Short and shocking, but great fun (The House Of The Dead: Overkill (Wii))

Member Name: MonsoonBaby

Product:	The House Of The Dead: Overkill (Wii)
Date:	28/06/09 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hilarious cut-scenes, Fun two player functions, Great with Wii controls, Grindhouse theme is spot-on

Disadvantages: Duration of game is too short, Likely to offend many, Shooting accuracy off at times

The Wii has previously been graced with two from this shooting series, a two in one game featuring the second and third House Of The Dead games.

As fans of this series should already know, House Of The Dead features cheesy [and often quite terrible] voice acting, along with a thin story, but plenty of fun shooting. Although the first two of these points may make the series sound rather flawed, it has been seen generally as a trademark that is expected every game the series produces.

Luckily, The House Of The Dead: Overkill capitalises on these ideas. Cashing in on the recent popularity of the "Grindhouse" style films [possibly helped along by the Rodriguez film "Planet Terror"], the visual style of this game is rather spectacular. Complete with grainy shots, jumpy camera work, and plenty of dodgy camera angles, HOD: Overkill definately plays as a fitting homage to this Grindhouse style.

The game introduces a partnership between the already previously established "G" and his partner "Washington". We soon discover that they form an unlikely pairing which often leads to rather hilarious moments of dialogue in the cut-scenes.

Each chapter in Overkill acts as a separate grindhouse style film. Upon selecting each new chapter, we are greeted with a mock film poster relating to what lies in the gameplay within each chapter.

It must be noted that the previous House Of The Dead games were rather light-hearted, arcade style shooting fun, and the gore contained within the gameplay was obviously of a cartoony style. However, Overkill goes in a different direction from the previous games in the series. It is evident that gameplay features more heavily on the gore, and capitalises on the adult themes that lie within. Overkill definitely does not go easily on these adult themes, and so it should definitely be noted that this game is not for children. Without giving away spoilers, the end boss and concluding cut-scene of the game is a completely unexpected [and rather gross] shock. You must have a strong stomach to handle a lot of the enemies you encounter in this game, and it would also help if you are not easily offended, because this game does just that.

Gameplay in general is rather fun, but at times these [perhaps intentional] camera jumps and short freezes can be rather irritating. This can sometimes affect your shooting accuracy. The game is also very easy to complete, and did not take me much longer than 3 hours to complete in it's entirety.

Overall, I recommend House Of The Dead: Overkill if you are in need of a more adult aimed game for the Wii. An arcade style shooting game is perfect with the Wii-mote controls, and provides a lot of fun if played with a friend. It may be incredibly short, which is a tad disappointing, but the replay value every once in a while makes it worth a look at.

Summary: Short and rather gory and shocking, but a lot of fun, with some hilarious cut scenes. A must.