Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars (or SARPBC) is an "arena-based online auto sports game" powered by Unreal Engine 3 and developed by Psyonix Studios. It's a game that can be frustrating to learn, but satisfying to master. It supports 8 player online matches, up to 4 player split screen matches, and features a variety of mini games. The basic objective is to get the ball into your opponents goal.
Yesterday, I found myself hooked on the demo. I was constantly restarting the game to jump into the next limited 1 minute match. The gameplay is addictive. The controls are simple: You move your car with the left analogue stick, boost forward with O, boost upward with X, brake and powerslide with SQUARE, and accelerate with R2. You can perform flip and barrel rolls by moving the left analogue stick in the corresponding direction. You can also drive on the walls, and with enough speed, the ceiling. This makes for interesting strategies and tactics.
The single player mode consist of 20 mini games highlighting the different skills (from goalkeeping to powersliding) used in actual games. It also features a Tournament mode in which you go through 12 different matches and eventually making your way to the finale. For those of you who don't like jumping into a game without knowing what you doing there are three levels of tutorials (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced).
The real fun comes when playing online. There are 3 different maps and you have the option of playing a ranked, unranked or team match. The first two are self explanatory, but the team match let's you create a "clan" of up to 6 people (including yourself) and keeps track of your wins and losses. The amount of lag depends solely on the host's connection. Most of the games I played were lag free, but I did run into minor slowdown occasionally. It can be a little frustrating finding games because of the simple fact that a lot of people haven't purchased the game. It is possible to upload videos of your matches to youtube directly from your PS3 by going to the "Extras" menu.
It is also worth noting that this game has trophy, in-game music, and cross-team mic support.
SARPBC is one of those underrated gems that shouldn't be ignored. Its fun and addictive gameplay should be enough to hold you over until Nov. 4th. I hope more people check it out and support Psyonix Studios.
Verdict: Buy It
More information:
Battle-Cars
NeoGAF thread with developer comments
Note: I will be hosting matches for PS3 FNF so if you have already purchased the game or plan to purchase the game let me know.
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