LTTP: Sunset Overdrive - Spidey's Punk Cousin

[Rapscallion]

I recently got an Xbox one after years of not having a Microsoft console. I had generally not been interested in the majority of Xbox exclusives, but there was one game that made me envy Xbox owners: Sunset Overdrive.

I have been a big fan of Insomniac Games since the PS1 era. I adore the Ratchet and Clank games, enjoy the original Spyro trilogy, tolerated the Resistance Games, and loved Spider-man. So it was only natural that the first game I bought for the Xbox One was Sunset Overdrive, Insomniac's only non-Sony console title (IOS not included). I knew this game had received positive reviews and is often brought up when discussing best Xbox one exclusives, but wow: I did not expect to like this game as much as I did.

Everything about this game is just so fun. The bright visuals. The irreverent, fourth wall breaking, script. The surplus of insane weapons. It's all great. I even found myself attached to my create-a-character because of the customization options and infused personality. It's like the perfect combination of Ratchet and Clank, Jet Set Radio, and Spider-man. I rarely find myself wanting to do every side-mission and challenge in these types of games, but even routine challenges like collecting points was incredibly fun due to the movement of the game. It's honestly a little sad that we'll probably never see a sequel to the game.

This might be a controversial opinion, but I think the game has a more satisfying gameplay structure than Spider-Man. Both games really emphasize movement, but I much prefer the grinding focus over the webslingging focus of Spider-Man. Obviously there are somethings Spider-Man does a lot better than Sunset, but overall I think I had a better time with Sunset. Regardless, having played Spider-Man before this game, it's clear that a lot of Sunset's DNA is in Spider-Man's movement and it's obvious that the game helped Insomniac learn a lot about what works and doesn't in these types of games. Between the three releases of this generation (Ratchet 2016, Sunset, and Spider-Man) I think Insomniac has solidified their place as a top-tier developer. Now I'm struggling to find other Xbox One exclusives that are calling to me...

Anyone else wanna show some appreciation for this game?

 

[Killer]

I want a sequel :(

 

[coma]

This might be a controversial opinion, but I think the game has a more satisfying gameplay structure than Spider-Man. Both games really emphasize movement, but I much prefer the grinding focus over the webslingging focus of Spider-Man

Click to shrink...

I thought the traversal in Spider-Man was a major letdown. SO overall is a way funner game to me.

 

[Rapscallion]

I thought the traversal in Spider-Man was a major letdown. SO overall is a way funner game to me.

Click to shrink...

I really enjoyed it at the time, but now that I've played this I could see how it could feel lesser. I thought the flow of collectibles was also more satisfying in Sunset; something about seeing a pair of sneakers from a far, chaining collection into movement, and moving on immediately, felt great.

 

[Green Mario]

I bought an Xbox One just for this game. The traversal is fantastic. I also own it on Steam but haven't gotten around to playing it, but I really should soon. I'm sure the art style will pop even more on my PC.

Really wish they hadn't done away with the multiplayer, but I'm glad it at least got a port.

 

[Secretofmateria]

I know a one x patch is impossible now, but the game would really benefit from a higher frame rate and better image quality, along with hdr support

 

[halfjoey]

I own this game for the Xbox One and I've never even owned the Xbox One...

 

[SmartWaffles]

I know a one x patch is impossible now, but the game would really benefit from a higher frame rate and better image quality, along with hdr support

Click to shrink...

You get the first two on PC. It's on Steam and is included in XGP PC.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

It's a top 5 GOTG and it's better than Spider Man in nearly every way. It's such a shame we will probably never get a sequel.

 

[Secretofmateria]

You get the first two on PC. It's on Steam and is included in XGP PC.

Click to shrink...

no pc here sadly, but if i had a beefy one, id absolutley replay it

 

[m23]

I loved this game quite a bit, it's up there for me as one of the best games this Gen.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

It's most certainly not controversial to have the opinion that Sunset is a more overall enjoyable game than Spider-man. Sunset wasn't beholden to many of the modern day open world requirements Spidey would have been.

