Recently, JOE’s Oisin Collins was invited over to the Insomniac Games studios in Burbank, California, to demo their upcoming Xbox One exclusive 3rd-person mutant shooter, Sunset Overdrive.
It’s not often that you get invited over to the US for a tour of a games studio, let alone Insomniac Games – creators behind some of our all-time favourites like Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance and now the new Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive (to name a few) – but luckily JOE was asked over back at the start of April and we had our bags packed before we had even RSVP’d.
The trip actually took place back in the middle of April, but due to a strict embargo we haven’t been able to say a word… until now.
After a long, but surprisingly enjoyable 11-hour flight (thanks to a rake of newly-released movies) from London Heathrow to LAX and a night in the plush surroundings of the Marriott Burbank, we were brought to the Insomniac Games studios that were conveniently located only around the corner from the hotel.
The façade of the main building looks fairly corporate, as does the inside lobby, but once the elevator doors open up on Insomniac Games’ floor, you enter an entirely different world filled with cool gadgets, bright colours and a lot of smiling faces.
The walls are filled with awards and accolades that have been picked up throughout the years, along with different covers from gaming magazines and trinkets featuring the characters from Insomniac’s various titles. Frankly, it was a gamer’s paradise. The canteen was also fully unlocked, stocked and loaded with treats, so we were well fed and watered throughout the day – which is always a plus.
After settling in we were introduced to the Creative Directors behind Sunset Overdrive, Marcus Smith & Drew Murray, who gave us an overview of the game before we were let loose on a demo level.
What it’s all about…
Basically, the game sees you playing as a lowly intern working for the Fizzco Corporation – the ‘baddies’ if you will – in a place called Sunset City and you just so happen to be working at the company’s big reveal event for a new energy drink called OverCharge Delirium XT.
The night in question eventually becomes known as ‘Horror Night’ as that’s when the sh*t REALLY hits the fan.
While Fizzco claims to be “prepping to revolutionise the liquid industry once more with its xtremophile-infused OverCharge Delirium XT” they have instead, unwittingly, unleashed a new mutant plague on to the world due to human error caused by greed. Anyone who drinks OverCharge Delirium XT eventually turns into a soda-craving mutant, known as an OD’ed, who all have an unquenchable thirst for blood.
You may have already seen the OverCharge Delirium XT website that went live earlier this week and it gives you a good insight into what the Fizzco company is all about. If you check out the site you’ll find that they are a ‘Big Brother’ style corporation that will settle at nothing in order to make a profit, even though they sound like they’re your best friends in the whole world.
So what happens after ‘Horror Night’, when everyone who drinks OverCharge Delirium XT becomes a terrifying mutant? Well, Horror Night spells the end of the world as we know it, but unlike the zombie/horror games that feature a ‘doom & gloom’ outlook on what’s left of life, Sunset Overdrive lets the player enjoy something that we’ve never experienced before: “The Awesome-pocalypse”, as Drew and Marcus exclaimed.
We played a demo level of Sunset Overdrive that was roughly 40 per cent into the main story and it saw us battling a giant rocket-launching balloon version of the Fizzco mascot, Fizzy (pictured top). The level wasn’t overly-difficult and it wasn’t easy either, but it certainly was extremely fun. If you’re a fan of the mindless zombie killing that’s involved with the likes of Dead Rising then you’ll love Sunset Overdrive.
If you can imagine a game that includes the grinding abilities of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skateboarder mixed with the crazy weapon customisation of Dead Rising, and with the zombie/mutants from The Last of Us set in world dominated by extreme capitalism, then you’ve got a pretty good idea of what Sunset Overdrive is all about…
Grinding is Sunset Overdrive’s way of getting around Sunset City and traversing between buildings without touching the ground. It’s also a great way to evade the OD’ed in a hurry and you can even shoot at them while you grind – which, in fairness, was great craic altogether.
Overall, the trip and the demo of Sunset Overdrive was an extremely enjoyable experience. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously as it’s all about ‘fun in the end times’ instead of a constant fight for survival and it even breaks the 4th wall at times which adds extra comic relief. I can definitely see Sunset Overdrive being the perfect game to pick up after a long day at the office or when you’re just looking to unwind in the afternoon.
We’ll know for sure when we get our hands on the finished product, which is set to be released sometime later this year, exclusively for Microsoft’s Xbox One.
In the meantime, don’t forget to check out the OverCharge Delirium XT website and keep an eye on JOE as we’ll be bringing you a look at some of the concept art from the game, as well as an interview with the Creative Directors behind Sunset Overdrive, Marcus Smith & Drew Murray, later this week.
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