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Official House of the Dead: Overkill (Wii) Thread -- It puts the 'hot' in shotgun!

What a buggy mess this game is. I've hit two game-stopping bugs already: going down the "express elevator to Hell" in Level 1 locked up my game, and while fighting the Screamer at the end of Level 2 (the 2nd time I played it), she disappeared and never re-appeared. I waited for several minutes, booted up my PC, went to the bathroom, then came back and captured a couple minutes of video of me shooting every square inch of the place. The red lights were on, meaning she should've been visible.

Also, my 2nd time playing Level 1, the opening cutscene played with the camera skewed off to the bottom right, so I was constantly looking at feet and ground and nothing, but the level title displayed okay. When the gameplay started, I was still staring down and had to point the remote to the top left to re-center the camera.

Why is this? Was there a big rush to get this out in time for the huge February spike in game sales?

All that aside, the game's presentation is great, and it's fun. The cursor lag is annoying, but it's slight and doesn't really mess up the gameplay (like it does in Link's Crossbow Training, for example). I tried the cursor-less play, but I'm too close to the sensor bar for that to work (my place is small).
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Mdk7 said:
My Bang Bang Box is here, finally!!!
A quick question: it's rated as MA 15+ by the Australian ESRB (or whatever it's called over there), is it normal?
Do not tell me they censored it or i'll get VERY fucking mad.

MA15+ is the highest possible videogame rating by the OFLC. Nothing is censored.

As for the game, I'm loving it, but its mostly thanks to grinding for high scores, multiplayer, and the amazing presentations.

I hate how easy it is though. Directors Cut was a breeze, especially so in co-op, and I dont think I died once on any of the bosses. I cant imagine playing with Extra Mutants off either. I also cant seem to get the calibration thingo to work, which means I cant play with the iron-sights. No matter how hard I try it always seems completely off, and stops me from aiming within the bottom 8th or so of the display.

All in all though a really awesome game. My housemate and I have had a lot of fun.

Oh, and I really dislike a vast majority of the filmclips. There is the occasional awesome one liner and hilarious scene, but overall they seem to drag on for faaar too long with really boring, unfunny dialogue.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Buttseckslol said:
The Redneck swamp stage is my favorite. The boss and stage music are excellent.

Fetid Waters is probably my least favourite of all the stages, though still a blast. Ballistic Trauma is my favourite.
 

J-Rock

Banned
Leondexter said:
What a buggy mess this game is. I've hit two game-stopping bugs already: going down the "express elevator to Hell" in Level 1 locked up my game, and while fighting the Screamer at the end of Level 2 (the 2nd time I played it), she disappeared and never re-appeared. I waited for several minutes, booted up my PC, went to the bathroom, then came back and captured a couple minutes of video of me shooting every square inch of the place. The red lights were on, meaning she should've been visible.

Also, my 2nd time playing Level 1, the opening cutscene played with the camera skewed off to the bottom right, so I was constantly looking at feet and ground and nothing, but the level title displayed okay. When the gameplay started, I was still staring down and had to point the remote to the top left to re-center the camera.


Damn that sucks. I wonder if it's just your copy because I've played through every level a dozen times and never experienced anything like that.
 

KevinCow

Banned
Buttseckslol said:
The Redneck swamp stage is my favorite. The boss and stage music are excellent.
I hate that stage because of the stupid exploding things.

Also, what the fuck at your avatar.
 
KevinCow said:
I hate that stage because of the stupid exploding things.

Also, what the fuck at your avatar.
Yeah how do you deal with those? Even if I shoot them, they explode and hurt me. Shoot them twice before they explode?

But yeah, that Boss Music is soo hot. And the one in the Hospital.
 

markatisu

Member
Leondexter said:
What a buggy mess this game is. I've hit two game-stopping bugs already: going down the "express elevator to Hell" in Level 1 locked up my game, and while fighting the Screamer at the end of Level 2 (the 2nd time I played it), she disappeared and never re-appeared. I waited for several minutes, booted up my PC, went to the bathroom, then came back and captured a couple minutes of video of me shooting every square inch of the place. The red lights were on, meaning she should've been visible.