Sunsets number 1 issue in my opinion is that the game can be exhausting. Mainly because it won't let you stop and do things at your own pace which can be a big turn off for people.

 

[Rapscallion]

Sunsets number 1 issue in my opinion is that the game can be exhausting. Mainly because it won't let you stop and do things at your own pace which can be a big turn off for people.

Click to shrink...

I can see that. The game does have an annoying habit of replaying the same prompt dialogue every time you exit out of a mission or challenge, which could get really annoying if you don't want to progress the main mission at the moment.

I also found some of the later weapons to be somewhat underwhelming compared to some of the earlier guns, despite being more expensive and gated by progression. But there's a select few weapons, such as the Hairspray Bomb, that are so incredibly satisfying.

 

[MonsterMech]

Probably still my favorite game of the gen.

So much fun.

So disappointed we will probably never get another one, instead countless Spider-Man sequels smh

 

[xmonkeyofevil]

The only downside I have is that, while the later parts of the game are pure euphoric goodness with the amount of stuff going on at once, the first 40 minutes to an hour are kind of a drag, especially the tutorials. It takes a bit to get going, but once it does it's an incredible game.

 

[PianoBlack]

I recently got an Xbox one after years of not having a Microsoft console. I had generally not been interested in the majority of Xbox exclusives, but there was one game that made me envy Xbox owners: Sunset Overdrive.

I have been a big fan of Insomniac Games since the PS1 era. I adore the Ratchet and Clank games, enjoy the original Spyro trilogy, tolerated the Resistance Games, and loved Spider-man. So it was only natural that the first game I bought for the Xbox One was Sunset Overdrive, Insomniac's only non-Sony console title (IOS not included). I knew this game had received positive reviews and is often brought up when discussing best Xbox one exclusives, but wow: I did not expect to like this game as much as I did.

Everything about this game is just so fun. The bright visuals. The irreverent, fourth wall breaking, script. The surplus of insane weapons. It's all great. I even found myself attached to my create-a-character because of the customization options and infused personality. It's like the perfect combination of Ratchet and Clank, Jet Set Radio, and Spider-man. I rarely find myself wanting to do every side-mission and challenge in these types of games, but even routine challenges like collecting points was incredibly fun due to the movement of the game. It's honestly a little sad that we'll probably never see a sequel to the game.

This might be a controversial opinion, but I think the game has a more satisfying gameplay structure than Spider-Man. Both games really emphasize movement, but I much prefer the grinding focus over the webslingging focus of Spider-Man. Obviously there are somethings Spider-Man does a lot better than Sunset, but overall I think I had a better time with Sunset. Regardless, having played Spider-Man before this game, it's clear that a lot of Sunset's DNA is in Spider-Man's movement and it's obvious that the game helped Insomniac learn a lot about what works and doesn't in these types of games. Between the three releases of this generation (Ratchet 2016, Sunset, and Spider-Man) I think Insomniac has solidified their place as a top-tier developer. Now I'm struggling to find other Xbox One exclusives that are calling to me...

Anyone else wanna show some appreciation for this game?

Click to shrink...

Agreed on all points. I haven't gotten terribly far into it but started a couple weeks ago and it's just a ton of fun. Too bad we're not likely to get another new IP from insomniac for the foreseeable future. I like Ratchet as much as the next guy but they are such a talented studio.

Re: other good Xbox games, depends on what you like but some of my favorites that stand out from what Sony offers have been Ori, Halo Wars, and Forza Horizon. Also don't sleep on Quantum Break, it's kind of a sci fi Uncharted that I honestly found more fun than UC4 (but I'm sort of burned out on Uncharted as it is).

 

[Rapscallion]

Re: other good Xbox games, depends on what you like but some of my favorites that stand out from what Sony offers have been Ori, Halo Wars, and Forza Horizon. Also don't sleep on Quantum Break, it's kind of a sci fi Uncharted that I honestly found more fun than UC4 (but I'm sort of burned out on Uncharted as it is).

