Product description
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Prepare to send the undead back to the afterlife! Features: From
the #1 hit arcade smash. All new gameplay modes, exclusive to
Dreamcast. Tons of branching paths for ultimate replayability.
Incredibly detailed graphics. 6 levels of intense action.
.com
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Direct from the arcades to the Dreamcast, Sega has a sure-fire
smash on its hands with this near arcade-quality translation of
popular zombie shooter House of the Dead 2. Most fast-action
gaming fans will immediately dive into the basic premise of this
game: shoot and destroy the zombies that have invaded the creepy
haunt known as the Curien Mansion.
For what it's worth, however, House of the Dead 2 does contain a
pretty intriguing plot that moves beyond the simplistic
point-and-shoot genre. In addition to the fast-moving action,
there are several subplots that shed light on the darker secrets
lurking within this eerie, zombie-infested environment. Gameplay
can be set to accommodate several skill levels, including easy,
medium, and hard game settings.
Even if you manage to master this game, there are several
alternative plot and game paths that will keep you coming back
for more. Your shooting patterns and on-screen actions will
determine the plot path and gaming areas that you can explore.
Skilled shooters and well-trained zombie slayers will be rewarded
with secret game areas and unusual plot twists.
By saving the lives of innocent bystanders, you will usually be
able to take a shorter path to the end of the game level. In
addition, you'll often gain bonuses that enable you to
play longer. If you complete the game without allowing any
hostages to die, you'll even unlock a secret bonus room.
A few years ago, Sega disappointed some hardcore fans with its
less-than-perfect home translation of the original House of the
Dead game. With House of the Dead 2, Sega has fully redeemed
itself. The Dreamcast is the only home game system with the
processing power to do the arcade game justice--and it shows. We
just about drooled over the graphics, which have to be seen to be
believed.
The home version even expands beyond the arcade gameplay with
exclusive new levels, including a training mode that helps you
practice your shooting skills before you enter the game. There
are also several never-before-seen secret game areas that were
developed exclusively for the Dreamcast.
The only disappointment here is Sega's decision not to include
the light accessory with this title. You can play with a
basic Dreamcast controller, but the game was designed with the
light in mind. Without a light blaster, it's just not as fun.
It's a good thing that third-party companies, such as InterAct,
are already offering light s that are compatible with the
Dreamcast. We highly recommend purchasing this separately sold
light accessory; it makes the game infinitely more enjoyable
and, frankly, some of the harder areas of the game are almost
impossible to beat without it. --Brett Atwood
Pros:
* Near perfect arcade-to-home translation
* Multiplayer support with a second Dreamcast controller or light
(sold separately)
* Exclusive levels developed only for the Dreamcast
* Multiple game paths
Cons:
* Gameplay suffers without optional light accessory
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Review
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The often-used phrase "Virtua Cop meets Resident Evil" doesn't
quite do Sega's zombie-blasting arcade -game series justice,
but it's certainly close enough to give you the general idea of
what the House of the Dead series is all about. In it, you're
part of a government agency in charge of stopping the
machinations of the nefarious and incredibly monotone Goldman, a
suit-wearing evil mastermind intent on wiping out the human race
with his monster hordes for reasons that never really quite make
sense - or have to, for that matter. If that sounds like the plot
for the first House of the Dead game that's because, well, the
evil is back!
While the graphics in the home version of the original HOTD fell
far short of its coin-op cousin, the Dreamcast port of the second
game is virtually identical to the arcade sequel and looks
phenomenal. The monsters and their environments are incredibly
well modeled and textured, and your s blast gory green
holes through the zombies (which look fantastic when they get up
close enough to take a bite out of you) and the other assorted
nasties.
The home version of HOTD2 also stacks up very well in terms of
added value, with four different modes in all: arcade, original,
boss, and training. The arcade mode is the heart of the game,
wherein you shoot zombie after zombie and confront boss after
boss. Original is essentially the same, but in it you can set
your bullets for extra damage or expand your clip, but you're
locked into the basic options. (In arcade, you can increase the
number of your continues and lives.) Meanwhile, boss mode lets
you practice taking on the game's boss monsters, and training
mode sets you up in a number of point-blank-style puzzle/shooting
levels, where you'll shoot a dozen creatures with only a limited
number of bullets, save humans from zombie attacks, knock zombies
off moving cars, and blast barrels within a time limit. This mode
is great fun and carries the potential to be almost as strong and
entertaining as the main game itself, save for a few drawbacks.
Even without the training levels though, House of the Dead 2
carries excellent replay value. The main game has numerous
branching paths along the way that split off nearly every time a
human is in danger of getting killed by a zombie. If you can
blast the attacker in time, you're rewarded with either a
-up or a different track to explore. There are enough
branching pathways that you won't see everything the game has to
offer until you've played it through multiple times, and it's fun
enough where you'll want to do just that. This is definitely one
area where the HOTD series really beats the pants off of its main
competition, Namco's Time Crisis line, but things unfortunately
don't turn out nearly so black-and-white in the end.
House of the Dead 2 is an incredibly tough game. In fact, it's
hard to a fault. You'll play through tons of times with the
options set to nine continues (very easy) and five lives before
you'll get anywhere near the end. Also, the training stages also
appear to begin at an expert difficulty level; since there are
five degrees of toughness to each of the stages within it, it
would have been nice if training started off easier. The main
problem seems to be that you just don't get enough bullets in
each clip. Your character carries a semiautomatic, which
generally has a clip size of about twelve rounds because it isn't
as powerful as, say, a .357 Magnum, and it fires more rapidly.
Strangely enough, however, you only get six bullets per clip -
the same number you'd find in a revolver, and your doesn't
have nearly that much "stopping power." (Remember the Magnum in
GoldenEye 007?) When it comes down to it, the game doesn't need
to be anywhere as hard as it is, because it already provides such
a great deal of value through its branching pathways and training
mode. Being this difficult just leads to screaming fits on the
part of the player. (The barrel-blasting level got me mad enough
that my TV almost had it.)
Another problem with the game stems from the whole issue. The
game was made to be played with a light , which Sega of
America opted not to bring out in the US, ostensibly because the
folks in the mainstream press were calling games "murder
simulators" after the tragedy in Colorado. Not content to simply
refuse to release a light in the States, Sega implemented a
lockout in the US version of the game, keeping owners of the
imported Japanese peripheral from using it with the title. At
press time, two third-party manufacturers have released light
s to the US market, but both have calibration problems with
certain television sets, making them tough for us to recommend.
All of these factors lead to you having to play the game by using
a standard DC controller, which is not only much less fun, but
also more difficult to master. The game requires you to at
site sides of the screen frequently, which is hard to do when
you're waiting for your target to move into place. You'll wish
for a reliable light while playing HOTD2. Often. Just a
that lines up with the s doesn't seem too much to ask for.
It's a damn shame, really, because with some fine tuning of the
difficulty settings and a proper light , House of the Dead 2
could be far and away the premiere console game, largely
because its replay value is far more impressive than that of the
PlayStation version of Namco's Time Crisis. In the end, the game
just didn't get treated with the respect it deserved. Like a man
without a country, HOTD2 is a game without a , which all
but cripples it. --Joe Fielder
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot
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- Disc(s) plus hard plastic protective replacement case only. Disc condition ranges from flawless to scratched but is guaranteed to work. Discs may have stickers or markings..