Name: Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars
Genre: Racing/Action
Platform: PlayStation Network

With a name like Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars, you would expect high-speed action with some insane stunts thrown in for good measure. Once you start a game, you'll find you're actually in a futuristic world where cars compete in giant indoor soccer matches. Developer Psyonix is trying their hand at something new as developer and publisher. Interestingly enough, the mix is both entertaining and frustrating at the same time.

Psyonix makes playing the game pretty simple. The gameplay in Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars is fairly intuitive, although sometimes a bit aggravating. As the title implies, you control a car with a rocket booster attached. That car is placed in a domed arena where you are expected to knock a giant ball into your opponent's goal. Accomplishing this is pretty darn tough. The only weapons you have at your disposal are turbo boosts (circle) and the ability to jump (x) in any direction, preferably in the direction of the ball. This is where things get a little hairy. The physics in the game are great, but because the ball responds so realistically when you make contact with it, often luck has more to do with scoring than skill. And I haven't even factored in opponents or teammates yet.

Games are usually 3-on-3 matches where you'll be teamed with 2 AI partners. Opponents will be trying to knock you around as you spend your time tracking the ball. You could just sit in the goal, acting as a last defense, but reacting from a stand-still position is much more difficult than reacting on the move. Besides, you don't want your team to be a man down on the attack. Difficulty increases as you progress, and it's almost detrimental to the game. Whle the opponent AI gets tougher, your teamates seem to say at the same level they were during your first match. Sometimes it can seem as if you're playing a 1-on-5 match, which gets annoying. Putting the ball in the goal gives a great sense of accomplishment. I understand it's supposed to be hard to score, but if it was just a bit less random and more precise, the game could have been a little more fun. There are opportunities to hone your skills in the challenge mode, but the only thing you unlock are different car skins and trophies, so not progressing to the end isn't a big deal.

Multiplayer is where most people will be spending their time with this game, and it's pretty chaotic. Having up to six people flying around the arena crashing into one another while tracking the ball ends up being pretty fun for a little while. After a few games though, you've pretty much experienced everything the game has to offer. Playing online would give this game a little bit more life, but there's hardly ever enough people playing online to get a decent match going. It's a shame because this game had the potential to be a nice change of pace from every other FPS or sports title that dominates online play. Instead, when you can't find a match, you'll end up just going back to whatever game you were trying to take a break from.

Grahpics and sound are a little better than average when it comes to a downloadable game. The Unreal Engine is used to pretty good effect here, as the game is bright and full of color. The usual issues the Unreal Engine has (texture issues and pop-ins) occur thanks to the game only having to load one level at the outset. The cars look neat, and there's a bit of variation on what players can see outside the dome, but other than that, the game doesn't demand too much. The soundtrack is pleasing, and never had me wishing I was listening to something else. It's not a great dramatic score, nor is there any commentary or play-by-play, but it gets the job done.

Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars is a decent attempt at a sports title. While the single-player isn't as easy to jump in and play for everyone as I'd hoped, the multiplayer does offer a few good hours of fun if yoiu can get into it. Psyonix has something to build on here, should they continue with the series. However, the price point is a bit high, so I can't recommend this for a straight-up purchase. If you have a few friends over, try the demo and go from there. You may actually like what you see.

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