Review
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars Review (PS3)
For the sake of this review, let’s refer to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars as “Super.” Even the obvious acronym, SARPBC, is too long winded to repeat, so we’ll shorten it to a single and tongue relaxing word. Ridiculous title aside, there is a great deal of fun to be had with this game, especially if you’ve got a few friends to share the experience with. The energetic blend of football, remote control cars, break-neck speeds and explosive force will make this title highly attractive to cheap-thrill seeking men who love a quick blast on their console of choice, even if the online arena is already dead.
When working out the premise for Super, it appears Psyonix Studios threw a cluster of over-the-top ideas into a hat, muddled them up beyond recognition, and then pulled out a handful of lucky winners. Even though the formula of extremely fast cars playing football against each other seems rather stupid, there is also something very appealing about even thinking of such an outlandish notion.
To begin, a set of adequate tutorials are ready to teach you the skills needed to progress through the various modes that have been put in place. Super offers three separate tutorials that range in difficulty as you learn the basics right through to advanced techniques in less than twenty minutes. Included are a number of manoeuvres you’ll need to beat the best; barrel rolling, where to hit the ball to keep it along the ground, hopping, and of course, how to break the sound barrier with a turbo-injected boost (to name a few). What appears as an instantly shallow and linear experience quickly shows itself to have a hidden depth. Before long, you’ll encounter a number of challenges and opponents that will force you to think outside the box as you anticipate the actions of the enemy before they happen.
Matches are typically made up by either varying team sizes (maximum 4v4), or face offs between two fierce rivals. There are a number of cars to choose from, although their differences are purely aesthetic, as they all handle the same way and reach the same top speeds. A minor attempt at customisation has been endured, although this only amounts to the choice of graphics on your car, which usually ends up with two options. This is a huge opportunity missed, as enabling a fully customisable vehicle and arena set up would provide the game with a much lengthier and definitely more interesting appeal. When it comes down to it, Super is a largely simplistic and clean futuristic sports title that cheekily nods towards cult favourite Robot Wars, albeit without the insistent harpings on from over-enthusiastic commentators.
Once you’ve played a few vigorous matches, you’ll begin to notice the little touches that make this game so much fun. With visuals that ooze a cleanliness and sleek design, there can often be real grit emitted from your opponents. Colliding with them at high speed is the best way to deal with their threat as they close in on your goal, you’ll send them into orbit with a chassis-destroying clutter of dust. Controlling the giant ball is difficult and largely down to fortunate guesswork, making each match completely frantic and entertaining to take part in. Granted, many players may dislike the lack of precision, but this only serves to spice proceedings up, as you’ll be sat on the edge of your seat for its entirety.
As with real football, drama flows through this title in abundance. Scoring a goal is superb fun, as more often than not it’ll be on the end of a satisfying counter-attack or onslaught of shots. Mistakes can be made, as you may unknowingly slam the ball into your own net as you charge into the crowd to defend. With the ability to launch your car through the air comes the game’s most entertaining aspect, as it’ll enable you to pull of last second saves and skilful volley finishes. Most engaging from kick-off, it’s amusing to witness the dash to gain possession, as all players fire-up their boosts and try to drive over the speed-giving pads that are littered across the floor with insane style.
With all the simple fun you’ll get from Super, there are a number of silly mistakes that could have easily been avoided. Most potently, the camera is largely fixed behind your car. Combine this with the speed with which the ball moves, and you’ll face a tough task keeping it on your screen at all times. There is also little competition through the game, as you’ll complete challenges and tournaments within a handful of tries. This would be perfectly acceptable if the online multiplayer was as buzzing and full of life as the rest of the game, but sadly, it isn’t.
There’s nothing more disheartening than waiting to join a game for minutes on end. Sitting in the lobby area takes any sting and bite away from the game as you patiently wait for human engagement. Once connected, the title is plagued with lag and network problems, meaning your best bet is to play alongside friends in your home via split-screen. This is still entertaining, but the component that would enable this title to flourish is largely missing. We can’t think of anything more compelling than taking to the arena with people across the globe and launching an unstoppable shot into the top corner with the clock ticking down. Sadly, this rarely happens, as you’ll be stuttering across the pitch if you even manage to connect.
Priced at £7.99 (around $10), you could definitely do worse than this game. What you’ll get is a stylish, unsoiled, entertaining blast for you buck. If you’ve got friends who enjoy such a hysterically engaging formula, then you’ll definitely get your money's worth. Hopefully the developers will iron out a few creases and add some bulk to the game before returning with the inevitable and equally as quirky Super Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars 2 sometime not too far in the distant future. There, I said it.
Top Game Moment: The subtle touches on the ball that make a big difference.
