Sega Nerds

Review: House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return

by James on April 2nd, 2008

Light-gun games. Who hasn’t played one? It’s a simple formula, and one that can entertain people for many, many hours. Whether it be at the arcades of yesteryear or home console ports, it seems gamers will always reserve some time (or quarters) for a light-gun shooter.

Turns out SEGA feels the same way about the genre, and has thus far released two such games for the Nintendo Wii. Ghost Squad was the first, and now we have The House of the Dead 2 and 3 Return.

For the uninitiated, The House of the Dead is a classic Sega series in which players are pitted against wave after wave of oncoming zombies. The game is presented in the first-person perspective, and using a light-gun the player was tasked with quickly dispatching as many undead as he could.

The first game in the series arrived in arcades in the mid-90’s, and was later ported to the SEGA Saturn as a home-console version. Following HotD’s success Sega released The House of the Dead 2 and continued following the formula of arcade launch, followed by a home console port - this time on the Dreamcast. Similarly, the third game in the series followed this route, finding home distribution on Microsoft’s XBOX.

As its title would imply, The House of the Dead 2 and 3 Return is a Wii port of the second and third games in the series, and for the most part it’s a very nice package.

After firing up the game, the player has the option of choosing which House of the Dead they’d like to play. Choosing either one will bring you to that game’s title screen where each game has an assortment of play modes, such as Arcade, Original, Tutorial, and Boss Battle.

Launch into Arcade Mode and you’ll immediately be thrown into the thick of things. If you’ve played the games before you’ll know what to expect. If you’re a new-comer then you’d better prepare for a challenging shooting spree, interesting and difficult boss-fights, and immensely corny voice-acting (we’d have it no other way).

For both HotD 2, and 3, it’s important to stress that these games do many things incredibly well. The action is fast and frantic with zombies, killer slugs, zombie owls, and more constantly on the attack. The player is nearly always firing off rounds, and reloading just as quickly as possible, before the next monster has a chance to sinks it’s teeth in. Have a friend grab a second remote and you’re good to go for an incredibly fun multi-player experience.

During the game, situations arise in which the player’s actions dictate which of the many branching pathways will be taken. Save a civilian from an onslaught of menaces and you may have an easier time. Fail, and it’s down into the sewers for you. Similarly, in HotD 3 the player is often tasked with saving his or her partner. Do so successfully and you’ll earn a much-needed extra life.

The conversion to Wii has been a major success for these games, technically speaking. Sega has included an amazingly accurate calibration system. You simply won’t find a more accurate light-gun game in the home market - I’m talking pinpoint accuracy, here. Furthermore, the games now run in widescreen mode, offer you the ability to customize your crosshair, broadcast reload noises through the Wii remote speaker, and are crisper and clearer than their Dreamcast and Xbox predecessors.

While the graphics in HotD 2 are understandably a bit dated, it should be noted that the feeling of immersion is still there due to the intelligent design of levels and enemies, and the attention to detail in the environment. Hotd 3’s visuals have stood up a bit better, as the game is only about five years old as this point, and at some moments the game can still “wow” you. New gamers may not be impressed, but they shouldn’t be playing these games anyhow, since they both come rated M-for Mature.

[gametrailers 31271]

Sega has included something of a special feature, called EXTREME Mode, which is unlocked after completing the game. Extreme mode is only available in HotD3, and in it the player faces much harder enemies, a smaller blast-zone, and a new melee attack. This new mode is fairly challenging, but it may not be enough of an extra to draw any attention.

Some aspects of HotD 2&3 R simply make the game a less than perfect package. It’s important to remember that these games are older games, and as I’ve said, don’t have amazing visuals. Another problem is, excluding Extreme Mode, the glaring lack of original features. If you’ve played these games before in the arcades or at home, then there’s nothing new here at all.

What you played then is what you’ll play now, so if you loved HotD back then, you will still. If you’ve played the games and weren’t all that excited about them then I’d suggest giving this one a rental and simply having some friends over for a fun weekend of zombie-slaughtering. If you’ve never experienced HotD 2 or 3, or experienced them only fleetingly, then I would definitely recommend this as a purchase, since they’re classic examples of great arcade craftsmanship, and tons of fun.

Summary
In short, HotD 2&3 Return offers incredibly accurate IR control, a new widescreen presentation, and the classically frantic, arcade action that made these games hits in the first place. SEGA went with a bare-bones package this time, and if they’d included just a bit more in terms of extra content, or new features, it would’ve helped the game be an instant sell. Even so, the lack of bells and whistles doesn’t detract too much, and with the game’s $30 price tag it’s difficult to resist.

For fans of the series and relative new-comers, this is a no-brainer. Get going. Buy it! But remember - This time, we’re meeting G over there! (*points to Nintendo Wii)

Overall Score : 7/10

Share This

POSTED IN: James, Nintendo Wii, Review