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The House of the Dead: Overkill

Platform(s): PlayStation 3, Wii
Genre: Action
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Headstrong Games
Release Date: Feb. 10, 2009 (US), Feb. 13, 2009 (EU)

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'The House of the Dead: Overkill' (Wii) Most Profane Video Game in History

by Rainier on March 16, 2009 @ 1:47 p.m. PDT

The House of the Dead: Overkill is an all-new pulp-horror reinvention of the classic SEGA light-gun shooter franchise, taking you right back to the beginning of this classic horror series.

The House of the Dead: Overkill uncovers the ugly, terrifying, red hot secrets behind the House of the Dead; the daddy of all over-the-top shooters. While staying true to the classic gameplay this hugely successful SEGA series is getting a new retro look, with distinctive graphics, sound and attitude that will add to its horror cool status. Plus, thanks to the Wii Remote, players will fight off zombies when they get too close; pistol-whipping jaws off and smashing in skulls with their shotgun butt.

The House of the Dead: Overkill charges you with mowing down waves of infected, blood-thirsty zombies in a last-ditch effort to survive Bayou City and uncover the horrific truth behind the origins of the House of the Dead.

Survival horror as it’s never been seen before! A pulp-style take on the classic SEGA light-gun shooter series. Back when the famous Agent G was still fresh out of the academy, he teamed up with hard-boiled bad-ass Agent Washington to investigate stories of mysterious disappearances in small-town Louisiana. Little did they know what blood-soaked mutant horror would await them in the streets and swamps of Bayou City.

Setting a record in this brand new category, the title recognizes The House of the Dead: Overkill as the most profane video game in history. During three hours of relatively limited dialogue, the campaign features 189 uses of the f-word, which equates to just over one per minute and three percent of all words spoken in the game.

Video Games Records Manager for Guinness World Records, Gaz Deaves, said: “This record category pre-existed for movies, music and television, but The House of the Dead: OVERKILL is the first video game to be awarded the title in the Gamer’s Edition. It’s a mark of the times.”

The new record will be shortlisted for inclusion in next year’s Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. The 2009 Gamer’s Edition, which includes high scores and interesting facts from the world of video gaming, also dedicates a separate section to video game controversy; among the many nations listed in the chapter, Greece stands as the first country to ban all video games for an all-encompassing ban on electronic video gaming lasting two months during 2002. Mexico banned Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 in the state of Chihuahua because the state’s governor was offended by the game’s portrayal of the region and its people. The longest ban in gaming history is awarded New York City, whose mayor imposed a ban on pinball machines, which stood for 34 years from 1942.

Jonathan Burroughs, writer of The House of the Dead: Overkill, stated: “It is a dubious honour to receive such an accolade working in an industry where so often the fruits of your labours are derided and dismissed for being puerile or irresponsible, but in the case of The House of the Dead: Overkill a little puerility was the order of business. Parodying the profane excess of grindhouse cinema was Headstrong Games’ objective and I am flattered that this record acknowledges that we not only rose to that challenge, but entirely exceeded it.”

Features

  • Pulp Funk Horror: Zombie cool, one of the most popular shooter classics injected with a whole new retro b-movie look.
  • An utterly in-your-face zombie-dismembering blast: Non-stop light-gun style action on Wii, blow apart zombies for high-score thrills.
  • Superb co-op action on Wii: Bring a friend and play the game as intended in your own buddy action movie as two of the meanest characters in video gaming.
  • Relentless, gore-drenched, over-the-top action: Only the coolest, most cold-hearted agent’s going to keep his head against the zombie flood. Use “Slow-Mofo Time” to make the perfect head-popping shot and “Evil Eye” to spot moments of opportunity that’ll send the whole environment up in flames.
  • Wiimote reactions: Get knee-deep in the dead with motion-sensitive Wii-controls. Shuck a shotgun and when the zombies get too close, pistol whip jaws off or cave some heads in with the stock of your pump-action – all in stomach-churning close-up.

“Prelude to an Overkill” tells the fateful stories of Agent Washington and Varla Gunns, on the night before the violent and shocking events of the game. Illustrated by Steve Copter, of dissident punk band ‘Black Mekon’, this specially-commissioned comic is only available in The House of the Dead: Overkill Collector’s Edition.

The House of the Dead: Overkill will be released Feb. 10, 2009, exclusively for Wii.

 


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