Lightgun survival horror, The House Of The Dead 2 was released on September 9th, 1999 by WoW Entertainment and published by Sega. Its an On-Rails shooter which incorporates a branching system that allows the player a variety of different routes which lead to the same points in the story. A story which takes place roughly 14 months after the Curien Mansion incident where all kinds of creature themed mayhem occurred. Gamers took on the role of an AMS Agent, a secret international agency (hey aren't they all?) who is sent to Venice in order to find missing agent 'G'.
Of course nothing runs smoothly and you are faced with a hoarde of gruesome beasties including zombies, chainsaw wielding tubbies and rabid owls.
End of level bosses are no less impressive and include the awesome Judgment (imp-like monster Zeal and his headless, axe-wielding protector Khual), The Hierophant, (an aquatic monstrosity which wreaks havoc on Venice's famous waterways), and a serpent-like beast stalking the sewer system known as The Tower and Strength. Your lightgun never gets much of a breather, and its good to know that re-loading is a utterly simple affair - just point off screen and click and you are ready to go.
When I first got my hands on this near its release date, I wasn't so certain that I would enjoy it because my experience with lightgun titles was limited to Operation Wolf in the arcades. But as soon as I had booted it up on the Dreamcast my doubts were instantly shattered, House Of The Dead 2 is a FABULOUS game!
From the stylish looks (nasties are beautiful looking even when going for your throat) through to the sometimes eerie, sometimes snarling sounds; everything here rocks like Eurovision trouncing metal band Lordi at a free beer festival.
I don't have a gripe to throw against this fine game. Even the fact they tried dumbing down the violence and gore by having green blood fails to raise my annoyance levels. Sega triumphed with House Of The Dead 2 make no mistake, and proved just how powerful the Dreamcast console was/is. Put it on next to current Playstation3 or Xbox 360 shooters to see what I mean. Its fantastic!
Alone without the lightgun I have seen this title go for as little as £5 which is an absolute bargain. Bundled with a lightgun it can sell for anything between £10 to £20 which quite frankly is still a must have. 10/10
On 9th September 1999, Sega released a new console to an excited public, the now legendary Dreamcast. Many would argue the first in Next Gen visuals, and online gaming, the Dreamcast was overtaken by Playstation2 but never forgotten. To this day, a decade on, it is still a powerful force in the gaming world. This is my tribute to the console and games, where a poet becomes fanboy.
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