When working out the premise for Super, it appears Psyonix Studios threw a cluster of over-the-top ideas into a hat, muddled them up beyond recognition, and then pulled out a handful of lucky winners. Even though the formula of extremely fast cars playing football against each other seems rather stupid, there is also something very appealing about even thinking of such an outlandish notion.
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 |
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| Kick-off is the most exciting and frantic part of this amusing title. | Expect to climb walls and ceilings to reach the ball before your opponents. |
To begin, a set of adequate tutorials are ready to teach you the skills needed to progress through the various modes that have been put in place. Super offers three separate tutorials that range in difficulty as you learn the basics right through to advanced techniques in less than twenty minutes. Included are a number of manoeuvres you’ll need to beat the best; barrel rolling, where to hit the ball to keep it along the ground, hopping, and of course, how to break the sound barrier with a turbo-injected boost (to name a few). What appears as an instantly shallow and linear experience quickly shows itself to have a hidden depth. Before long, you’ll encounter a number of challenges and opponents that will force you to think outside the box as you anticipate the actions of the enemy before they happen.
Matches are typically made up by either varying team sizes (maximum 4v4), or face offs between two fierce rivals. There are a number of cars to choose from, although their differences are purely aesthetic, as they all handle the same way and reach the same top speeds. A minor attempt at customisation has been endured, although this only amounts to the choice of graphics on your car, which usually ends up with two options. This is a huge opportunity missed, as enabling a fully customisable vehicle and arena set up would provide the game with a much lengthier and definitely more interesting appeal. When it comes down to it, Super is a largely simplistic and clean futuristic sports title that cheekily nods towards cult favourite Robot Wars, albeit without the insistent harpings on from over-enthusiastic commentators.
Once you’ve played a few vigorous matches, you’ll begin to notice the little touches that make this game so much fun. With visuals that ooze a cleanliness and sleek design, there can often be real grit emitted from your opponents. Colliding with them at high speed is the best way to deal with their threat as they close in on your goal, you’ll send them into orbit with a chassis-destroying clutter of dust. Controlling the giant ball is difficult and largely down to fortunate guesswork, making each match completely frantic and entertaining to take part in. Granted, many players may dislike the lack of precision, but this only serves to spice proceedings up, as you’ll be sat on the edge of your seat for its entirety.
As with real football, drama flows through this title in abundance. Scoring a goal is superb fun, as more often than not it’ll be on the end of a satisfying counter-attack or onslaught of shots. Mistakes can be made, as you may unknowingly slam the ball into your own net as you charge into the crowd to defend. With the ability to launch your car through the air comes the game’s most entertaining aspect, as it’ll enable you to pull of last second saves and skilful volley finishes. Most engaging from kick-off, it’s amusing to witness the dash to gain possession, as all players fire-up their boosts and try to drive over the speed-giving pads that are littered across the floor with insane style.
With all the simple fun you’ll get from Super, there are a number of silly mistakes that could have easily been avoided. Most potently, the camera is largely fixed behind your car. Combine this with the speed with which the ball moves, and you’ll face a tough task keeping it on your screen at all times. There is also little competition through the game, as you’ll complete challenges and tournaments within a handful of tries. This would be perfectly acceptable if the online multiplayer was as buzzing and full of life as the rest of the game, but sadly, it isn’t.
 |
 |
|
| Sparks will fly and cars will be destroyed. | Some pitches aren't your traditional end-to-end layout. |
There’s nothing more disheartening than waiting to join a game for minutes on end. Sitting in the lobby area takes any sting and bite away from the game as you patiently wait for human engagement. Once connected, the title is plagued with lag and network problems, meaning your best bet is to play alongside friends in your home via split-screen. This is still entertaining, but the component that would enable this title to flourish is largely missing. We can’t think of anything more compelling than taking to the arena with people across the globe and launching an unstoppable shot into the top corner with the clock ticking down. Sadly, this rarely happens, as you’ll be stuttering across the pitch if you even manage to connect.
Priced at £7.99 (around $10), you could definitely do worse than this game. What you’ll get is a stylish, unsoiled, entertaining blast for you buck. If you’ve got friends who enjoy such a hysterically engaging formula, then you’ll definitely get your money's worth. Hopefully the developers will iron out a few creases and add some bulk to the game before returning with the inevitable and equally as quirky Super Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars 2 sometime not too far in the distant future. There, I said it.
Top Game Moment: The subtle touches on the ball that make a big difference.
Videos
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Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars Debut Trailer
00:52 | 851 views | 0 comments -
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars Electro Trailer
01:26 | 733 views | 0 comments
Comments
By benny180 (SI Core) on Mar 05, 2009
By Wowerine (SI Elite) on Mar 06, 2009
By crawlroman (SI Core) on Mar 11, 2009
By tmatic10 (I just got here) on Apr 06, 2009