Click to shrink...

thanks for the recs.Currently, I have the MCC and Rare Replay and that's it (aside from older Sega XBLA games). Played Ori on the Switch a and will be getting the sequel next month. Not much interest in Forza or Halo Wars, but your description piqued my interest on Quantum Break. I played Control on the PS4 and was mixed on it, so I had kind of dismissed it. But a Sci Fi Uncharted sounds great.

 

[PianoBlack]

thanks for the recs.Currently, I have the MCC and Rare Replay and that's it (aside from older Sega XBLA games). Played Ori on the Switch a and will be getting the sequel next month. Not much interest in Forza or Halo Wars, but your description piqued my interest on Quantum Break. I played Control on the PS4 and was mixed on it, so I had kind of dismissed it. But a Sci Fi Uncharted sounds great.

Click to shrink...

As long as you're getting Ori you're doing it right :)

 

[tolkir]

Traversal movement is very good, but when you get the big jump and air dash, it becomes fucking perfect.

Best experience I had with Game Pass.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I knew when I first saw this game that I'd love it. I didn't have an XBOX though, and I couldn't justify the purchase.

Bless whoever it was who made the PC release happen, because I finally got to play it on Steam, and now it's one of my all-time favourite games. I could fire some of those weapons all day and never get bored, and the traversal is an absolute joy.

 

[retrosega]

I agree, Sunset Overdrive is a really great game. Pure fun.
Now that you can pick up a second hand xbone for not a lot of money, everyone should give it a go.

This and the Forza Horizon series makes the xbone worthwhile imo.

 

[danielvdell]

I just started this on Steam earlier today and was blown away by how ridiculously fun and satisfying the gameplay is. Everything about it is just so charming. I'm shocked I'd never heard of it before this year.

 

[leng jai]

You get the first two on PC. It's on Steam and is included in XGP PC.

Click to shrink...

PC port is kinda disappointing outside of 60+ fps. The AA is useless so the aliasing is bad even at 4K. It's also a straight port so the pop in and lod is the same. Probably need to downsample it from 8Kb or some shit.

 

[SquirrelSaysNuts]

Terrible motion blur and controls. If it didn't give me headaches, I would enjoy it.

 

[Deleted member 41178]

Easily in the top 5 of the generation for me. I really hope one day we get some kind of sequel.

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

I was sad some of the cosmetics I wanted were locked behind RNG behind the dead online multiplayer modes.

God I wish this game got a resolution update for one X because it's still a ton of fun but boy oh boy does IQ suffer to be able to maintain framerate with the chaos you can unleash combined with movement speed

 

[Clive]

Best traversal ever. I even ended up doing every single traversal challenge with a Gold rating because gitting gud was a damn blast. So many small but satisfying mechanics when traversing like turning a corner when wall running and gliding across the water surface. Sunset Overdrive is in my top 5 games of the generation. It really felt like a pure Insomniac Games game while Spidey was just another western AAA game that could have been made by Rocksteady, EA, Ubisoft, Sucker Punch or whoever.

My main complaint is how the game treats you if you want to do a second playthrough. I had to create a brand new Microsoft account because not only does it not have NG+, it won't even let you start from scratch. God forbid you want to play a game you enjoyed again.

Make sure you buy the DLC if you liked the main game. The online is even more dead in the DLC but there are two story expansions which are a few hours long each and on par with the rest of the game.

 

[SmartWaffles]

PC port is kinda disappointing outside of 60+ fps. The AA is useless so the aliasing is bad even at 4K. It's also a straight port so the pop in and lod is the same. Probably need to downsample it from 8Kb or some shit.

Click to shrink...

At least they later fixed the mouse input issue. It's a pretty lazy port but mostly gets the job done. For AA you can always reshade inject SMAA to clean edges up.

