Mon, Mar 16, 2009 | 12:39 GMT
House of the Dead: Overkill is sweariest game ever, says Guinness

Guinness has claimed House of the Dead: Overkill contains the most uses of the word “fuck” in a game.
The Wii shooter uses it 189 times, “which equates to just over one per minute and three percent of all words spoken in the game,” according to a press release this morning.
“Parodying the profane excess of grindhouse cinema was Headstrong Games’ objective and I am flattered that this record acknowledges that we not only rose to that challenge, but entirely exceeded it,” said script-writer Jonathan Burroughs.
Full thing after the link.
** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE **
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: OVERKILLTM BREAKS [AN EFFIN'] RECORD FOR THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS GAMER’S EDITION
London, UK – 16 March, 2009 – Guinness World Records, the global authority on record-breaking, today announced that recently released The House of the Dead: OVERKILL (SEGA®, 2009) has broken into the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition for most swearing in a video game with a whopping 189 uses of the f-word.
Setting a record in this brand new category, the title recognizes The House of the Dead: OVERKILL as the most profane video game in history. During three hours of relatively limited dialogue, the campaign features 189 uses of the f-word, which equates to just over one per minute and three percent of all words spoken in the game.
Video Games Records Manager for Guinness World Records, Gaz Deaves, said: “This record category pre-existed for movies, music and television, but The House of the Dead: OVERKILL is the first video game to be awarded the title in the Gamer’s Edition. It’s a mark of the times.”
The new record will be shortlisted for inclusion in next year’s Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. The 2009 Gamer’s Edition, which includes high scores and interesting facts from the world of video gaming, also dedicates a separate section to video game controversy; among the many nations listed in the chapter, Greece stands as the first country to ban all video games for an all-encompassing ban on electronic video gaming lasting two months during 2002. Mexico banned Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 in the state of Chihuahua because the state’s governor was offended by the game’s portrayal of the region and its people. The longest ban in gaming history is awarded New York City, whose mayor imposed a ban on pinball machines, which stood for 34 years from 1942.
Jonathan Burroughs, writer of The House of the Dead: OVERKILL, stated: “It is a dubious honour to receive such an accolade working in an industry where so often the fruits of your labours are derided and dismissed for being puerile or irresponsible, but in the case of The House of the Dead: OVERKILL a little puerility was the order of business. Parodying the profane excess of grindhouse cinema was Headstrong Games’ objective and I am flattered that this record acknowledges that we not only rose to that challenge, but entirely exceeded it.”


13 comments
#1
Hunam
16/03/09, 1:16 pm
Mines in the post with the hand cannon!
Can’t wait really, heard so much good about it.
#2
Tiger Walts
16/03/09, 1:20 pm
…and it’s on a kiddy console.
And now I run from the flames.
#3
Hunam
16/03/09, 1:25 pm
Why would there be flames? It’s school hours at the moment!
#4
normski
16/03/09, 1:44 pm
That’s bullshit, if you’ll excuse my language. I wrote the script for the Reservoir Dogs game and that features over 550 uses of the word “fuck”. And I’m sure there’s plenty of other games that beat the 189 figure.
#5
Patrick Garratt
16/03/09, 1:46 pm
#6
Hunam
16/03/09, 1:47 pm
I don’t remember that much swearing in the Res Dogs game, mostly usage a hostage to disarm 3 police officers and then lining them up against a wall and executing them.
A rather nasty game that one.
#7
Hunam
16/03/09, 1:48 pm
That’s not to say that the swearing wasn’t there, you know that better than me, I just remember being a horrible human being more than what the kind folks were saying.
#8
slayernl
16/03/09, 1:52 pm
hahhahaha so funny because the game is totally crazy and disturbing.
I have finished the game 3 times now and its still funny
#9
normski
16/03/09, 1:53 pm
I suppose when you’re in the middle of the blood red haze of cold-blooded murder, the language is going to be the last thing on your mind. (You know you didn’t have to kill them, right?)
The word fuck appeared in ten of the fifteen loading screens! It’s only now I realise quite what a sweary game it was.
#10
Prof Power Glove
16/03/09, 1:56 pm
Ironically enough, the HOTD script is actually far more ‘Tarantino’ then anything in the Reservoir Dogs game. :p
It’s mostly tongue-in-cheek so they just about get away with it. Besides, kids and teens lap up the swearing angle everytime = good for sales! Ahem.
#11
normski
16/03/09, 2:20 pm
I wasn’t making a value judgement, having not played HotD:Overkill I wouldn’t like to say which was better or more Tarantino-esque.
I was just saying that Res Dogs dropped significantly more f-bombs!
#12
evilashchris
16/03/09, 2:55 pm
I must say I pulled an :O when someone was called a ‘fucking cabbage’ in this.
#13
wz
16/03/09, 4:34 pm
And I havent even heard about it until now!
*orders*