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Insomniac's 'Spider-Man' gets what it means to be Peter Parker
When Sony revealed that Insomniac games was working on a PlayStation 4 exclusive Spider-Man game set in an original universe, the specter of another game hung over the announcement -- 2004's Spider-Man 2. This movie tie-in is widely regarded as the game that perfected web swinging, as well as the title that no subsequent Spider-Man game ever lived up to. Creative director Bryan Intihar is aware of the stigma, but he doesn't seem worried. He's confident his game will make players feel like Spider-Man. His goal is more complicated. He wants players to feel like Peter Parker.
Game developers take a stand against Trump's immigration ban
The opposition to the Trump administration's immigration ban has spread far and wide. Video game developers are joining the chorus against what some see as an unconstitutional policy put forth with no thought or consideration of the outcome. For a number of studios, that means making donations to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the non-profit organization that successfully challenged the ban in court over this past weekend.
Insomniac's take on Spider-Man features an experienced hero
Tired of seeing superhero origin stories retreaded again and again and again? Then the next Spider-man game might be for you. At its E3 press event today, PlayStation announced a new take on the series from Insomniac Games -- one that focuses on the exploits of a more experienced adult wall-crawler.
GameStop starts its own game publishing wing
Now that GameStop has dipped its toes into game publishing, it's ready to jump in with both feet: the retailer has launched GameTrust, its own publishing division. The new wing will initially handle titles from existing partner Insomniac Games (of Ratchet & Clank fame) as well as Frozenbyte (Trine), Ready At Dawn (The Order: 1886) and Tequila Works (Deadlight). As you might guess, this isn't a traditional publishing business. GameStop is taking a hands-off approach to the actual content. Instead, it wants to create "exclusive real estate" online and in physical stores to help people discover indie games that might otherwise get missed.
Oculus and 'Ratchet and Clank' studio reveal two more VR games
Insomniac Games and Oculus Studios have partnered to create Feral Rites, a 3D brawler set on a mystical island, and The Unspoken, a player-vs-player spellcasting game, both exclusively for the Oculus Rift VR headset. They're based in disparate realms of fantasy, from lush jungle temples to the mysterious shadows of big-city alleyways.
'Edge of Nowhere' and 'Song of the Deep' land in the summer
Edge of Nowhere and Song of the Deep sound like perfect games for the summer. Edge of Nowhere is a single-player VR game about the secrets hiding in Antarctica's ice sheets, and Song of the Deep is a 2D sidescroller that takes place under the sea -- that makes two cool titles coming out at the height of the year's heat index. Insomniac Games and Oculus Studios will release Edge of Nowhere on June 6th for the Oculus Rift, and Gamestop will publish Insomniac's Song of the Deep on July 12th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
How 'Ratchet and Clank' preserves history by starting over
If you could go back and redo anything you've created, would you? The team at Insomniac Games was able to do that and give the original Ratchet and Clank from 2002 a complete overhaul. But it isn't a "definitive edition" like we've seen with Uncharted or Gears of War. Insomniac isn't taking a page from Resident Evil's book and just rereleasing the original game, warts and all, on a new console, either. Creative Director Chad Dezern says doing a quick-and-dirty nostalgia grab like that didn't jibe with what the team ultimately wanted to do. "It's about trying to make a game that's great on its own merits and not just because you remember what it was like the first time you played," he says.
'Ratchet & Clank' hits PS4 on April 12th
The PlayStation 4 version of Ratchet & Clank, a mega-remaster of Insomniac's PlayStation 2 game, lands on Sony's new console on April 12th. That's just before the Ratchet & Clank movie hits theaters on April 29th. Ratchet & Clank on PS4 is more than a simple visual upgrade: It's a completely new game based on the PS2 version, with an expanded story, more planets to explore, new weapons, fresh controls and other goodies.
At E3, I saw the missing pieces of the VR puzzle
The excitement around virtual reality may have started when Sony unveiled Project Morpheus last year, but last week's E3 was its coming out party. The thing is, I've been around long enough to remember the hype and subsequent commercial flatline over gaming in stereoscopic 3D. So going into this year's grand gaming gala, I was skeptical -- I had that awkward tech history footnote in mind -- and to a point, I still am. But Oculus helped me get over that a bit. All it took was a game from a trusted developer -- Insomniac Games -- and an input solution that makes VR feel less isolating.
'Ratchet & Clank' for the PS4 looks like more than a remake
When Sony and Insomniac Games teased that there would be a "re-imagining" of Ratchet & Clank for the PlayStation 4, that raised at least a few questions. Would there be a genuinely new story? New mechanics? Or would it be yet another remaster? Apparently, you can rest easy. Insomniac has offered its first look at the action series' reboot, and it's definitely not just a visual upgrade. While it's undoubtedly prettier (see above), you'll also get "modern controls" and a heaping of new content that includes an expanded story, several new planets, refreshed gameplay segments, and a weapon collection that's largely built from scratch. Your muscle memory from the original game isn't going to help here, folks.
