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Shinobi, Vectorman join mobile House of the Dead: Overkill cast
Sega targets 16-bit superfans with two new character-themed upgrade packs for the iOS and Android versions of its first-person zombie shooter The House of the Dead: Overkill - The Lost Reels. The Ninja Star pack replaces the game's standard Colt gun with an unlimited supply of shuriken, resulting in gameplay that resembles an extended bonus stage from the 1987 Shinobi arcade game. The Vectorman's Ball Gun upgrade, on the other hand, switches out the minigun for Vectorman's lime-green weaponry, and adds Genesis-like particle effects to your zombie massacre. While Shinobi's protagonist Joe Musashi has made scattered showings in Sega-published games over the years (including a cameo as an unlockable character in 2011's 3DS title Shinobi), these upgrades mark a rare appearance for Vectorman. Fans of Sega's prerendered robotic hero had their hearts broken in 2003 following the cancellation of a planned Vectorman reboot for the PlayStation 2, and the franchise has remained dormant since. Both items are available for purchase using in-game "Ka$h," which can be earned during gameplay or via microtransactions.
Daily iPhone App: House of the Dead Overkill - The Lost Reels is gross but innovative
There are some really excellent apps arriving on the App Store tonight (including Firaxis' great Haunted Hollow), but before we tackle that new crop, I did want to mention this app, released last week by Sega. House of the Dead, if you're not aware, is an arcade shooting game, where you take on a whole haunted house full of zombies and demons with a light gun (and usually a friend, if you're playing in an arcade with quarters). House of the Dead: Overkill was a version of the game that came to Nintendo's Wii system a little while back, and this version, sub-subtitled The Lost Reels, is a revamp of that game, made specifically for iOS devices. Now, this game is gross, and if you've not into gory zombies and bad guys (and girls), then you probably won't get much out of this -- like I said, stay tuned for Haunted Hollow and a few other big releases tonight. But the main reason I wanted to mention this one is that it has one of the best control schemes for a first-person shooter on the App Store I've ever seen. Most FPS games don't end up quite making the jump over to a touchscreen interface without stumbling. There's two routes devs have gone so far: Either they just go all-in on clumsy and not-so-precise virtual controls, or they try something really nuts (Zynga's The Drowning and Industrial Toys' Morning Star are two upcoming FPSes with innovative control schemes). House of the Dead does have a pretty lame virtual control scheme, if you want to try things that way, but the game also has an accelerator-based control scheme, and that one's really fun. You tilt your iDevice around to guide your target, tap to fire, and the whole thing actually feels very intuitive. It's one of the best ways to play a game like this I've ever seen implemented on iOS. Unfortunately, the rest of the game is kind of a mess. To stay under the download size limit, Sega has cut off a lot of the in-game dialogue and cutscenes that made the original Overkill as charming as it was, and while the game costs $4.99, you actually have to buy extra levels and content via in-app purchase -- why Sega chose to do these things the way they did, I have no idea. Honestly, I can't really recommend this one at full price, though it's worth a try for a buck or two. All that said, however, that control scheme is very impressive. If someone can lift that scheme out of this game and put it in a game worth playing, I'd really appreciate that. House of the Dead: Overkill: The Lost Reels is available right now.
House of the Dead: Overkill brings its foul mouth to iOS
Sega's profanity-laden on-rails shooter, House of the Dead: Overkill, will make its way to iOS when the App Store refreshes tonight. Dubbed House of the Dead: Overkill - The Lost Reels, the universal iOS app is a remixed version of the 2009 Wii game broken down into three different "movies." An initial purchase unlocks the first movie and finishing that will unlock the second, with an in-app purchase of $2 required to access the final campaign.Controls are handled through three different methods. There's a virtual stick-and-reticle set-up and another using accelerometer controls, but the third option is most odd – a locked Frenzy Tap setting. Touch Arcade has been playing the game today and says it hasn't figured out how to unlock that third option yet, or what exactly it is, but posits that it may be a tap-to-shoot style of play.House of the Dead: Overkill - The Lost Reels should be available after iTunes is updated tonight at 11 p.m. ET. The app is already live in the New Zealand territory and priced at $6.50 in New Zealand dollars, which comes out to about $5.50 here in the US.
