Sunset Overdrive!! It feels appropriate to only use multiple exclamation points when talking about my feelings on this game. Sunset Overdrive is a quite ridiculous, over-the-top open world shoot-em-up that has been stuck on the Xbox One since its initial launch in 2015 until very recently releasing on steam. Checks dates. 2014 release date! And it came out at the end of last year on Steam. I got it then but didn't get too far until stopping. After playing a lot of Death Stranding though I decided I needed something a bit more light hearted... and I definitely got it here.
You play a young worker in a fictional city during the night of the release party of a new Energy Drink - Fizzco's OVERDRIVE! Unfortunately the drink turns people into fiendish mutants and the city is almost entirely destroyed... but you and some other survivors are just too fuckin' punk to go down like that, so you have some fun in the apocalypse instead! The game is drenched in punk aesthetic, music and art all over the place. It's a very cute theme to drench an apocalypse in and the game NEVER takes itself seriously. The game routinely pokes fun of gaming tropes (Let's talk to an NPC in a cutscene and remark on the fact that they will disappear completely after its over!) and itself. This might sound tiring, but thankfully the game isn't too long so just when you think you're maybe getting tired of things, there's some new gun or power up to throw in the mix or new clothes to buy and then the game ends right on cue.
The game does have an EXTENSIVE customization theme that was fun to play around with. The main character can be freely switched in terms of body and gender, clothing options, mods for your MANY guns and personal abilities.. loads of stuff to play around with. I will say the gun mods were a bit disappointing - the game makes a big deal about how they can change your playstyle a lot, and whole missions are devoted to making new ones buuuuuuut... I dunno, they didn't seem to do all that much? Your guns are already devastating, what does it matter that much if they turn enemies to ice sometimes, or blow up just a little bit more than usual? The game is also so fast-paced and frantic that you might say "Oh MORE explosions and frozen solid enemies!? That's Cool!" and yes fictional person that is indeed cool however you're on the move so fast you basically never get a moment to stop for an actual second and appreciate how cool it is.
There's a story to this game of course, but its firmly in the "who gives a shit" territory. The characters you meet along the way are charming or funny enough to make you like them, and the game ends with a suitably All-Our-Powers-Combined moment that is fun to see everyone join forces to help you out. In particular the Troop Leader who ate all of his arms and legs or the Day of the Dead Cheerleader Captain who REALLY enjoys punching your lights out are the standouts.
Overall Sunset Overdrive is a damn fine palette cleanser of a game. I started it to balance out my progress with Death Stranding but I ended up playing a lot more of it than I intended... it is a fun, silly and entertainingly explosive romp through an orange-soaked apocalypse. Oh yeah, and this is by the dudes who made Spider-Man, one of my first games of this year! Also a winner.
You play a young worker in a fictional city during the night of the release party of a new Energy Drink - Fizzco's OVERDRIVE! Unfortunately the drink turns people into fiendish mutants and the city is almost entirely destroyed... but you and some other survivors are just too fuckin' punk to go down like that, so you have some fun in the apocalypse instead! The game is drenched in punk aesthetic, music and art all over the place. It's a very cute theme to drench an apocalypse in and the game NEVER takes itself seriously. The game routinely pokes fun of gaming tropes (Let's talk to an NPC in a cutscene and remark on the fact that they will disappear completely after its over!) and itself. This might sound tiring, but thankfully the game isn't too long so just when you think you're maybe getting tired of things, there's some new gun or power up to throw in the mix or new clothes to buy and then the game ends right on cue.
The game does have an EXTENSIVE customization theme that was fun to play around with. The main character can be freely switched in terms of body and gender, clothing options, mods for your MANY guns and personal abilities.. loads of stuff to play around with. I will say the gun mods were a bit disappointing - the game makes a big deal about how they can change your playstyle a lot, and whole missions are devoted to making new ones buuuuuuut... I dunno, they didn't seem to do all that much? Your guns are already devastating, what does it matter that much if they turn enemies to ice sometimes, or blow up just a little bit more than usual? The game is also so fast-paced and frantic that you might say "Oh MORE explosions and frozen solid enemies!? That's Cool!" and yes fictional person that is indeed cool however you're on the move so fast you basically never get a moment to stop for an actual second and appreciate how cool it is.
There's a story to this game of course, but its firmly in the "who gives a shit" territory. The characters you meet along the way are charming or funny enough to make you like them, and the game ends with a suitably All-Our-Powers-Combined moment that is fun to see everyone join forces to help you out. In particular the Troop Leader who ate all of his arms and legs or the Day of the Dead Cheerleader Captain who REALLY enjoys punching your lights out are the standouts.
Overall Sunset Overdrive is a damn fine palette cleanser of a game. I started it to balance out my progress with Death Stranding but I ended up playing a lot more of it than I intended... it is a fun, silly and entertainingly explosive romp through an orange-soaked apocalypse. Oh yeah, and this is by the dudes who made Spider-Man, one of my first games of this year! Also a winner.