House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return: Review - 7/10

HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN REVIEW BY JOFRA01

Let's start things off by letting you know that this game is a port of the House of Dead 2 & 3 that was released on the dreamcast together in one title. It is one of Sega's more successful franchises and the game is pretty much the same as the dreamcast versions.


Game cover for the Wii Version

Story:
This game contains two stories here as it is made up of two games, House of the Dead 2 & House of the Dead 3. The stories are some what alright for a zombie game and kinda make one larger story. However don't expect a story line similar to the Resident Evil series as this game just can't even be compared to it in terms of quality.

House of the Dead 2 Story:
The game follows the fictional events of February 26, 2000, two years after the Curien Mansion incident in The House of the Dead. The secret international agency, AMS, has launched an investigation concerning the cause of the Curien case, in order to prevent the world from experiencing a similar outbreak. Strange occurrences, however, are reported to be taking place in the city of Venice, Italy, the last known location of AMS agent "G," who has gone missing. Agents James Taylor and Gary Stewart are dispatched along with Amy Crystal and Harry Harris to investigate and evacuate the populace.

House of the Dead 3 Story:
Set in the post-apocalyptic year of 2019, civilization has long since collapsed. Ex-AMS agent Thomas Rogan and his team of commandos investigate the EFI research facility, which may be linked to the world collapse. Thomas' 19-year-old daughter, Lisa, and Rogan's former partner, G, travel there two weeks later with shotguns in hand after contact with him is mysteriously lost.

Set some years apart the games still work well together.


House of the Dead 2 one of the games included

Gameplay:
The gameplay is pretty much the same throughout the whole game for both 2 & 3 as it is a rail shooter meaning all you can really do is aim the WiiMote at the screen and shoot what ever comes at you. Gameplay is enjoyable and use of the WiiMote is done pretty well.

The game is also compatible with the Wii Zapper which also adds some extra fun to it.

You will find that while playing the game you will die quite a fair bit and will struggle to reach the end of the game as each time you do die you have to start over again from the beginning.

There are different difficulty modes to adjust gameplay level. Multiplayer has also been included and adds more gameplay value to the game. The game also contains some different modes like training mode and even boss mode where you see how long you can last facing off against all the bosses.


Zombies coming to kill you in House of the Dead 3

Graphics:
Graphics are let down in this game as when Sega ported this game over to the Wii they kept the original graphics which were great back then but are some what shocking today. House of the Dead 3 does have better quality though in terms of graphics as it is a newer game than two.

The zombies or monsters are quite average looking also but some do stand out while the humans look average and bland.

Sound:
The game does contain some average music but also contains voice overs for the people and some zombies. However the script for the game and the way some of the people talk and what they say are highly laughable which made me enjoy the game a bit more as it made it not seem as serious but it would have been nice if Sega did do the voices over again to improve the quality.

Replay Value:
The game contains quite a fair bit of replay value as you will find yourself sometimes replaying the game over again to try and get a new high score or want to play a game that provides good multiplayer value with a friend.

The different modes and the fact there are two games in one also help the replay value.


Old promotional poster for House of the Dead 3 featuring many of the zombies

Conclusion:
Overall House of the Dead 2 & 3 is a good rail shooter game that has quite a fair bit of fun, but the quality of the game hasn't improved when it was ported over. If you are given the choice however between this and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles which is also a rail shooter, go with Resident Evil.

Story: 6/10
Two games in one make for an average story.

Gameplay: 9/10
Good fun with different modes and multiplayer.

Graphics: 3/10
Graphics are quite shocking and should have been improved but the zombies look alright.

Sound: 7/10
Corny voice overs with a laughable script bring humor to the game and shouldn't be taken seriously.

Replay Value: 9/10
Quite a fair bit of replay value with some wanting to achieve a higher high score and just want to do some multiplayer.

OVERALL: 7/10

Submitted by jofra01 16/06/2008 115 10

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More Info:

House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return

Other Reviews:

• Mudguts Review 2/10 by Mudguts
• jofra01 Review 7/10 by jofra01

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