The House Of The Dead 2 & 3

We’re still not quite used to the volume of lightgun games that are coming out for the Wii. After all, the GameCube had zero lightgun shooters, as did the N64 before it. We’d always assumed the genre was just too violent for Nintendo’s kid-friendly consoles, but the Wii is arguably the most family-oriented games machine yet and it’s been fl ooded with the things.

We’re not complaining though. Lightgun shooters are brilliant and we’re over the moon that companies like Sega and Konami have taken the opportunity presented by the Zapper to port over some of their best arcade blasters. Ghost Squad, for example, was so good that we’re still playing it and still having as much fun as we did the first time.

Now here comes The House Of The Dead 2 & 3 Return. Can there be anyone left in the country that hasn’t played one of the vintage zombie horror games? Almost every single arcade we’ve ever walked into has played host to at least one of the four games in the series. And with good reason: they’re some of the finest slices of coin-op gaming you could ever hope to play.

For those three people that have never played a House Of The Dead game, however, here’s a quick explanation. Much like any other lightgun shooter, the core premise is very simple: just pick up the gun that’s attached to the arcade cabinet and shoot at anything that moves. That’s it! Of course, every lightgun game adds its own twist to the genre and House Of The Dead is no different. The two aces up the series’ sleeve are multiple routes and rescue shots. The former allow the player to take a different path through the game every time they play, which is usually determined by your actions within the game, while the latter award you with extra lives if you manage to protect a civilian from fatal undead attack.

The two games bundled together in The House Of The Dead 2 & 3 Return actually have a number of subtle differences between them. Part 2 is definitely the best on the disc and probably the best in the series as a whole. The pacing is spot on, the music makes the game twice as exciting as it should be and the voice acting is so bad – even worse than anything you’ll find in a Resident Evil game – that you won’t be able to hold back the laughter. For us, the way it makes use of the series’ trademark features is also what makes House Of The Dead 2 the best. Navigating the multiple routes is a purposely vague experience that rewards experimentation. You’ll never be directly asked which way you want to go – instead the game will decide based on your actions. Early on in the first stage, for example, an out-of-control car will come hurtling toward you. Shoot the zombie on the bonnet and the driver will stop the car and allow you on your way. Fail to shoot the zombie, however, and the car will crash into a building, bringing the wall down and revealing an alternate route.

… continued