14 DAY TRIAL // Next up in our Softpedia Game of the Year 2014 awards is the best Xbox One exclusive game of the year – Sunset Overdrive from Insomniac Games and Microsoft.
The Xbox One has had a rollercoaster year so far, as Microsoft's console may have started out 2014 on shaky ground, already being beaten by Sony's PS4, but thanks to the rise of Phil Spencer to power as Xbox head, not to mention a bigger focus on games, a lower price, and different bundles, the big black console is managing to do pretty well nowadays.
A few big exclusives have arrived onto the platform in the last 12 months, with by far the biggest one being Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which reunited all the major titles in the series, all remastered for the new platform. Unfortunately, due to the array of issues encountered at launch, I have to admit that the best Xbox One exclusive of the year, at least for me, is Sunset Overdrive.
Insomniac Games wasn't going through the best of times ahead of the game's release, as its previous attempt at an all-new intellectual property – Fuse – disappointed severely. However, with Sunset Overdrive, the studio managed to adapt the essence of the Ratchet & Clank games into a more grownup experience.
Sunset Overdrive is a grownup Ratchet & Clank, and that's great
First up, the title has great visuals but manages to retain a stylized view that uses bright colors and flashy effects to augment the gameplay experience, not just to dazzle you in a cheap way. Sure, the framerate would have been even better if it reached 60fps instead of being locked at 30fps, but the studio still managed to deliver a gorgeous experience.
The actual gameplay, as I said above, resembles a grownup version of the Ratchet & Clank games, and that's in no way a criticism, as those titles still represent some of the best fun people can have on PlayStation platform.
Sure, the grinding takes some time to get used to and the constant swapping between weapons becomes a bit tougher as you improve your arsenal, but it's still great to explore Sunset city by grinding on rails while shooting explosive teddy bears at energy drink-fueled mutants.
The story complemented the wacky gameplay really well, and while it did strive a bit too hard to make players laugh in certain situations, it still came off quite refreshing, especially among the other big titles that came out this fall season.
Overall, while Sunset Overdrive isn't a perfect game, it still managed to delight, and until Halo: The Master Chief Collection manages to receive all the updates it needs to run well, it's the best Xbox One game of 2014.
Check out our review of Sunset Overdrive on Xbox One.