Sunset Overdrive sale for Gold members, new achievements
Sunset Overdrive is on sale for Xbox Live Gold members, 40 percent off its normal tag of $60, making it a cool $36. The sale is on for "a limited time," Microsoft says in a press release. Also live today, Sunset Overdrive gets three new Buck National-themed achievements, each worth 25 points: "Hardcore!: Buck National vs The Apocalypse," "Hardcore!: Buck Strikes Back" and "Hardcore!: Buck Stops Here." Each achievement is for beating a particular score in each of those challenges – 600,000 for Apocalypse, 564,500 for Strikes Back and 703,700 on Stops Here. While we're here, a question for the room: Do you love or hate Sunset Overdrive? [Image: Microsoft Studios]
I'm delighted to hate Sunset Overdrive
I really, really can't stand Sunset Overdrive. Pretty much everything about it bugs me. I don't mean that I simply don't enjoy it, or that it's a love/hate kind of relationship like one would have with Dark Souls. No, I mean that it is finely tuned to aggravate and frustrate me every moment that I play it. Which, upon reflection, is kind of great. When you play a lot of games, you do start to worry about self-fulfilling opinions and echo chambers. You begin to wonder if you really like that game as much as you think you do, and when you do like something you begin to wonder if you really know why. To be any good as a critic, you need to constantly recalibrate your sensors, and so it's important for a game like Sunset Overdrive - whatever your version of that may be - to come along every now and again and remind you that your tastes are more than just a formula into which various developers can plug new guns and landscapes.
Joystiq Top 10 of 2014: Sunset Overdrive
ATTENTION: The year 2014 has concluded its temporal self-destruct sequence. If you are among the escapees, please join us in salvaging and preserving the best games from the irradiated chrono-debris. Some days you just can't catch a break. Your apartment sucks, your job sucks and thanks to the greed of corporate fat cats, your technicolor city (which also generally sucks) has just been overrun by bloodthirsty mutants. Other people might flee in terror, but not you, the desensitized, self-aware, modern twenty-something. You see this horrible turn of events as a cathartic excuse to splatter creatures with unwieldy weapons while spouting cool one-liners. "How hard could the action hero schtick really be?" you think to yourself before setting off, flaming shotgun in hand, to save the world. That's all the story given in the first few minutes of Sunset Overdrive, but it's all you need. This isn't some somber, dragon-infested role-playing epic, nor is it the latest dour, paint-by-numbers futuristic military shooter. Instead, Sunset Overdrive is a vibrant rainbow smile; a game made by people who want you to share in their glee. Sunset Overdrive is an explosion of giddy rebellion in an industry obsessed with the stereotypical teenage boy's grim, overwrought idea of what's cool.
Sunset Overdrive rigs up first DLC today
The first downloadable expansion for Sunset Overdrive, Mystery of the Mooil Rig, is now available. The DLC adds new story missions to the third-person shooter as well as weapons, Amps, quests and other items. In it, players track a distress signal to an oil rig floating off the coast of Sunset City, where workers, mutants and monstrous creatures all seem pretty angry, as seen in the trailer after the break. As detailed earlier this month, players have two new movement options in Mystery of the Mooil Rig: Water Dive and Water Slam Bounce, the former allowing players to briefly submerge while the latter flings them high in the air after performing a melee smash into the water. The expansion costs $10 on its own, though it is free for those with the $20 season pass. Sunset Overdrive's season pass grants players access to three DLC packs in total, offering a variety of quests, outfits, weapons and more. [Image: Microsoft]
First Sunset Overdrive story DLC tours an oil rig turf war
Xbox figurehead Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb takes over hosting duties on the latest episode of Sunset TV to introduce the first story DLC for Insomniac's open-world mayhem hit Sunset Overdrive. Dubbed "The Mystery of Mooil Rig," the DLC sees your character following a distress signal to an oil rig off the coast of Sunset City. There you find a violent conflict between factions of well armed workers and, because developer Insomniac loves its squamous explosion effects, you'll also find a healthy complement of mutants. Since the addition takes place on a floating man-made island, the DLC grants players two new movement options: the "Water Dive" allows players to submerge for a short time, while the "Water Slam Bounce" sees players melee smash into the water, only to be catapulted to great heights. According to Hryb, the DLC also includes new weapons, traps, amps and Chaos Squad objectives, though he doesn't get into useful details, beyond saying that more will be revealed in the next episode of Sunset TV. The Mystery of Mooil Rig will be available on December 23 for $10 or as part of the $20 Sunset Overdrive season pass. [Image: Microsoft]
New weapons join Sunset Overdrive in action hit's first DLC
Now that players have had just under a month to explore Insomniac Games' vibrant open-world action hit Sunset Overdrive, the developers are rolling out new toys for fans to play with, specifically new weapons and a big (if temporary) boost to multiplayer rewards. The first Sunset Overdrive weapons pack is now available for $5 (no charge for Season Pass holders) and includes four new guns. The Plague Bomb is exactly what it sounds like: Once detonated, the bomb spreads a virulent disease that will cause affected enemies to vomit until they explode. If that's not violent enough for you, try the Rager, which sends enemies into a murderous rage. It doesn't kill your foes directly, but they will turn on each other and fight to the death, at which point they, too, will explode. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the Shield Buddy, a device that creates a protective shield for your character and any nearby allies. In keeping with the DLC's unspoken theme, the Shield Buddy also drops bombs which will explode any enemies caught in the blast. Finally, the DLC introduces the Multi-Lock Rocket Launcher. Not only does this thing cause your enemies to explode, it homes in on and explodes up to eight targets simultaneously. To celebrate these new armaments, Insomniac is also tweaking the game's online Chaos Squad multiplayer mode. From now until December 2, not only will Overcharge cans drops at 27.9 times the normal rate, but the elusive Propain Launcher will also appear more frequently. [Image: Microsoft]
Sunset Overdrive free this Saturday
Xbox Live Gold members with an Xbox One will be able to play Sunset Overdrive for free all day Saturday, according to Microsoft's Major Nelson. Access to the free trial will begin at 12:01AM Eastern Time tonight. It is the "full game" and those who decide to purchase the game later can pick up right where they left off. We've confirmed this will also occur in Europe, but don't have clarification on timing as of posting. This is a pretty swanky deal to try out Sunset Overdrive, which we gave five stars in our review, saying it "sets out to create a world where the apocalypse is fun instead of depressing." There's no option to preload the demo, so if you're interested in the demo, make sure to set an alarm so it'll be waiting for you come morning.
