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THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2
©1998, 1999 Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Sega Dreamcast
1~2 Players
Lightgun game
Arcade stick compatible
VGA-box compatible
Puru Puru-pack compatible
HDR-0011
¥7800 (with gun)
¥5800 (without gun)
Available in Japan
Where to buy
FAQ
—by Geir Friestad
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The norm when writing a game review like this is to retain a certain
distance and not to get too personal; referring to oneself as "I" is
certainly frowned upon. However, in light of recent events it's hard not to
do so, and given my pathetic excuse for will power, I'll give in and do it.
Get a tad personal, that is (it won't happen again—I promise). So
what's up? What kind of event has grabbed hold of me and given my pillars
of normality a violent tug?
Walking home from work today, pondering what words of immense wisdom to
fill this review with, reality was suddenly pulled rather violently back
into focus for me as I happened to pass a group of junkies lined up outside
the needle van, waiting to get their batch of new, unsoiled syringes. What
does this have to do with Sega's new lightgun game? Nothing, except that it
gave me—your lowly games reviewer—a much needed dose of
reality; and it started me thinking of the recent tragedy in Littleton,
Denver, and its connection to violent computer games. The media was of
course quick to point their moral index fingers in the general direction of
all easy targets and distribute the blame accordingly, and games such as
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 were among the accused.
But is it really that simple? Does a simple computer game twist a normal
person's psyche so much that he'll eventually snap and go out to blow away
everyone in sight? I don't think so. It may serve as a catalyst for a
person who's already pretty deranged, but if DOOM didn't cause the nutcase
to flip, then something else would have. It's not a question of what, it's
a question of when. At least that's my own, personal belief.
And with that out of the way, I have no problem admitting that I was
really, really looking forward to unwinding after a long and particularly
bad day at work by blowing away a bunch of undead freaks on my TV, bit by
gory bit. Eat lead, zombie!
So is it good? Does it live up to the hype? In a word: yes.
Gameplay first, as it's easy to sum up. The game takes you through a preset
route, and you shoot anything that looks vaguely threatening and watch the
gory bits fly. That's the basic premise, but Sega has added a bit of replay
value and difficulty by creating alternate routes for you to follow, which
are opened up by certain events, such as rescuing various civilians and so
on (this can be tough—precision shooting is often required). The game
is divided into six parts, each ending with a boss showdown of the
none-too-pleasant type. Each of the bosses has a weak point, but it's
generally really small, fast-moving, and/or well guarded. Offing the bosses
can be tough.
Which really is true for the entire game. THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 is
hard. Even with the difficulty level set at rock bottom, the lives
set to maximum, along with a total of nine continues, you'll have to work
unbelievably hard to reach the finish line in one piece. However, it's not
hard in a frustrating kind of way—you get the feeling that you'll
actually succeed if you persevere.
Graphically, the game is a stunner. I never played the Naomi-based arcade
original much, as arcades have pretty much priced themselves out of my
life; but judging from what little I've seen of the Naomi-original, this is
as close to arcade-perfect as it'll get. The monsters are as huge and
beautifully (or should that be horribly?) detailed, and shed their body
parts just as gruesomely as they did in the arcade, and the world they
inhabit gives the illusion of being solid, rather than just a stack of
textured pieces of polygons.
Sonically, THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 is a mixed bag. The sound effects are
great, with big, beefy gunshots, moaning zombies, and the whole nine yards.
The music, however, is pretty bland, and the voice acting is probably the
worst yet. It's so stiff and stilted that it makes the cast of RESIDENT
EVIL sound like Academy Award-winners in comparison. Thankfully, it's
possible to skip most of the cut-scenes with a quick jab at the gun's
B-button.
And speaking of the gun, it's a fairly good piece of hardware. It's not as
accurate or as cool looking as Namco's GunCon, but it makes up somewhat for
that by including a couple of innovative features; a slot for either a VMS
or a Puru Puru-pack, and a D-pad just above the handle. If you can't afford
to fork out for the more expensive gun-and-game version of the game, you'll
be happy to hear that THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 works just fine with the
regular Dreamcast joypad as well. In fact, precision shots are easier with
the joypad than with the gun. But, let's face it, it's not the same without
the gun...
Is it worth buying, then? I say yes, but your mileage may vary. If lightgun
games are your thing, then you probably didn't even need to read this
review, but you'll be happy to hear that Sega has included a bunch of
additional modes to increase the game's longevity. The same also goes for
people who can't stand lightgun games at all—THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2
is not likely to change your opinion; it's not innovative or different
enough from other lightgun games to do that. It's just a lot more gory. And
fun as hell. 
Rating: 8.9/10.0 |
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