Sunset Overdrive
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Seen@PAX: Sunset Overdrive's white Xbox One in the wild
Gather round lads, as Captain Ahab of the SS Joystiq tells ye the tale of the great white Xbox One called Moby Dick the Sunset Overdrive bundle. Aye, its existence 'twas once but a rumor, but the beast resurfaced shortly thereafter, proving its reality to all sailors of the games industry waters. At PAX Prime 2014, someone managed to cage the creature and display it as, we assume, a trophy. Yar me mateys, here be your glimpse at a white Xbox One as she appears in the real world. Enjoy and eat hearty!
You booze, you snooze in Sunset Overdrive
There's little time for rest in Sunset Overdrive, a ridiculous game that whizzes by like a rock star drinking espresso on a skateboard. You must, must remain in motion – bouncing, sliding, flipping, grinding, hurtling and weaving through a rain of rockets and a gauntlet of gnarled mutants. And that's ignoring the visual chaos of your outfit: red pants, a blue flannel jacket, a tall white bearskin on your head and ... is that a tail?
White Xbox One Sunset Overdrive bundle hits Oct. 28 [UPDATE: Trailer added!]
The White Xbox One Sunset Overdrive bundle is definitely a thing, Insomniac head Ted Price announced at Microsoft's Gamescom press conference. The bundle is $400 (400 Euros, 350 quid) and includes a white system, white controller and a full game download of Sunset Overdrive. The bundle launches alongside Sunset Overdrive, on October 28. Pre-orders for the bundle are live today. The existence of this thing previously leaked into the wild, though the launch date is new information.
White Xbox One Sunset Overdrive, Madden bundles confirmed
Well, that was fast rumor turnaround. The white Xbox Ones have been confirmed by Polygon. The Madden 15 bundle will be priced at $399 without a Kinect in the box and is planned to launch August 26. Actually, it won't have Madden in the box either, since the game will be delivered via a download code. It will also include "three Pro Packs for Madden Ultimate Team." $399 is the standard price of an Xbox One without Kinect.
Poster maestros Mondo debut stylized Sunset Overdrive art
Insomniac Games has tapped Austin, Texas-based Mondo to work its stylized poster design magic on the upcoming Sunset Overdrive and the results are appropriately explosive. While perhaps not as iconic as Mondo's prior pop art efforts, the above image does an excellent job of depicting the vibrant, kinetic chaos of Sunset Overdrive in a still image. From the massive explosion to the blue shadows it casts over the rest of the image to the impish smirk on our protagonist's face, the poster depicts a world where destruction is a cause for revelry - the exact same impression one gets from watching a Sunset Overdrive trailer. Not bad, given that this is Mondo's first stab at a poster based on a video game. As you've probably guessed, the above is only a small snippet of the full poster. Pay a visit to Entertainment Weekly to see the entire image in all its stylized glory. [Image: Mondo]
Insomniac: Xbox One digital pre-orders to arrive 'soon'
Xbox One owners will soon be able to pre-order games digitally via the Xbox Live marketplace, according to Sunset Overdrive developer Insomniac Games. During the latest episode of the Sunset TV promotional series, a fan asked if those who purchase the game via Xbox Live at launch will be eligible for the recently-revealed Day One Edition bonus content. "Yes, if you pre-order the game digitally, you will get the Day One Edition content," host Brandon Winfrey replied. "You can't pre-order it digitally yet, but soon you will be able to." There's no word on how soon the new pre-order scheme will appear, but Winfrey seems certain that the system will be in place by the October 28 debut of Sunset Overdrive. While our attempts to pry more information from Microsoft have so far been to no avail, Winfrey's revelation should come as little surprise. Only four months ago, Xbox Studio Manager Mike Ybarra mentioned digital pre-orders as a feature he'd "love" to see on Xbox One, before noting that it was among numerous features Microsoft had in mind for the console. [Image: Insomniac Games]
Watch Sunset Overdrive's intro cinematic, 8 minutes of gameplay
The opening cinematic for Sunset Overdrive underlines three life lessons: Always read the ingredients before consuming energy drinks When a haircut is asking for trouble, trouble will come answering Apocalyptic fires and high-speed trains are worth listening to. The vid was recorded at this year's Rooster Teeth Expo, which took place over the weekend and where Insomniac Games showed eight minutes of gameplay from its Xbox One action adventure. Check that out below the break, and the full presentation from the RTX stream.
Join the 'Chaos Squad' in Sunset Overdrive's multiplayer trailer
Insomniac Games' third-person shooter Sunset Overdrive received a trailer for its eight-player cooperative multiplayer mode, Chaos Squad. In it, teams complete objectives during the day, then participate in tower defense-style battles at night. The Xbox One exclusive arrives October 28.
