The House Of The Dead 2 and 3 Return

Who doesn’t have fond reminiscences of House of the Dead when it hit arcades? My “local” curtained off the entire game setup and splashed lurid age content warnings around the exterior. A masterful piece of marketing, it guaranteed anyone under the age of 15 would sell their mother into slavery to at least take a look at what was underneath.

For the uninitiated, House of the Dead is a lurid shooting game that employs light guns – plastic infrared controllers that allow you to point and shoot at the screen. The baddies pop on screen as it scrolls inexorably forward, and you shoot away. Aim and reflexes are what gets tested. The House of the Dead “edge” was that it focused on non-humans – mutated bats, giant maggots, and of course, zombies by the tonne. This allowed the makers to semi-sidestep the “murder simulator” type hysteria that would have been attached to the game if it had have been depicted in a more traditional setting for violence, such as a school, office building or place of worship.

Which is where Nintendo’s Wii comes in. While most games of this kind rely on selling expensive extra gun controllers, the “Wiimote” controller is perfectly usable as a slightly awkward “gun”, even without the “turn your Wii into a pistol” Wii Zapper optional extra. And when you throw the gleeful gore and relentless House of the Dead formula at it, it’s a recipe for enjoyment, especially when you whip out a spare Wiimote and dual wield your way through the game.

If you lay down your $ expecting a rollercoaster emotional ride, a masterful storyline or bleeding edge graphics, you’re going to be disappointed. HOTD is action through and through – and it’s not the deepest of experiences. Blast your way through wave upon wave of baddies; rinse, repeat. HOTD2 is almost a decade old so don’t expect a gameplay or graphic revolution – just solid action which doesn’t scrub up that bad at all.

Despite the internet consensus being pretty so-so on it, House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is a great investment for Wii owners who’re aware of what they’re getting. The nature of the play means its perfect for a quick splat session – something the Nintendo excels at. Two games for the price of one is always welcome, and if nothing else you can freak out your five year old nephew by leaving it running in the machine when the relatives come to visit. One for the hardcore.