Looking for something to do this weekend? How about plow your way through Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive, free of charge, for one day only? No, I’m serious. Insomniac’s brand new game, on your console, zero dollars, for 24 hours.
Perhaps in an effort to bolster buzz through the holiday season or gain extra momentum for the recently released and critically beloved Sunset Overdrive, Microsoft’s Major Nelson has announced that the third-person action game will be available on all Xbox One consoles this Saturday, Nov. 22, gratis for anyone who has an Xbox Live Gold account.
The announcement claims that the offer is being made as a way of celebrating the first year anniversary of the Xbox One but, given the holiday shopping season is set to kick off in a big way next week, I’m sure that pushing a few more consoles and games out the door is being considered an added bonus for the promotion.
Sunset Overdrive is something of a rarity these days: A console exclusive game that’s apparently really, really freaking good. Developed by Insomniac, the player is transported into an anything-goes sort of open world where an energy drink has somehow mutated the vast majority of mankind into rampaging monsters.
With a goofy sense of humor and tongue planted firmly in cheek, the player’s job is to grind all over the city, destroying these colorful baddies while helping the remnants of society carry out various missions. Think Jet Set Radio meets Ratchet & Clank (another Insomniac game), and you’ve got the basic idea of what Sunset Overdrive has to offer.
The one-day open pass to the city kicks off at 12:01 a.m. ET and runs until midnight the following evening. I’m sure plenty of folks will try to (and probably succeed at) completing the campaign in a marathon session, but Sunset Overdrive is one of those game’s that’s built to keep the player coming back for more. Whether it’s to grab new, more crazy weapons, to get higher scores on missions, to explore even more of the massive city or to take part in the online cooperative missions, there’s a lot to offer folks who decide to make a full purchase after this weekend’s taste test.
“This is the full game; players will earn achievements and be able to save how far they progress during that 24 hour span,” explained the Maj. “If you decide to purchase the game at a later point, you will be able to start again right where you left off.”
I guess you could think of it as a massive, extremely long demo of the game. If you’re interested in taking part, simply boot up your Xbox One super early tomorrow morning (or late tonight, depending on how you look at it), download the game and get to playing.
