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For the 2005 film adaptation by Michael Hurst, see House of the Dead 2 (film).

The portal to carnage is about to open again...

Tagline

The House of the Dead 2 (ザ・ハウス・オブ・ザ・デッド 2, Za Hausu obu za Deddo Tsū?) is a horror-themed rail shooting game developed by Sega AM1 and released by Sega to arcades in 1998. It is the sequel to The House of the Dead and the second game overall in the House of the Dead series.

Set almost two years after the 1998 Curien Mansion incident, the game follows AMS agents James Taylor and Gary Stewart as they investigate an unnamed Italian city overrun with biologically-engineered creatures.

The House of the Dead 2 was a launch title for the Sega NAOMI arcade hardware. Its development team consisted of most of the original House of the Dead's staff, who wanted to include a new atmosphere and scrapped ideas from the previous game.

Critics praised The House of the Dead 2 for its graphics, music, and large variety of branching paths, but derided its voice acting. The game is currently the highest-rated title in the series, receiving a 91% approval rating upon international audiences and eventually winning the Dreamcast ULTRA Award in 1999.[1]

The game was ported to multiple platforms. It received numerous spin-off adaptations, including The Typing of the Dead, which became a series of its own. A sequel, The House of the Dead III, was released in 2002.

A remake of the game is in development by Forever Entertainment, MegaPixel Studio, and TA Publishing under license from Sega.[2]

Plot

Characters

Synopsis

On February 26th, 2000, hostile creatures infest an Italian city; AMS agents are sent to investigate. Agent G is injured by Judgment, who consists of the armored giant Kuarl and the imp-like Zeal. Agents James Taylor and Gary Stewart arrive to find G, who gives them his field journal of creature weak points. The pair defeat Judgment and the aquatic Hierophant.

James and Gary meet with partners Amy Crystal and Harry Harris. They learn that the infestation was caused by Caleb Goldman, the head of a financial group. Goldman also masterminded the 1998 Curien Mansion incident, funding the late Dr. Curien's research.

Goldman invites the agents to meet him at the city's Roman Colosseum. After splitting up, James and Gary battle the Hydra-like Tower in the sewers before rescuing Amy and Harry from the chainsaw-wielding Strength. A wounded Harry gives James and Gary his car keys, urging them to stop Goldman.

JamesGaryConfrontGoldman

James Taylor and Gary Stewart confronting Caleb Goldman.

James and Gary drive to Goldman's headquarters, fighting Magician and other revived creatures. They confront Goldman, who states that he wants to protect the life cycle from mankind. He awakens Emperor, a being intended to rule over humanity. After James and Gary defeat Emperor, Goldman warns that "a successor will come" before committing suicide.

While unsure if their actions were correct, James and Gary vow to keep fighting. They bid Goldman farewell and leave the building.[note 1]

Endings

One of three endings plays at the end of the credits. This is determined by the following:

  • If a solo game was finished as either player 1 or 2
  • If both players defeated the last boss
  • Number of continues
  • Points earned
Type Image Description
Normal
HOD2NormalEnding
Amy, Harry, G, and a group of civilians appear outside of Goldman's headquarters, thanking the player(s).
Bad
Goldman zombie
Goldman appears outside as a creature; James and Gary exclaim his name. The screen fades to white as a gunshot is heard.
Good
Gfs 19889 2 40 mid
AMS agent Thomas Rogan appears at the entrance to Goldman's headquarters. He reveals that G and Harry are alright, and says "On we go, to our next battle". This prompts replies from either James ("As long as we have the will to live") or Gary ("As long as there is an answer").

Gameplay

The House of the Dead 2 plays similarly to its predecessor, tasking players to kill attacking creatures with pistols. Because the arcade version uses sensors around the monitor to gauge where the guns are aimed, one must simply aim the gun off-screen to reload. The player's accuracy is now calculated at the end of each stage, being displayed as a percent, though this has no major impact on gameplay.

The game has a larger and more complex variety of branching paths than the original House of the Dead. Depending on the routes taken, the bosses of the second and third levels are fought in one of two different areas, often with some variations in attack patterns and difficulty. In addition, the third and fourth levels have two possible starting points based on the routes taken in the chapter prior to each.

