In the months leading up to the release of Sunset Overdrive, all the signs were there to tell us it was going to be good. What we didn’t know, however, was just how good it really was. From Horror night, the game’s opening mission, to the final boss fight against Fizzco HQ, it was non-stop laughs and in-your-face action. Just the way we like it.
As enjoyable as your time in Sunset City will undoubtedly be, it will be made even better if you don’t spend the bulk of it trying to figure out how to kill the dreaded Herker, or perhaps how to avoid getting peppered with automatic gunfire from the Scabs. In other words, you might want to read our battled hardened tips to ensure you don’t stink up the Awesomepocalypse.
Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gunfight
When you’re preoccupied with having a blast in Sunset City, it can be easy to forget the game mechanics are actually well thought out and take a bit of getting used to. If you’ve been blasting a Winger with your Flaming Compensator and nothing happens… well, you didn’t bring the right tool for the job.
By opening up the menu and navigating to your character, you’ll be able to see the weapons you have equipped. If you browse into this area and highlight each one, they’ll tell what they are good at, and what they are absolutely horrible at. For example, the Dirty Harry is a beast when it comes to putting Scabs in the ground, and the Flaming Compensator is a fantastic choice for hoards of advancing OD. Take a moment to learn your weapons and what they’re designed for. You won’t regret it.
Bouncing and Grinding in Sunset City
Success in Sunset Overdrive is all about non-stop movement, but even that can’t necessarily keep you safe when you go up against certain types of enemies. For example, bouncing up and down won’t stop the Scabs from riddling your body with bullets, but something as simple as grinding on a power line will.
Although that example is fairly specific, for the most part you just want to keep moving. Did you ever notice how horribly slow your character runs? That’s by design. Insomniac Games wants you bouncing, grinding and wall running every second that you spend fighting mutants in Sunset City.
Amp It Up and Kick it Into Overdrive
If you plan to be the best mutant slayer that Sunset City has ever seen, you’ll want to get your hands on some Amps and Overdrives, but first… you need to collect some in-game currency.
With Amps, this currency is found laying all over the place and in the form of Fizzie Balloons, Toilet Paper, Cameras, Shoes and Neon Signs. Collect these as you’re bouncing and grinding from objective to objective, then take them back to Floyd to buy and equip some Amps. If you don’t have enough of a particular type of currency leading into a night defense mission, he may ask you to pick some up.
With Overdrives, you simply need to use the weapons that you already have, earning badges that can then be used to purchase constant, passive bonuses. This is one of the reasons that players should make a point of partaking in the game’s quests and challenges… more kills will give you better Overdrives, and better Overdrives will help you kill more stuff. It’s a beautiful circle of death in Sunset City.
Riding Roughshod in Chaos Squad
You have to give credit where credit is due, and right now that means applauding Insomniac Games for its work on Sunset Overdrive’s competitive yet cooperative multiplayer mode called Chaos Squad. While we’re absolutely massive fans of the single player campaign, our online tour of Sunset City has been both fun and rewarding.
Aside from providing you oodles of Overcharge that can then be used to buy new weapons from Two Hat Jack, you can also expect to get your hands on over 100 pieces of cosmetic gear that are only available as Chaos Squad rewards. Play long enough and work your way to the top of the scoreboard to unlock tattoos, hats, earrings and even underwear. Just make sure you wash them before you start bouncing around in your skivvies.
Like a Mouse Caught in a Trap
It’s true that you can only use traps in certain situations while playing Sunset Overdrive, but it’s also true those situations are some of the most challenging moments of the game. If you’re still lost, we’re talking about Floyd’s night defense missions. You’ll find at least one of these in each of the game’s four main acts.
While all traps could theoretically be useful, we’ve found only two that we rely on to get the job done consistently, and that would be the Hack ‘n Slay trap and the Pyro Geyser. In fact, once we unlocked the Pyro Geyser we never laid another type down.
When using these instruments of death, make sure to pile them up close to the Overcharge vats or Fuse Boxes, ignoring Floyd’s advice to set them up near the barricades. If there are multiple objectives to protect, try loading up all of your traps on only one. You see, you only need one left when time runs out, so don’t bother spreading your defenses too thin.
