Review: House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return

Light-gun/Shooter/On-rails

Nintendo’s octogenarian fanbase finally get that gore-shooter they’ve been hankering after.

Danny

God knows where you guys have been but thank God you’re back… no seriously!

Just when everyone thought that Capcom had struck gold with the whole “Resident Evil” gun game thing (third times a charm eh boys?) Sega show us all that they have been doing zombie vs. shotgun epic slugfests for years now and very good at them they are too. That’s right ladies and gentlefriends, House of the Dead is back with its crazy hard gun battles and voice acting that manages to be even cheesier than Resident Evil’s.

Trampoline of the Dead.

Before we get started just let me point out the obvious and state that this title is a collection of two of Sega’s previous House of the Dead titles. While that’s pretty obvious by looking at the game’s title what I really feel the urge to point out is that House of the Dead 1 and 4 are absent from the package. Most people buying in to this title were expecting HotD 1 to be an unlockable in House of the Dead 3 just like on the Xbox version but it’s not to be. Instead what you can unlock is an new gameplay mode called House of the Dead 3 Extreme which allows the player to block attacks amongst other various tweaks to the gameplay.

I guess I should also mention at this point that HotD2 also has the Dreamcast exclusive “original” mode as well allowing the player to pick up extra items to help them along their way to completing the game. Generally this amounts to additional credits and firepower which can be accessed from the boot of G’s car at the beginning of the game which is surprisingly handy. This means that any power up you pick up won’t be usable until the next game.

Boyband of the Dead.

Essentially the House of the Dead titles are light gun games. You point at stuff with either the Wii Remote or the Wii Zapper and press the trigger until what ever you are pointing at drops dead. While this may sound boring House of the Dead’s lively (if you can call them that!) cast of bad guys ranging from killer frogs and bats to gigantic Ogre-like security guards and everything in between but the real stars are in fact the zombies. Yes it’s possible to blow huge holes in them and they still keep moving towards you unlike those other pussies from Time Crisis or Virtua Cop who normally only take one shot to kill, shameful.

One thing I must point out now is DON’T BOTHER BUYING A WII ZAPPER TO PLAY THIS GAME! It’s a complete waste of money. The Wii Zaper costs £35 and it’s almost impossible to aim the damn thing without the cursor on screen thus making the whole thing pointless. Best just stick to the Wii Remote which if you played the shooting game on Wii Play (like who hasn’t?) you will know full well that there is no real need for a gun peripheral of any kind on the Wii because of its unique controller.

One of the things that I noticed about the House of the Dead series is that only the original is actually based inside a house. The rest normally either take place within some kind of research complex or some zombie infested streets in some nameless town somewhere. This is a shame because I have also noticed that about Capcom’s Resedent Evil as well. What’s wrong with just having an “evil mansion” these days eh? Saying that I guess it means that the backdrops are more varied and with the multiple roots system that both games have going for it I guess it will take more than one play though to fully see everything that both games in this collection have to offer.

Adam Secondary Review Don’t be drawn in by nostalgia, all you fans of zombie blasting in bowling alley arcades. The Wii cannot properly replicate that sweaty-palmed experience for several intrinsic reasons; you aren’t wielding a hefty over-sized plastic cannon; you can’t gamble your own money for the chance of your name in lights; motion sensors require only a slight twitch of the wrist, so you lose practically all the pretend fun. An on-the-rails-on-the-Wii shooter has to be made with it’s unique controls in mind, which is why Umbrella Chronicles relied so heavy on pinpoint accuracy. That’s not to say the mindless trigger mashing on offer here is worthless. The game (two from the series, with Sega promising the fourth if profitable) includes plenty of (extreme) modes, paths, bosses and enemies and some mind-bogglingly sub-Resident Evil dialog. The difficulty is definitely there, even if it is due to the ungodly return of Mr. “You Died, go back to the very start”. It goes without saying that playing co-operatively increases the enjoyment tenfold. Would I have spent thirty British pound coins on House of the Dead back in the day? You bet your ass! Do I regret spending it again all at once? You bet your ass!. Secondary Score: 4/10

One thing I do have to mention is the graphics. They have been tidied up a little and are passable but they are starting to show their age. The Wii was never going to have games that are the best looking in the current console climate but you are talking about one game that is two (arguably three) generations behind the pace and another that was made around the time of the original Xbox era, not ground breaking benchmarks for graphics let me assure you.

Saying that though you still get that fuzzy feeling inside you when you blow a massive hole in a zombie even after all these years so who am I to complain about the graphics when they are not cringeworthy. Saying that I did notice some slight frame drop between cut-scene and gameplay in HotD3. It’s not deal breaking and does not get in the way of enjoyment but I feel the need to point this kind of thing out so you lot know I am doing my job properly heh.

Out of all the “shooting” games in the current Wii market at the moment House of the Dead 2 & 3 probably offers the best value for money because it’s packed with so much stuff and it’s at least £10 cheaper than Capcom’s effort. Yes it’s a “rehash” but it’s a re-release of some of the most iconic light gun games of our time and they are both packed with additional features.

If you are a fan of light gun games then this is probably up your street as it’s arguably the best gun game out on the Wii at the moment even though the games are starting to show their age now. But if you like to be able to move in any direction you wish while playing games or were not around at the time of this wonderful arcade games were doing the rounds then these games may seem a little pointless to you. As it stands though the House of the Dead series will always be remembered as one of Sega’s finer moments from a time when they were going down the tube so to speak so this collection gets a thumbs up from me as a big fan of light gun games.

Rating:

7/10