Overkill 2 Review

Overkill 2 is gun porn. There, I said it. A whisper of a story is present and there’s a reasonably fun first-person gallery-style shooter attached to it, but it’s really all about the guns themselves. Although there’s also really nothing wrong with gun porn in the first place.

Bad guys have invaded a city to do bad things and it’s up to the player to put a stop to it with lots and lots of bullets. Both the traditional ironsights and a new 3D view that’s perfect for ogling weapon models are available, but the core gameplay remains true to the original. Dragging a finger around the screen aims while a number of various buttons in the bottom right corner fire, reload, and so on. Taking down hostiles (and even better, completing levels) nets experience and cash needed to unlock new gear/levels and buy better stuff. With enough success it’s even possible to unlock endless survival modes in each zone for added replayability.

I may scoff at the over the top gun-love in Overkill 2, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a really impressive looking game. Each firearm’s model is incredibly detailed from barrel to grip, and each equipped upgrade has a noticeable impact on their look and performance. There are no “instant win” add-ons, either. Each piece has its strengths and drawbacks so it’s up to the individual to decide how they want a particular gun to perform. Once the customization is finished there’s also plenty of enjoyment to be had shooting bad guys in the face. A task that can be made slightly easier with some diligent saving, a nice weapon, and some special gear for the main character’s head, chest, and legs that provide some much needed stat boosts. It’s obviously not a AAA console shooter but there are a number of fun arcade-like elements to each encounter.

Aside from a general disinterest in drooling over realistic gun models there’s very little to Overkill 2 that isn’t awesome. Really about the only complaint I have other than that - and the rather abrupt difficulty spikes - is the way aiming doesn’t feel quite right. I imagine the idea is to emphasize the fact that simply pointing a dot at something doesn’t equate to an automatic hit but it can make taking out tougher enemies rather frustrating when they barely take any damage. Sometimes I’ve aimed slightly to the right and gotten a headshot, other times it was when I was aimed right between an enemy’s eyes. It’s a bit inconsistent.

I never really found the original all that enjoyable, but Overkill 2 pushes everything farther and makes up for that. It looks great, plays great (for the most part), offers a ton of equipment to unlock and customize, and is incredibly replayable. I’d say it was well worth the wait.