Similar to the open world game Crackdown, you have to explore every nook and cranny of the city to find them, but you can make it easier on yourself by purchasing maps for each type of collectible. Then again, Sunset is also an open-world game, so there are bound to be compromises. For sure, by the end of the campaign, I still found myself having to work to navigate this hand-eye-coordination spaghetti bowl when I had to grind on a wire, kill a horde of monsters below me, hop off, switch weapons and kill an airborne bat-thingy, and air dash towards the nearest bounding so I could wall-ride around its outside.

Nighttime tower-defense missions shake things up, but otherwise you spend the majority of your time performing fetch quests (get the robot dog, get the collectibles, get the sword, and so on). As you perform certain actions, such as grinding, using automatic weapons, and air dashing, you earn badges that can be traded in for overdrives. Stringing movements together not only gets you to your destination safely and quickly, but it exemplifies what Sunset Overdrive is all about. Sure, its dialogue is vulgar and absurd, but unlike so many games that attempt to be edgy, Sunset Overdrive makes its quips feel natural rather than forced.

Privacy Policy, Now Playing: Sunset Overdrive Video Review. The Most Messed Up Moments in the Comic Book Version of ‘The Boys’, Daily Deals: Preorder Cyberpunk 2077 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, or PC and Save 17% Off, The Best Anime Fanfiction Where the Hero Is a Villain, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales PS5 Review, PS5 vs Xbox Series X: Which Does What Best, Johnny Depp Drops Out of Fantastic Beasts Franchise Following Allegations, How to Get an Xbox Series X or S on Launch Day, The Ten Best Black Friday Deals Today (Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods Trifecta), Spider-Man 3: Tom Holland Posts First Photo From Set, Things Ghost of Tsushima Doesn't Tell You. With fewer than eight people, some Chaos Squad challenges are simply too hard; with fewer than four, you're almost always asking for trouble. On one hand, that means you need to fight your way out of the city, on the other hand, that means you get to fight your way out of the city. Though the factions' characterizations are slightly mocking and exploitative of the groups they represent, there are also plenty of times when representatives from each group call out and mock the stereotypes that are so often applied to them, striking a respectful balance. Fun weaponry and character customization. Unfortunately, one of the few issues with the game is its selection of mission types.

It takes time to get used to the controls, but once you get the hang of leaping, grinding, and flipping around all over the place, Sunset Overdrive becomes a satisfying romp, even when you're not battling mutant hordes. It never takes itself too seriously, which in this case, is a good thing. The story feels a bit disingenuous with its anti-consumer message (but be sure to buy the game's add-on DLC! Sunset treats its open world as a canvas for you to express yourself aesthetically, through movement, and of course, through combat. Instead of a dark game set against a backdrop of horror, Insomniac has created something fiercely … Someone needs supplies and they need you to go get them. The slow camera is no game breaker by any means, even though I sometimes had to accommodate the camera by slowing down my grinding and shooting.

It's not the most-exciting character development system, but it encourages you to keep the kills coming.

He has written all manner of copy for Computer Shopper, The Jersey Journal, Radio One, Random House, and 2D-X. Punky PasticheAs a pastiche of several different genres and games, Sunset Overdrive succeeds in some areas and stumbles in others.

Before entering the tech world, he attended New York University and worked in education as an art instructor. Nearly every object and surface is an opportunity to gain ground, which makes it easy to travel great distances with speed and grace. Once you get the hang of each move, you can free-run from one end of the city to another without ever touching the ground. He covers wearables, digital home, and various cool gadgets including the occasional video game. You can freely replay any mission at a moment's notice, but eventually you'll want to jump online and screw around Sunset City with your friends. There, you play as a downtrodden garbage collector for Fizzco, a corporation that launches an energy drink that ultimately turns its customers into mutants. © 2020 GAMESPOT, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. While all of that looks and feels awesome in motion, it definitely isn’t easy. Weaving in and out of this self-expression is also one of most consistently funny scripts in recent memory. Make no mistake, however: Sunset Overdrive is immature on all fronts. Maybe you've wanted to chase a train by grinding on rails, or you have a burning desire to ride on the back of a massive dragon that's winding through a vast cityscape. SundownerHowever, that conclusion comes sooner than other open-world games like Grand Theft Auto V($23.49 at Amazon) or story-based games like Alien: Isolation($9.99 at Amazon). You can then freely change into whatever outfit you want whenever you want by visiting an in-game vendor, so you're not locked into one look. As you fill up your style gauge, you activate elemental and stat boosts that make you more effective in battle. Sorry, but you can't access this content! Narrative conceit be damned, your hero or heroine can, using nothing but their own two feet, bounce off anything remotely buoyant, dash through the air, and grind on all manners of power lines, billboards, and anything that presents a right angle -- now all I want is for Insomniac to make a Spider-Man game. That prior example of insanity is just one of hundreds that I remember fondly. In Chaos Squad, you're working with other tricked out players that are capable of zipping to-and-fro with a cache of arms at the ready. For more. Punk rockers and jet-set grinders will definitely want to give Sunset City a visit, if only for a brief time. 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PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis, LLC and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. One lays down sprinklers filled with acid (great for crowd control), while another, called The Dude, fires bowling balls that take out swaths of enemies. Delightful sense of movement. Sunset Overdrive is a stylized, colorful, and fast-paced third-person shooter that never takes itself seriously -- even the characters acknowledge it's a video game -- but it proves to be a fun, over-the-top adventure that's well worth the price of admission. Give it time, however, and you'll eventually discover a wide variety of challenges, including a hefty dose of traversal challenges and combat scenarios to keep you busy and beef up your resources. Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. When you're in the midst of battle, sometimes with what seems like a hundred enemies, the screen fills with explosions, bursts of lightning, and occasionally bright green ooze. It provides some of the most fun, frantic, and fantastic gaming I've had on the Xbox One. Like the cult-classic Jet Set Radio, Sunset assaulted my senses with a never-ending barrage of stimulus. This isn't due to a lack of interesting things to do, but rather a testament to the abundance of them. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never has getting from point A to point B in an open-world game provided so much enjoyment. They can be applied to your character to increase style-point generation, boost weapon strength, or grant you health augmentations. Everything's coated in a bright, saturated coat of paint, giving the game a cartoonish quality that's easy to love.