Rocket Jockey

Players control a "sled" (called a cycle in game), which is basically a rocket with small wings for directing the flight and grappling hooks mounted on the sides. These hooks can be fired into pylons, mines, sporting equipment, bodies, and anything else that can be grappled. The grappling hook guns are fixed to shoot out horizontally, 45 degrees to the left and the right of the sled's direction of motion. The player can tap a key to connect the left grapple line to the right one and fly free, leaving a clothesline obstruction for others.

Hence, grappling hooks serve a dual purpose: tight turns on stationary objects, and disabling competitors. Sleds also have the ability to receive power-ups, such as repair and speed boost. Grappling hook projectiles and cables are also modifiable.

Originally developed for the Sony PlayStation, Rocket Jockey became a PC title because, according to designer/lead programmer Sean Callahan, "hardware limitations and longer lead times forced the switch to PC as the initial platform." A PlayStation version was still slated for release in the months after the PC version appeared, but it was eventually cancelled.

Rocket Jockey received generally positive reviews. Critics applauded the inventive gameplay concept, the unique ways in which players could humiliate their opponents, and the music, which Trent Ward called "the best soundtrack to ever bless a video game" in GameSpot. The graphics were generally regarded as not particularly impressive but solid and passable. Critics also found that despite the complex gameplay possible, the controls are simple and reasonable.

Next Generation commented that "Rocket Science's Rocket Jockey manages, in one fell swoop, to nearly erase the memory of such Sega CD dog-eggs as Loadstar, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, and Wingnuts with its surprising mix of style, humor, and fun." Robert Coffey of Computer Gaming World concluded, "There's little not to like about Rocket Jockey. It looks good, it sounds great, and it's certainly the most enjoyable way to sustain a concussion." [emphasis in original] Todd Vaughn of PC Gamer US wrote that "It blends a devil-may-care attitude with the crowd-pleasing violence of gladiatorial combat and the man-and-machine symbiosis of a demolition derby to create an instantly attractive and demanding would-be sport."