House of the Dead: Overkill Review (Nintendo Wii)

So, you’ve been waiting for a reason to not sell your Wii on Ebay. Well wait no longer. 2009 is officially the Year of the Wii. And, Sega is leading the pack with House of the Dead: Overkill. The game is delightfully gory, hilariously scripted in its irreverent cheesiness, and topped with enough f-bombs to make a mutant redneck blow his mutha’f^&*in brains out.

From start to finish, Overkill feels like a grindhouse flick that is overwhelming fun to play. The story features Agent G, from the original House of the Dead, and Isaac Washington, a detective who drops the f-bomb every time he opens his mouth. Isaac is on a quest to find his father’s murderer. Along the way, he runs into the sleazy crime boss Papa Caesar, who compares everything to Chinese food, and an ex-stripper named Varla Guns. From a high level Overkill has a shallow story, but that’s actually its intent; you’ve got to blast your way through piles of mutant zombies on your way to taking down Papa Caesar. The story really wins out on its approach. Everything from the amusement park to the dialogue screams B-movie and is exploited to the nth level creating a hilariously raunchy comedic story. Sure, the overuse of the f-word may make some ears squirm, but after about thirty-plus times hearing Isaac uses it, you’ll come to appreciate its brilliance and power. The story is topped off visually with grainy cut scenes that immerse you into the grindhouse world. Tarantino would be proud. There are several pop-culture references that will make avid moviegoers drool in delight.

The controls are fairly simple. You have no control over where you move, as the game automatically points you in the right direction and moves you forward. The game is, however, designed with a feeling of periphery vision. You can point the Wii-mote to the far left or right of the screen to pick up special items like grenades and slow motion effects for added gore. The sensitivity of the Wii-mote and IR use is spot on. This is one of the only Wii-shooters I’ve played where the target you aim at is actually the target that gets shot, which is refreshing. Also, the interface has its own snazzy approach. When you adjust the control knobs, you actually have to grab and turn the Wii-mote in a circular motion. The only movement I found to be annoying occurs when a zombie grabs you. You will have to shake the Wii-mote wildly to not get killed. This movement will have you feeling out of shape and exhausted by the time you shake off your zombie attacker.

The House of the Dead: Overkill graphics are some of the best graphics to ever grace the Wii. You will really get the sense of being right in the heart of the action as zombies explode in front of you with every headshot. The blood-splattering visuals are worthy enough of any next-gen console. Something about blowing up a mutant clown just makes my moth salivate. Plus, the actual response to shootings feels “real.” When zombies are shot, they have a natural reaction to where the bullet hits them. Plus, body parts explode practically everywhere on screen, so you get a nice feel for being a grindhouse rock star.

There are some frame rate issues in House of the Dead. Sometimes you’ll shoot a zombie, and catch a brief pause in the game before the zombie eventually explodes. Every once in a while, a mutant limb may disappear or they just may get stuck in the environment. Does this put a damper on the fun factor? Surprisingly, not at all. Overkill is just that fun.

Like all shooter games, the worst gun in the game is the SMGs. So, avoid buying this weapon and save your money for weapon upgrades, or just more heavy-duty firearms.

House of the Dead: Overkill can be finished in under four hours. But, this is one game that will easily bring you several dozen more hours of fun. You’ll want to play this game over-and-over in an attempt to unlock more brutal guns and hidden features. Plus, this is a great party game - if you don’t have children around.

The bosses look like big piles of goop, but they are mutants after all. Most of them can be killed pretty quickly; a big red circle appears on the boss and you just aim for the center. A second player can jump in at any time in arcade fashion, which creates a seamless gaming experience.

The sound track and voice over acting has to be mentioned here. The music puts you right in the heart of the grindhouse movie experience. Sometimes you’ll find yourself just waiting in a menu between boards listening to the music tracks because they are just that memorable. Sound effects are realistic and will have you pumped put a slug straight between the eyes of a wanting nurse. The VO is hilariously delivered and with the intricate cut scenes, it feels like a real movie – just with more laughs and sexual jokes. Papa Caesar and the narration VO are great compliments to Isaac’s f-bomb onslaught.

House of the Dead: Overkill one of the most ambitious games to hit the Wii, and is the current front-runner for 2009’s best Wii game. Honestly, if I didn’t have a Wii I’d buy one just to play House of the Dead. This game is just that fun. Overkill has tons of replay value and is great for adult get togethers – just make sure you send the kiddies off to hang with the grandparents. Sega’s hinted at a sequel to this title, so hopefully enough gamers buy this one so that we can have an improved House of the Dead experience without the frame issues.