Sunset Overdrive, the punk-rock inspired “awesomepocalypse”, gets players using crazy weapons to kill gibbering creatures while rail grinding through a massive cityscape, and at a press event in Toronto today, I was able to play the first thirty minutes of the game.

Marcus Smith, creative director on the game being developed by Insomniac Games, told me that Sunset is in a final refining phase before being locked down for release on Oct. 28.

From the soundtrack to the sense of humour to the constantly-breaking fourth wall, Sunset Overdrive hits all of my sweet spots. I talked to colleagues who were less excited about the game, but for me the blend of Tony Hawk and Crackdown is exactly right.

Xbox Canada spokesperson Jeff Rivait said in an interview that there are a number of other Xbox One exclusives coming this fall, including racer Forza Horizon 2, platformer Ori and the Blind Forest, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Master Chief Collection filled with Halo

Xbox Canada’s Nicole Fawcette, meanwhile, talked about the “Halo tingle” that comes when she hears the iconic music from the game. The Master Chief Collection packages the four games in the franchise that feature the protagonist, including a remastered version of Halo 2, all for Cdn$69.99.

Certainly it provides a great opportunity for new fans of the franchise who may not have played earlier games in the series. Fawcette said that she talked to many new fans in the hour-long lineups at Fan Expo Canada who had never played Halo 2 before.

It also includes the live-action series, Halo: Nightfall, being produced by Ridley Scott, and provides players with access to the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta, which Fawcette said would be “a whole new evolution of multiplayer”. The beta begins on December 27 and runs through January 17, 2015.

No comment on Mojang purchase rumour

As for the yestreday’s rumour, that Microsoft was in talks to purchase Mojang, the company that controls the popular Minecraft franchise, Rivait would only say that he couldn’t comment on “rumour and speculation”.

Limited edition Xbox One bundles

In terms of hardware, Rivait said there are two limited edition Xbox Ones that will be available this fall.

One includes a white Xbox One with a standard 500 GB hard drive and a copy of Sunset Overdrive, priced at Cdn $399.

The other, which will retail for Cdn$499, is a custom-designed Call of Duty console with a 1 TB hard drive that has colours and sounds themed around Advanced Warfare.

Other big franchises with Xbox games this fall

Also coming to the Xbox platforms this fall, and on display at X14, included:

• Alien Isolation (Sega)
• Assassin’s Creed: Rogue (Ubisoft)
• Assassin’s Creed: Unity (Ubisoft)
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Activision)
• Disney Fantasia (Disney)
• Disney Infinity 2.0 (Disney)
• The Evil Within (Bethesda)
• Lego Batman 3 (Warner Bros.)
• Skylanders: Trap Team (Activision)

Cross-posted at the Georgia Straight