters in a nightmarish town but if you run into any, you can defend yourself with your slingshot. This game includes puzzles and an original story with multiple endings, while the art style looks charmingly old-school. It's coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam on August 29. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Let's close things out for this week with the latest look at PowerWash Simulator 2 . I enjoyed the first game immensely, and the new trailer shows off some more fresh features that are coming to the sequel, which is slated to hit PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year. This time around, you'll be able to abseil or use a scissor lift to get to grimy, hard-to-reach spots. Multi-stage jobs are also new in PowerWash Simulator 2, and there will be a public restroom (ick) to make pristine. In addition, you'll be able to buy and restore antique furniture for your home base, while your pet kitties can join you on cleaning jobs. Cute!
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Rocket League down today in the US: Several users report service disruptions
Jun 20, 2025 11:40 PM IST Rocket League players across the United States are facing a widespread outage, with thousands reporting issues accessing the game's online features. As of Friday, June 20, more than 1,100 users logged complaints on DownDetector, reporting server timeouts and disabled actions. Rocket League outage, impacting thousands of users in the U.S.(@RocketLeague/X) The disruption has sparked frustration within the community, especially among players with daily log-ins. Several users took it X (formerly known as Twitter) to lodge their complaints against Rocket League. A user wrote on X, 'rocket league down for anyone else? try to queue rank and it says temporary disabled." A second user wrote, 'Epic ruined rocket league man 10 years I've played this shit and servers have never gone down this much not to mention the needless updates they're doing.' A third user wrote, 'rocket league down in the middle of me challenging myself to a best of 7' Another user wrote, 'conveniently the last two times I've decided I wanted to play this game the servers are down... thanks Rocket League!.' This is a breaking news story and will be updated with more information.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Fortnite guide: How to get the Battle Bus SUV? All you need to know
Fortnite has evolved with each update over time. It has left battle royale fans glued to their screens with its fascinating superhero-themed seasons and crossovers like Star Wars. Players are offered several free rewards for a limited time period, including a wide range of Car Skins, ranging from supercars to the game's original creations. One of the highly appreciated vehicles in the game is the Battle Bus SUV. The popular vehicle, which has become a real-life LEGO set, made its way into Rocket League through a special collaboration event with Fortnite, according to Game Rant. Here, we share all the details players need to get the item. Battle Bus is among the several Car Skins that were earlier made available in Rocket League, followed by their release in Fortnite. As of now, the only way to have the Battle Bus SUV in Fortnite is by owning the vehicle in Rocket League. This means players must be using the same Epic Games account. As per Insider Gaming, Rocket League has two variants of this vehicle, but only one provides the reward in Fortnite. Gamers owning free limited-time Titanium White Battle Bus will have it added to their collection in Fortnite as well. The Battle Bus SUV made its debut in Rocket League during the Llama-Rama Event in September 2020. As per reports, those players who claimed the Titanium White version of the Battle Bus from the Epic Games Store in June 2023 have been receiving it for free in Fortnite. But this offer ended on June 12, according to Game Rant. This means the vehicle is no longer available to claim now. Also read: Rise of AI Dungeon Masters: How AI is changing tabletop and video gaming Players must note that the Battle Bus SUV remains unavailable for purchase in the Fortnite Item Shop. iFireMonkey, which shares Fortnite leaks on X, informed on Thursday that the 'Battle Bus is set to be sold in the Item Shop in the near future.' But there is no official confirmation regarding when it will make its debut in the Fortnite Item Shop. There are possibilities that it could make its debut in the game's shop during Chapter 6 Season 3. As of now, it is not available for purchase in the Fortnite Item Shop. Those who own the vehicle in Rocket League and have not received it in Fortnite must ensure that both the games are linked to the same Epic Games account. So far, there is no official confirmation regarding when Battle Bus will be available in Fortnite.
