The House of the Dead III

"House Of The Dead makes it's Xbox debut."

The House Of The Dead series has been a popular lightgun shooter in the Arcades for quite a few years now. House Of The Dead III is actually two games in one, as it features a port of The Dreamcast version of House Of The Dead 2. It makes this a better overall package. The games are rather short though, so it's strongly recommended you get this along with some other Lightgun games for the Xbox to keep them from getting stale.

Originality: There's really nothing here that you haven't seen in previous House Of The Dead games. It's your standard Zombie blasting affair, with the feeling of a C-list Movie. This game does nothing to push the series forward.
5/10

Graphics: Sega had originally wanted to go with Cel-shading for House Of The Dead. Be grateful they didn't,
because the graphics in HOTD3 are pretty good. Cel-shading most likely would have killed the atmosphere of the game. The Zombies are nicely Textured, and the environments assuming someone actually pays attention to them are equally well done.
8/10

Storyline: It seems that Sega purposely has made the story in the series so bad that they are actually so bad that they are funny. It's about the quality of a cheaply made film you'd expect to see at a low-budget film festival. The two games basically continue the story from the first game which was centered around the Curien Mansion crisis. The Evil doctor that created these Zombies is dead, but they are showing up again. You must get to the bottom of this mystery. It's good because it's so stupid that it's actually funny.
8/10

Extra Features/unlockables: This is what makes the game worth owning. This game features what is considered by most to be the best in the trilogy. House Of The Dead II is presented as the ultimate unlockable. Quite possibly the best unlockable in a game in recent years. It does require you to beat House Of The Dead III to unlock though. Through High Scores you can also unlock Freeplay, which gives you basically unlimited Credits. This is a godsend for those who have friends they want to play this with, but whose Friends stink at the game. This can also be unlocked in House Of The Dead 2.
10/10

Controls: House Of The Dead III can be played with either a controller, or a lightgun. A controller can be used, but it is strongly recommended to have a lightgun to fully enjoy this game. Afterall, this is a lightgun game. Playing with the controller can make the game more difficult than it is intended to be. You'll be wanting a lightgun if you are wanting to aim for high scores. There are always issues with lightguns as well though. It can be a pain trying to get a lightgun properly calibrated at times, but once you do get it right the game controls pretty well.
7/10

Fun Factor: This game is all about playing with a friend in the Arcade. It's the same on the Xbox as well, in fact the game will get old after a few times beating it by yourself. However, with a friend playing, and two different games to choose from it helps to keep the game fun, and enjoyable. You can lose hours playing this over and over with your friends, so If you've got a buddy who likes these types of games then this is your game.
9/10

Replay Value: It seems that this game is a double-bladed sword in this area. If you have a friend, and a couple of lightguns this game may never get old. However being forced to play with controllers, or just having to play it on your own really brings down the replay value here. Keeping in mind that this game is at most 45 minutes, and the second not being much longer playing with a friend is almost essential to keeping this game from collecting dust on your shelf.
7/10

Overall: Overall this is a great game to play with friends, and is pretty damn fun doing it. The controls with a controller are iffy, but are solid with a lightgun. The Graphics are well rendered, but the game moves so fast you aren't likely to notice them. Parents should keep in mind that this is about killing Zombies, so buckets o' blood are to be expected. The game is good but has it's flaws as well. If your a fan of lightgun games this game will fit right in with your collection, and is a steal as gamestores everywhere are trying to get rid of excess stock.
8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/10/04, Updated 04/12/04