Game Review: House of the Dead 2 and 3 Return

Game: House of The Dead 2 and 3 Return
Console: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Sega
Release Date: 11th March 2008

The House of the Dead series has been around since 1996, and both games included in this set were previously released on home console; HoTD2 on Dreamcast in 1999 and HoTD3 on Xbox in 2002. The versions included on this are basically direct ports, with no upgrades to the visuals, sound or general gameplay save for the improved aiming provided by using the Wiimote over a lightgun.

For anyone unfamiliar with the series, it began in arcades as a zombie rail shooter, brought to the Sega Saturn and PC, and the games continued in that vein. At certain points depending on the players actions, alternative routes through the stages can be found, and life bonuses can be obtained through saving NPC's in sticky situations.

I'll start with House of the Dead 2, which features Arcade Mode, Original Mode (which features an assortment of upgrades you can choose 2 of to use in any given run), and Boss Mode. For progressing through arcade mode, you're given more continues and lives to use on subsequent runs. Arcade mode plays well, with the original arcade experience being the main draw to playing the game on Wii. Original mode gives good replay value to the game, and it can be fun to experiment with different upgrades.

The game itself plays well, although obviously its a direct port so it's essentially the same as the Dreamcast version from 1999. There's plenty of zombies and other creatures that need to be eliminated, and the level of challenge is good. Overall its a lot of fun, and there's the option to play with 2 controllers (either solo or with a friend). Bosses are fairly varied and break up the straightforward shooting parts nicely.and there's always new shortcuts and extras to find in levels.

The storyline of the game (advanced by intermittent cutscenes) isn't its strongest point; it references the original House of the Dead game quite a bit, and the voice acting is downright bad. This doesn't so much affect gameplay but players immersion into the game does suffer. The music and sound effects for the game are generally good, with faced paced organ music serving as the main part of the soundtrack, for a carnival funhouse type feel.

The dynamics of the game reward accurate shooting, with headshots and targeting weak points being far more effective than just blasting at any target put before the player. Overall it's the better of the two experiences in my view, and being able to play House Of The Dead 2 with the improved motion control of the Wii is enjoyable to say the least.

House of the Dead 3 features the same type of gameplay as its predecessor although somehow it looks a little less sharp, visually. Also an overall blast shooting technique seems to work better than specifically targeting the enemy heads, save for bosses which have weak spots. The story of this game reveals more about the origins of the series (the first game specifically), and the voice acting is marginally better in this installment.

Although the bosses and some of the other enemies are better designed than in the first game, and you're given the choice of which order to clear levels in, in this game, I think that House of the Dead 2 showed more character and needed more skill and memory to progress. Also the alternative routes required players to find extra targets instead of just being given a choice, making them more of an unlock.

Overall these are two fun rail shooters which still have a lot of gameplay value despite their age, especially when playing with friends. Although graphically they haven't aged particularly well, it doesn't hinder the gameplay and contributes more to the style of the game. The voice acting can be dire at times, but its not as if the story is a particularly massive part of the experience. What we do see of the story is kept short (which is a plus) and gives us motive enough to shoot up everything in our path.

Rating: 82/100
Grade: B