Okay, I have to say one thing before I start this.
I want House of the Dead 1 on a new freakin’ console already. My Saturn lightguns just don’t work anymore. Alright? Seriously Sega, I’d better see HotD 4/1 coming up soon.
Now, on with the show.
Holy shit, Overkill is amazing. It’s the first game in the series that’s clearly developed by a western team (it’s a darker, grittier, splattier, though no less comical tone), and clearly developed for a console, not just a port. This does mean the game can be too easy, even in the hard mode, but it’s also REALLY god damn fun and puts some more detail on the character. Oh, and a lot more cussing that wouldn’t fly in arcades. And nudity. Really! And it’s all in a Wii game somehow.
Now, I’m a long time fan of the House of the Dead series, I’ve probably spent a few hundred in arcades on the games. I’ve always enjoyed the campy style and the loose, rapid pace of the zombie blasting. It’s fun for everyone! But Overkill is a different beast. Perhaps the best way to put it is that it feels weightier, more serious (which it’s not at all, but it’s far less cartoony). Whereas previous games have been animated horror comedy, something out of an anime that shouldn’t take itself so seriously, Overkill is a very western affair, an NC-17 gorefest in a seedy theatre.
It’s obvious from the start, honestly. The game starts with scratched up logo reels and a credit roll over a pole dancer, with some funky audio matching the video. The start screen is initially an out of focus projection, and it just goes from there.
Levels begin (mostly, anyway) with a voiceover and what could easily be a movie trailer, often wonderfully profanity-laden and hilariously well voiced by a sinister sounding narrator. The trailer turns into cutscene and character interaction, advancing the surprisingly great plot (in the Snakes on a Plane way, at least). Blood, gore, comedy, sex, comedy, and solid stereotypical characters are presented right from the start, and they never stop. Dialog is ever present, constant smartass remarks whenever there aren’t gunshots, and often enough when there are. There’s rarely a moment that doesn’t have a sense of character, something said rarely for any genre, particularly rail shooters, but it’s true. You actually know who these people are, which can be wonderful and terrifying.
Overkill is all about the fun, and does some things I’m surprised took so long. Outside of the mediocre Carnevil, this is the first time I can think of a game with a zombie circus! Everyone loves shooting undead clowns, damn it! It’s just part of the spectacular presentation. Scratchy film grain, a camera that shakes with weapon recoil, and big chunks of enemies left on the floor. And blood splatters! Overkill makes a big leap forward in the blood department, it really is one of the messiest games I’ve ever played, going so far as to leave blood sprays on the wall behind enemies taken out close to one. Sure, Counter-Strike has done it forever, but when did a rail shooter? Not until now, that’s when, and it’s a great touch. Seeing the remains of an ex-zombie on the bricks behind what used to be a head is so satisfying.
Satisfaction is exactly the feeling the game at large leaves players with. It’s a reasonable length, clearly intended to be on a console and it takes its time as such to build longer levels with more to discover than a pure arcade game would allow for. Persistent rewards certainly aid the cause, as players unlock more music, art, and of course, guns, as they play. Every completed level is rewarded with some cash, used to buy weapons and improve already owned ones. Since players can replay anything already finished, there’s plenty of time and ability to stockpile cash, eventually resulting in some truly devastating arsenals, culminating in two-player dual wield modes with automatic shotguns and assault rifles decimating entire rooms of enemies in three shots or less.
It’s as great as it sounds. Overkill takes everything to an extreme and frankly to places you never expected to go on the Wii. Honestly, it took me to places I wouldn’t expect to go on film, and that’s just fine.
Overkill does, by the way, take a few chances and change up the formula a bit. Traditionally rail shooters have four or five lives on the high end, one being lost with each hit, occasionally restored by a medkit. In this case, players get actual health bars which are replenished often via medkits in game. Some attacks will take off a small amount, some a large amount, rather than the old 1:1 system. It helps to really make some enemies seem like the greater threat they should, and forces players to prioritize targets by more than simple proximity.
The continue system has also had an overhaul. The main mode, Story Mode, features unlimited continues at the cost of half the player’s points (which is more important than it sounds, as those points equal precious money). Director’s Cut, the hard mode, features only three continues as well as more zombies and areas (yep, it’s all sorts of deleted scene glory), but more powerful guns to buy as well, and faster earned money. Honestly, neither mode is particularly hard, but that’s in keeping with the overall feel of the game. Overkill isn’t made to gulp quarters like the rest of the series, it’s made to take players on a bloody ride through a zombie apocalypse, and it does that well.
House of the Dead:Overkill gets 5 out of 5. Completely, utterly brilliant, tons of fun. A little too easy, and an occasional framerate hitch, but damn it, it’s incredibly fun and the content is golden. Overkill aims high and scores a headshot.
