Released in early 2009 for the Wii, Sega and Headstrong Games’ title ‘The House of the Dead: Overkill’ is heavily inspired by ’70s grindhouse cinema and exploitation films, so when you combine the classic HOTD light-gun shooter gameplay with a fresh coat of paint, you get something really special.
I’ve been a die-hard fan of Overkill (and the whole series) ever since I was a child, and Overkill is a game that never gets old to me. I’ve quite honestly been obsessed with this game ever since I first saw it back in 2009, and the idea for this video has been bouncing around in my head for a full year at this point.
To prepare for this video, I got in contact with Anthony Aroya (the voice actor of Detective Isaac Washington, one of the game’s protagonists) to learn about his experiences working on the game. In our nearly two-hour long conversation, I learnt many new things about Overkill which I report on in the video.
By covering the story, gameplay, development, reception, and legacy of Overkill, as well as providing a brief history of grindhouse cinema, I hope to be able to explain why I love this game so much.
Overkill is truly ‘the hardcore you’ve been waiting for’!
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Anthony Aroya’s Indiegogo Campaign:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-misadventures-of-mike-and-spike#/
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MUSIC:
The House of the Dead (Stage 4) – The House of the Dead
Dim Sum for Papa (Instrumental) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
Killer Fish (Grindhouse Suite) – Killer Fish
The House of the Dead (Instrumental) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
The Mutant Shuffle – The House of the Dead: Overkill
Overkill (Instumental) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
Critic’s Choice (Instrumental) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
Suffer Like G Did (Instrumental) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
Got On It (Instrumental) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
One Night In Bayou (Instrumental) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
Special Kinda Love (Instrumental) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
The House of the Dead (Album Mix) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
Beautiful Mind (Album Mix) – The House of the Dead: Overkill
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
03:30 – What’s a Grindhouse?
09:36 – Overkill’s Insane Story
46:40 – Overkill’s Gameplay
52:40 – Overkill’s Development
1:02:16 – Overkill’s Reception and Legacy
1:11:55 – The End…
source
It's been a long time in the making, but I finally got around to covering 'The House of the Dead: Overkill'. This game means a lot to me, and I've been a massive fan of Overkill for over ten years now.
Thank you very much to Anthony Aroya for being a part of it, and if you would like to check out his Indiegogo campaign, you can do so here – https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-misadventures-of-mike-and-spike#/
Thank you very much for watching.
'YOU ARE SOME F#@$&% UP F@$%, THATS SOME OFFENSIVE S#%@ YOU PLAYIN' ME' is the most raw line delivery in gaming.
.. period 🤣 👏
I got this for my Wii the day it came out. It was perfection. Exactly what the Wii needed. I have the Steam version as well and play it all the time. This is an absolutely outstanding game, and you gave it the love and respect it deserves. Thank you for your hard work and passion. The House of the Dead franchise is lucky to have fans like you.
I recall seeing that this game had 3D capability back in the PS3 days, and I can certainly say that the final boss is something I would not want to see with additional depth lol.
Never played HotD past the first two, but fuckin' a do I love those games
your passion for this game really shined through, I'm glad you had the opportunity to put it all together. thanks!
absolutely thrilled to watch this but i can't tonight but i want to get the metrics up with a comment anyhow
LET'S GO the big one is here! The passion is incredible here and I'm so happy to hear your breakdown on a wild part of Sega lore!
So many lore videos about games are better than the games itself 😄
HotD Overkill was one of the most fun games I played with friends. We were all in our early 20s back in the day, most of us in college. Whenever we'd have the chance we'd get together and play something on the Wii, when we saw the trailers for Overkill we knew we just had to try it due to the whole cheesy grindhouse vibe to it. We always had a blast with it and quoting from it as well and trying to keep that Goregasm going for as long as possible.
Anyway, awesome job on the vid and even more awesome you had Anthony share some of his stories about the game. It's a pity we never got a sequel, I can barely imagine how fun it would have been.
This was a great Arcade game.
This game literally just stumbled into my head today from playing it as a kid on the Wii but I forgot the name. As I did a quick google search, your video popped up released 3 hours ago…. WHAT
I f***ing hate the Screamer boss, she scared the hell outta me back then on the upgraded ps3 version
I hate the zombie babies
Amazing video, very informative !
Overkill extended cut on PS3 was the first game in the series I owned. Sometime in 2013, I bought it at my local Gamestop along w/ Persona 4 Arena. I was re-introduced to one of two of my fave on rail shooters (I also love the Time Crises series) as well as being introduced by the Arc System Works games ❤
You forgot Bruceploitation!
That was fucking epic – I always used to wonder why people got excited about the house of the dead game from the Wii and now I know!
What the hell why isn't this game more well known. This is a masterpiece. If they adapted it word for word into a real movie it would be on top 10 cult movies of all time lists eeeeverywhere. Criterion level cinema, I can't even. Also the black guy totally has a tsundere crush on the white guy lmao, I wish them happiness after their marriage in Vegas
This video was so wholesome I can't even. Super glad I watched this. The title is pretty unassuming, tho, and would not be attractive to people who don't know what the game is about. If you want the video to have a wider reach maybe changing the title to something like: "this R rated wii game changed my life" or "the best zombie movie ever is actually a game for the wii" or something like that. I really really liked this and it made me smile so I just genuinely want it to do well and be seen by lots of people. Have a good one:)
Absolutely love this.
Great job on the video. Always wanted a documentary on this wonderful game
13:36
He slaps off the glasses, but here there are still on, just to be gone correctly in the next frame
I love seeing projects like this where people will just gush about something not exactly forgotten but that is their favorite, just going into anything and everything that makes it special. I love rail shooters but I've unfortunately not touched Overkill yet despite forming a long-term memory playing 4 at a theater. I'll have to get TotDO on Steam sooner than later. Thanks for this video.