Warzone Cup is finally here in Call of Duty MW2 Season 1 Reloaded – but how does it stack up to Rocket League?
The brand new Call of Duty update brings a free-to-play Warzone Limited Time Mode to the game. In Warzone Cup, players can celebrate the FIFA World Cup by taking part in some 3-on-3 action.
Like Rocket League, Warzone Cup puts players in the driver’s seat, requiring them to drive a large ball into giant nets. You can boost forward, destroy opponents’ vehicles, and hopefully work together with your team to score a few goals.
But is that where the similarities end? Here’s a full breakdown of Warzone Cup vs Rocket League, including their similarities, differences, and which is better for each aspect.
Warzone Cup vs Rocket League
The Warzone Cup is the newest car soccer game on the block, but can it compare to Psyonix’s Rocket League? Of course not, it’s a Limited Time Mode in an FPS game!
You’d be wise not to take the following comparison too seriously, obviously Rocket League does a mode about playing football in cars better than Call of Duty.
Imagine if Rocket League made a COD-style mode similar to Modern Warfare 2 that was only sticking around for a couple of weeks. You’d be a fool to compare the two modes.
Anyway, onto the comparison.
Gameplay
Rocket League’s gameplay feels as smooth as butter. Once you’ve gotten the hang of driving around, each car handles remarkably well. So well, in fact, that players can soar through the air with grace, chasing down the ball and pulling off some incredibly stylish moves.
Warzone Cup gameplay feels like you’re driving in sludge. The ATVs are clunky and hard to maneuver, with a horrible turning circle.
Without the ability to jump, they’re also locked to ground plays, and you can forget about driving on walls or ceilings.
What’s more, the Warzone Cup ball follows no laws of physics that we’ve ever been witness to. Use your pulse on the giant soccer ball and it’ll go anywhere but forward, causing you to miss even the most open of goals.
On Rocket League the only thing making me miss the open goal is myself. But at least I can gather boost from around the stage, rather than waiting for a slow pulse recharge.
Both games do allow you to slam into opponents, detonating their vehicles and forcing a respawn. Though Warzone Cup’s ‘demolitions’ don’t always register even when driving at top speed.
Thankfully there’s a horrible Shock Stick item mechanic to make up for it.
Point: Rocket League
Visuals
Rocket League has one of the most pleasing art styles in any game out there. Despite launching over 7 years ago it’s still looking fantastic.
The vibrant color scheme and customization options really pop, and they fit the feel of the game incredibly well.
On the other hand, Warzone Cup doesn’t look too shabby either. It may be missing the visual flair of Rocket League but Modern Warfare 2 did at least give COD an upgrade from its usual gray coloring.
Al Easima Field looks like a real soccer pitch, and everything from the floodlights to the giant TV screens are impressive additions for a Limited Time Mode.
We’d definitely like to see Infinity Ward turn this map into a close-quarters map by throwing down some training props and obstacles in the near future.
Point: Rocket League but also Warzone Cup
Community
The Call of Duty community is probably one of the more toxic fanbases in gaming. The phrase ‘you’d never have survived a MW2 lobby’ is often thrown around as though it’s praise.
And it seems that Warzone Cup’s player base isn’t particularly delightful either. Given that many COD fans are just interested in seeing what the mode is about before getting bored, matches are filled with players leaving or going AFK relatively quickly.
On top of that, we’ve had players aiming for own goals as well as hurling abuse in online voice comms right from the lobby – and the mode has only been out for a day.
And yet, as hardcore Rocket League fans will know, the level of toxicity in Psyonix’s game can hit peaks that Warzone Cup can only dream of.
Chat Disabled For 3 Seconds.
Point: There Are No Winners
Price
The good news is, both Warzone Cup and Rocket League are completely free-to-play. You can try both and decide which one is the game for you!
What’s more, both Epic Games and Activision have mastered the art of expensive microtransactions, so you can sink some cash into either game at your leisure.
Thankfully, there’s still plenty of content to earn for free too, in the form of a Battle Pass (or Rocket Pass).
Point: Everyone’s a Winner
All in all Warzone 2’s new Rocket League-inspired game mode is pretty rough. It may look nice, but there’s not much to it and it likely won’t hold your attention for long.
However, if even a small part of you enjoyed what it had to offer, you might want to consider giving Rocket League a go. And at least Warzone Cup came with some much-needed weapon balancing for MW2 & Warzone!
What’s more, you can finally get your hands on a member of Task Force 141 for free!