 

[TsuWave]

So disappointed we will probably never get another one, instead countless Spider-Man sequels smh

Click to shrink...

This is such an unfounded concern trolling stance. Sony doesn't have a single studio that JUST dishes out sequels.

Moreover, Insomniac had shown interest in working in a sequel prior to joining Sony, which they never got the funding for, so there was no guarantee of a sequel then. You likely have more chances of seeing a sequel now than you did before.

 

[Granholme]

Far & away the most outright FUN I had with a game this gen, & edges Ori & FH3 for me as best MS 1st party game for the XBO.
Also has prob my favourite integration of soundtrack stems in a game ever - the way the tracks build as you string together combos git me listening to guitar music again

 

[MonsterMech]

This is such an unfounded concern trolling stance. Sony doesn't have a single studio that JUST dishes out sequels.

Moreover, Insomniac had shown interest in working in a sequel prior to joining Sony, which they never got the funding for, so there was no guarantee of a sequel then. You likely have more chances of seeing a sequel now than you did before.

Click to shrink...

Nah, any studio with a hit as big as Spider-Man will be working on that franchise for a while.

You don't need to romanticize Sony studios like they are any different.

 

[EvilBoris]

This is such an unfounded concern trolling stance. Sony doesn't have a single studio that JUST dishes out sequels.

Moreover, Insomniac had shown interest in working in a sequel prior to joining Sony, which they never got the funding for, so there was no guarantee of a sequel then. You likely have more chances of seeing a sequel now than you did before.

Click to shrink...

I'm not so sure, feel free to correct me and nitpick the general sentiment of this post but ...


Naughty Dog has made 5 Uncharted games and 1 TLOU in the last 13 years.

Studio Santa Monica has made nothing but God of War games since 2005

Polyphony Digital has made nothing but Gran Turismo games since what, 1997?

The basic calculation for publishing games is
Was game a big success? If yes, make sequel.
If no, move on.

Sunset overdrive was not a big success, which was why they couldn't get a sequel greenlit by anyone.
I fear the golden age of Sony pumping out new IP after new IP will come to an end now that they have a raft of their own successes, something they didn't have for almost 3 generations of hardware.

 

[Clive]

Feels like Insomniac has three bigger IPs than Sunset Overdrive to work with now: Spider-Man, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance. The best we can hope for in terms of sequel is probably that the next Ratchet & Clank game is open world and takes a few hints from Sunset. The two franchises share a lot of DNA after all but Ratchet & Clank is a well known brand with selling power. The Ratchet & Clank series in particular was upon the acquisition pointed out as a "vital series in the present and future" for the studio by Shawn Layden so I'd be surprised if Insomniac is turned into strictly a Spider-Man factory. Insomniac also has a tradition of high output and working on multiple games at once.

A sequel to a flop that wasn't even released in the PlayStation ecosystem just isn't going to happen. I will keep dreaming of Ratchet & Clank: Overdrive though.

 

[TsuWave]

Nah, any studio with a hit as big as Spider-Man will be working on that franchise for a while.

You don't need to romanticize Sony studios like they are any different.

Click to shrink...

Don't know if you're regularly this obtuse. Of course they will work on a sequel. It's a successful game. However that's not all they'll do. Where's the "countless Spider-man sequels" assertion coming from?

Again, Insomniac has been shouting from the top of their lungs they were open to a SO sequel and no one ever stepped up to show any interest in regards to funding. But yes, NOW it's def the time to get on Resetera and act like SO is dead because Insomniac found success with Spider-man and doesn't have to be panhandling for funding any longer 😂

I'm not so sure, feel free to correct me and nitpick the general sentiment of this post but ...


Naughty Dog has made 5 Uncharted games and 1 TLOU in the last 13 years.

Studio Santa Monica has made nothing but God of War games since 2005

Polyphony Digital has made nothing but Gran Turismo games since what, 1997?