Game modes

All home ports of The House of the Dead 2 contain the following gameplay modes:

  • Arcade Mode: The standard mode of play. It features one or two players playing through the game normally without any bonuses. Each player's gun holds only 6 bullets per round. However, unlike the arcade game, the player is able to set the number of lives and continues on the options screen. This varies from the arcade, where each player's life value depends on what the operator set it to.
  • Original Mode: This is similar to Arcade Mode, except that it allows a player to use 2 bonus items prior to starting the game. These items can be collected have a wide variety of uses, ranging from increasing life and credit score to selecting costumes.
  • Training Mode: This mode consists of 10 training stages which feature various situations that must be cleared in order to pass. Each training stage has different levels of difficulty.
  • Boss Mode: This mode allows the player to play a time attack on the game's various boss fights. Each boss must have appeared during normal gameplay (either Arcade or Original mode) before it appears in this mode.
  • Options: The options screen gives the player various controls over game settings such as lives, difficulty, continues, blood color, volume control, etc.

Chapters

Bosses

Development

See also: The House of the Dead 2: Original Sin (prototype)

Following the success of Sega's 1996 arcade light gun shooter The House of the Dead, developer Sega AM1 was open to making a sequel provided they were given "at least 6 months or a year" to work on it. The team knew that with more powerful hardware, they could push the level of violence.[3]

The House of the Dead 2 was developed with the subtitle Original Sin, which was later dropped. Inspired by The X-Files, AM1 wanted to use the same main characters, new locations, and as many cut ideas and features from the original House of the Dead as possible.[4] One idea, in which Thomas Rogan's fiancée Sophie Richards was a boss, was revisited but ultimately scrapped.[5]

The city setpiece was based on locations in Firenze, Bologna and Venice, Italy. Sega and their Italian distributor Tecnoplay scouted these locations during production.[6]

Screenshots in a 1999 issue of Dreamcast Magazine also reveal that Tower was originally named Ophiuchus, while Kuarl and Zeal were explicitly named instead of being collectively referred to as Judgment. Kuarl's name is still referenced in the final game's dialogue, but Zeal's name only appears in Japanese guidebooks.

In retrospect, director Takashi Oda was pleased with his team's ability to "express the fear of being chased and facing unpredictable attacks" with the boss Strength, who is his favorite boss in the series.[5]

American voice actor Ryan Drees credits himself as having worked on the game.[7]

Release

HOD2DXCabinet

A deluxe House of the Dead 2 arcade cabinet.

Home ports

The House of the Dead 2 was ported to the Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, the Microsoft Xbox (as an unlockable in the port of The House of the Dead III), and the Nintendo Wii (in the compilation release The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return).

Remake

Main article: The House of the Dead 2 remake

A remake of The House of the Dead 2 is being developed by MegaPixel Studio and published by Forever Entertainment.[2][8] The remake will reportedly feature "new graphics adapted to modern standards and slightly modified gameplay".[9]

Marketing

In 2000, Sega's English website held a sweepstakes for copies of The House of the Dead 2 and a Sega Dreamcast. Participants were required to write unique epitaphs.[10]

Trivia

  • Magician is the only boss to return from the first game.
  • The House of the Dead 2 was the first game to use SEGA's NAOMI board arcade system. The board was able to host up to 3,000,000 polygons per second (in comparison, the PlayStation could host only 650,000 polygons per second), making it one of the most realistic looking games of its time,[11] as well as one of the first games ever made that could host over a million polygons per second.
  • The challenge of 2's boss fights inspired Yoshinori Tomoyasu, the director of the 2000 House of the Dead-like rail shooter Vampire Night, to design an "attack gauge" gameplay mechanic. This involves a meter which must be emptied within a limited time by repeated shots to boss weak points; success stops attack phases, while failure often results in damage.[12] The mechanic has since been used in the House of the Dead series, beginning with The House of the Dead III, which Tomoyasu was also involved with.

Gallery

Wiki-wordmark To view the The House of the Dead 2 gallery, click here.


Notes

  1. In single player, only James (player 1) or Gary (player 2) will appear, and some dialogue is altered or removed. Because the lore has both agents being involved, multiplayer is assumed to have the canon version of the story.

