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This thread has been linked to the game 'The House of the Dead: Overkill'.
'I don't want a Nintendo. They're for babies who like bright colours and kiddie content. I'd rather have a Playstation with realistic games like Final Fantasy* and Grand Theft Auto.' That sort of comment was typical of the gaming community and well believed by the majority of gaming fanboys until SEGA decided to take a gamble and create something entirely new, 18 rated and exclusive to the Nintendo Wii, arguably Nintendo's kiddiest console. It;s the 'mother-funking' gruesome The House of the Dead: Overkill!
I'm pretty certain most of you will have played a House of the Dead game in the past - some may have even played Typing of the Dead., So you wont require me to tell you that the series is like a B-movie horror experience. The games are intentionally cheap, corny and full of cheesey humour to encourage you to put another pound coin in the arcade machine. We have already had House of the Dead 2&3 on the Wii, the original appears to have been forgotten, as does the arcade exclusive 4th title. However, Overkill has reinvented the series and it is sa-weet!
First of all, this is definately not a game for the young. I'm not just talking about the swearing...the kids will hear similar bad language on TV or in school anyway. Overkill has pushed BBFC to the edge of its limits when rating this title. It contains more blood than any previous game, has various sex-related jokes, involves a character peeing on his own leg before snogging his own mother then climbing into her womb whilst she lies topless and dying. If you don't believe me, play it yourself and find out!
The game stars special agent G, who's name will always remain a mystery. His colleague and potential love interest is Isaac Washington of the local police force. Together they're an unstoppable mutant-zombie killing force to be reckoned with. The chemistry between these two continues to build throughout the game's cutscenes, and sometimes is aided by their in-game dialogue too.
Overkill is basically a light-gun game. Pull the Wii-mote trigger to shoot (B), point away from the screen to reload, and kill anything that looks like it will harm you. The mutants will appear from various places and and head towards you with intent to kill. You point the Wii-mote the screen and shoot them until they are no more. Your character automatically follows a set course through each stage until you reach and end of level boss-mutant who will follow a pre-determined set of attacks whilst you follow a pre-dertermined route around the arena trying to shoot it's week spot, Once done you move on to the next cut-scene and attempt the next stage.
This formula has been followed by all other House of the Dead games, as well as SEGA's Ghost Squad (also on Wii), Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and Confidential Mission** on the Dreamcast. It may be a classic, but it works. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Instead you need to offer incentives to progress. Overkill does this with its over-the-top cheesy cutscenes and grotesque developments. For the high-score junky, there is the option to try and better pre-set high-scores and even to set the stages so that there are more mutants to kill. There is even a Director's Cut version of the game to unlock! And by reaching certain achievements, you earn cash to unlock bigger and better weaponry!
If you can put up with a very crazy, yet somehow clichéd story, terrible use of language, and jhumour that will make you chuckle yet groan, and enjoy shooting things, you can't really go wrong with this. If you're looking for something that will suit a young audience, will give them an education*** and improve eyesight or fitness levels, you'll need to pick something completely different.
As far as on-rails shooters go - I rate this highly 9/10.
*Oh the ironing
**Epilepsy guaranteed!
***An education is also guaranteed. Just not the sort of education you want to be taught to your little-loved ones.
I'm pretty certain most of you will have played a House of the Dead game in the past - some may have even played Typing of the Dead., So you wont require me to tell you that the series is like a B-movie horror experience. The games are intentionally cheap, corny and full of cheesey humour to encourage you to put another pound coin in the arcade machine. We have already had House of the Dead 2&3 on the Wii, the original appears to have been forgotten, as does the arcade exclusive 4th title. However, Overkill has reinvented the series and it is sa-weet!
First of all, this is definately not a game for the young. I'm not just talking about the swearing...the kids will hear similar bad language on TV or in school anyway. Overkill has pushed BBFC to the edge of its limits when rating this title. It contains more blood than any previous game, has various sex-related jokes, involves a character peeing on his own leg before snogging his own mother then climbing into her womb whilst she lies topless and dying. If you don't believe me, play it yourself and find out!
