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Rocket League Update and Super Bowl LV Celebration

2nd February 2021 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

There’s quite a lot happening in the world of car soccer with both a Rocket League update and Super Bowl LV Celebration appearing now.

We’ll deal with the Super Bowl first, as it’s going to be confusing enough explaining car soccer should be car football for non-U.S fans. But now there’s a new Gridiron event running from February 2nd until the 8th, which is car football as the Americans understand it.

So that’s clear now?

*Both a Rocket League update and Super Bowl LV Celebration have arrived, including a limited time Gridiron game mode.*

The new Gridiron limited time mode takes place on an NFL field with 4 vs 4 teams. And the standard ball becomes an American football which will stick to your car in a similar way to Spike Rush. When any player touches the ball, they become the ball carrier, with it stuck to their roof, and can single jump.

But double jumping will drop the ball, and dodging will make you pass. If you cross the line marked on the Arena wall you’ll fumble.

Points are scored by entering the opponents goal (7 points), or passing it in (3 points). And all own goals are worth 3 points.

You’ll also be able to complete three Event Challenges to unlock the Gridiron Guru player title, NFL Wheels and 20,000 XP. Plus the NFL Fan Pack will return to the Rocket League Item Shop.

*The latest Rocket League update includes Fennec decals for all 18 Esports teams in the Esports shop*

If that’s not enough, there’s also the latest Rocket league update which has added new Fennec decals for all 18 teams featured in the Esports shop. It also includes a new ‘Effect Intensity’ in the settings options to adjust the visuals for the Neon Fields arena. Which is great news for any players who have found it difficult to get past the graphical effects, as you can now disable pulsing, flashing lights, moving FX, or the brightness and intensity.

Rocket League Update V1.92 Patch Notes:

NEW CONTENT

NFL

The NFL Super Bowl LV Celebration starts February 2 at 8 a.m. PST / 4 p.m. UTC. The event includes:
- The new Gridiron LTM will be available as a Casual Playlist
- New Challenges will be available this week. Completing Challenges will unlock new NFL-themed items and XP bonuses
- The NFL Fan Pack will return to the Item Shop February 2 through February 8

Esports Shop

A new Fennec Decal is now available to purchase for all 18 teams in the Esports Shop

CHANGES AND UPDATES

Effect Intensity

Based on community feedback, an ‘Effect Intensity’ drop-down has been added to Settings > Video
Default: All Arena effects operate normally
Low:
- Flashing lights and pulsing effects are disabled
- Moving effects, lights, and background visuals are reduced or disabled
- Background light brightness/intensity reduced (where appropriate)
- Music visualization is disabled
Effect Intensity settings only apply to the ‘Neon Fields’ Arena

Rocket Pass

Pro Tiers: Starting with v1.91, Pro Tiers purchase eligibility will depend on a player’s Rocket Pass Tier at the time of purchase
- Players at Tiers 1-40 can purchase any Tier bundle
- Players at Tiers 41-58 can purchase up to 12 Tiers
- Players at Tiers 59-64 can purchase up to 6 Tiers
- Players at Tiers 65-69 can purchase one Tier at a time
- Players at Tiers 70 or above can still unlock Pro Tiers via progression
Rocket Pass Premium: Players on the free Rocket Pass track at Tier 59 or higher will be able to purchase Rocket Pass Premium, but will not be able to purchase the Premium + 12 Tiers bundle
In both cases, ineligible players who try to purchase a Premium or Tier Bundle will see an error message.

BUG FIXES

Fixed a display error with the Free Challenges not being counted properly
Tournament Rewards earned on different platforms can now be traded in together
[Nintendo Switch] Item Shop menu correctly displays the Featured Tab when first selected
[PlayStation, Xbox] Fixed several crash/freeze scenarios involving linked accounts and/or splitscreen Exhibition Matches
Fixed an exploit allowing players to trade single Credits
[PC] Event banners on the Main Menu will now open the Challenges Menu as intended
Fixed appearance of DigiGlobe and HoloData Goal Explosions in Hoops
The MVP’s Player Anthem will play even if the other team leaves or forfeits
[Nintendo Switch] Fixed a bug with track resets in music playlists
Bringing up a music playlist with a keyboard no longer skips the current song
Fixed a bug with Player 2 Quick Chat in splitscreen

Rocket League 2021 X Games Aspen Limited Edition Items

20th January 2021 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Celebrate your love of car soccer and extreme sports with some new Rocket League 2021 X Games Aspen limited edition items. They’ll also be available to celebrate the introduction of the RLCS X Games: North American Regional event.

The two items which you will be available to claim for free and use within Rocket League are the X-Skis Player Banner and the X-Board Player Banner.

*The free Rocket League 2021 X Games Aspen Limited Edition Items*

Everything else will be available from the Rocket League in-game shop between January 21-24, and January 28-31, 2021.

*Special X Games 2021 wheels will be available to purchase in Rocket League*

You can pick up special edition wheels, toppers, a banner, and a decal for the Octane.