The basic calculation for publishing games is
Was game a big success? If yes, make sequel.
If no, move on.

Sunset overdrive was not a big success, which was why they couldn't get a sequel greenlit by anyone.
I fear the golden age of Sony pumping out new IP after new IP will come to an end now that they have a raft of their own successes, something they didn't have for almost 3 generations of hardware.

Click to shrink...

My statement was they don't JUST put out sequels. Naughty Dog has stated multiple times they have freedom to do/work on what they want/like, which had been corroborated by Yoshida, and even if that was just corporate speak, the fact they put out a new IP last gen in between Uncharted's shows that's not JUST what they do/are allowed to do.

SSM had been working on a new IP for eons and sank a bunch of time and money into it, 37 months, before deciding it should be scrapped. In one of the GoW documentaries, Raising Kratos, they spoke openly about this and even shown artwork, and iirc, a short clip of a playable section from it. Furthermore, Cory has already said GoW will be handed to someone else in the team while he works on developing a new IP.

I'll give you Polyphony though.

and that's like what? 3 out of their studios, with 2 showing they worked/have been working on more than just sequels.

Unfounded concern trolling.

 

[MonsterMech]

Don't know if you're regularly this obtuse. Of course they will work on a sequel. It's a successful game. However that's not all they'll do. Where's the "countless Spider-man sequels" assertion coming from?

Again, Insomniac has been shouting from the top of their lungs they were open to a SO sequel and no one ever stepped up to show any interest in regards to funding. But yes, NOW it's def the time to get on Resetera and act like SO is dead because Insomniac found success with Spider-man and doesn't have to be panhandling for funding any longer 😂

Click to shrink...

The "countless Spider-Man games" come from the fact that they print money.

I didn't come on resetera and pretend anything.

What I said wasn't even controversial, unless you wanna fight for Sony's honor.

Insomniac will be working on Spider-Man for the foreseeable future.

 

[TsuWave]

The "countless Spider-Man games" come from the fact that they print money.

I didn't come on resetera and pretend anything.

What I said wasn't even controversial, unless you wanna fight for Sony's honor.

Insomniac will be working on Spider-Man for the foreseeable future.

Click to shrink...

You're trying to position this as me fighting for Sony's honor when it's me fighting against weird unfounded assertions.

SO was dead long before Spider-man, and before Insomniac joined Sony's studios.

Now it at least has a chance at being resuscitated at some point. You should be happy.

 

[Coolade]

Brilliant game, just beat it on PC and one of the DLC's yesterday. Vastly underrated, I wish it sold a lot more than it did. I PS4/PS5 port would do wonders, but I don't know if Sony could ever publish the game on their system if Microsoft still owns the publishing rights.

 

[Toriko]

I'm not so sure, feel free to correct me and nitpick the general sentiment of this post but ...


Naughty Dog has made 5 Uncharted games and 1 TLOU in the last 13 years.

Studio Santa Monica has made nothing but God of War games since 2005

Polyphony Digital has made nothing but Gran Turismo games since what, 1997?

The basic calculation for publishing games is
Was game a big success? If yes, make sequel.
If no, move on.

Sunset overdrive was not a big success, which was why they couldn't get a sequel greenlit by anyone.
I fear the golden age of Sony pumping out new IP after new IP will come to an end now that they have a raft of their own successes, something they didn't have for almost 3 generations of hardware.

Click to shrink...

ND does what they want though. They do not want to do more uncharted so have left it. Rumour is they are moving to a new ip post tlou 2. I agree with SSM but ND have total freedom to do what they want. MM just made a new IP , Guerilla made a new IP, Sucker punch is making a new IP etc

This is not a 343 or Polyphony situation...

 

[MonsterMech]

You're trying to position this as me fighting for Sony's honor when it's me fighting against weird unfounded assertions.

SO was dead long before Spider-man, and before Insomniac joined Sony's studios.

Now it at least has a chance at being resuscitated at some point. You should be happy.

