Game of the Month #114 (July 2024) - Sunset Overdrive

2027. Sunset City. A contaminated energy drink has transformed most of the population into toxic mutants. For many it's the end of the world, but for you it's a dream come true. Your old boss? Dead. Your boring job? Gone. Transform the open world into your tactical playground by grinding, vaulting and wall-running across the city while using a deva ...Read More
How long is Sunset Overdrive?
When focusing on the main objectives, Sunset Overdrive is about 10 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 34½ Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Platforms:PC, Xbox One
Genres:Third-Person, Action, Shooter
Developer:Insomniac Games
Publisher:Microsoft Studios
NA:October 28, 2014
EU:October 31, 2014

This is one of my favorite open world games and one of my favorite games of all time. This among many other reasons is why Insomniac is my favorite developer. They just know how to make pick and play games with good gameplay down.

All though it sucks that it seems that all they will be doing is making Marvel games now, that seems no different of a fate than Raven Software and High Moon Studios being a CoD support studio. Sucks but shit like this is why I don't ever want to be a AAA game dev.

Still, I love Sunset Overdrive, it came out the same year as Infamous Second Son and ended up being way better than SS in terms of gameplay. The game also pre dated Doom 2016 as far as being an "anti" cover based shooter. My only gripe with the game is that there seems to be no hard mode or higher difficutly options, Spider-Man 2 benefitted greatly from having higher difficulty options and it's weird how Sunset Overdrive omits it. Still, wish there was a sequel or another game doing what this did but Insomniac is just going to Marvel games now.

Right so just started it and not sure really bout it. I can see the traversal gameplay being interesting and it has alot of fast paced action. However it kinda punishes for staying on the ground and at times it would be good to have some form of fast movement on the ground instead of the grinding. Will see how the rest of the game plays out. Not sure about the story and other parts so far its basically been a tower defense level and alot of meta humour which doesn't really land for me

I've played a few hours now. A rocky start learning the controls but I've gotten a lot better at getting around. The weapons are also pretty fun and creative. The dialogue is pretty annoying though. It reminds me a lot of MCU mixed with Rick & Morty humor. It was kinda funny at first and then I realized that's the whole game.

Now this is a fun game that I enjoyed getting all tgg by e achivments in

I've finished the game. Much of my criticism has not changed. The gameplay is still fun but with unfunny dialogue that grates me as time goes on. It's a 7/10 game for me. I might do the DLC, I'm kind of debating it in my mind. I suppose if I post here again, then the answer is yes.

Edit: Have solved the corrupted save issues via following fix:
1. Disable Cloud Save
2. Open cloudsave vdf file, delete all contents, save, and then set to 'read only'

Hmm Steam version seems to be having issues.

I'm running a 3080 and it says my GPU doesn't meet the minimum requirements, I ignore the warning and the game loads fine.

However every time I touch the save/load feature the game crashes to desktop. Also I keep getting a corrupted save file warning in game.

I'll have a tinker for a solution, will update this post.

First session only played about 30 minutes as I spent a lot of time troubleshooting to get the game running.

Really enjoyable initial impressions. Game doesn't take itself too seriously, some humorous moments, and straight into the action.

Looking forward to completing this!

— 07/03/2024 10:09 PM
Made it to the preppy kids

the fluid combat is really getting good for me however it's annoying how slow you are on the floor. I know there trying to get me constantly moving but certain locations don't seem that well suited to movement
— 07/04/2024 10:03 PM
Got the bottled water and helped the hobo move the train. Mainly going around collecting collectibles. Bit of a bad habit but decided to only go for them if they appear on the mini map instead of the full game
— 07/05/2024 11:02 PM
Had a failed escaped attempted using a glider walter made. Now off to find brycllcream in the second island in little toyko
— 07/06/2024 11:02 PM
So made to norton and faced off against the giant fizzy balloon. Did the side quest after which is fairly funny outcome at least
— 07/07/2024 11:20 PM
Made it to the third island with the LARPers

So played the Sunset Overdrive for a week now and yeah the traversal and combat based around has really grown on me. still not happy about areas where it's hard to bounce and grind especially as it is very punishing when your not moving. The humour is pretty cringe tbh and it's tries a bit too hard and kinda wounding the game a bit. I've had a few chuckles but nothing that truly hits. The level design is also rather weak and realing too much on fetch quests and tower defense from what I've played

I played the DLC, and tbh I kinda wish I hadn't spent $20 on it. Both were kinda boring overall, the Robot Factory DLC gives you a bunch of new weapons which are pretty fun and the boss was pretty clever. The oil rig DLC was kinda pointless. It's main gimmick is giving you water traversal mechanics which are kinda whatever honestly. I felt pretty bored with both of them though.

If you had to pick one DLC, go for the robot factory one. The oil rig DLC only really gives you one new weapon and it's pretty bad working only at close range.

I give the robot DLC a 5/10, the oil rig DLC a 4/10.

