The House of the Dead is one of those series that, unfortunately, many folks take for granted. It’s done a lot of good for gaming, and even pushed a few boundaries, but for whatever reason (mostly, because of the hardware it’s been on), the games haven’t gotten nearly as much play or recognition as they deserve. So hopefully the following will change a little of that…
The original came out in the arcades in 1997, and was one of the first (as well as the best) games to capitalize on the newfound interest in zombies in gaming. A trend that had been kicked off by the first Resident Evil the year prior (who would eventually make its own, first person light gun game, clearly inspired by HOTD). The very first incarnation was powered by Sega’s state of the art (at the time, though it still has many fans today) arcade hardware, the Model 2. The degree of detail as it pertains the zombies and the mayhem that ensued was truly staggering at the time. A home conversion followed, but the Sega Saturn’s hardware couldn’t really do the job. Furthermore, the arcade original’s red blood had to be changed to green for squeamish American audiences. Mostly obnoxious parents and politicians. Plus it helped to innovate the notion of alternate level paths, depending on player choices and actions.
The sequel in 1998 really took things up a notch, by building upon a solid foundation, and thanks to enhanced hardware. The first iteration was for Sega’s Naomi arcade hardware, which resulted in absolutely gorgeous graphics that also made the transition flawlessly to console players. The Naomi architecture was the basis for Sega’s Dreamcast hardware, so 1:1 arcade conversions would be without question (clearly they had learned their lesson with the first game). HOTD2 is arguably the entry that everyone’s played the most; aside from it being a hot seller for the DC, thanks to it being part of its stellar launch, but it was eventually converted to the Xbox, PC, and even the Wii. It’s also been the basis of numerous HOTD spin offs, like English of the Dead, which had the player translating words from Japanese to English (it was a Japan only release, sadly) and Pinball of the Dead (which has since become one of the more rare Game Boy Advance releases). But the most famous of them all is…
Released in 1999, it was essentially the same exact game as HOTD2 except players spelled out words or repeated phrases to kill zombies in lieu of shooting them. The arcade version gave birth to the first arcade cabinet to have a full QWERTY keyboard, and even inspired numerous other titles to utilize the same control method. Because Typing of the Dead was also on Naomi hardware, which was designed to be modular as well, arcade operates simply had to swap a circuit board to have something new and running. Meanwhile, the first home version necessitated a keyboard controller, which was fine for Dreamcast owners who already had one when they opted to use their consoles to surf the web, which was quite the novelty in 1999. A somewhat more sensible PC edition was eventually released, along with one for the PS2 in Japan, which also had a keyboard, for those who went online with it to play Monster Hunter, the hit console MMO that’s only really been popular over there.
Utilizing Sega’s Lindbergh hardware is the most recent “proper” installment of the game, which still gets plenty of play to this very day (it’s basically in every single Dave & Buster in America), despite being six years old. There’s not a whole lot to say here, other than to note how it’s a true culmination of everything that’s come thus far. Building upon a solid foundation established in part one: the branching levels, the intense amount of gore, the wacky enemy types, plus all the refinements that have followed. It’s by far the biggest, boldest, and baddest main HOTD game yet. And it’s a solid reminder of why arcades should exist, and still do; sure a home port would be quite easy, but it wouldn’t be the same without that sweet ass 62 inch display.
Virtually unheard of in America is this 2009 spin-off. And believe it or not, it’s even more different than Typing or even Pinball of the Dead; instead of playing humans trying to put an end to a zombie outbreak, you assume the role of an undead, flesh-eater yourself. One that happens to be in love! The goal of you and gal-pal (player two) is to escape captivity, not just by shooting at stuff, but stomping things as well. It’s the first game in the series to utilize a foot pedal, though not in the same manner as other light gun games do so (a la Time Crisis). There’s also a stronger emphasis on humor (not surprisingly) and the art style is much more cartoony as a result. Again, it was never released outside of Japan, so the next time you’re in Tokyo, be sure to be on the look out for it!