Click to shrink...

There's nothing weird and unfounded about saying Insomniac will be making Spider-man sequels for the foreseeable future.

It's weird and unfounded that you took offense to that super obvious statement, and went into Sony defense mode.

It's ok buddy. I was not dissing Sony.

 

[Sausage_Poison]

Really hope Insomniac will continue to make games for the Sunset Overdrive IP. If the first game ever comes out on PS4, I will buy it day one.

 

[Bgamer90]

Easily one of my top ten favorite games of this generation. Held out playing it again for an Xbox One X update but it's never going to happen. ☹️

 

[TsuWave]

There's nothing weird and unfounded about saying Insomniac will be making Spider-man sequels for the foreseeable future.

It's weird and unfounded that you took offense to that super obvious statement, and went into Sony defense mode.

It's ok buddy. I was not dissing Sony.

Click to shrink...

That's not the statements I quoted and contested. This was:

So disappointed we will probably never get another one, instead countless Spider-Man sequels smh

Click to shrink...

You attempted to correlate SO being dead with Spider-man's success, when it was dead long before that. Furthermore you implied Insomniac is just going to be pumping out Spider-man sequels. See your use of "countless" and nothing about "foreseeable future" there.

Your goal post moving bandit moves don't work over here breh. Do you not know any shame?

Are you or are you not happy SO has a chance at being brought back? I thought you liked the IP?

 

[MonsterMech]

That's not the statements I quoted and contested. This was:



You attempted to correlate SO being dead with Spider-man's success, when it was dead long before that. Furthermore you implied Insomniac is just going to be pumping out Spider-man sequels. See your use of "countless" and nothing about "foreseeable future" there.

Your goal post moving bandit moves don't work over here breh. Do you not know any shame?

Are you or are you not happy SO has a chance at being brought back? I thought you liked the IP?

Click to shrink...

I didn't attempt any of that. You made all that up. My quote is as it stands.

You can't extrapolate your own argument to disagree with.

 

[grosvenor92]

The crazy over the top weapons, writing and movement controls made me really enjoy the game. With Insomniac being bought by Sony I guess we may never see a sequel but the game definitely deserves one

 

[Clive]

The crazy over the top weapons, writing and movement controls made me really enjoy the game. With Insomniac being bought by Sony I guess we may never see a sequel but the game definitely deserves one

Click to shrink...

Insomniac Games, and thus Sony, owns the IP. The game flopped hard on Xbox so no one would have funded a sequel anyway. Not Microsoft and not third parties like Activision or EA. I'd say Sony buying Insomniac increased the chances of a similar game happening, although in that case it'll probably star Ratchet & Clank.

 

[Damn Silly]

Yeah, it was just an utter joy to play. Preferred it to Spiderman, which was no slouch in its own right.

 

[DrDeckard]

Criminally underrated and caught up in bullshit console war rubbish. 900p etc.

I regularly jump back in and just fly around in this world. Really good game that will be remembered for years by its fans.

Can insomniac make a sequel if they want?

(Guessing they wont ge able to as they will be stuck on spider man for the near future)

 

[EvilBoris]

This is such an unfounded concern trolling stance. Sony doesn't have a single studio that JUST dishes out sequels.

Moreover, Insomniac had shown interest in working in a sequel prior to joining Sony, which they never got the funding for, so there was no guarantee of a sequel then. You likely have more chances of seeing a sequel now than you did before.

Click to shrink...

Don't know if you're regularly this obtuse. Of course they will work on a sequel. It's a successful game. However that's not all they'll do. Where's the "countless Spider-man sequels" assertion coming from?

Again, Insomniac has been shouting from the top of their lungs they were open to a SO sequel and no one ever stepped up to show any interest in regards to funding. But yes, NOW it's def the time to get on Resetera and act like SO is dead because Insomniac found success with Spider-man and doesn't have to be panhandling for funding any longer 😂



My statement was they don't JUST put out sequels. Naughty Dog has stated multiple times they have freedom to do/work on what they want/like, which had been corroborated by Yoshida, and even if that was just corporate speak, the fact they put out a new IP last gen in between Uncharted's shows that's not JUST what they do/are allowed to do.

