There are various modes in this game that give this arcade-like title maximum replayability. The regular campaign mode is about 3-4 hours long, depending on how efficient you are your first time through, but once you beat it, you can replay it again with “Extra Mutants”. Not only does this act as a more difficult playthrough, but you can also achieve higher scores due to the extra enemies, which will allow you to buy more weapons and unlock additional achievements. When you finish with the “Extra Mutants” mode, it’s time to move on to the Director’s Cut.
While the story is the same, this mode has additional gameplay, more zombies, a higher difficulty level, and limited continues (in the regular game mode, you can continue infinitely, but your score is cut in half each time you do). Your weapons also do not carry over from the regular mode, meaning you need to start from scratch, which makes the game difficult all over again. The levels are significantly longer here, and with limited continues, making it through unscathed is far more challenging. Overkill is definitely a game that is easy to beat, but is difficult to beat with style, and the Director’s Cut mode adds to that challenge.
Just when you think you have run out of ways to master this House of the Dead title, you are given the ability to dual wield your weapons, and yes, two players can both dual wield at the same time, giving you four firearms to take out zombies with. The shooting reticule can be turned off if all of those circles on the screen are too confusing for you, or if you simply want that arcade and lightgun experience. Dual wielding is a ton of fun, and is something that anyone who spends time with this game is going to want to master. It’s even better with a pair of the gun shells of your preference, though the game plays perfectly even without that accessory.
There are also mini-games, though that title is misleading since these aren’t what you are thinking of. There’s a shooting gallery for improving your accuracy and reaction time, as well as a “Victim Support” mode for saving civilians. These can both be played with up to four players, and you will need the help as they get hectic. The best of the three mini-games is easily “Stayin’ Alive” though, as you are faced with the task of slaying wave after wave of mutants while trapped in a room in the hospital. Your health is limited, you are equipped with just the basic AMS Magnum, and your survival is timed. Clear a wave and earn yourself some time back to keep playing, but you will need to work fast in order to keep things moving, as the waves get longer each time out. This mode is perfect for you and a friend or three if you’ve already blown through the campaign that night.
You can keep track of just how well you are doing by visiting the Memorabilia and Extras section. Here, you can view your unlocked videos, music, art and 3D character models. You can see what requirements you need to reach in order to unveil all of this secret stuff too, giving you specific reasons to go back and play.
The music plays in the missions, trailers and while you set yourself up for a game, and not only is it catchy, but if you take the time to listen to the lyrics, it’s pretty funny as well. I never thought I would hear a country song about hooking up with the undead, but now I have, and I feel like I’m a better person because of it. It’s a huge part of the game, one that adds to the grindhouse style Headstrong was going for successfully.
There are just a few nitpicks I have with this game, and I’m digging deep to even bring these up. First, there are occasional framerate dips; while these are not always bothersome, and sometimes even seem intentional based on the grindhouse style of the title (think burning and damaged reels here), they can occasionally trip you up when you are reloading and cause you to take unintentional damage. It’s something you learn to deal with though, especially since severe dips are very infrequent.
The only other issue may be the swearing. Detective Isaac Washington swears so much that he would make Samuel L. Jackson blush, and while it’s hilarious, your mother might not agree with us on that note so much. Lighten up, ma, because there are worse things he could be doing than saving the world from mutants with a potty mouthed cop.
Those are minimal issues that shouldn’t turn you off from this title. In fact, everything else about the game has been given so much careful attention in order to make sure that Overkill is the most fun you’ve ever had with the franchise that it’s easy to ignore. The gameplay is rock solid, the dialogue is witty and laced with memorable one-liners, and the title takes full advantage of the Wii’s control scheme and hardware, pushing the system graphically in a way many third-party developers have not. We cannot recommend this game to you enough, as it is in fact, “the hardcore you’ve been waiting for.”
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