I played the DLC, and tbh I kinda wish I hadn't spent $20 on it. Both were kinda boring overall, the Robot Factory DLC gives you a bunch of new weapons which are pretty fun and the boss was pretty clever. The oil rig DLC was kinda pointless. It's main gimmick is giving you water traversal mechanics which are kinda whatever honestly. I felt pretty bored with both of them though.

If you had to pick one DLC, go for the robot factory one. The oil rig DLC only really gives you one new weapon and it's pretty bad working only at close range.

I give the robot DLC a 5/10, the oil rig DLC a 4/10.

I find most DLC not worth if you buy them at full price. You pay a third of the price of the full game for maybe 10% more content?

With that being said, at it's current discounted price (which includes all DLC) it's a steal.

3 hours in, I am loving Sunset Overdrive so far. I love the upbeat vibes, the sanguine mood, the 'doesn't take itself too serious' attitude. So much so I am considering 100% this game.

Just 100%ed Sunset Overdrive on Steam!

Enjoyed every bit of this masterpiece. So sad they canned plans for a sequel, at least we got 2 DLCs though.
It felt like a superhero fantasy - grinding, jumping, flying through the city. Even the last bit of grinding I did to get the final few achievements was a labor of love.
Writing was hilarious, even the jokes that fell flat were good at creating happy upbeat vibes.

Sad the adventure has to end. But looking forward to playing more games from Insomniac!

— 07/08/2024 11:05 PM
so not much to add today did play but limited. celebrating my upcoming birthday (tomorrow):

Finished off the side quests for the Fargarthia faction

— 07/11/2024 10:04 PM
Okay got to play more: Helped the LARPers to get bark then cook some pigeons
— 07/12/2024 10:06 PM
reached the fourth area which is downtown. Guess this is the last area. Just doing the collectibles
— 07/13/2024 11:02 PM
I believe i've reached endgame now. feels like it Helped the cheerleaders by putting on a rock concert I should be done by the end of next week. Not sure how much I can play tomorrow with the upcoming Euros final
— 07/14/2024 10:44 PM
Okay so did get time to play sunset overdrive before the match (england will never win a trophy will they?) and was able to beat the game and the oil rig DLC. I'm going to hold off my full opinions until I finish the last DLC is done so hopefully tomorrow but if not at least the end of the week
— 07/15/2024 10:10 PM
So onto the second dlc. Released Lou and Fiona and did the two side quests. Looks like 3 more quests. Also got all the UFOs for both DLCs and just got 4 challenges left to complete (not trying to gold them just get through them)
— 07/17/2024 12:29 AM
...And I'm done with Sunset Overdrive. Honestly I wish I liked this game more. The traversal was excellent and was neatly wrapped into a fluid and fun combat system. It took some time getting used to hit but by the end your bouncing and grinding your way around the map increasing your combo into double if not triple digits. It had a great base and you can tell they took what they learned for traversal from this game and used it for the spider man games. Unfortunately the rest of the game was severly lacking. The humor is that weak style of humor where if you reference something then it must be funny or make a meta jab at the game. It got really grating by the end and dampered the mood for the game. It also had poor mission design relying too much on fetch quests, escort missions and tower defense levels. It a solid base but poor execution I geuss in the end. I will try write up a full review in the coming days

Im very interested in this game but im not going to buy an Xbox and I dont got room for a PC so unfortunately ill have to wait until (or if) it ever gets ported to Sony or Nintendo consoles.

I really need a SteamDeck so I can just call it my "Home PC"

Sunset Overdrive
Completion July 17, 2024
Main+Extras 23h 57m 18s
Notes All side quests, collectibles and challenges
Review
+Fun traversal methods effortlessly merged into the combat
+Great array of wile and wacky weapons
+Bright and colourful world to explore
-Humour is outdated and lacks any big laughs
-Poor quest design hampers a lot of the games fun
-Unlikeable characters throughout the game
Overview:
Sunset Overdrive is a game with a great base but with a poor structure. It has some of the best traversal methods in an open world game I have played. Where you bounce and grind across the world with relative ease. This traversal is then brought into the combat and it rewards you for constantly moving and grinding. Some of the arenas however feel a bit limited but overall the combat is excellent presented and it is fun to play once you get into it. It unfortunately surrounds it’s base with some bad design choices which hampers the game. In the end the game tries to be funny with an indifferent main character but he just comes off as flippant and annoying. The humour is also based on referencing and none these references are out of date so it doesn’t land. It tries a lot of meta humour which feels more like an easy out for certain plot points. It is not helped that the quest design falls into the three annoying types of quests: fetch, escort and tower defence. I wish I liked Sunset overdrive with it’s excellent combat and traversal but found it hampered by it’s poor story and quest designed

