Recently we've seen a turn for the "grimdark wealismz". Every remake of a beloved classic is trying to be edgier,scarier,and more "relevant" with current year. We've seen this with updates for Final Fantasy 7 and both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Nemesis. Don't get me wrong,fam. I'm itching to play those re-imagings,retcons,or whatever the popular kids are calling such re-visitations now but though they all look stunning I've likewise heard harrowing tales of cut content and very linear level design.

It was obvious I needed to break away from conventionality to get my groove on,play something a bit different but still grounded in what I liked about the titles already mentioned. I do love stories about corrupt corporations and apocalypses yet playing a game being heavy handed with these themes when we've went from a pandemic to friggin riots in real life was gonna bring me down.

Enter Sunset Overdrive and holy shit,it was like I popped the very best shrooms whilst simultaneously taking an adrenaline shot to my arm! Imagine Jill's scenario when an outbreak happens in her city only "this Jill" is a parkour ninja with wheelies on her shoes who can grind and glide gracefully on every surface imaginable whilst trying to to avoid the various mutants who want to tear her face off. (Also instead of Umbrella replace them with an energy drink conglomerate whose newest flavor has the fatal effect of turning most people into disgusting monsters whom have fused with various appliances,equipment, and junk around the neighborhood!)

Sunset Overdrive is for all intents and purposes a horror themed open world action adventure but instead of beating you over the head with a color palette that is 50 shades of grey and puke green it's bright,vibrant,splashed with rainbows,and its' various eccentric inhabitants are actually a rugged yet optimistic bunch constantly reminding you to have fun and that dying isn't the end of the world. (And each time you die you "resurrect" in a comical matter. You could very well be the jester of the time-lords!)

At the beginning you can customize your character and though the options are not as robust as say those found in Saint's Row 3 there's still more than enough choices to satisfy! Additionally as you accumulate weapons they are the "Dead Rising variety" from a gun that shoots ricocheting vinyl records to a launcher that fires exploding teddy bears. (Additionally there are "tower defense" sections where you can set down various traps including spinning blades and spring loaded platforms that launch enemies into orbit) Much like Vanquish you are expected to move around quickly,rolling along various surfaces in style at high velocity like a crazed rollerskating acrobatics as you simultaneously target and blast away at enemies. Indeed,playing this game like Resident Evil will get you killed as standing stationary on the ground is usually a death sentence,even when you have impressive fire-power.

Beyond that this is typical "open world fare". You'll do quests for various fractions and you'll spend money and make "amps" that grant your character more powers,upgrade your weapons,and get you into new stylish threads. The wacky survivors constantly break the 4th wall with competent voice acting and the music has a distinctly upbeat punk aesthetic that's in-your-face and anti-pc. Additionally it's nice to have yet another game that let's you "be you" as you can design your personal avatar to be as sexy or outlandish as you want!

It kind of broke my heart when I learned for whatever reason Sunset Override did not sell well. Supposedly it released during a slew of triple A releases and most gamers were simply more excited to play the Master-chief collection or the newest Assassin's creed at that time. It reminded me of when I bought Brutal Legend and loved it to death but later discovered it was a sleeper gem that was over-shadowed by some big publisher behemoths.

Regardless "so far" this is my favorite Insomniac game. It has done something drastically unique with the whole zombie apocalypse scenario where you feel as if you sneaked into a nostalgic theme park after closing time despite the immediate threats of The Od (Monsters),security robots, and The Scabs (raiders and rioters). If you are feeling depressed about all the civil unrest and political bickering Sunset Overdrive will put you in better spirits!