The original House of the Dead [HotD] game remains one of the most fondly-remembered
of all lightgun games, with its lush visuals and lashings of style powered by
one of the great arcade boards. Although it doesn't innovate technically as Silent
Scope or Time Crisis did, the sequel succeeds where many fail due to a series
of brilliant set pieces, set-off by simply stunning graphics and topped by adding
a pumping, visceral elegance to the carnage. Shooting zombies... how can it fail
to be good? Sit back at relax, because it doesn't.
As simple as lightgun games ever get, the premise goes as such: seeking to prevent
the mad schemes of yet another mad scientist from becoming a reality, you must
fight your way towards the evil mastermind's lair, disposing of all manner of
nasties along the way, which will require of you a hardened nerve and a steady
hand. HotD2 is without doubt one of the toughest of the genre and an example to
the rest on how pace is maintained and enemies designed. Those enemies: every
individual creature is just that - individual - with its own manner of attack
and corresponding weak points.
Taking the view that shape, attack pattern and speed of enemy determines the
effectiveness of this type of game, AM#1 ensured that the rogue's gallery here
for your delectation and delight truly gels and excels. Each boss is named for
a Tarot card, and reflects not so much what is on said card as to emphasise
the random and various violent natures they possess. For example, Hierophant
is an aqueous creature brandishing a trident. Bursting from beneath a bridge
you are crossing, and killing the people fleeing across in a violent watery
explosion, it must be dispatched by targeting its heart, protected for all but
a nanosecond by an impenetrable shell. He periodically ducks into the water,
allowing gnashing piranha to fly at your face, before leaping high into the
air and dropping towards you, trident poised to impale your hapless avatar.
No other game of this type, with the possible exception of the first HotD,
gets you so spun with desperation. The intensity never lets-up, and not a moment
during the cramped confines of the (unnamed) European city's streets do you
have time to relax or let your guard down. The city plays as big a part in making
the game so good as anything else on offer. Obviously designed with places such
as Budapest, Prague and Vienna in mind, the setting for HotD2 is a mass of vacated,
mysterious old architecture: beautiful waterways, iron gateposts, deserted narrow
alleyways and labyrinthine passages. One of the major reasons this game works
so well is that it stays true to the first game: although not set in another
house (despite the misleading title!), the city is so full of tight turns and
individual character that it feels like an enclosed space. The genius here is
how AM#1 have managed to make an entire city feel like one nightmarish trap,
with you cast as the hapless victim. Enemy assaults are relentless and can come
from literally any angle, meaning that you feel a genuine sense of fear whilst
stalking and being stalked through the town.
Whilst exploring these startling confines, there are various paths which can
be selected. Making these selections normally takes the form of saving the citizens
from a grisly death at the hands of the predatory undead, which can catapult
you off on a different route. The benefit of this is two-fold: firstly, saving
NPCs gives you life-ups, and the replay value of the game is also increased
by showing you different parts of the city, with new challenges to face within
them. Obviously, accuracy is paramount in this type of game. A well-placed shot
will despatch a zombie in one or two shots, whilst blazing away at any part
of its body will take you longer and increase the likelihood of you being struck
a killing blow.
One of the crowning glories of House of the Dead 2 is the "Original"
mode, which allows the player to collect items to power themselves up on further
play. Shooting particular barrels uncovers upgrades, such as instant-death ammo,
extra lives and credits, shotgun shells and even the famous fishing lure from
Get Bass! Once unlocked, selecting this mode again sees you go to the trunk
of your car and have the option to use any collected items (up to a maximum
of 3 at any one time) in the game. It's a fantastic feeling, going back into
the fray armed to the teeth and ready to take revenge upon that little critter
who stole your last life...
It is very difficult to pick out a single flaw in The House of the Dead 2 -
it really is that good. To be very pernickety, you can say that (like all lightgun
games) it is quite short, and that all you do is point and shoot. That is the
absolute limit of what can be mustered against it, though. The gameplay has
so many standout moments of brilliance: all of the bosses, the flight through
the city, every part of the skyscraper section (but particularly the return
of the fabulous Magician and the appearance of the new uber-boss)... just too
many parts to mention. Replayability is the best that this genre has ever witnessed.
As per usual, you can attempt to get better accuracy and higher scores, but
it is the exploring of new routes and unleashing of acquired power-ups that
really keeps you coming back for more. Plus, the visuals are so impressive and
so... well... "arcade-perfect" that merely watching it is a treat.
Forget Virtua Cop. Forget Silent Scope. Forget Time Crisis. This is the best
lightgun game ever made.
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