Sunset Overdrive, arguably the best exclusive game on the Xbox One, has now ended the way it began: with a mix of not-quite-there meta-humor and a lot of very fun gameplay. Overall, I loved this game and am grateful that its last DLC gave me a gun that drops satellites on my enemies.
Yes, indeed. A gun that drops satellites.
See?
This gun, debuting in Sunset Overdriveās final expansion, the April 1st-debuting Dawn of the Rise of the Fallen Machines, mostly apes Gears of Warās Hammer of Dawn by letting you summon a laser from the sky.
Itās better when it drops a satellite:
This, people, is what you play an Insomniac Games game for.
Crazy guns.
Crazy firefights.
Hereās but a brief moment I captured while playing the Dawn DLC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88g2UyuvKL4
So much is happening in that clip! Iām grinding on rails. Iām dropping sprinklers that spray acid. Iām tossing propellor-suspended pistol turrets. Iām emitting lighting from my feet. I think I summon a deadly dog at one point. I am shooting ridiculous guns.
Iāve been drooling over Sunset Overdrive these last few months has been due to scenes like that one above. Itās an acrobatic shooter with an iffy sense of humor, but who cares about its jokes when it can play as well as it does, when it is so well-programmed that it runs well even during its most chaotic scenes?
Itās typical of Sunset Overdrive that the Dawn DLC has a mix of trying-too-hard weāre-inside-a-video-game jokesā¦.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihYvXu6cxd0
ā¦ but even when itās doing that manages to be a lot of fun to play. And, look, I think they know that this game can be grating.
Spoilers, though it was shown in the DLC trailer!
Check out who the final boss is:
This is Brandon Winfrey, the guy who is in all of Sunset Driveās hype videos. And look at how cool fighting him actually looks! (I cut it off early, spoiler-concerned people).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN1bbMkKRl8
But forget even the idea of spoilers. The game is spoiler-proof, because nothing in the story is very important. The lore isnāt the draw. The characters are whatever. Hell, you could watch an entire Letās Play and you wouldnāt be spoiled, because this is a game meant to be played, one that entertains you in how good it feels to grind, glid, air-dash, melee, and shootshootshoot hordes of enemies. Thatās all it is and all it needs to be: the most fun on the Xbox One. You canāt spoil that.
If you need require info on this new DLC, all you need to know is that itās set in a robot factory, which is Insomniacās excuse for covering the floor with more rails to grind on, so that even a fight against a giant sword can be extra fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVtDnOyq0jw
Never mind the new giant ball power. Thatās just ok.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcbd64zKZx0
Nah, this is a game where just about everything else is fun, even dying as you try to tornado-melee some evil robots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB2I4AeaAOs
Okay, I sucked in that clip, but it was the only footage I had of my great tornado power. I had to finally show it off.
I donāt know if weāll ever get more Sunset Overdrive. Microsoftās promotion for the game, frequent deals and recent permanent price drop to $40 all reek of a game that never quite hit a big audience. Maybe thatās okay. I could stand for it being one-and-done. Itās a new-gen gem. Its final DLC, marginally funny and maximally fun as it is, would be a proper send-off. I look forward to playing whatever Insomniac does next.
To contact the author of this post, write to [emailĀ protected] or find him on Twitter @stephentotilo.
