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'another light gun shooter'
 Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Category: : Light Gun shooter
Multiplayer: 1-2
Official Site
Platform: Wii
Might look like: House of the Dead 2 and 3
Date posted: 4 September 2008
Written By: Mark
Introduction
Since the launch of the Nintendo Wii, the console has breathed new life into the light gun genre for the home market with the introduction of the Wii Zapper and rather impressive recent releases "Ghost Squad" (review can be read here) and "Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles". Due to these relatively well received titles Sega stuck their neck on the line by releasing "House of the dead 2 & 3" in one package. This is quite bold move as both have previously been available on other formats, House of the dead 2 on the Dreamcast and House of the dead 3 on the original Xbox.
There where originally four proper sequels and a few spin offs such as 'The Typing of the Dead' and 'Pinball of the Dead' as well as cameo appearances in the recent Sega 'Superstar Tennis'. The question on everyone’s lips regarding this release must be: where is the first House of the Dead and why choose parts 2 & 3?
The answer to this must be the fact that these two games are often regarded the best in the series and received the most acclaim amongst players.
Is it a blast?
As it is now 2008 would it be too much to expect these games to have a make-over, to help it compete with the visuals from other games of the genre? The answer to this question sadly is that they look exactly the same as they did when the game was first released. However like 'Ghost Squad' the game is simply not about trying to push the systems graphical capabilities but about ensuring the player becomes immersed in the gameplay. This is what the Wii light gun releases have done rather well it must be said.
Both games in the package retain their original charm and this is backed up by the awful voice acting. Graphically house of the dead 3 is a vast improvement over part 2 but this does come at the expense of a little gameplay.
House of the dead 2 does seem more difficult than I ever remember as I used to be able to complete the game with ease. Perhaps this is down to playing using the Wiimote rather than a light gun or just the simple fact that my reflexes are dwindling with age. Either way there is no doubting that the game is still as playable now as it ever was.
  
The concept of the game is simple in that you have to blast your way through each level, saving civilians on the way. However the clever part of the game is that saving certain civilians gives you different paths to work your way through. This does give the game the a fair bit of replay ability which is exactly what games such as this need to avoid boredom settling in quite easy.
The game moves along at a steady pace broken up by a variety of cut scenes until you reach the end of level bosses. It must be said the bosses in the game are nothing spectacular but provide enough of a challenge and variety the further the game progresses and each requires a different strategy to defeat them. This is a good aspect as it does give a bit of a break from the mindless blasting needed to reach them.
'House of the dead 2' also contains different modes to allow you to play through the game using power ups gained in previous plays and a boss attack mode which allows you to practice battling the end of level bosses without playing through the entire game again.
'House of the dead 3' has almost identical gameplay to it’s predecessor however as previously mentioned it is less atmospheric but is far superior graphically. In this game Sega decided to reduce the multiple path options which does take away that one more go factor. One difference in this game is that now your character is armed with a shotgun instead of a pistol although this is hardly noticeable and makes no real difference to the gameplay which is more frantic to 'House of the dead 2' thanks to less cut scenes and more faster moving zombies and their undead counterparts.
  
What is a massive improvement in this game however are the end of level bosses which take some beating. One in particular bursts through walls and chases you through almost the entire level. Again each boss requires a different strategy to be able to defeat them and provide sufficient challenge for gamers of all abilities.
In addition to the original arcade game the developers have also included a time attack mode where you get extra time for shooting zombies in the head or killing multiple enemies in one shot and if the time runs out you die. Like the extra game modes in 'House of the dead 2' this adds variety which can only be a good thing.
Both House of the dead 2 & 3 also feature ‘extreme modes’ which is just the same game but with an increase in difficulty although a glaring mission is the lack of online support so you cannot save your best scores and compare them with other players. This is where the other main light gun shooter on the Wii, "Ghost Squad" stands out as being superior.
Conclusion
Overall, the package of "House of the dead 2 & 3 Return" does represent good value for money in that you get two classic shooters for the price of one game. The game provides an excellent nostalgia trip for players who remembered the first release of these games and other similar light gun games and will also be enjoyed by players who are new to this particular genre.
Although the games are far from perfect it has to be said Sega have done well with the package and the potential for further light gun games has been increased with this release which is one of the better shooting games to be released on any platform.
-Mark
Pros:
+ Two classic shooters in one package
+ Good value for money
+ Weapon calibration is excellent
+ Fun and frantic gameplay
Cons:
- Lack of online support
- Starting to show it’s age
- Much better when using a light gun
 
 
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