Sunset Overdrive: One of last gen's greatest open worlds

I've been feeling a great deal of fatigue over open world games as of late. Then hearing Bioshock's next game might be an open world setting was a huge bummer. But it did get me to thinking what were some underrated open worlds of this past generation. And the one that really stuck out to me was Sunset Overdrive. Setting aside your tolerance for the style and attitude of the game it is one of the most intricate and creative open worlds I've experienced. I think what sets it apart is its return to an older style formula of making the side content skill based. A lot of the side stuff is relegated to testing your traversal skills and weapon combo skills. They have a 1, 2, 3 level of escalation throughout the map. This formula works so well because it makes you better at the game and also creates a variance to the challenge.

The map is incredibly designed once you start getting deeper in and realize how it needed to be crafted to allow you to traverse and keep momentum up. The combo's of wall running and grinding become instinct as you zip through and around obstacles. And the side content being mostly challenges within the world mean that you really have a reason to see it all. Mix in all the different weapons and its a chaotic, high wire, ground pounding ballet. Spider-Man is no doubt a fantastic Spider-Man game but it doesn't feel as fresh since its not like web slinging is new to those games. Sunset Overdrive might be some of Insomniac's most creative work ever. I think a lot of people bounced off early because of the tone and I don't blame you. I actually chuckled here and there. I've seen much worse writing. It does take a few hours before it really sets you loose to take it all in but once you get the hang of the weapons and flow of the traversal its a wild ride. Check. It. Out.

I know its on Game Pass for sure and on Steam.

I actually recently purchased this as it was on sale. Looking forward to checking it out sometime -- how vital/skippable is the main story stuff? Like, as someone who doesn't care for the 'tude of it all, but is intrigued by the movement and weapons, can I easily button past all the cutscenes to get to the gameplay?

@lapsariangiraff: From what I remember the cutscenes were annoyingly not skippable. Probably my biggest gripe with the game now that you bring it up. Not sure this has changed but I wouldn't count on it. The side content isn't too full of long cutscenes, thankfully. I really only got annoyed if I needed to repeat some stuff. Your mileage will surely vary.

Sunset Overdrive isn't just one of the best open worlds of the last generation, it is one of the best games.

The thing that makes it a great game is not just the world but the number of traversal options you have in it. It is like one giant Tony Hawk level that you can slide, bounce, and wall run your way across and it's frickin' awesome. Throw in creative weapons and top notch art design and you have a game that deserved to be a classic but got dragged down with the early years of the Xbox One.

It all fits together perfectly and there's really nothing else like it.

@lapsariangiraff: As a Mirror's Edge fan you'll probably like this game. Not because it's similar in tone or anything (good lord no) but because it has a great and good feeling traversal system underpinning the whole thing. It would also help if you liked Insomniac crazy weapon design too, but it has some standard guns.

In terms of the story...I believe the cut scenes are skippable and a lot of the story is just radio chatter while you're moving around anyway, but I would give it a chance. It's stupid but it knows it's stupid and it's all pretty tongue in cheek. For example there's a whole group of post apocalyptic roleplayers and a maniacal soft drink mascot who leads to one of the greatest boss fights of that year, and it's not great stuff but I think it's highly overrated in its offensiveness.

I think a lot of people didn't realize that the game knows how dumb it is and took it at face value, but if you watched the live action weekly challenge video it was clear that they knew exactly how dumb it is, and for me it came through in the writing too. This is not a game that thinks that its story is totally awesome. It's a game that wants to do a fresh take on the B-movie (or even C-movie) zombie idea, and I think they kind of get it right.

@bigsocrates Sold!

@bigsocrates: Tony Hawk is an excellent comparison. Just a fun playground. And I think I chuckled more at this game for exactly the reasons you describe. I love dumb stuff that knows its dumb and has fun with it.

I jokingly referred to it as a spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio because of the freedom/flow of the open-world traversal backed by a dedicated soundtrack. "Tony Hawk with guns" is also a pretty good analogy.

Anyway, @spacemanspiff00 and @bigsocrates make good points here, and I'll second them for anyone who was thinking about taking a look. Console exclusivity didn't do it any favors at the time, but I played it maybe two years ago and feel like it mostly holds up. Maybe not some of the humor, but it lands more jokes than expected, especially compared to games that go out of their way to try being funny. "Good, dumb fun" would be a pretty solid tagline.

Sunset Overdrive is absolutely one of the best games of the last generation of consoles. Once you get some of the critical movement upgrades (air dash, bounce), moving through the open world and blowing up zombie hordes along the way is just a blast.

Sunset Overdrive is amazing! It was the first Game Pass game I played, and what a great proof of concept that was. I really dug the game’s sense of humor at the time, and the weaving of traversal and combat created some really spectacular moments. Super, super fun.

This game and GTA V made my Xbox One purchase worth it in itself.

Xbox One might not have had many exclusives but there were a couple relatively strong entries (Dead Rising 3 seemed well liked) early in the life of the console.

I will echo that Sunset is an excellent game. I also had the best possible lead-up to it as having just finished (and thoroughly enjoyed) the simulation heavy Red Dead Redemption 2, the freedom of movement and gamification of Overdrive was exactly what I needed. Also as someone that loves dress-up in games the options here are really fun and I found myself mixing and matching outfits quite regularly. Microsoft should really invest in a sequel because this could be their signature lighthearted, platforming franchise that they need in their very serious pantheon of exclusives.

EDIT: While on the subject of early Xbox One exclusives I would urge folks to give ReCore a try. It’s not as good and there are some rather glaring faults even after all the patches but I do think it’s a very unique game while some novel ideas and gameplay mechanics.

@humanity: Microsoft doesn't own the Sunset Overdrive IP.

Sony does.

Most recent game to make my thumbs raw. Meme game before meme games became memes.

@bigsocrates: Then I guess we’re not getting a sequel on Xbox consoles anytime soon.

Gameplay wise I LOVED Sunset Overdrive. The weapons were fun, mobility was great, and they were doing something l4d-director-esque with the spawns to make missions FLOW.

But... I kind of hated it after a while. The entire game felt even more mean spirited than the average episode of South Park where basically every NPC was the same punchline of "ha ha, they care and that makes them lame". And after so many different "Help this faction while mocking them for being losers" it just got exhausting.

@humanity: What are you talking about? If MLB The Show is any indicator we'll be getting a day one on Game Pass sequel any day now.

@gundato: I don't think the game is mean-spirited. I think everyone's a dweeb and a cartoon character because that's the game's aesthetic, but I think it's intended to poke fun at them in a fun way not a mean way. It's kind of like their Ratchet & Clank writing turned up to 11, which makes sense because Sunset Overdrive is a lot like Ratchet & Clank turned up to 11.

I've used to play Sunset Overdrive on my Xbox One, it was okay but I'm not a fan of Insomniac Games in general.