This year I have played a lot of mobile games and as such it’s taken me a long while to whittle down my choices for what truly captivated me. Due to the overwhelming number of daily titles added to app marketplaces, it can be easy to throw aside a once-loved title for a newer thrill.
I often find myself going back to pre-loved titles, such as a recent summer tryst with Pokémon Go, but eventually the nostalgia wears off and I want something new. If you have been following our Game of the Week (and if not, why not?) then my choice will not surprise you.
Swiping away
Rocket League Sideswipe is a mobile version of the eponymous car football game, developed by Psyonix. Despite its recent release, I have already spent far more hours on Sideswipe than many other games combined.
Sideswipe brings players to a 2D pitch which means there is no difficulty in trying to control a pesky camera angle to know where the ball is. Without wrestling with camera controls, you can focus on guiding your car, enabling even novice players the opportunity for extravagant goal scoring techniques.
I must admit one of the main reasons I enjoy playing Sideswipe is that I am pretty good, which is a striking contrast to my skills on its predecessor. As every online game is ranked it is vital to my self-esteem to keep rising the ranks. The game is still young and many players are learning just as I am, perhaps this time next year I will be back at bronze rank, desperately clawing my way up only to be struck back down.
For me, Rocket League Sideswipe is everything that a mobile game should be. It can be played in short sessions, features simple mechanics, and gives an engaging gameplay experience that really gets your dopaminergic pathways flowing. Not only is Sideswipe the epitome of a mobile game, it is a great example of how to reinvent a much-loved franchise for an even wider audience.