References

  1. "Out of Print Archive: Dreamcast Magazine 2" (English). Out of Print Archive. Retrieved on December 25, 2020 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Forever Entertainment [@ForeverEntert] (October 3, 2020). Forever Entertainment on Twitter: "Hi Guys! We confirm the signing of the agreement regarding remakes of the games "The House of the Dead" and "The House of the Dead 2". No platforms or release dates have been confirmed, and unfortunately we can’t say anything more for now. Please keep fingers crossed for us and.." / Twitter. Twitter. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020.
  3. "The House of the Dead – 1997 Developer Interview" (English). Shmuplations. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved on May 28, 2020.
  4. Interview: The House of the Dead", Sega Saturn Magazine, issue 23, September 1997, page 63.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Kori (September 7, 2012). "Website of the Dead’s Exclusive Interview with Takashi Oda" (English). The Website of the Dead. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020.
  6. Gerli, Damiano (November 6, 2020). "The marketing of Sega in Italy (1984 - 2001)" (English). The Genesis Temple. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved on September 5, 2023. “"Mauro also fondly recalls when the Japanese company contacted them while developing the sequel to House of the Dead. Tecnoplay and Sega together scouted locations to be featured in the game, in Firenze, Bologna and Venezia (Venice)."”
  7. "Profile | Ryan Drees" (Japanese). Ryan Drees (2020). Retrieved on September 4, 2023.
  8. Wales, Matt (October 3, 2019). "Rumoured House of the Dead 1 & 2 remakes officially confirmed". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved on July 21, 2020.
  9. Michał Król (September 25th, 2019). "Polacy stworzą remake dwóch części The House of the Dead" (Polish). Gramposolita.pl. “The House of the Dead: Remake i The House of the Dead 2: Remake będą mieć nową, dostosowaną do współczesnych standardów grafikę oraz lekko zmodyfikowaną rozgrywkę, ale w pełni zachowają oryginalny scenariusz. Spółka zapowiedziała, że materiały z pierwszej z gier zostaną zaprezentowane w najbliższych miesiącach.”
  10. "The House of the Dead 2 Sweepstakes" (English). Sega.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2000. Retrieved on January, 30 2020.
  11. FAQ by Guy Type R" (English). Game FAQs (April 6th, 2000). “HOTD2 is the first ARCADE game that uses the SEGA's NAOMI (Nay-o-mi) board (Same board as the Dreamcast's). This board can soup up to 3,000,000 polygons per second (Playstation only has a maximum of 650,000). So the graphics can be "skin-like", meaning that everything looks real (Just look at the new Magician Type 0!).”
  12. Kawamoto, Masumi (December 28, 2001). "特別インタビュー" (Japanese). GAME Watch. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved on May 21, 2020. “今は普通のザコ敵も撃てば体力メーターが出ますが、最初は出なかったんです。ボスの攻撃ゲージも出すことは考えていませんでした。見えるようにした理由として、「HOD2」のボスがかなり難度が高かったので、それよりも少し間口を広げたかった。あまりガンシューティングを遊んだことのない人のことも考慮して、なるべくわかりやすいように、というのを意識した結果、何発撃ち込んだからキャンセルできたということが見てわかるように攻撃ゲージを表示させました。「あーっ、あと1発当てればキャンセルできてたのになー」という感じで目安になればと。  あと、遠方にいる小さいボスを狙う場合も多いので、当たったかどうかを視覚的にもわかりやすくしたかったというのもあります。”
veHotd2logocontent
Characters
James TaylorGary StewartAmy CrystalHarry HarrisCaleb GoldmanGThomas RoganCivilians
Creatures
DavidSteveJohnnyKageoRandyEbitanBobMaxMickeyRyanKeithGregoryKenRickyPatrickPeterLanceFranklinEricMoowlDevilonBouereMurrerBuyoMofish
Bosses
JudgmentHierophantTowerStrengthMagicianEmperor
Chapters
A PreludeMuddyDarknessDespairDawnOriginal Sin
Spin-offs
English of the DeadThe Pinball of the DeadThe Typing of the Dead (Featuring Rakuten Minna no Shushoku Katsudou Nikki) • Zombie Da: Flick of the Dead
Other pages
Lore (AMSCityCaleb Goldman's headquarters)
Game modes (Boss ModeOriginal ModeTraining Mode)
Guidebooks (The House of the Dead 2 G's FileThe House of the Dead 2 Perfect Guide)
2 & 3 ReturnAction figuresOriginal SoundtrackThe House of the Dead 1 & 2 Music CollectionOriginal Sin prototypeUnused content
veThe House of the Dead games
Main series The House of the Dead (Remake)2 (Remake)III4 (Special)Scarlet Dawn
Spin-offs Zombie RevengeThe Typing of the Dead (2Overkill)The Pinball of the DeadEnglish of the DeadEX slot machineThe House of the Dead: Overkill (Extended Cut)Loving DeadsDarts of the DeadScarlet Dawn (Battle GenesisOn ReelsTHE ATTRACTION)Reels
Prototypes The House of the Dead (arcade prototypeSega Saturn prototype)2 (Original Sin prototype)Scarlet Dawn (prototypes)
Compilations 2 & 3 Return
Mobile games MobileNightmareZombie Da: Flick of the DeadOverkill: The Lost Reels
Non-HOD games Vampire NightSega Golden GunSonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Gameplay mechanics Bonus itemsBranching pathsCiviliansHealthWeak points
Developers SegaSega AM1NamcoForever EntertainmentMegaPixel StudioTA Publishing
Staff Takashi OdaRikiya Nakagawa
Other content Hiiro SumomoReferences in popular cultureUnused content
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