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Sunset Overdrive has been out for about two weeks now and we have a pretty good idea of how good this game actually is. With solid 8s, 9s and even a 10, the game is shaping up to be a fantastic franchise for Insomniac Games and Microsoft. It’s time for our Sunset Overdrive Review round up.

TheEffect – 8.8/10

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Still need a reason to own an Xbox One? Here it is. Sunset Overdrive plays like the child of a Jet Set Radio and Ratchet & Clank marriage, with the Ramones being its babysitter. This is the sort of game that people buy a new console for. Plain and Simple.

Joystiq – 10/10

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The bottom line is that regardless of whether we’re talking about character appearance, weapons, special abilities or buffs, Sunset Overdrive piles the number of options you can choose from sky-high. No matter who you choose to be, what weapons you equip, what playstyle you choose, or how you deck out your secondary abilities, everything feels valid and worthwhile.

Game Informer – 93/100

sunset_overdrive_review_theeffect4Outside of the mission monotony, Sunset Overdrive is an immensely rewarding experience that has a look and style all its own and a great gameplay package to complement it.

EGM – 9/10

sunset_overdrive_review_theeffect3I I went into Sunset Overdrive thinking that it’d be a fun, interesting smaller adventure in between the big blockbuster releases; now, it’s probably the most enjoyable game I’ve played so far this generation.

Polygon – 9/10

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The best thing about Sunset Overdrive is how it’s unabashedly enthusiastic about what it is, in just about every way. That enthusiasm, and the freedom behind it, is contagious.

IGN – 9/10

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Big, gorgeous, and a hell of a lot of fun. Never has getting from point A to point B in an open-world game provided so much enjoyment. It provides some of the most fun, frantic, and fantastic gaming I’ve had on the Xbox One.

OXM UK – 8/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmRR6MnS6dc

The wackiness never clicks, but the relentless combat momentum certainly does. It won’t change the world, but does a very good job of splattering it with mutant blood.

Eurogamer – 8/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAwma88K2ok

Beneath the glorious tech, and once the writing relaxes a little, Sunset Overdrive’s wonderfully lurid and heartfelt – a bit like playing an old 4AD album sleeve. If you get that reference, you’ll probably get this, too.

The Guardian – 6/10

Despite these creative flourishes, Sunset Overdrive never quite surpasses the chaotic physics of Just Cause, the coherent style of Blood Dragon or the assured sense of place of GTAV – nor does it manage to draw its story and systems toward a coherent, impactful point. In the end its hero escapes the purgatory of a boring job and successfully wreaks revenge on the judgmental consumers he once served. But the game itself does little to undermine the increasingly over-familiar, open-world establishment, instead quietly celebrating the status quo.

Overall Metacritic Critic score – 82

What do you think? Have you picked up Sunset Ovedrive? Chris can attest that it’s a fantastic game and I can’t personally wait to get my hands on it! Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Twitter pages. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for reviews, previews, hands-ons and more.

Sources – TheEffect, Joystiq, Game Informer, EGM, Polygon, IGN, Xbox UK, Eurogamer, The Guardian, XBox YouTube

David McGinley

Irish Writer, Ad man and lover of tea, all things digital, gaming, coffee, photography, gadgets, writer @TheEffectDotNet. Views are my own.

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