The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

Overkill is a prequel to the rest of the main-series games. Set in 1991, seven years before the events of the first game, players assume the role of Special Agent G, who is fresh out of the AMS academy working as a detective. He teams up with Detective Washington (the Co-op character or player 2) and is sent to investigate a small town in Louisiana, named Bayou City. The fictional swap city is infested with the undead, and it is up to Agent G and Detective Washington to resolve the situation.

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL features elements of The House of the Dead 2's item collection system.  As well as the requisite health items, the player can find golden brains that unlock bonuses once all are found, and an item that engages a bullet time-style mode.  Upon completing the game, the player unlocks Director's Cut mode, in which levels can be replayed with alternate scenes and diverging paths a la Sega's Ghost Squad, as well as a Dual Wield mode a la Raw Thrill's Target: Terror.

House of the Dead: OVERKILL is currently the Guinness World Record holder for the most profane video game of all time, with the word "fuck" uttered over 189 times throughout the game.

Story

• Papa's Palace of Pain

Upon reaching the cellar of the house G and Washington stumble upon Jasper and Papa Caesar. Jasper, being forced to work for Caesar in order to keep him from attacking his sister, injects himself with the "zombie" virus he worked on in order to regain mobility over his crippled body and kill Caesar. However Caesar manages to escape leaving Jasper attacking G and Washington in his mutated form. After wearing Jasper down G "helps" him with the pain by putting a bullet in his skull. Just then Varla Guns, Jasper's sister runs into the room. Upon seeing her brother's  dead mutated body lying on the floor she tells that she avange her Jasper and kill Papa Caesar before running off again.

• Ballistic Trauma

After disposing of Screamer, Caesar's mutant designed specifically to dispose of G and Washington, a phone starts ringing. Washington tells G to pick it up, however G denies the ringing is from his phone. After the initial surprise the two notice that the ringing is coming from inside the corpse of Screamer. Washington who says he does not want to ruin the manicure he just had makes G stick his hand inside the open wounds in Screamer's body and take out the phone. G answers the phone and then gives it to Isaac telling him it is for him. Once Isaac has the phone Papa Caesar reveal that it is him who is calling them and that he is about to detonate the hospital that they are in. Upon this announcement G and Washington sprint away from the hospital as fast as they can but the force of the explosion propels them away. The 3 of them decide to go on the pursuit of Papa Cesar together on Varla's mother cycle with Varla driving, G sitting behind her and Washington sitting his knees against his chest in the tiny sidecar.

• Carny

Left without transport G goes out to find a vehicule for them to use after Varla ditches them but what he ends up finding is not quite what Isaac had in mind.

• Scream Train

G and Washington reach the train station in an ice-cream van, where they find Varla about to shoot Caesar. Washington wants to kill Caesar himself, but G insists they allow him to take Caesar into custody. While the trio bicker, Caesar makes his escape, climbing onto a train. G and Washington follow him on, leaving Varla behind.

• The Fetid Waters

Somewhat later Varla finds the two unconscious in a pond, Washington having his face in G's crotch.  Washington wakes up, embarrassed. Caesar appears out of the blue pointing a gun at Varla and takes place behind her on her motorcycle. Caesar tells Isaac that he is truly like his father saying that he once again he has missed his chance for revenge. He then throws a cassette at Isaac's feet. Issac asks if it was true that Caesar killed his father but Caesar does not answer and tells Varla to bring him to the County Prison. Varla tells them that they had better come and rescue her and then rides off with Caesar sitting on the passenger seat. Washington points out to G that the quickest way to get there is through the swamps and heads off in front, G picks up the cassette Caesar threw at Isaac and then follows.

• Jailhouse Judgement
  

Once they arrive at the County Prison they meet up with Warden Clement Darling who acts in a strange manner. After fighting their way through the prison, G and Washington find Clement, Varla and Caesar, the latter two strapped to chairs. Clement reveals that he was behind the mutant outbreak, and introduces his mother, whose life he wishes to sustain using the mutant compound. Clement tells that he loves his mother very much and French kisses her in front of Isaac and G who look upon the scene in disgust. His mother then complains about Varla's breast size saying "this one has small tits, not the one with small tits Clement!". After making his mother quit down Clement electrocutes Caesar, robbing Issac of his revenge. He then departs with Varla.

• Overkill

G and Issac take the elevator to the secret lab beneath the prison. They hear Varla screaming in terror over a speaker. After fighting their way through the lab, they discover Clement and Varla, whose brain has been removed and replaced with that of Clement's mother. G and Issac shoot Varla into a vat of the mutant formula, which transforms her into a hideous, gargantuan monstrosity with sagging breasts and a long uterus-like appendage. G and Issac find some miniguns and defeat the monster, G carrying Varla's original brain in a jar. Clement wishes to atone for his sins and asks Isaac and G to allow him to "return to the source", "be reborn". G tells him that it is ok and Clement heads of to be "reborn" and crawls into the monster's vagina making his way in his mother's womb to eventually die. After these events Isaac and G have a bried discussion about how Isaac never called Clement a mother fucker despite him screaming it the whole time throughout the event of the game, G and Issac escape in a helicopter, while Isaac reflects over how the events of the game were an indictment of contemporary feminism.

During the credits a song plays in which G is calling with his mother talking about how he has a new girlfriend but that he can not yet present her to her since she has "some things to put together first".

After the credits, Papa Caesar's cassette recording plays, revealing an ominous message about the future of the mutant formula and revealing that Isaac's father is not dead.

Weapons

• Desert Eagle
• XM8 Assault Rifle
  
• TMP/MP9 SMG
• M3 Super 90 Shotgun
  
• M4 Super Shotgun
• Revolver
• Minigun
  

Trailer

One of the more notable trailers of 2008, The House Of The Dead: OVERKILL's grindhouse-inspired teaser trailer generated a lot of interest for the game. The trailer claims the game is "so frightening you'll cry blood from your own eyes". The trailer also recognises the Nintendo fanbase by claiming the game is "the hardcore you've been waiting for".

The trailer can be viewed at YouTube.

Promotional Material

"Prelude to an Overkill" is a short comic given to those who preordered the game from selected retailers in North America and the PAL territories.  Illustrated by Steve Copter (of British punk band Black Mekon), it stars game protagonists Issac Washington and Varla Guns and tells of the events shortly before the first level of the game.  The comic, like Frank Miller's Sin City, is black and white (and filled with nudity and profanity, albeit censored in Prelude) with red used to highlight blood.  While North American preorderers were given the comic with the game, in PAL territories, the game and comic were packaged together in an exclusive, specially-designed slipcase.  Copies of Prelude to an Overkill were also handed out to visitors of Sega's booth at New York Comic Con '09, where Overkill, in addition to other Wii-exclusive games, was on display.

Produced by French game publisher and peripheral developer BigBen Interactive in cooperation with Sega, the Hand Cannon is a revolver-shaped Wii Remote shell modeled after the game's eponymous unlockable gun.  Much like Nyko's Wii PerfectShot, the Wii Remote fits into the top of the Hand Cannon and is locked into place by guards at the top and bottom of the controller.  A button on the left side of the shell (near the top of the handle) opens a hatch that can be opened to make loading and unloading the Wii Remote easier, as well as store the connector for the Nunchuk; the Nunchuk wire feeds through a small hole by the shell's "hammer," and can be placed into a grooved opening down the center of the gun handle.  The Hand Cannon is usually sold separately from the game, but a bundle released only in Australia (shown left) packaged the game with two Hand Cannon controller shells.  The Hand Cannon is exclusive to PAL territories, and Sega of America representatives have stated that the company has no intent on bringing them to North America.