Roller Champions wants to be your new favourite sport – and might just do it
ROLLER DERBY has never hit the big time despite teams and leagues popping up all over the world, movies, TV shows and even video games trying to capture the sport.
Roller Champions looks to break that duck by simplifying the game and adding the one thing many people watching the sport for the first time think is missing - a ball.
As with all great sports, it's a simple conceit.
Two teams of three, on skates, drop into a banked track, followed by a single ball to fight over.
Grab the ball, do a full lap of the track, and score a point by throwing it into the goal.
Skating fast and turning left -- scoring laps need to be counterclockwise -- is a simple enough goal, as is stopping you opponents when they're in possession.
Controls are very simple; you race up the bank and pump down it to pick up speed, have a button to catch or throw passes and another for tackle and dodge.
Unlike actual roller derby you don't need to worry about any other rules -- you can skate in any direction you want and block in any direction you want.
Oh, and there are plenty of emotes as well to throw in after you've just landed a good hit, or timed a dodge perfectly.
Teamwork is key; if you've got the ball your team-mates need to control their speed and either escort you, or get in position to receive a pass.
On defense and you need to co-ordinate your attacks; tackles send the ball flying, and if the opposition recovers the ball they can carry on as before.
Scoring does have one complication too - multiple laps before shooting give you bonus points, letting you ratchet up the tension, taunt your foes, or even just mount a last-second comeback.
Obviously there's a risk to this - lose possession and all that progress is lost.
It's got a built-in spectator mode for people wanting to watch, but it's virtual spectators that will define progression.
Win games, and score points and you'll start to develop a virtual fanbase in the game, and it's that adulation that will drive in-game progression.
Exactly what that progression looks like is anybody's guess at this point, though.
Right now, you choose a name and little else, but there's clearly a world of customisation possible for your avatars further down the line.
Ubisoft have promised multiple arenas from scruffy tracks for Fresh Meat up to neon-soaked arenas packed with thousands of cheering fans.
There is a really fun, basic core to this game that feels like it really could make a bid for some of Rocket League's 50-million-strong player base.
The spectating options being built in from the ground up combined with what feels like a high skill ceiling and the way the simple rules will lend themselves to interesting emergent gameplay point towards some serious potential.
If you're interested you can download and .
From our time with it, we'd suggest giving it a couple of games to get into it.
Once it clicks it's almost impossible to find yourself cheering as your team's goals start flying in, though.
We're also not alone in that regard - hanging around seeing other E3 offerings, including the interesting-looking Watch Dogs, nearby quiet muttering turned to out-loud cheering like clockwork from those people giving it a go.
It's very much a barebones basic demo that's meant to prove the concept of the sport - but that's a job we think it does well, and are very much looking forward to seeing more of it.
Back in the world of the present, though, Microsoft just revealed its plans to release its next Xbox in time for Christmas next year, giving gamers a first glimpse of what they can expect with their big annual briefing.
Keanu Reeves also dropped by to let fans know he was starring in next year's Cyberpunk 2077, and that the game would be available in April.
They also revealed more about Project Xcloud, which will let you play the latest Xbox games on any screen you like, whether you own an Xbox or not.
MOST READ IN GAMING
Elsewhere around E3, EA has revealed more details of its new Star Wars game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and has admitted that it's not going to be bringing the real Fifa 20 for Nintendo Switch.
You can also see all the best new trailers revealed so far right here, with highlights including Gears 5, Halo Infinite, Doom Eternal and, of course, Cyberpunk 2077.
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