Sunset Overdrive is full of overdosing mutants and Scabs
Insomniac Games is known for creative weaponry - it's the developer behind the Ratchet and Clank games, after all - but a cool gun loses some of its flair when it's used on the same old enemies over and over. Thankfully, the studio's next project, Sunset Overdrive, looks to keep things fresh with a multitude of foes which were recently detailed on the company's site. For those just tuning in, the enemies in Sunset Overdrive are mutants, transformed by a toxic energy drink called Overcharge. The most basic of these is referred to as an "OD," since they've overdosed on the drink. These zombie-like minions gather in hordes to swarm the player with melee strikes. Meanwhile, "Blowers" can launch Overcharge at range and "Herkers" charge forward like the walking tanks they are. Not everyone has turned into a monstrous shadow of their former selves, however; some people are just jerks. Non-mutated humans, called "Scabs," will also show up to fire assault rifle rounds at your decidedly non-bullet-friendly body. The Scabs will target mutants as well, leading to cross-faction warfare. Insomniac promises that players will encounter even more enemy types throughout the game, leading to all kinds of crazy encounters. We'll find out when the game hits shelves on October 28. [Image: Insomniac Games]
Sunset Overdrive embraces female characters, gender-neutral customization
Insomniac Games is reiterating (following our preview) that it will feature a broad range of playable female characters in its upcoming Xbox One-exclusive action game, Sunset Overdrive. A new promotional video seems to poke fun at recent claims that adding playable female characters to Assassin's Creed: Unity would require "a lot of extra production work." The "Sunset TV" episode above showcases a female avatar clad in a robed outfit, similar to those worn by Assassin's Creed: Unity's all-male co-op troupe. Insomniac also notes that gender will not limit avatar customization options in Sunset Overdrive. "If you want to be a dude in a skirt, you can be a dude in a skirt," Insomniac's Brandon Winfrey quips in the video above. Insomniac Games additionally revealed that Sunset Overdrive will feature tower defense-like "trap" mechanics during night sequences. Announced traps include flame-spewing jump pads and the Pandora's trap, which summons surprise helper characters like "pick-axing gnomes who enjoy using inappropriate language." [Video: Insomniac]
Conan 'Clueless Gamer' O'Brien luges through E3
Conan O'Brien may have not been the only clueless gamer at E3, but the TV star's take on gaming's annual LA-palooza is always worth a watch. After talking and playing Entwined, Forza 5, Sunset Overdrive, Project Morpheus and Kevin Spacey In Your Face, things get a bit creepy when 100 Nintendo ladies watch Conan firestorm Hyrule Warriors. There's more Clueless Gamer below the break with Conan playing Super Smash Bros Wii U.
Doctor Who-inspired animation one of Sunset Overdrive's most requested respawns
Since it revealed "next-gen respawning" in Sunset Overdrive – the popular culture-infused animations that return players to the action after death – developer Insomniac Games has been flooded with suggestions from fans. Insomniac Creative Director Marcus Smith says that one of the themes most suggested to him by fans is something inspired by Doctor Who. "People want to see that Tardis spinning in," he told me at an event showcasing Microsoft's upcoming lineup. Smith wouldn't give away any final respawn animation secrets.
Sunset Overdrive kicks into a higher gear on October 28
Sunset Overdrive will launch October 28, Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price announced during Microsoft's E3 2014 press event today. The game is exclusive to Xbox One and features colorful third-person slide-and-gun action.
Joystiq Weekly: Xbox One's Kinect, Mario Kart 8 review, Godzilla's past and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. If machinery works the way The Brave Little Toaster suggests, you gotta feel for the Kinect - the solid experiences it supplements are often drowned in complaints about its underwhelming games, as well as its general inaccuracies as a listening, motion-tracking controller. We imagine Microsoft reassured the device about its playground reputation by including it with every Xbox One out there, but then ... well, this week happened. Kinect might be destined to just stay at home now, waiting for a band of appliance-shaped adventures to accept his flaws so it can tag along with for their straight-to-Blu Ray sequel. Hey, on the upside, at least that terrifying air conditioner died off before Kinect was ever able to meet him. Can you imagine being left alone in a house with that thing as a kid? Talk about new legitimate fears. Anyway, now that we're done painting a bleak picture of Kinect's secret social life, there's a lot more to this week than technological popularity contests. It's financial season, with Ubisoft, Take-Two and the NPD Group throwing numbers everywhere, we've got reviews for Mario Kart 8 and Super Time Force, and there's also a dip into Godzilla's past of ruining virtual metropolises. It's all stacked neat and orderly for you after the break!