Also, my 2nd time playing Level 1, the opening cutscene played with the camera skewed off to the bottom right, so I was constantly looking at feet and ground and nothing, but the level title displayed okay. When the gameplay started, I was still staring down and had to point the remote to the top left to re-center the camera.

Why is this? Was there a big rush to get this out in time for the huge February spike in game sales?

All that aside, the game's presentation is great, and it's fun. The cursor lag is annoying, but it's slight and doesn't really mess up the gameplay (like it does in Link's Crossbow Training, for example). I tried the cursor-less play, but I'm too close to the sensor bar for that to work (my place is small).

Don't know what to tell you dude, I have played through the main game at least 5 times, played through Directors Cut twice, played both on co-op and never had the problems you are talking about
 

KevinCow

Banned
:Motorbass said:
Yeah how do you deal with those? Even if I shoot them, they explode and hurt me. Shoot them twice before they explode?
I think the idea is to not shoot them after they're dead. Shoot them just enough times so that they die. If you get them again, then they explode.

Also, is there any point to using any weapon besides the automatic shotgun? It kills all the non-boss enemies in one hit, destroys bosses quickly, has a big reticule so it's easier to hit stuff, and has a decent clip and quick reload speed when powered up all the way. It seems to be pretty much unarguably the best gun in the game.
 

markatisu

Member
KevinCow said:
I think the idea is to not shoot them after they're dead. Shoot them just enough times so that they die. If you get them again, then they explode.

Also, is there any point to using any weapon besides the automatic shotgun? It kills all the non-boss enemies in one hit, destroys bosses quickly, has a big reticule so it's easier to hit stuff, and has a decent clip and quick reload speed when powered up all the way. It seems to be pretty much unarguably the best gun in the game.

But using it makes an already fairly easy game that much easier, I prefer to stick with the magnum and the reg shotgun both maxed out
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
KevinCow said:
Also, is there any point to using any weapon besides the automatic shotgun? It kills all the non-boss enemies in one hit, destroys bosses quickly, has a big reticule so it's easier to hit stuff, and has a decent clip and quick reload speed when powered up all the way. It seems to be pretty much unarguably the best gun in the game.

Agreed, and no not really. The auto-shotgun maxed out destroys every other weapon in the game. Insane damage, spread accuracy, and semi-automatic with fast reloads. Nothing compares.

markatisu said:
But using it makes an already fairly easy game that much easier, I prefer to stick with the magnum and the reg shotgun both maxed out

Also this. Despite the auto-shotguns power I still like to use the Hand Cannon for pure fun.
 
KevinCow said:
Also, is there any point to using any weapon besides the automatic shotgun? It kills all the non-boss enemies in one hit, destroys bosses quickly, has a big reticule so it's easier to hit stuff, and has a decent clip and quick reload speed when powered up all the way. It seems to be pretty much unarguably the best gun in the game.

I'm finding the duo Hand Cannon + Semi-auto Shotgun pretty efficient myself, but yeah, if you want to rack up points easily, and get the job done quickly, it's shotgun all the way. Makes most of the other weapons kind of worthless, honestly.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
KevinCow said:
I think the idea is to not shoot them after they're dead. Shoot them just enough times so that they die. If you get them again, then they explode.

Also, is there any point to using any weapon besides the automatic shotgun? It kills all the non-boss enemies in one hit, destroys bosses quickly, has a big reticule so it's easier to hit stuff, and has a decent clip and quick reload speed when powered up all the way. It seems to be pretty much unarguably the best gun in the game.
I think the only reason not to use the auto shotgun is to stop the game getting too easy, or just for the fun of using different weapons. For the record I have not experienced any real bugs so far, other than on Ballistic Trauma in an elevator a zombie flashes on screen for a second and then disappears, but I have seen zombies get stuck on scenery or get bunched up a couple of times.
 

