The House of the Dead 2
Encyclopedia
The House of the Dead 2 is a light gun
arcade game
with a horror theme and the second game in the The House of the Dead
series of video games, developed by Sega
for video arcades in 1998 and later ported to the Dreamcast and Microsoft Windows
, and also found on the Xbox
as an unlockable bonus in The House of the Dead III
. The game appears in the compilation The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
for Wii
. The Dreamcast version became one of the few Sega All Stars
titles.
game. It includes an auto-reload feature that allows players to point their guns off-screen to reload their weapons without pulling the trigger. It also incorporates a branching path system that allows players to take a variety of different routes leading to the same point in the game's story.
The game served as the springboard for the arcade, Sega Dreamcast, and PC release The Typing of the Dead
, the Nintendo DS
release English of the Dead, as well as the inspiration for the Game Boy Advance
game, The Pinball of the Dead
.
The flashbacks to the first House of the Dead in the game's introductory sequence were recorded using the game's engine.
, 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. Upon finding G alive but wounded, James and Gary converse with him and G gives them a field journal showing the bosses and weak points. The pair are then met with an undead horde developed by Caleb Goldman, the president of the eminent DBR Corporation and an expert on the genome
theory who funded the experiments of the late Dr. Curien.
While converging on Goldman's headquarters, James and Gary face many formidable foes, including Judgment
consisting of an imp-like monster Zeal and his giant, headless, axe-wielding puppet Kuarl; The Hierophant
, an aquatic beast which heads an assault on Venice's waterways and Central Plaza; segmented serpent-like beasts known as The Tower
; and Strength
, a giant, chainsaw-wielding zombie which wounds Harry and chases James and Gary throughout the Roman Colosseum
. Curien's masterpiece, The Magician
, is resurrected by Goldman to oversee the birth of The Emperor
, a horned, transparent being designed to rule over nature and "destroy and hate mankind". In its prototype stage, the Emperor is not as strong as Goldman had hoped, and falls to the AMS agents. In order to evade being arrested, Goldman commits suicide
by throwing himself off the roof of his building.
Players are given different endings
based on the following conditions:
In the first good ending, James and Gary run into Thomas Rogan, the main character from the first game, who tells them that G and Harry are all right, and that they should head off to their next battle "as long as we have the will to live". In the second good ending, as James and Gary leave the building, they are greeted by G, Amy and Harry, who thank them for their help. In the third good ending James and Gary leave the building to be greeted by the people they saved who James and Gary thank. In the bad ending, James and Gary run into a zombified Goldman outside the building. As the screen goes white, a gunshot is heard.
Light gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
with a horror theme and the second game in the The House of the Dead
The House of the Dead (series)
The House of the Dead is a video game franchise published by Sega and created by in-house designer Atsushi Seimiya of AM1....
series of video games, developed by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for video arcades in 1998 and later ported to the Dreamcast and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, and also found on the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
as an unlockable bonus in The House of the Dead III
The House of the Dead III
The House of the Dead III is a 2002 light gun arcade game with a horror zombie-survival theme, and the third installment to the House of the Dead series of video games, developed by Wow Entertainment and Sega. It was later ported to the Xbox in 2003, Microsoft Windows in 2005, and the Wii in 2008,...
. The game appears in the compilation The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is a compilation and re-release of The House of the Dead 2 and III for Wii. It is compatible with the Wii Zapper peripheral.-Gameplay:...
for Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. The Dreamcast version became one of the few Sega All Stars
Sega All Stars
Sega All Stars was the name of Sega's budget series for the Dreamcast, similar to Platinum Hits, Greatest Hits, and Player's Choice, for games that have sold many copies. When a title became a Sega All Stars title, it was sold at a lower price and given reprinted labeling...
titles.
Gameplay
The House of the Dead 2 is a rail shooter light gunLight gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
game. It includes an auto-reload feature that allows players to point their guns off-screen to reload their weapons without pulling the trigger. It also incorporates a branching path system that allows players to take a variety of different routes leading to the same point in the game's story.
The game served as the springboard for the arcade, Sega Dreamcast, and PC release The Typing of the Dead
The Typing of the Dead
The Typing of the Dead is an arcade game , released in 1999 based on The House of the Dead 2...
, the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
release English of the Dead, as well as the inspiration for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
game, The Pinball of the Dead
The Pinball of the Dead
The Pinball of the Dead is a pinball video game created by Sega, for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. It is based on Sega's The House of the Dead series of light gun games, particularly in The House of the Dead 2 version...
