The House of the Dead: Overkill (Wii)

I'm hooked on this game - not in a small way but seriously, seriously hooked. I've spent the best part of today playing it and have only come away from it to spend some time with my wife - darn this Valentines day malarkey! - and write this quick point by point list of the good and bad of this outrageously gruesome little gem, and hopefully that'll help you decide if HOTD:O is worth your time, money, not to mention yout skills with a hand cannon!

THE GOOD:
- Addictive beyond compare - if you're a high score junky then you'll be in seventh heaven, if you're a gore hound: likewise, and if you're into collecting and unlocking virtual trinkets then you'll be right at home too. For a light gun game there is a heck of a lot to do.
- Satisfyingly chunky head shots (and all other shots too), hugely visceral - it'll have the teenager in you screaming to get out and have a go! A very, very bloody business it is!
- At time the humor is actually spot on and it gave me a little giggle once or twice.
- The Grindhouse movie feel is spot on and not just an aping of Tarantino's homage - although there is a bit of that too, which is okay.
- The controls are spot on and can be calibrated to suite!
- The hand cannon available for the game is one of the best peripherals I've used for the system thus far.
- The graphics are above and beyond what we wii owners are used to and I'm quite proud to have this game sit side by side with my 360 games.
- A good change of pace from the usual wii-centric kiddy games choc full of gimmicks and mini games, and probably the most fun I've had with my Wii since Mario Galaxy.
- Some of the themes make you wince more than once or twice, this could be a good or bad thing depending on the player but you wouldn't be playing a game called house of the dead: overkill if you weren't ready for some sickness, right?
- Varla Guns - sweet.
- The Soundtrack is pure funky genius - great old sleazy grindhouse style tunes that have now become synonymous with Tarantino movies. Also there's a few pumping tunes for boss fights and more frantic sections but all roll up into a tasty musical picnic for the earholes.
- Some sick, if slightly easy, bosses - the screamer is quite terrifying.
- Brilliant little touches and attention to detail.

THE BAD:
- The swearing, although I understand it's part of the whole grindhouse experience and the characters traits, first wears a little thin then gets a bit embarrassing - after one play through I'm sure you'll be slamming past the cut-scenes to dodge the silly excess as I did.
- There can be a slight loading time split second pause that makes you, on the odd occasion, miss your shot and loose your flow, but this doesn't happen enough for it to become a problem - also it can sometimes work in your favor in lining up a shot so it sort of levels out.
- Some of the taboos that get knocked about may offend some people - I enjoyed them for their cheekiness but some may just be left aghast.
- The unlockable weapons are massively overpowered - but you'll find that they're useful for getting those golden brains, but as far as high scores go i tend to use the traditional ams magnum for proper skills.

CONCLUSION
I Love this game and don't see how anyone couldn't, sure it's puerile but it's got all the fun of the fair, and more! Guns, blood, wicked soundtrack, Varla Guns and some good laughs - Enjoy!

Are you easily offended? would you be shocked by the foul language of Roy Chubby Brown or Frankie Boyle? if so maybe this game isn't for you, I, on the other hand love that kind of humour.
This is a comedy and a game rolled into one. The foul and sometimes offensive statements made on this game are very tongue in cheek, which really do add to the appeal of it.
It's got a retro feel, likened to a foul mouthed Starsky and Hutch, done Tarrantino style.
I thoroughly enjoyed playing from start to finish, especially with the Wii hand Cannon, just blasting away to your hearts content, destroying an endless stream of zombies and mutants. The slow motion targets when hit let you watch carnage in super slo-mo with bits of brain and flesh scattered far and wide on impact.
If you like your games clean and unoffensive, then this isn't for you, on the other hand if you're open to a barrage of foul four letter cursing, tongue in cheek comedy, and thoroughly blood splattering fun, then go and buy, it'll be the best shoot em up you've ever played.

This is the most foul-mouthed, obscene, gratuitously violent and blasphemous video game that I have ever played. Thoroughly recommended!