The House of the Dead 2

"The best light gun game I've ever played!"

House of the Dead 2 hit my local arcade about 3 month ago. Since then, it has grown to become one of my favorite games. In the arcade, House of the Dead 2 (HotD 2) was fun, graphically beautiful and humorous for the wrong reasons (I'll touch on that later). I am thrilled to say that nothing has been lost in the translation.

The graphics in this game are amazing. Textures barely repeat themselves and are extremely detailed. The undead look actually pretty creepy, and there is enough variety between each monster that it doesn't seem monotonous. It's a little sick seeing some of the undead that have been in the water for an extended period of time. Also the stages are well thought out. Most of the time spent in the game is in a very old European village with American tourists to boot. The third level is especially nice when you find that part of the city is made up of canals. During the fifth level things turn more modern and, in the sixth, it turns into a more futuristic atmosphere. Also, every level except the last two has different paths you can take depending on who you save or what you shoot. Overall, it has enough variety to keep people from getting bored.

Sound quality in the game is top notch. Rain falling in the background, gunshots echoing through the streets, zombies moaning after a mortal wound, all are heard clearly and add to the atmosphere. There is one thing I feel I have to mention, though. Some love it, some hate it- cheesy voice acting. I hope SEGA was going for B-movie appeal because the lines that are supposed to make you want to save the victim just usually make me laugh! Quoting bad lines from the game hasn't been as fun since the first Resident Evil. I guess horror style games are supposed to have bad voices.

SEGA didn't skip out on the extras either. There are several different modes to play as. Arcade mode is just that, with same routes and ending that were in the arcade. Original mode is great; you can collect items in the game and use them next time you play. In this mode you can get a machine gun, add more rounds to your gun, or even play as different people (my favorite is the grandmother; she's ruthless!). HotD 2 has a truly difficult training mode that makes Point Blank look like child's play. Also, there's a boss mode where you're pitted against every version of every boss in the game. Both the training and boss modes have ratings between one and five stars and are divided into ten different events. Supposedly when you get all five stars on each event two new options open up, but I still have two stars left in training and the last two bosses in boss mode. The options menu is what every options menu in a game should be. You can listen to every voice sample and sound in the game (750 total!) and also every song (which are very fitting for this type of game).

The only real fault I can find is how difficult the game is. This is the most difficult gun game I have ever played. On top of that it gives you a limited number of continues. One player mode is truly a test of skill. I've been playing pretty much non-stop since I bought it and going through the game still presents a challenge. Another small gripe is that the Puru Puru Pack (SEGA's force feedback device) doesn't kick as much as I would like. It rumbles just slightly every 4th or 5th shot, but when a Zombie busts out from a wall or through a door it shakes violently. It's just not used to it's fullest.

If you love the arcade version, HotD 2 is a reason enough to buy a Dreamcast. Not only do you get an arcade perfect port, but you get tons extras that will keep you busy for awhile. I didn't touch on gameplay because for the most part it just involves shooting at the screen. Really, I cannot stress to you how good this game looks. If you have access to play it, I suggest doing so. You won't be disappointed. If you're looking for the finest shooting game out right now, look no further than House of the Dead 2.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99