Sunset Overdrive Review Round-Up

It’s edging closer and closer to Christmas, which means the release schedule is becoming ridiculously packed with more games than you can humanly play. Next up in our review round-up’s is Sunset Overdrive from Insomniac Games which is set for release on the 31st of October in Europe. The creators of the Resistance and Ratchet & Clank series have taken their newest title to the welcoming sanctuary of Xbox One exclusivity, and have created an utterly bonkers action title in the process.

I’ve spent the last week reviewing the game and I had an absolute blast with it, awarding it 9/10. The game channels the spirit of games like Jet Set Radio/Future, Tony Hawks, Dead Rising and Crazy Taxi and melds them into one amazing kaleidoscopic hurricane of computer game insanity.

PS. This is how they do a live action trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAwma88K2ok

It looks like nearly everyone else from around the community has had a fantastic time with it as well, giving the Xbox One a meaningful exclusive.

Eurogamer – 8/10

“If you wanted to be uncharitable, you could voice the suspicion that a great many baseball caps were turned backwards in the echoing board room where this project was greenlit, but with the campaign done and the city freshly filled with challenges, I don’t really feel like being uncharitable. Beneath the glorious tech, and once the writing relaxes a little, Sunset Overdrive’s wonderfully lurid and heartfelt – a bit like playing an old 4AD album sleeve. If you get that reference, you’ll probably get this, too.”

Destructoid – 8.5/10

“Sunset Overdrive may have a few flaws inherent to many open-world games and lack an engaging narrative, but it’s an incredibly fun, vibrant game that’s a nice break from the overly gritty tone we see far too often in today’s market. After Fuse, this is exactly what Insomniac Games needed.”

IGN – 9/10

“Sunset Overdrive is big, gorgeous, and a hell of a lot of fun. Never has getting from point A to point B in an open-world game provided so much enjoyment. It provides some of the most fun, frantic, and fantastic gaming I’ve had on the Xbox One. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to once-again adorn my wolf mask, leap off the highest ledge I can find, and fire an explosive stuffed animal at that group of angry robots.”

Polygon – 9/10

As a collection of mechanics and ideas, Sunset Overdrive is an impressive evolution of things Insomniac has been doing for a long time. Every part of Sunset Overdrive hooks into every other part somehow, and often in multiple ways, and it makes the whole shooting, grinding, wall-running package better for it. But the best thing about Sunset Overdrive is how it’s unabashedly enthusiastic about what it is, in just about every way. That enthusiasm, and the freedom behind it, is contagious.

Joystiq – 5/5

“Each of the game’s systems feeds into another, making the experience feel complete and purposeful. More importantly, it gives players a plethora of choices in how they look, what weapon they use and how they play, and then makes every single possible combination feel vindicated. Nothing goes to waste in the awesome-pocalypse, and everyone’s invited to Sunset City’s after-party.”

Videogamer – 6/10

“Sunset Overdrive’s campaign may be disappointing, but its multiplayer offers a glimpse of how a potential sequel could fulfil its largely-squandered promise. Built for 2-8 co-operative players, it consists of three rounds of player-voted maps (each with a unique objective) before culminating in a wave-based Night Defence finale. It challenges players to both work as a team and compete against one another, lending the score attack nature of the game, so underwhelming elsewhere, a real purpose.”

Metro – 7/10

“Shallow, simplistic, and never quite as funny as it thinks it is, but there’s still more energy and imagination at work here than most other new next gen franchises.”

Gamespot – 8/10

“Insomniac Games has crafted an excellent game in Sunset Overdrive. It’s not without a few niggling issues, but you’ll be too busy enjoying yourself to care. You can compare it to games like Crackdown, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and Ratchet and Clank, but by combining the best elements of those games into a single package and injecting it with an anything goes, rock and roll attitude, you’ll never think of it as anything but a singular achievement that stands tall on its own merits. It’s one of the best games on the Xbox One, and a refreshing shot of merriment.”

God Is A Geek – 8/10

“When all is said and done, Sunset Overdrive doesn’t feel like anything else I’ve played in ages. It’s a real breath of fresh air to travel around an open world with such wild abandon, and the variety of enemies combines with the general movement to make fun the most important aspect of the whole package. It never feels a chore to play, and although the fourth-wall breaking and sense of humour won’t be to everyone’s tastes, this is a game that any Xbox One owner should give a go.”

Games Informer – 9.25/10

“Outside of the mission monotony, Sunset Overdrive is an immensely rewarding experience that has a look and style all its own and a great gameplay package to complement it. It’s a colorful return to form for Insomniac games, and a hell of an exclusive for Xbox One.”