Gino

Member
poppabk said:
I think the only reason not to use the auto shotgun is to stop the game getting too easy, or just for the fun of using different weapons. For the record I have not experienced any real bugs so far, other than on Ballistic Trauma in an elevator a zombie flashes on screen for a second and then disappears, but I have seen zombies get stuck on scenery or get bunched up a couple of times.
I think that one's intentional. They did that type of stuff in grindhouse.

Like the dicks in Fight club.
 

Roelatie

Member
Stormbringer said:
I'm finding the duo Hand Cannon + Semi-auto Shotgun pretty efficient myself, but yeah, if you want to rack up points easily, and get the job done quickly, it's shotgun all the way. Makes most of the other weapons kind of worthless, honestly.
same here. with these weapons your a killing machine :D

did someone unlock the last movie
 
For people who are experiencing the game too easy play in director's cut (or add extra mutants) with the guns reticule off. Accurracy % will go really down and you will recieve more damage, it also is near the expirience of playing the arcade.
Played like that with a friend and was a blast, in the last levels we died a lot.

And we didnt have any bugs in all the time we have been playing, other that the framerate going down.

poppabk said:
I think the only reason not to use the auto shotgun is to stop the game getting too easy, or just for the fun of using different weapons. For the record I have not experienced any real bugs so far, other than on Ballistic Trauma in an elevator a zombie flashes on screen for a second and then disappears, but I have seen zombies get stuck on scenery or get bunched up a couple of times.

Beaten but I expand... that zombie is the boss, Screamer. She also appears and dissapears behind a crystal in a room you dont enter. And in director's cut...
appears in a cutscene in a corridor and shouts making G and Washington fall to the floor, and Washington then starts to repeat "Hello, HELLO!" as he thinks that the bitch has make him deaf :lol

Ysiadmihi said:
Just saw the GameTrailers review, I don't think it's been posted (sorry if so):

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/45765.html

Oddly I don't remember them saying anything about the stuttering. They really seemed to like the style.

I didnt like the review, they were always saying "good rental, dont buy it". WTF why dont rental and if you like it buy it. Then they say that people dont buy enough good games for the wii.
Its a great game, one of thebes in the wii in my opinion.
 

pakkit

Banned
poppabk said:
I think the only reason not to use the auto shotgun is to stop the game getting too easy, or just for the fun of using different weapons. For the record I have not experienced any real bugs so far, other than on Ballistic Trauma in an elevator a zombie flashes on screen for a second and then disappears, but I have seen zombies get stuck on scenery or get bunched up a couple of times.
That's the Screamer. She pops a few times in the level, ala Alma, before reaching the final confrontation.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
SpacePirate Ridley said:
Beaten but I expand... that zombie is the boss, Screamer. She also appears and dissapears behind a crystal in a room you dont enter. And in director's cut...
appears in a cutscene in a corridor and shouts making G and Washington fall to the floor, and Washington then starts to repeat "Hello, HELLO!" as he thinks that the bitch has make him deaf :lol
Well spotted, I totally missed that just saw a flash of something. I do find it interesting that the mutants can get caught up on each other or scenery sometimes, meaning they actually have AI of a sort, rather than just having rigid set patterns.
 
poppabk said:
Well spotted, I totally missed that just saw a flash of something. I do find it interesting that the mutants can get caught up on each other or scenery sometimes, meaning they actually have AI of a sort, rather than just having rigid set patterns.

I like the stupid ones that fall because of the scenery, or the ones that put their head infront of you (coming form a side of the camera) were you are going to shoot at that moment.
Stupid mutants:lol :lol
 
markatisu said:
Don't know what to tell you dude, I have played through the main game at least 5 times, played through Directors Cut twice, played both on co-op and never had the problems you are talking about

Hmmm...then I guess I have to wonder about the Wii itself. I suppose disc access issues could cause those...except for the wonky camera. Thanks for the responses.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
SpacePirate Ridley said:
I didnt like the review, they were always saying "good rental, dont buy it". WTF why dont rental and if you like it buy it. Then they say that people dont buy enough good games for the wii.