Video preview: Sunset Overdrive grinds out its own rules
In the chaotic world of Sunset Overdrive there are virtually no rules: Realistic physics are merely a suggestion, weapon designs were likely first scrawled in a composition notebook by a madman, and returning to the battlefield after death is a mashup of nostalgia and insanity. All of these are positive points. Insomniac's Xbox One-exclusive third-person shooter is set to launch this fall. For a more detailed look at the game, make sure you read Joystiq Editor-in-Chief Ludwig Kietzmann's preview. To see the game in action, watch Joystiq's video preview above, lovingly crafted with as much irreverence as the upcoming Microsoft-published title. [Image: Insomniac]
How to make an entrance in Sunset Overdrive
Respawning after death is a given in many video games across genres, but never has a game seemed to have so much fun with the idea. In Sunset Overdrive, the upcoming Xbox One exclusive from developer Insomniac Games, your character returns to the action by way of spaceship, Bill & Ted homage, magical sarcophagus and more. Check out a few examples of in-game respawn animations – in hypnotic GIF form! – after the break.
Joystiq Weekly: Nintendo's future, Outlast DLC review, Mother's Day and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Most of us have joked that Nintendo revealing a Pokemon MMO would shut down the world due to how perfectly the series would fit in the genre. That's thankfully still a joke and the economy is safe for now, but Nintendo's talk of further exploring NFC toys presents an equally worrisome possibility: what if they make a Skylanders-style Pokemon game that's more successful than Pokemon Rumble? They'd have to start with a limited portion of the Pokedex at first, sure. But what if the series achieved enough financial success to support 719 different Pokemon-shaped hunks of plastic? It'd be like the trading card boom all over again, except accumulated masses of figurines wouldn't be something we could hide away in a binder. No, they'd claim boxes of space, slowly consuming our garages until we finally discarded the full box of Goldeens that we know we'll never be able to trick someone into trading for. And if those Goldeens aren't properly recycled, they'll just accumulate into an oceanic clump, a mass with lifeless eyes staring down at the sea floor, at a life it will never truly know. Pretty bleak future, huh? Don't worry, there's so much to help block out these worrisome thoughts after the break. We've got financial news from Nintendo, Activision and EA, reviews for Sportsfriends and Outlast's "Whistleblower" DLC, and a feature where the Joystiq Staff's mothers share their perspective on our childhood gaming habits and our current professions. Dive in after the break - just mind the floating graveyard of Goldeens.
Insomniac unveils Sunset Overdrive gameplay footage, Day One Edition
Insomniac Games has released its first gameplay video for Sunset Overdrive, an Xbox One-exclusive third-person shooter with a focus on high-powered weaponry and urban traversal. Insomniac notes that velocity defines Sunset Overdrive's open-world gameplay, as players will need to wall-run, springboard off of cars, and grind on rails while annihilating armies of mutants. "It's a lot more fun than cowering behind a crate," the trailer quips. Players who pre-order the Day One Edition of Sunset Overdrive will receive exclusive in-game digital content, including the "Nothin' but the Hits" vinyl record-firing gun, the "It's Me! Fizzie!" character outfit, and the "Hardcore! Hammer" melee weapon. Sunset Overdrive will launch for the Xbox One this fall. [Video: Insomniac Games]
Slide until you die in Xbox One's crazy Sunset Overdrive
Sunset Overdrive is a goofy explosion of vivid colors and anything-goes attitude, though it's not without shape. The outline resembles Jet Set Radio, with weapons on loan from Ratchet and Clank, and a dash of Fable's fuck-you to dying. We all know it's a video game, but listen - Sunset Overdrive is conspicuously a video game. In some ways it's a beacon of independence for Insomniac Games, which has historically aligned itself with PlayStation on major franchises like Ratchet & Clank, Spyro the Dragon and Resistance. Some players probably think the developers at Insomniac make up a huge studio owned by Sony – or that they are Sony – but here we are, talking about an exclusive game for Xbox One from a 20-year-old independent studio.
Insomniac on working with Microsoft Studios for Xbox One exclusive, Sunset Overdrive
Insomniac Games' new open-world shooter, Sunset Overdrive, is exclusive to Xbox One and published by Microsoft Studios – and this partnership may require some explaining for "longtime fans," Insomniac CEO Ted Price writes. "When we first began discussing this idea with Microsoft, we were initially hesitant to shift back into an exclusive arrangement," Price writes in an Insomniac blog post. "But as the Microsoft team began introducing us to the abilities and philosophies driving the development of Xbox One, we knew that Sunset Overdrive was a perfect fit. The Xbox One and Xbox Live will support our ambitions to create an ongoing two-way dialogue with our community. It will also allow us to have quicker production cycles, enabling timely content updates for new weapons, characters, storylines and even pop culture-relevant content like memes based on social commentary." Independent studios aren't allowed to self-publish on the Xbox One, and Insomniac is definitely independent, Price says. This means the studio doesn't have to abandon its PlayStation roots or classic franchises such as Ratchet and Clank. "Insomniac has been, is, and will continue to be 100 percent independent. We have treasured that independence for the last 19 years. It now allows us to own and control our IP, and find the most suitable partners to make those IP a reality. While we are excited about partnering with Microsoft on Sunset Overdrive, that doesn't mean we can't or wouldn't make games with our longtime friends at Sony." Sunset Overdrive has an official site, and the trailer from Microsoft's E3 show is now viewable in our announcement post.
