The House of the Dead III

"If you don't own House of the Dead 2 already, and you want to give the third game a shot, then buy this"

If you don't already own House of the Dead II, and you're looking for some shooter fun, then this disc might be worth the price of admission AND the price of light gun. However, if you already own HotD II for the Dreamcast, then really, you shouldn't bother buying HotD III for your X-Box, unless it's really really cheap.

The main reason why you shouldnt? Well, HotD III is just WAY too short, and you don't get nearly as many options and paths when put into comparison against the second HotD. It's a fairly linear game, and there's no civilians to save or different paths to take. In other words, the replay is VERY limited. The most you can really unlock is freeplay, which gives you infinite credits, but even THEN the fun with this game is still extremely short-lived. You'll feel pretty cheated if you spent any more then $20 on this title.

The plus side to HotD III is the amazing graphics, which are sleek and detailed, and look really good. The music ain't half bad either, although, it really won't be one of the top things on your mind while playing. There is also a ranking system for each individual level, with S being the highest rank. It adds a little bit of replay, but not much. Also, the voice-acting in this game is MUCH better than the acting in HotD II, which was laughably bad.

Regardless of the horrible voice-acting in House of the Dead II, there really isn't much else to complain about at all. By beating HotD III once in Arcade mode, you unlock this classic title -- and trust me, it definitely pumps some much needed replay into the otherwise shallow offering that HotD III had to offer.

The Original Mode in HotD II is the greatest feature of all in this two-game package, and you'll find yourself playing through the game repeatedly trying to get all of the cool power-ups that you can use in the game, such as infinite credits, souped-up weaponry, and alternate costumes for your character. On top of that, there's so many civilians and different paths to take, you'll never feel like you're doing the exact same thing over and over.

The basic synopsis? Buy this game if you don't already own House of the Dead II. Or, if you find this game really cheap at your local used-game store, then pick it up there. As far as purchasing a light-gun goes...well, it definitely helps you make your experience arcade-perfect. Just don't buy it though if all you want is to pummel a couple of zombies in HotD III and then be done with it. From what I've heard from other gamers, the joypad works fairly well with this game, so you might be able to spare yourself some extra expense. As an overall package though, this game is great. Definitely give it a chance.

--PROS--
1) amazing graphics in HotD III
2) HotD II is worth the whole price of admission
3) seeing classic characters like G, really makes things fun
4) individual rankings for each level help you hone your skills

--CONS--
1) very little replay value for HotD III
2) HotD III lacks different paths and civilians...yuck.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/11/04