The game stars special agent G, who's name will always remain a mystery. His colleague and potential love interest is Isaac Washington of the local police force. Together they're an unstoppable mutant-zombie killing force to be reckoned with. The chemistry between these two continues to build throughout the game's cutscenes, and sometimes is aided by their in-game dialogue too.
Overkill is basically a light-gun game. Pull the Wii-mote trigger to shoot (B), point away from the screen to reload, and kill anything that looks like it will harm you. The mutants will appear from various places and and head towards you with intent to kill. You point the Wii-mote the screen and shoot them until they are no more. Your character automatically follows a set course through each stage until you reach and end of level boss-mutant who will follow a pre-determined set of attacks whilst you follow a pre-dertermined route around the arena trying to shoot it's week spot, Once done you move on to the next cut-scene and attempt the next stage.
This formula has been followed by all other House of the Dead games, as well as SEGA's Ghost Squad (also on Wii), Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and Confidential Mission** on the Dreamcast. It may be a classic, but it works. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Instead you need to offer incentives to progress. Overkill does this with its over-the-top cheesy cutscenes and grotesque developments. For the high-score junky, there is the option to try and better pre-set high-scores and even to set the stages so that there are more mutants to kill. There is even a Director's Cut version of the game to unlock! And by reaching certain achievements, you earn cash to unlock bigger and better weaponry!
If you can put up with a very crazy, yet somehow clichéd story, terrible use of language, and jhumour that will make you chuckle yet groan, and enjoy shooting things, you can't really go wrong with this. If you're looking for something that will suit a young audience, will give them an education*** and improve eyesight or fitness levels, you'll need to pick something completely different.
As far as on-rails shooters go - I rate this highly 9/10.
*Oh the ironing
**Epilepsy guaranteed!
***An education is also guaranteed. Just not the sort of education you want to be taught to your little-loved ones.
Thanks PB - Excuse the school-boy grammatical errors though :P (I was rather tired when I wrote that ^_^)
It really is an enjoyable game - again, not to play infront of children, but a brilliant experience.
I made the mistake of attempting to play Metroid Prime 3 for the first time after playing Overkill - I need to have a FPS break before trying again as its a lot slower and not what I'm used to with Overkill...
It really is an enjoyable game - again, not to play infront of children, but a brilliant experience.
I made the mistake of attempting to play Metroid Prime 3 for the first time after playing Overkill - I need to have a FPS break before trying again as its a lot slower and not what I'm used to with Overkill...
It does look brilliant and it's on my list of games to get.
Really good review there, Edgy.
Really good review there, Edgy.
'I don't want a Nintendo. They're for babies who like bright colours and kiddie content. I'd rather have a Playstation with realistic games like Final Fantasy* and Grand Theft Auto.' That sort of comment was typical of the gaming community and well believed by the majority of gaming fanboys until SEGA decided to take a gamble and create something entirely new, 18 rated and exclusive to the Nintendo Wii, arguably Nintendo's kiddiest console. It;s the 'mother-funking' gruesome The House of the Dead: Overkill!
I'm pretty certain most of you will have played a House of the Dead game in the past - some may have even played Typing of the Dead., So you wont require me to tell you that the series is like a B-movie horror experience. The games are intentionally cheap, corny and full of cheesey humour to encourage you to put another pound coin in the arcade machine. We have already had House of the Dead 2&3 on the Wii, the original appears to have been forgotten, as does the arcade exclusive 4th title. However, Overkill has reinvented the series and it is sa-weet!
First of all, this is definately not a game for the young. I'm not just talking about the swearing...the kids will hear similar bad language on TV or in school anyway. Overkill has pushed BBFC to the edge of its limits when rating this title. It contains more blood than any previous game, has various sex-related jokes, involves a character peeing on his own leg before snogging his own mother then climbing into her womb whilst she lies topless and dying. If you don't believe me, play it yourself and find out!
The game stars special agent G, who's name will always remain a mystery. His colleague and potential love interest is Isaac Washington of the local police force. Together they're an unstoppable mutant-zombie killing force to be reckoned with. The chemistry between these two continues to build throughout the game's cutscenes, and sometimes is aided by their in-game dialogue too.
