US, December 19, 2008 - The House of the Dead: Overkill has been billed as "The hardcore you've been waiting for" since its first unveiling just a few months ago. As we've said before though, we knew something was cooking with the House of the Dead series long before 2&3 were released as a port to Wii, so our anticipation for this balls-out blast-fest has been building for quite some time now.
On the more personal side of things, I've been a lightgun fan since the start of the genre, having played my way through every SEGA offering across every possible platform; specifically Dreamcast, when I didn't get it straight from the arcade tap. So when a new House of the Dead title makes its way around it's serious business. After about seven hours with the latest previous build of Overkill, taking periodical stops to go back and push through HOTD2 and 3 for a little refresh, I can say that Overkill is certainly a different breed from its predecessors, but it also packs one hell of a punch.
The builds we're playing on now are still very much "work in progress" mode all around. Buttons don't always work when in the interface, glitches riddle the game and often freeze or momentarily halt progress as we blast through a little two-player co-op or duel wield mode, and random issues are still being ironed out. Not a problem, and as long as everyone reading this is clear that these issues are here, and that we're going to carry on (much like we do with most preview builds) that the blatant issues we see will be fixed – that's just the nature of game development – you should have a good feeling of what Overkill offers House of the Dead newcomers and veterans alike by the end of my little rant here.
For starters though, I need to mention the interface and presentation, and the sheer amount of "awesomeicity" (the state of being awesome) that comes with it. With the entire game taking on a grind house feel to it, Overkill is one of the first games on Wii that I've played that doesn't instantly feel like a Wii game. What do I mean? The attention to its style and design, the flow from screen to screen during interface areas, the fact that every asset feels design specifically to put payers in the mood of the game; it's all in here. Cheesy rock music plays in the background while players use IR to select options and modes via gigantic character cut-outs seemingly pulled directly from campy horror/grit cinema, various selections in the game have you grabbing knobs with the IR and then twisting the Wii-mote as if you're actually turning a dial, and the backdrops give the same feeling as the already shown off box backgrounds and character designs. If it could have been on a poster of Attack of the Giant "Insert Normally Small Creature Here" 4, it has a place in Overkill.
Before I hop into the levels that I'm allowed to chit-chat about though, there are a few other notes that should be made on interface and options. SEGA has already announced that there will be alternate playthroughs in the game, as well as some party-like multiplayer modes to check out, and those are already being teased in this build with "Coming Soon" logos over the selection option. Outside of that, duel wield mode is available right before stage select, and allows you to actually select any other gun you've got unlocked for your second hand, knowing to have only one score and health bar up top in the game HUD. Being a huge fan of duel wield (I went crazy with duel Wii-mote videos in Ghost Squad when we got the game last year), I'm extremely pleased to see that a full-on mode made the cut.
Also included is the IR Calibration mode, taken from House of the Dead 2 & 3, and it works pretty well, if not for the general lack of forgiving space in Wii's own cursor technology. You still need to stand far enough away so that you can point around the screen without having the Wii itself lose the IR on the top, bottom, left, or right of the screen, but once you go into calibration mode, it is possible to play through the game with the cursor off; the way light gun games were meant to be played. As long as you don't move around after calibration, and are using a top-mounted gun shell (such as the Nyko Perfect Shot, or similar "Wii-mote on top" pistol shells) it feels pretty similar to what you get in arcades.
SEGA is also fine with me dropping some info on the gun store, which has some serious potential for Overkill. Before heading out on a mission, each player can select two weapons from the list of unlocked guns. After each mission, based on health, multiplier status, and a few other aspects you'll be awarded cash, which can be used to buy and upgrade new weapons. The list we have in our build (we'd assume it's the full set, with maybe one more uber-gun for completing every mode or something) is the default Magnum, the Hand Cannon, Pump Shotgun, Semi Auto Shotgun, Machine Pistol (looks like a Scorpion, or "Klob" from Goldeneye) and an Assault Rifle that resembles the new XM8, a newer, actually US combat rifle replacement contender, fan-favorite for military shooter fans.
All of these guns can be upgraded to reduce recoil, up fire rate, make the clip size bigger, up the damage, and down the reload time. At its default level, the Magnum does some decent damage – maybe an ideal gun for children, perhaps? – but in its fully-upgraded state it can back some serious limb-blasting power. The auto shotty alone has the ability to blast off limbs with every shot, and in its upgraded state will leave zombies strewn about in a delightfully-chunky paste. The rifle, on the other hand, packs a serious punch when pushed to the limit, as it's pretty common to cut the undead off at the knees before the torso has a chance to hit the ground. This can be done when duel wielding as well (or co-op shots placed directly on the knees with magnums), but when a single player with a single gun can basically cut a line of zombies in half with enough skill, you've got my money right then and there.
