The House Of The Dead: Overkill Review (WII)

All Bullets, No Brains

Me and ‘The House Of The Dead’ have a sort of love-hate relationship going on. I love how it has provided me with hour upon hour of top notch zombie slaying action since I was a toddler. I hate how it has sucked up £312 in loose change over the years. Yet even though it’s a shining classic with plastic guns attached, it’s often the victim of intense bullying and name calling from all of the other arcade machines in the overcrowded room for its dire acting, cheesy voiceovers and attempting to convey a serious horror story which no one can be bothered to follow. With this in mind, the HOTD series had two options; Attempt to shoot itself with its own gun accessories, making it look even more of a fool, or embrace its peculiar mannerisms and leave the dusty world of the arcade screaming forth its love for its abnormalities. It chose the second.

After years of taking itself seriously yet being the butt of jokes, it seems that HOTD has recently suffered a nasty mid-life crisis and returned from it spouting forth a million swear words a minute, splashing gory make-up on its lower regions and furiously licking anyone that comes within ten yards of it. ‘The House Of The Dead: Overkill’ has a serious case of the crazies, and it doesn’t care who knows about it.

‘Overkill’ is a prequel to the HOTD series, and from the get-go you realise something weird is up. Kicking things off with Matrix fan-boy ‘Agent G’ and Samuel L Jackson wannabe ‘Detective Washington’ exchanging a series of unpleasant naff one liners under a grainy camera filter, it’s clear that ‘Overkill’ is gonna be a one hell of a nostalgic ride. Taking the guise of a low-budget 70’s Grindhouse flick, Overkill practically reeks of cheesy charm, and is a gamble that pays off incredibly well, taking two steps back and one giant leap forward in terms of originality.

The House Of The Dead is back, and this time, it’s comical…

Once in the game, we delve straight into familiar on-rails shooter territory, yet still behind the charming Grindhouse mask. To begin with, enemies seem to stumble slowly onwards and bosses feature prominent weak points circled by a large red circle that’s simply provoking carnage, all of which barely feature much of a challenge. However, once the game starts picking up in the later levels, we’re treated to constant waves of terrifying mutants, some jumping out of nowhere and getting a little too close for comfort. As the pace and enemies increase, ‘Overkill’ suddenly becomes a lot more enjoyable and is guaranteed to keep the hairs on the back of your neck raised.

A new feature to make an appearance is the ‘Combo Counter’ taking its proud place above your score. With every kill made without missing or being hit, a extra bullet hole is made in the counter. Every five bullet holes earns a new level of gun-toting rage, ranging from ‘Extreme Violence’ to ‘Goregasm’ (snigger) and earns you even more points with every kill. It’s a nice addition which gives hi-score fanatics something to rile themselves over, as the leader boards are virtually the Combo Counter’s bitch. Unfortunately on some levels, keeping a combo going is easier said than done with the camera throwing itself around so much it’s as if the protagonists are deeply concerned about a nasty looking wasp, and so the player may find themselves having to replay through in a process of trial and error in order to earn a respectable place on the top-score tables.

Occasionally, the action has become so quick and frantic however, that ‘Overkill’ has suffered some lagging problems, some which freeze gameplay for small moments screwing up your combo counter in the process, and some which render the game unplayable (Probably because it couldn’t handle a ‘Goregasm’). Although these happen fairly rarely, it does make itself a complete nuisance in an otherwise pretty flawless experience.

The main story line only takes around 3 to 4 hours to complete and doesn’t serve up too much of a challenge, with deaths resulting in a simple deduction of points before you can continue. Things only go from easy to easier when you obtain enough cash to buy and upgrade weapons. After about 4 levels, ‘Overkill’ seemed to think I was civil and polite enough to hold a fully upgraded Automatic Shotgun without causing much of a stir. It made a big mistake. The game might as well have given me a Combine Harvester against the mutated masses, as I was ploughing through the levels with one shot kills, tearing zombies up into fleshy confetti. Still, if the game ever gets too easy, you can always go back to the standard Magnum, which actually renders the experience more enjoyable.

However, Overkill’s lifespan does not end with the main story line. Upon completion, a longer and harder ‘Directors Cut’ mode opens up and all levels are littered with hidden criteria to complete, letting you unlock loads of extra content. Each level also has the option to increase the amount of mutants encountered, challenging you even further. Multi-player is also expanded outside of story mode to three competitive mini-games. Although these won’t take up hours of time at a party compared to other multi-player Wii games, the story missions are enjoyable nostalgic romps to tear through with a pal.

‘Overkill’ does hint towards a play through with the Wii Zapper, but doesn’t enforce it. Due to the lack of Nunchuck controls, the prospect of using the Wii Zapper seems pointless, yet adds to the arcade feel and strengthens the atmosphere of the whole experience. Ultimately however, it’s all down to choice, and how much dosh you’re willing to shell out for the accessory.

Despite a few technical hic-cups that hinder gameplay, ‘The House Of The Dead: Overkill’ handles everything incredibly well. Graphics are top-notch, producing brilliantly rendered monstrosities before covering them in gallons of gore. The voiceovers are ridiculously melodramatic, the narrative so ridiculously awful that it’s hilarious and the soundtrack is embarrassingly catchy. ‘Overkill’ churns out masses of swearing, violence and disgusting imagery whilst ramming the retro down our throats so hard that we practically choke up on the Human League, and yet provides a charming breath of fresh air onto the Wii. It’s an incredibly frantic on-rail shooter that will have you coming back for more time after time, without the constant need of £1 coins. Gather up all your arcade spare change, because this is an essential purchase.

The House Of The Dead is back, and this time, it’s comical…