The House of the Dead: Overkill
The House of the Dead: Overkill is an on-rails light gun shooter game developed by Headstrong Games and published by Sega for the Wii in 2009. It is a spin-off of The House of the Dead series, a non-canonical prequel to the original game chronologically, and the first in the series to be released solely on a home console. An Extended Cut edition for PlayStation 3, compatible with the PlayStation Move accessory, was released in 2011. A mobile version, The Lost Reels, was released on iOS and Android devices in 2013.
The House of the Dead: Overkill
Headstrong Games
Modern Dream (Typing of the Dead)
Steve Pritchard
Tancred Dyke-Wells
Bradley Crooks
Neil McEwan
Alastair Halsby
Ian Crowther
Mark Slater
Casey Fulton
Jonathan Burroughs
John Sanderson
Nadeem Daya
Wii
PlayStation 3(Extended Cut)iOS, Android
(The Lost Reels)
- WW: April 25, 2013
(Typing of the Dead: Overkill)
- WW: October 29, 2013
An alternate version, The Typing of the Dead: Overkill, was released for Microsoft Windows in 2013, replacing the game's shooting gameplay with keyboard typing mechanics from 1999's The Typing of the Dead. It includes the original shooting mechanics as an option.
After the game's initial Wii release, no new installments to the series were released for nearly a decade; the next game in the series would be the arcade-exclusive House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn, a sequel to The House of the Dead 4, that was released in 2018.
Gameplay[edit]
Like previous games in the House of the Dead series, Overkill is a rail shooter, with the character moving along a predetermined path, and the shooting element under player control by pointing the Wii Remote at the screen, moving the aiming reticle. The player can point the reticle near the edge of the screen to move the camera angle slightly in that direction, allowing a further field of view known as "Danger Cam".[3] The story mode can be played solo or with another human player, with one weapon or dual-wielding controls, once the option is unlocked.
Players can also build up a combo meter by killing mutants to receive a score, with further points gained by performing head shots, shooting bonus pickup, saving civilians and attaining multiple kills without missing a shot. If one or both players die, points from their overall scores can be spent to continue playing. At the end of each level, players are awarded a grade that depends on their final score among other factors such as not dying, and accuracy of shots.[4] Along with score bonuses, other pick ups scattered throughout levels include health packs, grenades, the "Slow Mo-Fo" pick up that puts everything into slow motion temporarily[5] and the "Evil Eye" feature in which shooting a certain environmental point destroys any lurking mutants nearby.
New guns and gun upgrades can be bought with cash earned from the player's end of level score, between levels at the Gun Shop.[6] Upon completing the story mode, Director's Cut is unlocked providing the same game as story mode but with tougher enemies, extended levels and a limited amount of continues.
Development[edit]
The game was originally intended to follow the same style as previous The House of the Dead games, while other themes such as steampunk were also considered. Headstrong ultimately chose a theme inspired by exploitation films after watching the film Planet Terror, which inspired the art direction, plot and marketing.[9]
Most of the main characters were modeled after several famous individuals. For example, Detective Washington was modeled after rapper Common, Varla Guns after glamor model Vikki Blows, Papa Caesar after Burt Reynolds, Jasper Guns after Stephen Hawking, and Agent G on Keanu Reeves as he appears in Point Break.[9]
Music[edit]
The soundtrack is written and composed by John Sanderson and Nadeem Daya. The songs are pop, rock, funk, country and disco genres of the 1970s era. Despite many requests from fans, neither Sega nor Headstrong Games have any plans to release an official soundtrack, although there exist bootleg versions on the Internet.[10]