SSM had been working on a new IP for eons and sank a bunch of time and money into it, 37 months, before deciding it should be scrapped. In one of the GoW documentaries, Raising Kratos, they spoke openly about this and even shown artwork, and iirc, a short clip of a playable section from it. Furthermore, Cory has already said GoW will be handed to someone else in the team while he works on developing a new IP.

I'll give you Polyphony though.

and that's like what? 3 out of their studios, with 2 showing they worked/have been working on more than just sequels.

Unfounded concern trolling.

Click to shrink...

It's not unfounded at all, it's what big media congromorates do, it's what Sony does.
It's why we get endless Adam Sandler films and we are currently on our 3rd Spider-Man Reboot, our 3rd Ghostbusters attempt etc etc.

I don't think that SCE falls so far outside of any corporate need to be successful that they simply do what they want as if they are simply benefactors to artists who are given free reign to make anything they please without any consideration for their shareholders.

Of course there is a degree of portfolio maintenance that is going to happen when it makes sense to.
It's an excercise in risk mitigation to ensure there is a stream of revenue from successful IPs, in order to promote their platform.

Your argument that I'm wrong because at some point in the future they might make something else is no more valid than the assumption that they are more likely to continue to work on sequels to existing franchises.

This generation has possibly been the least prolific , creative and varied output from big publishers (Sony included). I'm not entirely sure what would need to change for that to turn on it's head. The history tells us that being top of the pile typically doesn't improve that situation

 

[Synth]

You attempted to correlate SO being dead with Spider-man's success, when it was dead long before that. Furthermore you implied Insomniac is just going to be pumping out Spider-man sequels. See your use of "countless" and nothing about "foreseeable future" there.

Your goal post moving bandit moves don't work over here breh. Do you not know any shame?

Are you or are you not happy SO has a chance at being brought back? I thought you liked the IP?

Click to shrink...

Sunset Overdrive may have been dead before, but I definitely agree that it's more dead post Spider-Man. "Endless Spider-Man sequels" doesn't necessarily mean Insomniac won't make anything that's not Spider-Man. They may well continue putting out Ratchet games also, and even continuing to experiment with VR titles along the line of those they have worked on for Oculus. What is super unlikely on the other hand is for them to work on another AAA budget game like Sunset Overdrive, that produced limited return even when considering a later PC port, when it shares so much DNA with the ridiculously successful Spider-Man games. Basically a new Sunset Overdrive would have to come at the expense of a new Spider-Man, much as the original Spider-Man would have come at the expense of a Sunset Overdrive 2.

This isn't anything to do with Sony studios, or having "freedom" etc... it's just what happens all the time everywhere. Yes, ND made TLOU... but TLOU isn't basically Uncharted with a new skin, and they did make 5 Uncharted games. Ratchet and Spider-Man would already be two IP for Insomniac to juggle, a new Sunset Overdrive is far less likely now that they are owned by the owner of those IP, and no longer "pan-handling" for other publishers that would necessitate creating games in IP outside of those two.

A similar situation happens everywhere, a new Project Gotham was infinitely more likely to exist before Forza Horizon did. Now it's not even worth hoping for. Similarly the existence on Control hammered home that Quantum Break is dead (but not Alan Wake on the other hand). It's just how these things are, and that's not controversial at all. I'm kinda surprised the extent you took issue with the statement tbh,

 

[ThreepQuest64]

What a great game. Super fun, amazing soundtrack, great traversal, good character customization. And it's also not too long. I'm usually not into those "we go all crazy and edgy and fun and super duper cool"-Saint's Row-kind of games, but Sunset Overdrive got me. So many great missions and characters. I especially liked those LARPers.