Sega's House of the Dead series has been haunting us for years, getting its start as a popular arcade shooter and eventually making its way to the home market with a number of sequels.  However, it fell just short of its true potential, mainly due to the fact that the storyline was average at best, even with the unpredictable bosses and the over-the-top fourth arcade game.  But all that has changed thanks to the approach of House of the Dead: Overkill, the Wii shooter that's getting a re-release on PlayStation 3 this week, in a new Extended Cut.

In the game, a detective named G teams up with a gruff partner in Isaac Washington, a no-nonsense guy who likes using the F-bomb more than any other character in gaming history.  In the original game, they team up against a number of monstrous forces, and the battle culminates with a big mother-like creature, one that sets up a truly twisted ending for the game.  It did quite well on the Wii, and now with the Extended Cut, PS3 owners can enjoy some extra features.

The first is a pair of new stages, one of which introduces a new carnival atmosphere, as well as a horrendous new boss that looks like a cross between a woman and a bull.  The second is the introduction of stereoscopic 3D, in which the zombies are literally "coming at you".  (Since this is the norm for most PS3 games these days, it's not really a surprise, but still nice to have.)  And last but not least, the game supports the Move, and, more importantly, the Sharpshooter peripheral.

The Extended Cut is looking like the "must own" of the two versions, not only because of the additional features, but also because the game appears to be much better on the PS3 in terms of presentation.  The visuals are much sharper (and bloodier) than before, and the F-bombs and cheesy rock music are in full effect.

With Overkill, Sega has managed to come up with its best House of the Dead property to date.  And the main reason for that is simple -- it doesn't take itself seriously.  It instead follows the "grindhouse" formula, introduced in cinemas long ago and recently revived by the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez with their aptly-named film Grindhouse.  It's not afraid to go too far over the top, and though not for everyone's tastes, its bloody rock style is sure to impress both newcomers and fans alike, if it hasn't already done so on the Wii.

Plus, as corny as the dialogue gets, it never gets to the point of "Suffer like G did.", though some might see that as a slight disadvantage.  (We like the phrase ourselves.)  No matter.  Overkill is a fun entry in the series, and worth checking out if you haven't already.

Or, as Isaac would say, "Motherfucking get it."

About the Author

Robert Workman

Senior Writer/Editor

Robert has years of experience in the video game industry, writing for such sites as AOL GameDaily, PlanetXbox360 and Comic Book Resources.  He can also outdrink you any day of the week.  And twice on Sunday.  Follow him at www.twitter.com/thedcd.