What's been extended in House of the Dead Overkill's Extended Cut
Sega posted a bit of an infodump to the PlayStation Blog about the upcoming 3D, HD House of the Dead: Overkill port. The changes go beyond the graphics and the relative glowiness of the controller -- there's actually a list of alterations made to the "extended cut." Those changes include two new levels not found on Wii, a "new baby mutant type" and a new crossbow weapon. In addition, all of the boss fights have been "improved," and the "Mother" boss fight has been extended. Even the cutscenes have been redone with new motion capture. There are also a couple of new modes: "Hardcore Mode," which forces you to perform headshots to kill enemies, and "Classic Mode," which gives you only the AMS Magnum. Overkill's Extended Cut will reach into retail in North America on October 25.
Mafia 2 takes Guinness f-bomb record; HotD: Overkill effing dethroned
Mafia 2's rap sheet now includes a Guinness World Record for "most swearing in a video game." The mob saga surpassed House of the Dead: Overkill's 189 permutations on the word "f*ck" by ... well, they're still counting. Seriously. A representative for Guinness World Records tells Joystiq that at the moment the company has accepted that there are over 200 f-bombs in the game. He elaborated, "The number associated with the record is liable to change in the next few weeks, as 2K have promised to supply us with a copy of the game's full script under NDA so we can count the number of f-bombs ourselves and update the record with a complete figure." The company hopes to get the record into the 2011 Gamer's Edition that will be available in January. The prolific profanities were first noticed by Achievement Hunter and compiled into a video. Take a listen to the NSFW montage after the break.
House of the Dead: Overkill far too cheap on Amazon
We were filled with a mix of two emotions upon seeing that House of the Dead: Overkill is now $12.99 on Amazon. The first emotion was, of course, joy, because now more people can experience the total, unabashed radicool that drenches this funny, smartly designed on-rails shooter. The other emotion? Disgust that it had to come to this. This should be a collector's item that's impossible to find, not fodder for the bargain bin! All we're saying is this: We bought our copies here at Joystiq HQ. Did you buy yours, America? ... Well? Did you?
Sega 'probably not' making more hardcore Wii games
Sega gave it the old college try in 2009, reaching out to "mature" gamers with the likes of MadWorld, The Conduit and House of the Dead: Overkill. But after none of those made much of an NPDent, it would seem the publisher may be abandoning the practice. While speaking on the performance of those games during the 4 Guys 1UP podcast, Sega of America studio director Constantine Hantzopoulos said, "That begets the question, you know, are we gonna do more mature titles for the Wii and it's like ... probably not." Hantzopoulos then pointed to the poor performance of Dead Space: Extraction on the Wii, saying he had been using it as a litmus test for the potential of mature titles on the platform. In other news, Sega has apparently decided on "be a little more arrogant" as its New Year's resolution.
Best of the Rest: Justin's Picks of 2009
Time Gentlemen, Please This was hands-down the funniest game released in 2009, and 2009 was a year in which we got a new Tim Schafer game and the return of the Monkey Island series, so that's saying something. If you missed out, please go buy it, it's cheap as can be and a true delight.
Best of the Rest: Ludwig's Picks of 2009
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories I mocked this "re-imagining" of Silent Hill when it was first announced. I thought Harry Mason had become an older, life-hewn Harry Potter and considered the town's frosty makeover as nothing short of sacrilege. But an encounter with the game at E3 2009 (and with candid producer Tomm Hulett) quickly changed my mind. While the game departs significantly from the franchise's known lore, it retains and streamlines much of what made Silent Hill stand out against games like Resident Evil. Encased in the game's frigid atmosphere, you'll experience a sense of bewilderment that, if you've been playing these games for a long time, you will not have felt in years. Indeed, the best surprises prey on those of us who think we know everything about Silent Hill.