Sunset Overdrive fails to derail FIFA 15 in this week's UK charts
We're used to FIFA reigning over UK charts like, well, rain over UK chaps (and chapettes), but this is plainly ridiculous. FIFA 15 is up to six weeks in a row already as the British best-seller, seeing off one major launch after another like it just doesn't care - and it probably doesn't. The latest victim? Insomnaic's Sunset Overdrive on Xbox One, which settles for second place. After debuting 7th, in its second week Wii U hell-raiser Bayonetta 2 is alarmingly AWOL after failing to stay in the top 40. In contrast The Evil Within holds steady in fourth, with the rest of the top ten made up by big hitters like Destiny, Shadow of Mordor and Forza Horizon 2. And of course, the Minecrafts. After stowing safely in the top ten for a few weeks, Alien: Isolation finds itself dragged down to 13th along with Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in 15th. For the full top ten and more on this week's new releases (and the spectacular return of the customary music video), point your good selves beyond the break.
Sunset Overdrive review: It's my party
In developer Insomniac's world of Sunset Overdrive, it's not a typical post-apocalypse day unless you're grinding along the open city's railings, power lines and rooftops, bouncing off a truck hood, smacking a mutant with your special guitar that sends out a shockwave of miniature tornadoes and firing a gun that shoots electrified vinyl records, all while making clever wisecracks that shatter the fourth wall. You may be familiar with the phrase "if X and Y had a baby, it would be Z." Sunset Overdrive is no one's baby; it is the act of metaphorical lovemaking itself, and it incorporates ideas, style and gameplay lifted from the likes of Jet Grind Radio, Saints Row The Third, Infamous, Ratchet & Clank and some guy named Cliff who just plain likes to party. And it is glorious, offering something for everyone.
Xbox is teasing a Sunset Overdrive-related mystery
A tweet from the official Xbox account made earlier today seems to be hinting at something bigger than a television advertisement for the upcoming Sunset Overdrive. "On behalf of Fizz͊c͕o̳ ͐w̼e᷾'̪dͮ ̗ļi᷄k̚e̿ ̄t̐oͯ ͉a̮p᷁o͂logise for the █████ in our #SunsetOverdrive TV adver..." the tweet reads, linking to a TV spot for the game which is interrupted by a flashing screen showing Morse code. Translated, the Morse code reads "OVERCHARGEDRINK.COM404PAGE." Typing in the URL to a browser takes you to what at first appears to be a standard 404 page, but soon is distorted with a message from someone calling themselves "Floyd." His warning reads, "Hey! Quit staring at your damn screen and help us! Stuff's going down at Fizzco. I'm talking 'capital F Freaky'. When I started asking questions, the answers were less than friendly. I can't get any more dirt, but they've never seen your pretty face. So join me and together we can uncover the ugly, ugly truth. Floyd." A string of numbers at the top of the 404 page reads "9:20, 4:45, 5:76, 8:32, 1:73, 5:32, 8:80, 9:20, 1:31, 9:1, 6:60, 8:85, 4:100, 2:21, 6:79, 2:46, 9:31, 6:43." Aaaaaand that's as far as we've been able to figure out so far. Hopefully it doesn't end up being a mandate to "be sure to drink your Ovaltine Overcharge." Last time Microsoft pulled such a stunt, it ended with UK resident Brad Butcher winning an Xbox One, a copy of Titanfall and a swag bag of other goodies. We'll keep an eye out to see if this develops into something similar. In the meantime, happy hunting, conspiracy theorists. [Image: Insomniac Games]