None of which will have any impact on your ability to play car football, but might make you feel cooler as you miss a ceiling shot or double tap. And you could possibly sell them onto an items dealer if they become valuable.

*The Rocket League X Games Aspen 2021 X-Skis Topper*

*The Rocket League X Games Aspen 2021 X-Boards Topper*

The RLCS X Games: North American Regional will take place online on January 23-24, and January 30-31, 2021 as part of both the official RLCS X circuit, and as an official X Games Aspen event which will reward the winning team.

It might be worth tuning in to watch the matches via Twitch, which start at 10am PT (6pm UTC), as you’ll have the chance to win the X-Board and X-Skis Topper, or the Knuckle Huck Player Banner during the live broadcast. It’ll also be available via Youtube and the ESPN app if you prefer.

*The Knuckle Huck Banner for the X Games Aspen 2021*

You can keep up with all the latest Rocket League news, events and coverage, here.

Rocket League became free-to-play in 2020, and is available for the PC via the Epic Store, the Xbox One via the Microsoft Store, the PS4 via the PlayStation Store, and the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop.

How an Epic Glitch Led Me Back To Rocket League

12th November 2020 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Since Pong and Spacewar!, the history of videogames has been one of increasingly complexity. But a few titles successfully buck this trend, and this is how an Epic Glitch led me back to Rocket League addiction.

Earlier in 2020 Psyonix made two big changes to their car football game. The first was that it switched to a free-to-play model, but at the same time they removed Rocket League from Steam and chose to distribute it via the Epic Games Store for the PC.

I’ve owned Rocket League on the Xbox One for a few years, but lost interest over time as it seemed I’d be forever locked in a struggle to improve my ranking in competitive games. The matchmaking system for Rocket League is pretty effective at putting you up against players who are slightly better, and solo queue can be frustrating when you often have team-mates wanting to quit after 30 seconds because you didn’t do exactly what they expected.

*How an Epic Glitch Led Me Back To Rocket League*

Still, I thought I might as well download a free copy for the PC. In theory, I should have been able to link my new copy under my Epic Games Store account with my existing Xbox Live profile, but despite many attempts and suggested fixes, it’s never worked.

That failure of modern technological complexity has actually made me fall in love with Rocket League all over again.

Rocket League on the PC is significantly better than on the Xbox One. More powerful hardware allows for better graphics, but it just feels faster and more fluid. And the switch to free-to-play means many more people in casual and competitive modes, so there are significantly larger numbers of opponents around my skill level.

But starting from scratch was key. I’m frustrated to miss out on the cosmetic bonuses Psyonix has provided to people who previously bought Rocket League. And yet, I’m overjoyed to have begun playing with a completely new account.

It meant my initial placement matches to decide my level in the ranking system wasn’t based on my previous performance. As a result, I was matched with a lot of people whose experience was a lot less than mine, giving me some easier wins and a big confidence boost. Even with the occasional toxic team-mate or inevitable mistakes on my part, I’ve ended up as a Platinum player, which is the highest I’ve been. And I’ve actually been making noticeable improvements since rediscovering my love of Rocket League.

It’s ironic that five years since release, with all the effort that went into an effective ranking system and two different business models, the best thing that happened for me in Rocket League was being unable to transfer my progress as intended. And the confidence boost that some easy wins gave me.

Maybe more games should think about making their competitive matchmaking systems slightly less efficient at times?

Rocket League Haunted Hallows 2020 Begins

21st October 2020 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Enjoy the mix of car football and Halloween as the Rocket League Haunted Hallows 2020 event begins, and runs until November 2nd. It’s available across all platforms, and features two Limited Time Modes, along with unlockabled themed items.

*Rocket League Haunted Hallows 2020 Begins*

Completing various in-game challenges across any online mode will help you to unlock a variety of Ghostbusters-themed items. The tasks are all pretty familiar, requiring you to play a certain number of matches, or score a set amount of goals before the end of the event.

*The Stay Puft Topper from the Rocket League Haunted Hallows 2020 event*

And you’ll then be able to claim the following items:

Ghostbusters Avatar Border
GhostBusters Player Banner
Ghostbusters Wheels
Stay Puft Topper
Stay Puft Wheels
Ectoplasm Boost
Mood Slime Boost
Ghost Trap Topper
Slimer Topper
Ecto-1 Player Banner

You can also collect Golden Pumpkins, which will give you random items from the Turbo, Nitro and Vindicator series. Along with an XP boost which is useful if you’re new to the game since it became free-to-play.

*The Slimer Topper from the Rocket League Haunted Hallows 2020 event*

Other Ghostbuster and Halloween items from previous Haunted Hallows events will be available for sale in the Item Shop, including the Ecto-1 vehicle and the Reaper Goal Explosion.

*Unlock all the themed items as Rocket League Haunted Hallows 2020 begins*

There are also two time limited game modes running during the Haunted Hallows event.