As for the levels, SEGA has cleared three levels for discussion so far, and those include Papa's Palace of Pain (the original hands-on level Matt did), Ballistic Trauma, which is set in a zombie-infested hospital, and the first carnival level ever shown in our early, early hands-on with the game, "Carny." Each of the three levels bring something fresh to the game, but since we've already had a chance to talk about Papa's Palace of Pain, I'll keep that one short.
In Papa's Palace of Pain, you've got a few basic "save the civilian" areas at the beginning of the level, teamed with some classic Resident Evil-inspired mansion crawling. There are a few key areas that are pretty interesting, having a balcony snipe area where you can blast the undead from a distance with your equipped guns, a main hall with a droppable chandelier for surprise zombie "crushification" (the state of crushing), and lots of close-quarters combat with rushing zombies, complete with under-the-desk rolling and some sweet through-window-action. Things are still a little dark in each of these levels, but that's something already being tweaked on internal builds. Since this is an earlier level, most of the gunwork used will be magnum shots, and while you'll see the occasional arm bust off or headshot, things are pretty tame. Random shots will break windows or knock pictures off the walls (no shooting out lights though), but if I had only taken the first level for a spin I would have been pissed that there wasn't more limb-busting action. The first HOTD games had it, but to get to the real grit of the game you'll either need to have perfect aim on elbows and knees (not arms and legs; literally the joints of the zombies) to knock them off from the get-go.
Ballistic Trauma is the next level in the bunch, which marries all the regular pop-in designs and hallway work from the original level with a bit more zombie mobility. Players rush through hallways blasting away at zombie nurses, clearing off operating tables occupied by stirring undead, and eventually crashing through windows to get out to a rooftop where a helicopter is seen crashing to the ground. In a previous build we had, that's where the demo would end, but the latest update had us rushing over to the chopper and blasting flaming zombies, and eventually working our way back inside to do battle with a creepy screaming zombie-lady in what looks like a solitary confinement room. All the while zombies are crashing in through windows and breaking down doors during Ballistic Trauma, and while the game isn't as quick in pace, firing, or reload overall as say, House of the Dead 2, the pace picks up by the second level considerably.
And then there's Carny. Carny is by far our favorite area so far, despite the fact that it's extremely dark and still in a visually rougher state than the other levels. A haunted carnival is the perfect place for a zombie infestation, and Carny delivers from what we've played so far, having the undead lumbering through game stands or rocking out to a music stage also inhabited by the infected. The initial trailer from the game shows a ride breaking apart and crashing in front of players, and that's here too, actually breaking through an area of the level that you'll then move around and continue on your way from.
There's also a section where you get on a cheap carnival rollercoaster (one of the "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" ones that are basically built inside a barn), and drive around in pathetic little circles while running over undead and blowing the hell out of flammable hanging skeletons. The amount of gore chunks in this area is practically arousing, as long as that doesn't sound strange and demented to anyone.
Carny has a few other great moments too. Later in the level zombie football players come crashing through the grandstands, and the lumbering fatties – now impervious to head shots due to their newly-acquired headgear – proceed to rush agent G and Washington. The best way to take them out is to rock a few well-placed shots to their chests, but cut them down at the legs and they'll come crawling towards you head-first, now almost completely protected by their helmets. The whole level ends with a fight against a two-faced mutant man from the carnival's freak show. After eating a zombie's head off, he reveals that he's got a tiny man growing out of his chest and stomach (Similar to Kuato from Total Recall). We shot that tiny man in the face with lots of bullets. Classic.
That's three out of the seven areas – assuming there isn't an eighth mystery finale –and already Overkill is looking to be shaping up quite nicely. When stacked against it's competition, Overkill has a similar, moody style just like Umbrella Chronicles does, though the IR tracking is better (still not quite as smooth as Ghost Squad) than Capcom's offering. You won't find branching paths, and it is odd as such a fan of classic House of the Dead to be playing a slightly slower, inherently different take on SEGA's series, but I'm having a blast with Overkill so far, and with the team still plugging away it can only get better. Hopefully the game stays as fresh and fun in the next levels as it has in these first three, and the level of polish has to be there to really make this one a must-have title. It's violent, bloody, and filled with inappropriate language; I'm pretty sure I just heard Miyamoto's head explode.
That's all I've got for the latest hands-on with the game, but before you head off I think it's appropriate to give this over-the-top game a quick over-the-top critic quote. Here it goes. "Overkill is the most hard-hitting, gun-toting, zombie-punching shooter on Wii. So hardcore, it will tear your face off."
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