GameSpots Jeff Kitts and an IGN reviewer both panned the game as a Loaded clone which lacks the enticing music, impressive graphical effects, and excitement which made that game popular, retaining only the mindless ultra-violent gameplay which had since been done to death. A Next Generation reviewer and Dan Hsu of Electronic Gaming Monthly both acknowledged that Project Overkill is just the latest in a growing pile of mindless ultra-violent shooters, but contended that it is one of the better games of its breed and is enjoyable when taken for what it is.
In contrast, Hsu's co-reviewers Shawn Smith and Sushi-X asserted that unlike other violent shooters, Project Overkill is deep and challenging. GamePro took a middle ground position, calling it "flawed but engaging".