Haunted Heatseeker (October 20 – October 26) – Heatseeker mode will be played in a spooky new Haunted Urban Arena
Spike Rush (October 26 – November 2) – Spike Rush will be played on night map variants

*Fancy some Stay Puft wheels on your Rocket League car?*

Rocket League became free-to-play earlier in 2020, and is available for the PC via the Epic Store, the Xbox One via the Microsoft Store, the PS4 via the PlayStation Store, and the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop.

Rocket League Radical Summer Event Starts June 10

9th June 2019 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

The Rocket League Radical Summer event is a nine week celebration of the films, TV and culture of the 1980s. Including Ghostbusters, Knight Rider, Back to the Future, E.T, Karate Kid, and The Goonies. And it all starts on June 10th, 2019.

The Rocket League Radical Summer Event Starts June 10, 2019

It’s the first big event in the game since Rocket League developers Psyonix were acquired by Epic Games. So it’ll be interesting to see how it’s received by the claimed community of more than 58 million Rocket League players.

Rocket League Radical Summer Event Schedule:

The actual Radical Summer event is split into three celebrations. In addition to the Premium DLC cars pack for sale, you can earn specific 1980’s items by earning ‘Cassettes’ from online matches.

Everything goes 1980s for Radical Summer

The toppers already revealed will cost 75 cassettes, while decals require 100 cassettes to access. Trails are 120 and wheels will be 150.

June 10th – July 1st 2019 – 80’s Blockbusters

Fancy playing Rocket League in Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters?

Ghost Hunt limited-time game mode. Teams of 3 v 3 have to fire a proton stream to capture the ball and carry it to the opponent’s Containment Zone to score in a homage to Ghostbusters.
It will be played in the Urban Central Arena, with new scarier lighting and sound effects.
The Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Car Pack goes on sale, which includes: Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Battle-Car, Ecto-1 Wheels, Proton Pack Boost, Slimer Topper, Ghostbusters Player Banner, Ghostbusters Avatar Border, and the Stay Puft Goal Explosion for $1.99 (or regional equivalent).
Other 1980s in-game items come to the Rocket League Radical Summer Event Store, featuring Back to the Future, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies, and Karate Kid.

July 1st – July 22, 2019 – 80’s Culture

The new Rocket League Radical Summer Cobra Kai Decals look awesome... — The new Rocket League Radical Summer Cobra Kai Decals look awesome…

Spike Rush Game is the next limited time mode, which is another 3v3 game. This time, every player has the Rumble Mode Spike power-up to carry the ball.
It’ll be hosted in the Throwback Stadium Arena, and also commemorates the fourth anniversary of Rocket League.
And there will be more in-game items, focusing on the culture of the 1980s for you to spend your cassettes on.

July 22nd – August 12th – 80’s Television

3 new game modes will run during the Radical Summer event

Beach Ball Game Mode will be the final time-limited addition to Rocket League. It’s a duo match with a larger ball, low ball gravity, and Curveball mutator activated. You’ll be playing on Salty Shoes.
The Knight Rider Car Pack will become available to buy, including K.I.T.T, the futuristic car star of the 1980s TV show, and other themed items.
And the final wave of 1980s items will appear for the Rocket League Radical Summer event. Psyonix have already revealed the iconic brands will include DeamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender and WWE. One clue is that the official Rocket League Radical Summer landing page contains copyright info for both the WWE, and Macho Man Randy Savage.

All players can download the update to access Rocket League Radical Summer from today. And you’ll also get a free themed player banner. You’ll also be able to acquire up to 5 golden egges per event phase, which contain items from Elevation, Victory, Turbo and Nitro crates.

The Ghost Hunt mode looks interesting. What happens if the streams cross?

One of the best images to promote the Rocket League Radical Summer event has to be the mock-up of the game as a 1980’s game release.

How cool does the Rocket League Radical Summer 1980s Box Art look?

Ghostbusters is the theme of the first Premium DLC pack

Who wouldn't want a Slimer topper for their Rocket League car? — Who wouldn’t want a Slimer topper for their Rocket League car?

The new Stay-Puft goal celebration looks suitably epic

Watch the Rocket League Radical Summer Event Trailer

If you don’t already own Rocket League, you can pick it up for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, with cross-play functionality.
It’s available via Amazon, and the 2017 Xbox One Rocket League bundle is even still on offer from some retailers.

It’s also available on all platforms from Game. Which actually has a slightly better deal on the Xbox One Rocket League bundle.

Despite the acquisition, you won’t find Rocket League on the Epic Games Store yet, but it is still available on Steam.

Rocket League Update V1.92 Patch Notes:

NEW CONTENT

CHANGES AND UPDATES

BUG FIXES

Rocket League Radical Summer Event Schedule:

June 10th – July 1st 2019 – 80’s Blockbusters

July 1st – July 22, 2019 – 80’s Culture

July 22nd – August 12th – 80’s Television

Watch the Rocket League Radical Summer Event Trailer

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