Overkill is basically a light-gun game. Pull the Wii-mote trigger to shoot (B), point away from the screen to reload, and kill anything that looks like it will harm you. The mutants will appear from various places and and head towards you with intent to kill. You point the Wii-mote the screen and shoot them until they are no more. Your character automatically follows a set course through each stage until you reach and end of level boss-mutant who will follow a pre-determined set of attacks whilst you follow a pre-dertermined route around the arena trying to shoot it's week spot, Once done you move on to the next cut-scene and attempt the next stage.
This formula has been followed by all other House of the Dead games, as well as SEGA's Ghost Squad (also on Wii), Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and Confidential Mission** on the Dreamcast. It may be a classic, but it works. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Instead you need to offer incentives to progress. Overkill does this with its over-the-top cheesy cutscenes and grotesque developments. For the high-score junky, there is the option to try and better pre-set high-scores and even to set the stages so that there are more mutants to kill. There is even a Director's Cut version of the game to unlock! And by reaching certain achievements, you earn cash to unlock bigger and better weaponry!
If you can put up with a very crazy, yet somehow clichéd story, terrible use of language, and jhumour that will make you chuckle yet groan, and enjoy shooting things, you can't really go wrong with this. If you're looking for something that will suit a young audience, will give them an education*** and improve eyesight or fitness levels, you'll need to pick something completely different.
As far as on-rails shooters go - I rate this highly 9/10.
*Oh the ironing
**Epilepsy guaranteed!
***An education is also guaranteed. Just not the sort of education you want to be taught to your little-loved ones.
I'm pretty certain most of you will have played a House of the Dead game in the past - some may have even played Typing of the Dead., So you wont require me to tell you that the series is like a B-movie horror experience. The games are intentionally cheap, corny and full of cheesey humour to encourage you to put another pound coin in the arcade machine. We have already had House of the Dead 2&3 on the Wii, the original appears to have been forgotten, as does the arcade exclusive 4th title. However, Overkill has reinvented the series and it is sa-weet!
First of all, this is definately not a game for the young. I'm not just talking about the swearing...the kids will hear similar bad language on TV or in school anyway. Overkill has pushed BBFC to the edge of its limits when rating this title. It contains more blood than any previous game, has various sex-related jokes, involves a character peeing on his own leg before snogging his own mother then climbing into her womb whilst she lies topless and dying. If you don't believe me, play it yourself and find out!
The game stars special agent G, who's name will always remain a mystery. His colleague and potential love interest is Isaac Washington of the local police force. Together they're an unstoppable mutant-zombie killing force to be reckoned with. The chemistry between these two continues to build throughout the game's cutscenes, and sometimes is aided by their in-game dialogue too.
Overkill is basically a light-gun game. Pull the Wii-mote trigger to shoot (B), point away from the screen to reload, and kill anything that looks like it will harm you. The mutants will appear from various places and and head towards you with intent to kill. You point the Wii-mote the screen and shoot them until they are no more. Your character automatically follows a set course through each stage until you reach and end of level boss-mutant who will follow a pre-determined set of attacks whilst you follow a pre-dertermined route around the arena trying to shoot it's week spot, Once done you move on to the next cut-scene and attempt the next stage.
This formula has been followed by all other House of the Dead games, as well as SEGA's Ghost Squad (also on Wii), Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and Confidential Mission** on the Dreamcast. It may be a classic, but it works. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Instead you need to offer incentives to progress. Overkill does this with its over-the-top cheesy cutscenes and grotesque developments. For the high-score junky, there is the option to try and better pre-set high-scores and even to set the stages so that there are more mutants to kill. There is even a Director's Cut version of the game to unlock! And by reaching certain achievements, you earn cash to unlock bigger and better weaponry!
If you can put up with a very crazy, yet somehow clichéd story, terrible use of language, and jhumour that will make you chuckle yet groan, and enjoy shooting things, you can't really go wrong with this. If you're looking for something that will suit a young audience, will give them an education*** and improve eyesight or fitness levels, you'll need to pick something completely different.
As far as on-rails shooters go - I rate this highly 9/10.
*Oh the ironing
**Epilepsy guaranteed!
***An education is also guaranteed. Just not the sort of education you want to be taught to your little-loved ones.