6/10

Sunset Overdrive
Completion July 17, 2024
Main+Extras 23h 57m 18s
Notes All side quests, collectibles and challenges
Review
+Fun traversal methods effortlessly merged into the combat
+Great array of wile and wacky weapons
+Bright and colourful world to explore
-Humour is outdated and lacks any big laughs
-Poor quest design hampers a lot of the games fun
-Unlikeable characters throughout the game
Overview:
Sunset Overdrive is a game with a great base but with a poor structure. It has some of the best traversal methods in an open world game I have played. Where you bounce and grind across the world with relative ease. This traversal is then brought into the combat and it rewards you for constantly moving and grinding. Some of the arenas however feel a bit limited but overall the combat is excellent presented and it is fun to play once you get into it. It unfortunately surrounds it’s base with some bad design choices which hampers the game. In the end the game tries to be funny with an indifferent main character but he just comes off as flippant and annoying. The humour is also based on referencing and none these references are out of date so it doesn’t land. It tries a lot of meta humour which feels more like an easy out for certain plot points. It is not helped that the quest design falls into the three annoying types of quests: fetch, escort and tower defence. I wish I liked Sunset overdrive with it’s excellent combat and traversal but found it hampered by it’s poor story and quest designed

6/10

If you hate the story so much you could just mute the dialogue and skip the cutscenes. Also, I don't see how the quest design is a problem when most if not all the game is focused on the combat and traversal which is what you'll be doing for most of the game.

If you hate the story so much you could just mute the dialogue and skip the cutscenes. Also, I don't see how the quest design is a problem when most if not all the game is focused on the combat and traversal which is what you'll be doing for most of the game.

I'm not going to dismiss half the game in my critique because I didn't like it. The flaws still exist whether I ignore them or not

I'm not going to dismiss half the game in my critique because I didn't like it. The flaws still exist whether I ignore them or not

A good 50% of the flaws you listed sound like you could've just been ignored. People who complain about story, dialogue and tone in games could just skip the cutscenes and mute the audio if they find it *that* bad. Sunset Overdrive is also a game that is barely story driven so I don't see the issues. It's not like 50% of the game is cutscenes and walking sections, if you don't like the story and dialogue, you can choose to ignore it. But it's whatever man, I probably won't change your mind either way.

A good 50% of the flaws you listed sound like you could've just been ignored. People who complain about story, dialogue and tone in games could just skip the cutscenes and mute the audio if they find it *that* bad. Sunset Overdrive is also a game that is barely story driven so I don't see the issues. It's not like 50% of the game is cutscenes and walking sections, if you don't like the story and dialogue, you can choose to ignore it. But it's whatever man, I probably won't change your mind either way.

Story is an important element for me for a game so if the story sucks it's gonna hurt the game in terms of my opinion. I'm glad you liked the game and can switch off the story and just enjoy the loop which I did think was well done I couldn't so that's why the game scored lowish (still positive but not high)

This is one of my favorite open world games and one of my favorite games of all time. This among many other reasons is why Insomniac is my favorite developer. They just know how to make pick and play games with good gameplay down.

All though it sucks that it seems that all they will be doing is making Marvel games now, that seems no different of a fate than Raven Software and High Moon Studios being a CoD support studio. Sucks but shit like this is why I don't ever want to be a AAA game dev.

Still, I love Sunset Overdrive, it came out the same year as Infamous Second Son and ended up being way better than SS in terms of gameplay. The game also pre dated Doom 2016 as far as being an "anti" cover based shooter. My only gripe with the game is that there seems to be no hard mode or higher difficutly options, Spider-Man 2 benefitted greatly from having higher difficulty options and it's weird how Sunset Overdrive omits it. Still, wish there was a sequel or another game doing what this did but Insomniac is just going to Marvel games now.

Hey we seem to have similar tastes!

Got any favorite game recommendations for me?

Hey we seem to have similar tastes!

Got any favorite game recommendations for me?

You can look at my favorites list when clicking on my profile, I pretty much reccomend any of the games listed on there. I still update it but there's many games listed.

But I'll link it anyway:

[https://howlongtobeat.com/user/Civilwarfare101/lists/25158/Favorite-Games

You can look at my favorites list when clicking on my profile, I pretty much reccomend any of the games listed on there. I still update it but there's many games listed.

But I'll link it anyway:

[https://howlongtobeat.com/user/Civilwarfare101/lists/25158/Favorite-Games

Thank you! My instincts were indeed correct - kindred spirit we share a lot of similar favorites hehehe

Thank you! My instincts were indeed correct - kindred spirit we share a lot of similar favorites hehehe

I constantly update it, I was hesitant to do a "favorite games" list at first but over the course of me beating games, some games I will still thinking about years after I beat them, it also helps that 99% of the favorites I beat are ones I did recently around 2020 too.

I started the game today. I don't know what I expected going in, but so far it is the most 7/10 game I've ever played. The movement is fun, but the combat is a little boring and the comedy is more miss than hit. I'm at the point just after Walter dies and we need to go looking for Bryllcream.

I've just gotten done with my second sitting, I'm around 2/3 of the way through the game. My thoughts on this game have only gotten a little worse after a really shitty section where you need to roast chickens, and the boat escape mission. I've realized a lot of these missions feel like side quests in LEGO games, none of them are very interesting. I'm glad this game is almost over at least. Also I'm not sure if this is just happening to me or if the Xbox version is just like this, but it is constantly automatically capturing my gameplay. It's weird, I've never played another game that does this.