Next-gen consoles live and die by the allure of their (exclusive) titles – just ask Nintendo – and recent further details being released about one game in particular may point to the Xbox One having a particularly alluring contender in its corner.

No, we don’t speak of Titanfall – a game that was the harbringer of disappointment for local fans earlier this year when EA announced that it would not be formally launched on South African shores. Instead, we are speaking about Sunset Overdrive, fortuitously slated for release at the end of October, just a month after the Xbox One launches here in September.

While Insomniac Games’ first Xbox exclusive title received its fair share of notice at the recent E3 in Los Angeles, there it had to contend with a number of other titles vying for attention. Now though the developers have been revealing even more about the forthcoming title and the game is looking to us, like a very good reason to seriously consider adding an Xbox One to one’s living room.

Primed for chaos

The game essentially pits you against creatures who have been mutated by the energy drink Overcharge, which, instead of giving them ‘wings’, gave them wholly less desirable characteristics and a really bad temper. Two new pieces of information show exactly why it seems Sunset Overdrive is on the right track to being a blast to play. For starters it seems as though the developers have carried their trademark over-the-top weapons, fluid grindrail action, playful sense of humour, and varied enemies, so present in the Ratchet and Clank franchise, into this title as well.

The latest update though, regards the latter, with the developers elaborating on some of the kinds of enemies players will have to contend with. The oddly named OD appear to be the obstructers of Sunset Overdrive’s world, intent on thwarting you at every possible turn; while the Blowers are so named for their tendency to blow Overdrive bile at you, which can cause damage if you don’t scoot fast enough.

The Herker is the melee tank of the lot, apparently very keen to impart their fist to your face on a regular basis; and they also are cited as having a penchant for throwing things, not so much tantrums, but rather slabs of concrete, at you from a distance as well.

Finally, apparently Sunset Overdrive’s world is not just populated by mutants in need of an attitude readjustment, but generally ornery non-mutated people as well, colourfully nicknamed Scabs, who just like taking potshots at you with assault rifles, presumably because throwing popcorn at random people in the movies got a bit boring.

Gender friendly

Just in case insane action and grindrails weren’t enough to win you over, the second piece of news coming from the developers is that the game will be gender friendly, meaning you will be able to play as whatever gender you wish, or as a “dude in a skirt” if that is up your alley.

The trailer below of this approach also had a  not too subtle reference to the furore Ubisoft recently waded into over why it could not give female players the ability to play as their gender in the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise; boasting a female avatar in Sunset Overdrive wearing very familiar Assassin’s Creed garb. Apparently being non-sexist in games is not that difficult after all.