It’s also really, really short and unless you find a lot of joy in beating high scores, co-op, and unlockables, you won’t get half as much out of it as others.

For people who might not be into rail-shooters renting it would probably be a better option. Invite some mates around, rent the game, and you can get most of the face-value fun out of it in one night (all levels completed, all ‘modes’ unlocked). The game is, after all, under three hours long.
 

markatisu

Member
Leondexter said:
Hmmm...then I guess I have to wonder about the Wii itself. I suppose disc access issues could cause those...except for the wonky camera. Thanks for the responses.

It could be your lens, I know back when my Wii was having disc reading problems I had similar game errors (movies not loading or loading slow, game not running at correct speed) that you are talking about with No More Heroes and PES 2008

Try loading a game that works and play for a few mins, quit it and eject then put it HoTD OK and see if it still gives you problems. At times that corrected the laser enough to work (till it completely zonked out and Nintendo fixed it under the SSBB warranty fix)
 
EatChildren said:
It’s also really, really short and unless you find a lot of joy in beating high scores, co-op, and unlockables, you won’t get half as much out of it as others.

For people who might not be into rail-shooters renting it would probably be a better option. Invite some mates around, rent the game, and you can get most of the face-value fun out of it in one night (all levels completed, all ‘modes’ unlocked). The game is, after all, under three hours long.

Yea, but the replay value is ridiculous -- both for the sake of scoring higher, and for simply enjoying the single player story over and over and over again.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
EatChildren said:
It’s also really, really short and unless you find a lot of joy in beating high scores, co-op, and unlockables, you won’t get half as much out of it as others.

For people who might not be into rail-shooters renting it would probably be a better option. Invite some mates around, rent the game, and you can get most of the face-value fun out of it in one night (all levels completed, all ‘modes’ unlocked). The game is, after all, under three hours long.
Arcade light gun shooters are made to be replayed, if you are gonna rent it for the story then I can save you the time
-Muthafuckers are fucking shooting other fucking muthafuckers
-Some fucked up
oedipal
shit
-The end
Its like playing a pinball game just the once. If you don't really care for lighgun shooters then just rent it sure, but anyone who likes lightgun shooters should definitely consider buying it.
PS In the end I didn't trade Ghost Squad to get this because I still like to play it even though I have unlocked all but one path I think.
 

Surfheart

Member
EatChildren said:
I also cant seem to get the calibration thingo to work, which means I cant play with the iron-sights. No matter how hard I try it always seems completely off, and stops me from aiming within the bottom 8th or so of the display.


Same problem. Do you sit fairly close to your TV? I do, I wonder if that is the issue.
 

Baconbitz

Banned
I had trouble with this boss. After shooting the cam would act up and do this quick move to the right where it would loo blurry. Anyone have that problem?
 

markatisu

Member
MiniDitka said:
Could someone please download this song and tell me if the quality is ok. The last batch of songs I ripped had some problems so I'm redoing them but I would like to know how it sounds on someone else's computer before I upload the rest.

One Night In Bayou(Album Remix) - http://www.mediafire.com/file/n54amygmzzz/OneNightInBayou(AR)_1.mp3

This one sounds great, just downloaded it and its a lot more balanced then the previous one you did.

If you could do one of the Critics Choice(Album Mix) that had some heavy distortion in the one you did the first time it might be worth it to make sure

If you could do the others the same way it should great!
 

Nicktals

Banned
Is there a decent director's cut walkthrough yet for golden brains? I don't think I'm going to try for all of them, but FUCK i've played through Papa's Palace of Pain (the first level) at least 10 times on Director's Cut and can only find 14 and it's driving me absolutely crazy.
 

MiniDitka

Member
markatisu said:
This one sounds great, just downloaded it and its a lot more balanced then the previous one you did.

If you could do one of the Critics Choice(Album Mix) that had some heavy distortion in the one you did the first time it might be worth it to make sure

If you could do the others the same way it should great!

They're already done and am uploading them as I type.