Best of the Rest: Griffin's Picks of 2009
DJ Hero What started out as tepid fascination in DJ Hero quickly turned into a deep, passionate love. I initially thought it was just another rhythm game knock-off with an obtuse peripheral and a too-high price point. However, as my turntabling improved, my fondness for the game multiplied. Based on the game's lackluster sales, I'm guessing most people shared my outright hesitance -- but once you invest a bit of time and patience into DJ Hero, I guarantee you'll get hooked. (And that soundtrack! Oh, man, that soundtrack.)
The House of the Dead: Underpriced at Newegg
If you like film grain effects, shooting zombies, and getting cursed at, but you haven't picked up The House of the Dead: Overkill yet, this deal from Newegg is exactly what you've been waiting for. The online retailer has marked the game down to $12.99 (with free shipping). Be warned, there really is a lot of cursing. Even the first 15 minutes of the game sounds like someone stepped on Samuel L. Jackson's foot. That's what that M rating is about. Well, that and all the disgusting dead people exploding and stuff. [Via GoNintendo]
Sega of America taps Maeda for COO
Sega's made some strides in trying to reach the Western market and its choice for the new head of Sega of America would seem to indicate the company wants to keep the progress going. Masanao Maeda will serve as the branch's new chief operating officer, Sega has announced. Though not a Bernie Stollar-level household name, Maeda has helped the company expand into the West from Sega's Japanese HQ, so it'll be interesting to see how effective he can be in the effort stateside. (Psst, Maeda: More House of the Dead: Overkill, please. Thanks.)
Sega: Giving up on hardcore Wii games would be 'arrogant'
Sega's Mike Hayes assured Wired that the company still plans to make "core" games for the Wii, despite the relative lack of success of MadWorld. For one thing, its other games are doing well, in his opinion. "We actually regard The Conduit as a success," he said. "We shipped 300,000 units, sold through half of those and now it's at the point where it's selling consistently at a time when Wii sales are generally depressed in the marketplace."Despite somewhat disappointing sales Stateside, Hayes also told Wired that The House of the Dead: Overkill "did really well in Europe." As for MadWorld, Hayes doesn't think one game's failure is enough to close up shop on the Wii. "The thing that we're saying is, Sega would be extremely arrogant to have a title that didn't do as well as we thought on a platform and then say, Those kind of games don't sell on that platform.'"Quite a change from the Blast Processing / "Genesis Does What Nintendon't" days when Sega was extremely, demonstrably, arrogant.
House of the Dead: Overkill shambling off Amazon for $20
Looking for an excuse to pick up the already cheap (and awesome) House of the Dead: Overkill? Amazon has got you covered, as Sega's ill-fated yet profitable zombie blaster is the latest Deal of the Day. These babies are priced to move at a mere $20. If you've been hankering for some decent, co-op undead action, you'd be hard-pressed to do much better.Be warned though. While one would certainly think a zombie shooting spree would be fun for the whole family, Overkill is not for the kids. Turns out there are just a few swear words in there.
Sega considering more mature Wii titles, says Overkill was 'profitable'
We loved the mother[expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] out of Sega's recent mature pair of Wii titles, House of the Dead: Overkill and MadWorld -- unfortunately, the same can't be said for the game purchasing population of the world. The two games' sales were far from stellar, but Sega isn't ready to give up on developing family unfriendly titles for Nintendo's home console.In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Sega MD of European development, Gary Dunn, explained that the company's outlook on its two grown-up outings is far from grim -- he even claimed that "House of the Dead: Overkill was a profitable title." He went on to explain, "Whilst MadWorld commercially didn't sell what we were expecting I wouldn't say it's game over for mature Wii titles from Sega." Hopefully the company's persistence will be rewarded, if only to ensure a few dozen sequels to Overkill. (Overkill 2: Superfluous Murder, Overkill 3: The Overkillinest, etc.)
