NextGen Player Review: The House of the Dead: Overkill

Play as the fresh young Agent G just out of the AMS academy, accompanied by the F-bomb dropping, gun slinging, vengeance seeking, badass Isaac Washington and the fowled mouth, chopper riding stripper Varla Guns. You join these unlikely companions as they travel across the Louisiana bayou in search of the crime lord Papa Caesar in this seven part thriller.

This is a grindhouse-like movie story line complete with grainy video cut scenes and all, that takes you across many interesting levels that include the opening farm house in "Papa's Palace of Pain", a hospital of the dead in "Ballistic Trauma", a Carnival where the clowns are truly scary (if they can be any more scary then in real life) and finally into the deep hells of the county prison known as "Jailhouse Judgment".

Headstrong Games and Sega really came out of the gate strong with this prequel to the original The House of the Dead, providing levels of new horror and taking full advantage of the Wii Remote's point and shoot capabilities. This is a game that causal, arcade style and the hardcore zombie mutant killing gamer will enjoy. The game offers a normal mutant setting and an even more gruesome extra mutant setting, allowing gamers to tweak the experience for their personal style and skill level.

The game also provides three entertaining mini-games for players that have mowed down their fair share of mutants; "Stayin’ Alive" - think Gears of War 2's Horde mode where you face a continuous wave of mutants, "Victim Support" - a mode where you save the civilians and help them escape and "Money Shot II", where up to four players kill mutants to achieve the highest score.

Amongst many of the games highlights, it also misses out in three ways. First, the Nunchuck is virtually useless being reserved for the "C" button grenade toss which you rarely use. Secondly, the extra mutants in a two player game provide little challenge for two players (however, in single player mode this setting does make you sweat). Lastly the final boss fight (no I won't spoil the ending - you can read elsewhere for that) left me with the feeling of - That's it? That was the final boss? Really?

Pros:
* Killing Clowns at the Carnival during the "Carney" level
* Lots of action, blood and gore
* Voice acting is true to Grindhouse style including cliches, one liners and excessive language
* Fun for both causal and hardcore gamers
*Did I mention killing Clowns?

Cons:
* Little to no use for the nanchuck attachment
* Extra mutants settings added little challenge to the two player game play
* Final Boss ending was a bit weak

NextGen Player gives "The House of the Dead: Overkill" a...