Tom's Guide
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Rematch is the soccer game I didn't know I needed after EA Sports FC 25 let me down
To date, I've played some 70 hours of EA Sports FC 25. That might seem a pretty healthy playtime after around 10 months, but traditionally, at this stage in the season, I'd usually be well over the 120-hour mark in each year's new installment in the annual soccer simulation series. The fact that I'm so far off my typical pace speaks to how increasingly underwhelming I've found EA's sports juggernaut franchise. I'm a massive soccer (make that football for us Brits) fan, and the series has always been a staple of my gaming diet. But lately, it seems to be just going through the motions. In steps Rematch, a new online sports game from Sloclap. Curiously, Rematch takes a lot of cues from the new Rush mode introduced in EA Sports FC 25, which was one of the few things I really liked about the game. But Rematch takes it further, adding an increased skill element, and thrives thanks to that same fast-paced energy that propelled Rocket League into the stratosphere. After just a little time with Rematch, I'm already totally hooked. Rematch is a new online soccer game from developer Sloclap. You control a single player in matches of up to 10 players as you compete to score well-worked goals and make dramatic defensive interventions. With colorful visuals, fast-paced gameplay and a high skill ceiling, Rematch will appeal to football fans and newcomers platforms: $29 @ Steam | $29 @ Xbox Store The simplest way to describe Rematch is that it's Rocket League but with regular people instead of zippy RC cars. Now, stick with me, I know that sounds silly because that's just normal soccer, but Rematch takes plenty of aspects from the popular online car-based sports game. The arena is entirely enclosed, so you can bounce the ball off just about every surface, and while you can't sprint up vertical walls à la Rocket League, you can perform acrobatic actions that put a circus performer to shame. Played entirely online, with each player controlling an individual avatar, Rematch is available in 3v3, 4v4 and 5v5 modes. While the middle option is presented as the default, I've found 3v3s to be the most engaging, as you always feel a part of the action, and can make game-defining moments regularly. But in 3v3s, you really can't carry anybody, so you need a good team. Rematch also takes a novel approach to the goalkeeper position. Rather than having somebody stuck in nets all match, the keeper rotates after each goal scored, and you can even switch who's playing the role anytime just by quickly swapping physical positions on the field. This can also lead to a clutch scenario when you sub into the keeper role just as your opposition unleashes a shot. Not to keep circling back to Rocket League, but Rematch shines brightest during tightly contested games. I had one recent match that finished 5-4, with my team scoring a well-worked goal in Overtime to win the match. I was practically kneesliding across my living room as the net bulged. Unlike EA Sports FC, which takes a user-friendly pick-and-play approach, allowing most people to get reasonably comfortable before even half-time in their very first match, Rematch is instantly demanding of its players. Frankly, I'm still getting to grips with its various mechanics — I keep forgetting you're slower when in possession, allowing defenders to muscle me off the ball all too often — but with each new game, I feel I'm gaining a greater understanding of how to play most effectively to help my team win. Passing and shooting are really tricky to master. Sloclap has stripped away the generous auto-targeting found in EA's series, and instead asks you to deliberately aim where you're launching the ball with your foot. Has this led to me flubbing several 'should-score' chances? Of course, but the moments where I have pulled off a top-corner curler have been immensely satisfying. The skill ceiling in Rematch seems almost limitless, and I just know that pro-level players are going to put together some incredible Messi-like passages of play, making the rest of us look like Ali Dia (kudos to you, if you got that reference). But rather than this high level of mechanical complexity being off-putting, it's a huge part of the reason I desperately want to play more. In the final game of my most recent play session (which came about 45 minutes after I'd originally intended to log-off because I just kept saying 'one more game'), I managed to bag my first hat-trick, and it felt like a culmination of all the skills I'd picked up in my time with Rematch so far. However, I've certainly not mastered the game; I'm definitely still a lower-league player. Like pretty much all online games released in the current era of gaming, Rematch's launch isn't the finish line; it's really just the kick-off. Sloclap is promising a string of future updates, alongside the usual live service accoutrements like a Battle Pass and various licensed collaborations. The game has even launched with a team-up with soccer icon Ronaldinho. I'm super excited to see where Rematch goes in the future, and I'm greatly enthused by the fact that it's starting from such a strong base already. If Slocap can keep adding to the core they've built — I would love an offline mode with AI bots to further sharpen my skills in a less high-pressure environment — then Rematch could have the staying power to stick around for several seasons to come. So, if you're also feeling a bit underwhelmed by the latest EA Sports FC release and want a new spin on virtual soccer, don't skip Rematch. It's only just beginning its online journey, but it's got all the ingredients to be a long-reigning champion, and might just be the closest a video game has ever come to replicating the sheer thrill of scoring a match-winning goal in real life. (Or at least what I imagine it feels like, my IRL soccer skills are seriously shoddy.) Of course, even in the world of Rematch, my shots remain more likely to miss the mark than find the back of the net, but don't worry, as soon as I'm finished here, I'm heading back to the pitch to keep practicing.