Nicktals said:
Is there a decent director's cut walkthrough yet for golden brains? I don't think I'm going to try for all of them, but FUCK i've played through Papa's Palace of Pain (the first level) at least 10 times on Director's Cut and can only find 14 and it's driving me absolutely crazy.

I'll think about doing one.
 

MiniDitka

Member
HOTD Soundtrack(most of them) - http://www.mediafire.com/file/qyzdjzyndjx/HOTD

uvs090221-001.jpg
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
frankly, i don't know what to think of this game. i got it today, spent an hour with it, and ended up with mixed feelings. i guess my original expectations were set too high *shrug* i'll follow the devs' advice and refrain from definitive statements until i beat whatever there's to beat in there. for now i'll just say the game has tremendous potential, which fumbles at a few a places.

edit: ok, i guess i'm officially qualified to comment on the game now.

overkill is a classic case of a so-damn-close-yet-no-cookie job. it has all the typical traits:

* true arcade mechanics, proper difficulty curve, and overall a true hotd in spirit.
* polished lighting/shading system - some of the best i've seen yet on the wii (particles aside), though the scenes directing does not always use that advantage to its fullest.
* some serious character and level modeling - every last zombie in the game is beautifully skinned, animated and textured, and some of the level design takes the genre to the next, erm, level. good job there, headstrong, even though not quite consistent.
* very avandgardish camera work during play-time (but on that again later)
* intelligent unlockables/bonuses/memorabilia, which would give the game extra high replayablity.

what bugs me to no end in overkill:

* the stuttery asset streaming kills the game for me. forget interrupted combos and other such nuisance - when that stuttering occurs i simply cannot enjoy the game's core mechanics - then i just cringe and persevere. on some levels that is massive, on others - minimal. but it's always there. i blame this on the overly dynamic camera at times, in combination with scene complexity - these appear to be stressing the game's asset management system to a point where it fails to do its job seamlessly. and jittery framerate in a light-gun shooter == deadly sin in my book.

* fucking atrocious animations all around in the cutscenes, and particularly for the bipeds. heck, the ps1 has examples of better character animation than what overkill offers during its cutscenes. if overkill's cutscene animations were some sort of a joke it was entirely lost on me.

* the cutscenes camera work rivals in shittacularity the animations. overall, the cutscenes leave the impression of something put together in the final week before release. i, for one, would prefer static comics-style artwork for cutscenes to the ones shipped - these should not have been in the game. ever.

i guess i'll finish director's cut and the game goes to the back shelf until i decide some day to refresh my memory why i put it there in the first place.
 

Jon

Member
I bought this today and took it over my friend's house. A bunch of us played it taking turns at the chapters, and ended up beating it in about two and half hours. It was GREAT. We all had so much fun. The dialogue was hilariously cheesy, and the levels and music were awesome. I think there is a lot of replayability to be had from this.
 

Kritz

Banned
I'm having a problem where the guns aren't really calibrating properly to the screen. The cursor will always be slightly to the left. I'm not sure what's up with that, but it's sure making the game harder.

I bought the Bang Bang Box (Saw it on store shelves, grabbed it immediately) and I'm loving the shells for the Wiimote. They just make the game all that much more awesome. I'll probably pick up some other shooters just to get more use out of the plastic shells.

Soundtrack, dialogue and locations are all amazing, too.

I love it when impulse buys turn out great.
 

markatisu

Member
We took this game over to my brothers today and he enjoyed it, his comments to me were "this is a Wii game? I did not think they had adult games"

And the game continues to sell well at our Walmarts (it has a big freaking yellow NEW ARRIVAL sign at Walmart)
 

Fredescu

Member
blu said:
* the stuttery asset streaming kills the game for me. forget interrupted combos and other such nuisance...
It kills the game? I've finished the story mode twice and have never had a combo interrupted from stuttering, and have had 100% accuracy more than once.

The cut scenes were hilarious too, I can't imagine what kind of bore would sit through them and go "man this animation is SUB STANDARD! UGH!" You must be a riot at parties.
 

