It's often spoken about that Microsoft had one of its poorest runs for exclusive games back in the Xbox One era, but the first few years of that generation were hugely overlooked in our book. Earlier this month, we talked about one of the team's standout launch Xbox One games in Ryse: Son of Rome, and today marks the anniversary of another early eighth generation classic - Sunset Overdrive.
Insomniac's bright and colourful open-world shooter is 10 years old today, having released on October 28th, 2014 in the US. We can't quite believe it's been that long already, with the Californian studio since being acquired by Sony - and making multiple Spider-Man games for the PlayStation owner in recent years.
Still, we did get a taste of what it was like to have an Insomniac exclusive on Xbox - and what a taste it was. Sunset Overdrive isn't perfect, but it knows exactly what it wants to be, and we'd love to see more of this sort of title on the platform. Mechanically it was sound (like most games are from this team), the premise was completely bonkers, the aesthetic was on-point and the graphics were gorgeous for the time - yeah, Sunset Overdrive was a confident-ass video game that didn't shy away from the fact.
These days, the only real complaint we have is that Sunset Overdrive has never taken advantage of the more powerful Xbox hardware that's arrived in recent years. We're still looking at a title that only targeted base Xbox One here, and despite rumblings of it potentially emerging again with a re-release of some sort, we've not seen anything land since its PC port back in 2018. It's a good job the Xbox version still looks great to this day!
Anyway, we feel like we're wading through new releases right now so we might not get back to this one anytime soon, but one day, a full replay of this Insomniac classic is absolutely on the cards here at Pure Xbox HQ. Happy 10th birthday, Sunset Overdrive!
Who here remembers playing through this Xbox One classic? Tell us what you think of Sunset Overdrive down in the comments.
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It was alright not one of their best exclusives in my opinion
.....and then they refused to greenlight a sequel, and THEN they declined to buy Insomniac.
I’ve never played it. Probably never will, it looked cringe in every way. There may be a good game there but the aesthetic always put me off.
This was a fun romp that I played alongside Dead Rising 3 when I finally got an Xbone. The dialogue and NPC designs can be downright annoying, but the gameplay mechanics more than make up for it. One of the few times world traversal is a lot of fun without any type of vehicle or superpower (even though it can be argued the looney toons physics are a form of superpower 🤔).
Recently I tried to get back to this game.. You can see gameplay parts that have made it into Spidey games, but it is also very rough around the edges and the formula was not yet polished. I bet sequel would have ruled.
Over the top aesthetic can be a bit annoying (very very large bit), but that also could have been toned down.
Had no interest in this game ..but it came with my Xbox one ....turned out to be one of the best games of the generation for me
I was REALLY excited for this game and I ended up being underwhelmed. When I realized the damage modifier basically tuned your output to 0 when you weren't skating on a wire and that that was mandatory to do anything to enemies... really soured it for me. The dialogue of some NPCs was also grating but that's minor in comparison.
One of the best exclusives ? Nope , not for me. Didn’t like it that much. I really tried to get into it but this one is just not for me.
A Series X|S optimization would be nice, but will probably never happen...
Had a really good movement system, but it implemented a dash move - which is essential to movement fun - till way too late in the game.
Also the most fun weapons to use were the most overpowered which completely trivialised and made the combat a boring cakewalk.
Still a unique game that was relatively fun,
It’s still stuck on 30FPS on consoles.
Very good game on the whole. It does outstay it's welcome after a while but I had so much fun on the way there.
YES!!!!
Sunset Overdrive is such a very, very, underappreciated game. It's on game pass. Definitely worth a look. The multiplayer was really fantastic and different too.
I remember getting my XBOX One in fall of 2014… I got Destiny and the Halo MCC. I didn’t like Destiny at all and the MCC didn’t have functioning online for a fair bit. I traded both in and was beginning to regret buying the console.
Then I saved up some money and bought Forza Motorsport 5, Forza Horizon 2, Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, and eventually… Sunset Overdrive. All these games were amazing but Sunset Overdrive was easily the most unique. There’s nothing like it and reading this makes me want to replay it at 4K/60+ on PC.
Lmao now everyone suddenly hates it and nitpicks on it because it’s from a Sony studio, to me it’s still the best exclusive game on Xbox that’s actually still exclusive.
If MS would’ve bought Insomniac back then it’d have created more value for the Xbox brand than both Bethesda and ABK buyouts.
Seeing as it was Insomniac's first open world it was excellent. Is it 'outdated' compared to other open worlds probably. It's still one of my favourites because of how it presents itself and why I like it over Spiderman being more wow outposts give me the Tower Defence from SO any day then more generic outposts, more generic map opening stuff when even in strategy games the scout type units or just traveling was enough I didn't need a machine to go and scout and open the map for me. XD
I hated the dialogue in Sun Over at first then gave it a second go (didn't sell it at all & and I should have gone wait old Ratchet used to do this..... and with Outer Wilds/Journey to the Savage planet as well for their fair commercialism or consumerism I forget/parody tone as well but I don't know if I came to those realizations either) and I loved it. Same with Rabbids wasn't into them binged Sparks of Hope to half the game, not beaten it still but even still the game design was just right for me besides getting into tactics enough now or not as many open worlds prior to SO but even still it was other things not the game design for me with those games.
Nowadays to me it's the game design in ANY games, any genres just not being 'fun' too focused on themes and worlds and characters the things I didn't like being more what I don't like and the games still being disappointing because they focus on the other so much. It varies per genre though so my stance is weird like it would be for anyone's weird takes. XD
Wow typical past Spiderman games stuff it's just so eh in Spiderman 2018 that I only liked the lab puzzles any chance they were offered like any Insomniac game with puzzle minigames in Ratchet (Clank levels were not enough thanks), the laser side mission, the ground pound side mission aka the only one that requires something from the skill tree too. Taskmaster missions were fine as far as like Sunset Overdrive/Gravity Rush did of challenges and I enjoy those in games.