MadWorld, HotD: Overkill now $30 on Amazon
Sega's MadWorld and House of the Dead: Overkill are currently being sold at $20 off at Amazon. It doesn't appear to be a flat-out price drop for the two games, which have sold ... well, that's up for interpretation. We've also noticed that MadWorld is currently $30 in-store at GameStop.Remember: Purchasing these titles will get more M-rated games on Wii and further research into splicing wings on pigs.Source - Amazon-MadWorld Price Drop [GoNintendo]Source - MadWorld, Overkill $30 on Amazon [CAG]
MadWorld sells 66K in March, Sega oddly pleased
Call us crazy, but we always thought that the idea behind making games was to sell tons of copies. Not so for Sega, as it seems weirdly satisfied with MadWorld's lackluster sales, based on comments to Gamasutra. Debuting early in March, Platinum Games' over-the-top brawler managed to move 66,000 copies, despite generally positive reviews.Sega's other M-rated title on Wii, House of the Dead: Overkill, also managed to have a sub-par debut, selling 45,000 copies during February. What does this say for The Conduit, the third of Sega's big games for Wii? Could Sega's gamble on the mature audience of Wii gamers been a poor move? All signs are pointing to "yes" right about now ... but Sega seems to disagree!%Gallery-22964%
Sega: Overkill sales 'met expectations,' MadWorld's 'very encouraging'
We've kind of assumed that Sega's double shot of M-rated offerings on the Wii underperformed, because ... well, because it's the Wii. But if Sega of America VP Sean Ratcliffe is to be believed, we might just have sneered at MadWorld and House of the Dead: Overkill's numbers too soon.Ratcliffe told VentureBeat, "House of the Dead has done very well and has absolutely met our expectations. The first set of data for MadWorld is very encouraging, as well." We know that Overkill only sold 45,000 units in February, but if that's good enough for Sega, it's just enough to allow us to keep the hope of an Overkill sequel alive in our hearts without feeling like cockeyed optimists.
Nintendo talks core, third parties, and DSi
During a recent interview with Gamasutra, Nintendo's Denise Kaigler spoke about a slew of subjects sensitive to the Nintendo loyal. Core gaming, third-party support, and the new DSi were just a few of the subjects Kaigler touched on. In regards to the core, Kaigler says that developing games for that audience is important for "everybody, the industry, certainly for Nintendo, but most of all, for consumers." She points to Zelda: Spirit Tracks as a game for that audience.Moving on to third-party support, we're starting to see more and more third parties recognize Nintendo's platforms. Kaigler says that being able to offer that 150 million user base between the two systems is very enticing to those developers. But, she notes that Nintendo wants to impart its own success on the platform and show these developers how it has achieved success (see: characters with floating, circular hands in everything), which might tie into those poor sales figures for the recent original, mature games MadWorld and House of the Dead: Overkill.Finally, no interview with a Nintendo exec can skip the company's latest handheld, the Nintendo DSi. Some folks (especially commenters on Joystiq) have felt the handheld doesn't improve enough over the DS Lite, especially for the price it's demanding. Kaigler, however, argues that the new handheld has plenty to offer, pointing out the DSi's popularity on Amazon and at GameStop through pre-order figures, as well as the one feature that we think too many people are overlooking: DSiWare.
House of the Dead: Overkill sells 45k in February
Sega's latest (on rails) shooter -- and Guinness World Record holder -- The House of the Dead: Overkill sold 45,000 units in February, landing itself 50th place in the month's top 100 titles sold. According to data from the NPD Group (Via Edge), Overkill -- which released on February 10 -- joins other third-party Wii titles that have failed to capture attention at retail. Last year, Sega of America president Simon Jeffery said Western publishers have ignored the hardcore market focusing instead on family friendly titles, in line with the Wii's mainstream image. Sega -- who recently released MadWorld -- is prepping for a June release of The Conduit, continuing a string of Mature rated titles developed for the top-selling console. Hopefully, it will fare better on store shelves.
