The House of the Dead 2
The House of the Dead 2 | |
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Sega NAOMI |
The House of the Dead 2
The story picks up slightly over a year after the original game, and follows several AMS agents investigating a zombie outbreak in Italy. The protagonists are tasked with finding the source of the attack while also locating a fellow missing agent, known as G.
Gameplay
The House of the Dead 2 is a rail shooter light gun game. It includes an auto-reload feature that allows players to point their guns off-screen to reload their weapons without pulling the trigger. Players must shoot their way through hordes of zombies and other monsters while attempting to rescue civilians being attacked. Health is represented by torches at the bottom of the screen and are lost when the play is hit by an enemy or shoots a civilian. Bonus health can be awarded by rescuing civilians and finding first aid kits hidden in crates and barrels.
As in the first game, this game incorporates a branching path system that allows for a variety of different routes in each stage depending on the players actions. This is expanded upon with more paths than the original which also lead a greater variety of stage layouts and locations, although the general story itself will always remain the same.
The flashbacks to the first The House of the Dead in the game's introductory sequence were recorded using the game's engine.
Plot
AMS Agent G's further investigation on the 1998 Curien Mansion incident leads to his mysterious disappearance upon his discovery of the remnants of Dr. Curien's operations in Venice, Italy, where a zombie outbreak takes place.
On February 26, 2000, AMS agents James Taylor and Gary Stewart are dispatched with their fellow agents, Harry Harris, and Amy Crystal, to find Agent G and evacuate the civilian populace. They soon encounter a massive undead horde, similar to the kind from 1998. The agents locate G in a library, alive but wounded, who provides them with a field journal containing information on the enemies. They continue on, trying to save the town's civilians in the process.
During the chaos, James and Gary face
It is revealed that Caleb Goldman, a wealthy businessman who financed Dr. Curien's creations leading to the 1998 incident, is now responsible for the new wave of zombies attacking the city. Goldman leaves a message on Amy's phone, inviting them to meet him at the
Upon arriving at Goldman's tower, James and Gary are confronted by Curien's masterpiece, the
Players are given different endings based on the following conditions:
- If a solo game was finished as either player 1 or 2
- If both players defeated the last boss
- Number of continues
- Points earned
In the good ending, James and Gary run into Thomas Rogan, the other main character from the first game, who tells them that G and Harry are all right, and that they should head off to their next battle "as long as they have the will to live" (in the case of James) or "as long as there is an answer" (in the case of Gary). In the normal ending, as James and Gary leave the building, they are greeted by G, Amy and Harry, as well as a large group of civilians, who thank them for their help. In the bad ending, James and Gary run into a zombified Goldman outside the building. As the screen goes white, a gunshot is heard.
Development
Ports
The House of the Dead 2 went on to receive several home ports. In 1999 the game was ported to the Dreamcast, as a launch title for the system, then to PC in 2001, on Xbox as an unlockable on the 2002 port of The House of the Dead 3, and Wii, in a double release with The House of the Dead 3. It was also the second, and final game in The House of the Dead series to appear on a Sega console, with the original The House of the Dead for the Sega Saturn being the first.
Reception
Aggregator | Score | |
---|---|---|
Edge | 7/10[4] | N/A |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.62/10[5] | N/A |
Famitsu | 33/40[6] | N/A |
Game Informer | 8/10[7] | N/A |
GamePro | [8] | N/A |
GameRevolution | B+[9] | N/A |
GameSpot | 6.7/10[10] | N/A |
GameSpy | 7/10[11] | N/A |
IGN | 8.7/10[12] | N/A |
Next Generation | [15] | N/A |
Publication | Award |
---|---|
Game Informer | 99th Top Game Of All Time[16] |
In Japan, Game Machine listed The House of the Dead 2 on their January 1, 1999 issue as being the third most-successful dedicated arcade game of the month.[17]
The Dreamcast version received "favorable" reviews, while the PC version received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[13][14]
Blake Fischer reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "Without the light gun, this game is a complete loss. With a gun, it's better, but not for very long."[15]
A consensus among reviewers was that the quality of the English voice acting was very poor, with one calling it "easily some of the worst in the genre".[3] Others found it to be so bad that it became amusing.[19][20] In 2020, The House of the Dead 2 was ranked as the best game in the series by Screen Rant.[21]
Legacy
The House of the Dead 2 was a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the most iconic entries in the series. Its impact on the franchise is also the result of it having served as the springboard for the arcade, Sega Dreamcast, and
Notes
References
- ^ "Domestic and Overseas Arcade Game List (1971-2005)". Internet Archive. 2005.
- AllGame. Archived from the originalon 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
- ^ a b Knight, Kyle. "The House of the Dead 2 (PC) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
- ^ Edge staff (May 1999). "The House of the Dead 2 (DC)". Edge. No. 71.
- ^ "House of the Dead 2 (DC)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. 1999.
- ^ a b "ドリームキャスト - HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2". Famitsu. Vol. 915. 30 June 2006. p. 35.
- ^ "The House of the Dead 2 (DC)". Game Informer. October 28, 1999. Archived from the original on 2000-06-05. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
- ^ Scary Larry (1999). "House of the Dead 2 for Dreamcast on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2005-02-14. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
- Game Revolution. Archivedfrom the original on 2000-01-24. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
- ^ a b Fielder, Joe (1999-03-30). "The House of the Dead 2 Review (DC)". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
- ^ Fragmaster (1999-10-18). "House of the Dead 2". PlanetDreamcast. Archived from the original on 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
- ^ a b Gantayat, Anoop (1999-09-08). "House of the Dead 2 (DC)". IGN.
- ^ a b "The House of the Dead 2 for Dreamcast". GameRankings. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- ^ a b "The House of the Dead 2 for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
- ^ a b Fischer, Blake (September 1999). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 2, no. 1. Imagine Media. p. 84.
- ^ a b "Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100)". Game Informer. 2009-11-16. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
- ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - 完成品夕イプのTVゲーム機 (Dedicated Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 579. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 January 1999. p. 29.
- ^ Williamson, Colin. "The House of the Dead 2 (ARC) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15.
- ^ This Game Has Such Bad Voice Acting It Used To Make Me Cry, Ebaumsworld
- ^ A new House of the Dead is heading to arcades Archived 2020-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, Eurogamer
- ^ "Ranking the House of the Dead Arcade Games, Worst to Best". Screen Rant. 22 April 2020.
External links
- The House of the Dead 2 at the Killer List of Videogames
- The House of the Dead 2 at MobyGames