Review: Cheap Thrills, Big Laughs Power Vibrant ‘Sunset Overdrive’
Why so serious, video games?
Over the past couple of months, misogynous rants, death threats, insane flame wars, accusations of ethical breaches, and overwrought, hand-wringing diatribes have dominated gaming headlines. The misguided “Gamergate” movement has breached the mainstream, appearing everywhere from The New York Times to The Colbert Report. It’s turned my beloved pastime (and my Twitter feed) into one long, irritating argument about I don’t know what, exactly.
So I don’t feel like I’m exaggerating when I say that Sunset Overdrive, the energetic, laugh-out-loud, punk-rock action romp from Insomniac Games exclusively for the Xbox One is just what the doctor ordered.
The year is 2027 and the place is Sunset City, a sprawling metropolis that until recently was a perfectly fine, slightly douchey place to live. That all changed the day shady beverage manufacturer Fizzco released Overcharge Delirium XT, its latest energy drink, because the tasty orange goop didn’t go through very rigorous testing. It turns out drinking the stuff has the unsettling side effect of turning people into monstrous mutants (cleverly called “OD”). Welcome to the apocalypse, sponsored by Gatorade.
So who are you? You’re anyone you want to be. Gender, size, and ethnicity are up for grabs in the game’s character creator, but regardless of looks, you’re the poor schlub who has to save the world. That means taking down mutants, nefarious human gangs, and Fizzco’s aggressive robot cleanup crew as you crisscross the huge, open-world city.
Life on the streets of a mutant-infested Sunset City is pretty awful, however; you won’t survive long if you stick to the ground. Instead, the game encourages you to get airborne and stay there. You’ll bounce on cars, grind on rails, swing on poles, and run on walls as you blast away at enemies to drive up your “Style” meter. That isn’t just for show, because Sunset Overdrive brilliantly ties movement to mayhem. The higher your Style, the more potent your attacks. Get your meter high enough, and you’ll summon lightning, leave lava trails, or turn every bounce into a satisfying, fiery explosion.
The better you perform, the greater the rewards. Grinding, bouncing, and shooting earn ability-boosting badges. Collectibles can be traded for combat-enhancing Amps. Sunset City is a maniacal, Technicolor playground; every power line, building, and bush is a potential combo kicker. It’s Tony Hawk meets Infamous, if you can imagine, and it’s just tons of fun.
It’s also tons of funny, regularly demolishing the fourth wall to unsubtly wink at players. Sunset Overdrive is a nonstop pop-culture joke machine bursting with TV, movie, and video game references. Does it occasionally pander a little too hard? Absolutely, and while some of the gags flop, more than enough don’t.
Adding to the insanity is Sunset Overdrive’s ridiculous weaponry. You’ll launch teddy bears strapped to TNT, torch mutants with exploding cannisters of hair spray, and knock out enemies with a bowling ball shooter named, naturally, The Dude. If you ever wanted to fire flaming vinyl LPs at looters, here’s your chance.
Sunset Overdrive is hyper-aware of its own foibles. Periodically, your hero gripes about repetitively running errands to earn the trust of fellow survivors, and, well, he (or she) is right. Though you deal with all sorts of weirdos over the game’s campaign — self-absorbed frat boys, delusional LARPers, cheerleaders wearing Dia de los Muertos face paint — they tend to send you on similar fetch quests. Tons of side-quests and challenges help break up the monotony, though, and you’ll rarely feel bored.
Besides, there’s always multiplayer. Sunset Overdrive’s cooperative play, appropriately called “Chaos Mode,” can be seamlessly accessed right from the middle of your solo campaign. You’ll take on challenges with up to eight other players, and while multiplayer lacks a narrative, it lives up to its namesake with some of the biggest, craziest firefights in the game.
No matter how you play it, Sunset Overdrive is a graphical feast. Forget the safe browns and grays that power most post-apocalyptic games. Insomniac embraces the entire Crayola box, especially the oranges, in painting its graffiti-infused, DIY world. Cartoonishly gory, the bold visuals make other games look positively dour.
That is, when you can see it properly. Shooting a massive mutant Herker with a fireworks gun while grinding the edge of a skyscraper sounds awesome, but the lack of an adequate target lock leads to more than a few misfires. Your acrobatic feats would have benefited from an equally dexterous camera operator.
It’s a small thing in a big game, however. Simultaneously smart and stupid, Sunset Overdrive proudly wears its over-the-top, punk-rock aesthetic on its sleeve but doesn’t sweat the details that make it all work. It’s crammed with jokes, it plays great, and above all, it serves as a much-needed reminder of why we play games in the first place: to have fun.
What’s Hot: Insane, acrobatic action; hilarious; smart design ties it all together
What’s Not: Gets a little repetitive; camera could use a shot of Overcharge
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