Sunset Overdrive Co-op Is a Thrill Ride and a Half: TGS Multiplayer Hands-On

Sunset Overdrive had one of the most impressive demos of the Tokyo Game Show.

Cooperative demos are rare at TGS, and 8-player cooperative demos even more so, making Sunset Overdrive a rare treat. It promised flashy combat and a myriad of ways to get around, and the play time more than delivered.

Eight of us were plunked down onto a nighttime stage in a town and told to protect our Overdrive tanks. At our disposal were our beam swords, eight different guns, and the ability to run, jump, climb and surf all over the stage on walls, wires, and buildings. The weapons all played like familiar types of guns, with machine guns, shotguns, grenade launchers and the like, all dressed up in a heavy coat of gloss, with names like TNTeddy, Captain Ahab, and High Fidelity. A team favorite was the "One-Handed Dragon," a gun that shot fireworks that exploded into green dragons and smoke with every impact.

Enemies came in three waves, and we were given traps to help defend the area from their assault. The map was large, but by pressing and holding X, your character could grind along the edges of buildings, slide down wires, or climb up walls to traverse the terrain quickly. Some players had great success flipping around the map blasting things to smithereens, while other team members camped out near the tanks to pick off any foes that made it through. In the end, our team came close to failing, but managed to hold out until the end of the final wave.

Sunset Overdrive was extremely colorful and looked gorgeous in person. The map was a veritable rainbow of hues, which is a sight for eyes sore from the brown-grey wash that characterizes other shooters. The environment also had a lot of personality; buildings weren't just husks and had unique signage and lighting. All together, it made the map feel like one giant playground.

Sunset Overdrive is slated for an Oct. 28 release in North America and an Oct. 31 release in Europe.