Laser League

Laser League is phenomenal. It’s easy to pick up, thoroughly appealing in its style, and dangerously captivating. It builds on the team game chops that made Rocket League so successful, yet turns it into something utterly unique and tense. The minor negatives outlined above could be fixed with a patch or two, while others are specific to the PS4 hardware limitations. Those looking for the next big thing in esports or a fun party game to play with a bunch of friends – look no further!

Don't believe the visions of a dystopian future – 2150 is going to be a blast. I can't tell you the state of the human race or even if we're still on this Earth, but if the sport in Laser League is around, the bread and circuses will be rich. You may be vaporized by a sweeping laser field or shoved into one by an opponent, but with quick thinking, twitch skills, and strategy, living in a state of constant near-death is more than just feeling alive, it's exhilarating.

Laser League is delightfully chaotic. It's easy to grasp just by looking at it, but for those who need a few pointers, there's a robust tutorial system, as well as a Playbook mode that helpfully explains the game's more nuanced elements, like the individual classes and power-ups. It's a game that gets more intense with more players, which is why 3v3 online speaks particularly well to me. But it's just as easy to set up local multiplayer, along with bots of varying skill levels.

How many new sports with any staying power have you seen in your lifetime? Chances are that answer is probably zero. That is unless college kids are still running around pretending to ride on brooms to play some Harry Potter game. Point is, creating an entirely new sport is hard and most of the time the ones that we do see are just variations on existing games, like mixing trampolines with Basketball. Sports video games are the same way – licensed sports games and then variations like playing soccer, but with cars. While we’re always seemingly looking for something new and unique in our video ...

This high stakes laser light show by no means is perfect, but it is a blast and one hell of a way to kill an evening online or locally.

Running around an arena while avoiding different coloured lasers sounds like a pretty basic concept for a game and it is. Laser League is an enjoyable and easy-to-learn eSport but does it have enough longevity to topple genre titans?