Overclocked: A History of Violence

Overclocked: A History of Violence is a psychological thriller adventure game from House of Tales, published by Lighthouse Interactive. It was originally set for a North American release on March 31, 2008, but was pushed back to April 15, 2008. The game centers on the consequences of violent acts, following a U.S. Army psychiatrist who treats a group of traumatized teenagers during a fierce thunderstorm in New York City.

The story opens when five college-aged teens, all suffering from amnesia, appear in the middle of New York City carrying guns. Psychiatrist David McNamara, who previously worked with post-traumatic stress disorder cases in the Army, is sent from Washington, D.C. to investigate. From the start, the case is strange: on his first day, David learns all five patients share the same background and were fleeing the same unknown person from a remote military island. As the narrative unfolds, David uses a PDA as a tape recorder to navigate the teens' memories, reconstructing their past while also dealing with his own ongoing divorce. David himself struggles with anger management issues, which had already ruined a previous relationship. In the end, it is revealed that the teens were part of a military experiment designed to create amnesic assassins, and David's anger problems were side effects of an earlier Army project.

House of Tales is a German studio founded by Martin Ganteföhr and Tobias Schachte. Ganteföhr acted as both writer and creative director for the game. In a 2008 interview, he explained his choice of such an intense theme: "I chose the topic because it interests me, and is at least as worth to dedicate a game to as War on Mars. You see, making games is a very personal process for me. I have many questions about life, and as long as somebody is willing to listen, I will try to convey my thoughts and feelings in my games."

According to the review aggregation site Metacritic, Overclocked received above-average reviews. Brett Todd of GameSpot praised its "deep, engaging story with lifelike characters and dialogue" but noted its nihilistic tone. IGN highlighted the game's "haunting main theme... and gloom of rainy New York [which] adds an appropriate layer of anxiety to the experience." PC Gamer was less enthusiastic, stating, "Unless you're jonesing for an adventure game fix, your time's better spent rearranging your Netflix queue."