I think Sunset Overdrive mixes what they learned from Ratchet/other games then just Fuse/All 4 One being too similar yet I preferred Fuse even for how bland it is I don't know why it had enough charm besides how All 4 One presented itself in many areas and the level design was just not as good in All 4 One either. Also the all on screen approach with the camera/controls did limit it.
Sun Over isn't perfect but as it sure is on PC, but to me ReCore/Rare Replay, hating but still keeping Forza Motorsport 5-7 and their fair ups and downs of execution and 8 on Series S/X is so bland in comparison you bet that Sunset Overdrive has a reason to stick with me on Xbox One. If not for BC or CD apps/whatever music app I want not Spotify only Sony.
There are very few I care about on Xbox One as it is but SO was one of the few I love on that box then how on occasion for particular reasons I use it for now for YT, BC odd games I have like Demon Turf physical, other music apps, CD apps, films/tv shows in the Blu-ray app even if the touchpad on PS4 is fun and the UI is fair and 360's was good while PS2/PSP/3's I hated & old Xbox One games.
@IOI I guess so but to me it's like when Rare was bought, or they have Double Fine. In terms of less COD, World of Warcraft besides Elder Scrolls Online and their mobile money and the well Fallout 4 revival of sales from the tv show/King money I mean..... Sigh. In terms of for players like us that pay attention it is a bit hit or miss in terms of money for them I guess if it works?
They have those types of studios but the flexibility or still follow the industry type approach of an Insomniac I don't know if I want to see it happen on either side or further independence and further more follow everyone else type games.
I mean them being a mostly Marvel studio now and Ratchet in a few years whenever they can and their 'bigger' games like Resistance/Fuse/Sunset Overdrive besides the mobile game/VR attempts on Occulus that were pretty fair I assume or Song of the Deep as a small project and physical with Gamestop publishing too like they may have happened on Xbox of the few games they did have (besides the close Sony relationship) and Sony not allowing them VR opportunity is just so annoying.
I would like to think they would have but I also don't know what they would have played safe themselves even with Microsoft's 'flexibility' or not they may have approved or not either and been told to be like a Rare (regardless of staff changes, vets in Yooka Laylee or other studios and things change and all that jazz)
The tries different things but still a heavy hitter and following the industry and well enough I assume by Sea of Thieves handling or whenever Everwild happens.
I mean even though Sun Over is a keep up with everyone else type game I think it stands out in a way only Insomniac can make and that's why I like it.
To me Resistance 2 was the worst of this then 3 back tracked for the better in terms of mechanics and is why I find 2 is a fine game but mechanically it's like how people see Halo 4 with loadouts, to me R2 was just so 'why did you need to do this' it's an alternative history game like Wolfenstein (not played 2009 so not idea how that went about things).
Insomniac has their 'try to keep up' stance sometimes (I get why studios do it still doesn't not annoy me) and it just annoys me.
Rift Apart to me is just that mixed in then Crack in Time ambitious and I don't see us getting anything like that game again.
Part 2:
But then again original IPs trying to fit in then other IPs, cameos and other factors because reasons. Even Astrobot to me is just well nostalgia reselling in level design and cameos. In Playroom cameos I was like that's fine, in Astrobot the original is ok and the recreations put me off and the cosmetics then 'further depth' with the cosmetics to be mechanically interesting is a lot to ask but when it's a recreation I want more than nostalgia milking.
So off the back of nostalgia/multiverse approaches, a 2007+ story that's 5 entries in & fitting in with the rest of the Sony games approach nowadays then gameplay I play them for eh you can tell why 1st party PS5 isn't for me and even 3rd parties are eh too. Xbox is fine in variety but I respect them just not cared for them either but I do respect them more. Nintendo is themselves and I just go for the Pikmin, Fire Emblem and others and Pikmin 4 sucked trying to be 'improved' in ways I was excited for but in executed wasn't happy about and 'casualified in areas too' so that sucked.
Most studios would kill for an ambitious game to a series and people still praising it story or mechanics/level design not an ambitious game and people go this isn't what we wanted the series to be. Especially as Ratchet has been very repetitive and tried things but not too far either so they go and be safe about it. I get 2016 remake, newcomers and old fans from 2 different eras or 1 era mostly as 2007+ story but even still, sigh. Even as someone ok with both old eras.
Yet to me Rift Apart isn't that. It's fine but felt to safe/other priorities with story/the most safe and boring gameplay in the series besides what it does offer as fair enough in some areas besides what Blizar (2 realities level) as the most ambitious, best or CIT level in the whole game. CIT had 3 of them and more quality to them, even Tools of Destruction had more quality in the level that RA remakes in the early hours and is more dull then in TOD with dinos, what changed it has no dinos or other cool ideas in it in the 2007 version then a dull 2021 prettier version. XD Alternate reality or not.
They make fine games still but eh I've pulled away instead.
One of the best Xbox exclusives, yet barely anybody supported it on launch.
I really enjoyed this game.
I miss the earlier days of Xbox with lots of exclusive hits and I do still wish I was excited by the platform. Maybe Avowed will scratch the itch!
See, I picked this game up for the first time last year, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm surprised by the hate on it, especially considering how well it holds up for a game that's 10 years old. A sequel would have been appreciated, but hey ho, a lot of the mechanics have been worked and bettered in their new Spiderman games.
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