Apenheul

Member
I finished the Directors Cut episodes last night, man what a cool game. I don't think I've ever had so much fun in a lightgun / on-rails shooter game. It puts the real House of the Dead 4 to shame IMO. The next thing I'm going to do is to try and collect all those golden brains, I'm sure the SMG will help :)
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Fredescu said:
It kills the game? I've finished the story mode twice and have never had a combo interrupted from stuttering, and have had 100% accuracy more than once.
so? i've reached accuracy in the 90s too - i could counter the stuttering on some levels by choosing a different timing tactics (and on some levels its minimal to boot). that's not the point though (as i mentioned in the original post). stuttering is there, and not just anywhere but in the action scenes. in a light-gun game. now, i do have some suspicion that my wii's dvd drive might be on its last leg and thus "helping" there, but from what i've read about the game, it does this for practically everybody. maybe to a lesser degree, though, i need to try it on a different wii.

The cut scenes were hilarious too, I can't imagine what kind of bore would sit through them and go "man this animation is SUB STANDARD! UGH!" You must be a riot at parties.
though i did miss some of the dialogues in there duet to the fact i was playing at a very low volume (as people next room were sleeping) i don't think i heard anything exactly hilarious in overkill. so i don't think you and me go to the same parties.

..actually, wait, i did laugh out once during a cutscene - that was during the final cutscene when the camera looked up detective washington's sleeve and the scene background shined through for a couple of seconds right in the middle of the screen, due to the good detective's mesh culling. did i already mention what a hackjob overkill's camera work during cutscenes is?
 
I just bought this game yesterday, opened it today and played the first level with my brother, I didn't thought that we would like it, but it is great fun :)
 

Jme

Member
blu said:
cutscenes

Are you familiar with Grindhouse films? They have some of the worst camera-work, constant continuity errors, etc.

I believe the intention was to make a Grindhouse game, mimicking some of the bad camera work/animations/continuity of old/bad games. Intentionally hilariously bad, as with much of the dialog. You'll notice a few times some models (like the guns) will disappear from a scene before the scene ends, or a character model will just appear out of the blue. Sort of like a bad monster movie where you can see the zipper on the monsters costume.

Given that you recognized the game had great animations, models, lighting and camera work during the gameplay I would think you'd notice that these cutscenes were intentionally bad, as the developer was obviously capable of much more.
 

KevinCow

Banned
I've decided that I really hate the Fetid Waters level for several reasons.

1) It's too dark. It can be really hard to make out mutants at points. Especially the bit with the birds, it's really hard to see these black birds flying around against a black sky.

2) The exploding guys. I just can't figure them out. Sometimes they explode and damage me, sometimes they don't. No matter what, though, it seems like there's nothing I can do.

3) The level is clearly designed for a widescreen TV, and I play on a 4:3 TV. There are several instances where enemies will be barely visible on the side of the screen, and by the time I notice they're there it's too late. In one particular instance, there's a thrower guy obscured by the bullet counter. This isn't usually an issue in other levels, but it really stands out here.


I do love the cutscene at the end, though. "I love you too, man." :lol
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
handofg0d said:
Are you familiar with Grindhouse films? They have some of the worst camera-work, constant continuity errors, etc.

I believe the intention was to make a Grindhouse game, mimicking some of the bad camera work/animations/continuity of old/bad games. Intentionally hilariously bad, as with much of the dialog. You'll notice a few times some models (like the guns) will disappear from a scene before the scene ends, or a character model will just appear out of the blue. Sort of like a bad monster movie where you can see the zipper on the monsters costume.

Given that you recognized the game had great animations, models, lighting and camera work during the gameplay I would think you'd notice that these cutscenes were intentionally bad, as the developer was obviously capable of much more.
Yeah it was kind of genius to use a grindhouse aesthetic as it makes it difficult to tell where something is deliberately bad and where the game truly is lacking in polish.
 

Haunted

Member
What's the deal with the director's cut levels?


edit: specifically, I mean what's changed compared to the original levels? More enemies and enemies take more shots to kill? I really don't appreciate them taking all my cash and upgrades away at the start. :mad:
 
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