.
The flashbacks to the first House of the Dead in the game's introductory sequence were recorded using the game's engine.
Story
The game follows the fictional events of February 26, 2000 fourteen months after the Curien Mansion incident in The House of the Dead. Two years after the incident, the secret international agency, AMS, launched an investigation on the Curien case, in order to prevent a similar outbreak. Strange occurrences, however, are reported to be taking place in the city of VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 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. Upon finding G alive but wounded, James and Gary converse with him and G gives them a field journal showing the bosses and weak points. The pair are then met with an undead horde developed by Caleb Goldman, the president of the eminent DBR Corporation and an expert on the genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
theory who funded the experiments of the late Dr. Curien.
While converging on Goldman's headquarters, James and Gary face many formidable foes, including Judgment
Judgement (Tarot card)
Judgement , or in some decks spelled Judgment, is a Tarot card, part of the Major Arcana suit usually comprising 22 cards.-Rider-Waite symbolism:Very clearly, it is modeled after the Christian Resurrection before the Last Judgment...
consisting of an imp-like monster Zeal and his giant, headless, axe-wielding puppet Kuarl; The Hierophant
The Hierophant
The Hierophant , in some decks named The Pope, is the fifth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.-Description and symbolism:...
, an aquatic beast which heads an assault on Venice's waterways and Central Plaza; segmented serpent-like beasts known as The Tower
The Tower (Tarot card)
The Tower is the sixteenth trump or Major Arcana card in most cartomancy Tarot decks. It is not used as part of any game.- History :...
; and Strength
Strength (Tarot card)
Strength is a Major Arcana Tarot card, and is numbered either XI or VIII, depending on the deck. Historically it was called Fortitude, and in the Thoth Tarot deck it is called Lust. This card is used in game playing as well as in divination.- Description and usage as in divination :A. E...
, a giant, chainsaw-wielding zombie which wounds Harry and chases James and Gary throughout the Roman Colosseum
Colosseum
The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire...
. Curien's masterpiece, The Magician
The Magician (Tarot card)
The Magician, The Magus, or The Juggler is the first trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination...
, is resurrected by Goldman to oversee the birth of The Emperor
The Emperor (Tarot card)
The Emperor is the fourth trump or Major Arcana card in traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.- Description and symbolism :...
, a horned, transparent being designed to rule over nature and "destroy and hate mankind". In its prototype stage, the Emperor is not as strong as Goldman had hoped, and falls to the AMS agents. In order to evade being arrested, Goldman commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by throwing himself off the roof of his building.
Players are given different endings
Multiple endings
Multiple endings refer to a case in entertainment where the story could end in different ways, described as an alternate ending.-Literature:...
based on the following conditions:
- If a solo game was finished as either player 1 or 2
- If both players defeated the last boss
- Number of continues
- Points earned
In the first good ending, James and Gary run into Thomas Rogan, the main character from the first game, who tells them that G and Harry are all right, and that they should head off to their next battle "as long as we have the will to live". In the second good ending, as James and Gary leave the building, they are greeted by G, Amy and Harry, who thank them for their help. In the third good ending James and Gary leave the building to be greeted by the people they saved who James and Gary thank. In the bad ending, James and Gary run into a zombified Goldman outside the building. As the screen goes white, a gunshot is heard.
Characters
- James Taylor: An AMS agent sent to investigate strange occurrences reported taking place in the city of VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and locate agent G. - Gary Stewart: An AMS agent sent along with James Taylor.
- Caleb Goldman: CEO of the DBR Corporation and an expert on the genomeGenomeIn modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
theory who funded the experiments of the late Curien, he unleashed all the zombies to Venice to destroy humankind. He commits suicide at the end of the game. - Amy Crystal: An AMS agent sent to evacuate the populace, it's hinted in the game she likes Gary.
- Harry Harris: Another AMS agent sent to assist Amy.
- G: An AMS agent investigating strange occurrences in Venice. He is found seriously injured by James and Gary.
- Thomas Rogan: An AMS agent and the returning protagonist from the original House of the Dead, known for his heroic actions during the Curien Case. He is only seen in one of the game's alternate endings, informing James that their friends and allies have survived the outbreak.
External links
- The House of the Dead 2 Dreamcast review at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...