The House of the Dead (arcade game)
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| The House of the Dead | |
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| Developer(s) | AM1 |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Sega Saturn, PC |
| Release date | Arcade   1996 |
| Genre(s) | Rail shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Input methods | Light gun, 1 button |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | Sega Model 2 |
| Display | Raster, medium resolution horizontal orientation |
The House of the Dead is a first-person, light gun arcade game released in 1996 by Sega.
Players assume the role of government agents Thomas Rogan and "G" in their efforts to repel the dangerous, inhumane experiments of Dr. Curien.
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[edit] Gameplay
The House of the Dead is a rail shooter light gun game. Players use a light gun (or mouse, in the PC version) to aim and shoot at approaching enemies. The characters' pistols use magazines, and are required to reload once each magazine is empty. A set of torches next to the magazine of each player represents remaining health. When a player is hurt or shoots a civilian, one of their torches is removed, signifying damage. A player is dead when all torches are lost. A player may then continue by inserting more credits, if playing on an arcade machine, and pressing the "continue" or "start" button. There are first-aid packs available throughout the game that will restore one torch. These are found either in the possession of civilians that the player has rescued or inside breakable objects. Similarly, there are also special items located in breakable objects that will grant a bonus to whoever shoots it.
Throughout the course of the game, players are given numerous situations in which their actions will have an effect on the direction of gameplay. For instance, in the beginning of the game, a civilian is about to be thrown off the bridge to his death. If players save the civilian, they will enter the house directly through the front door; however, if the civilian dies, players are redirected to an underground route through the sewers. This branching path system was also implemented in the sequels.
[edit] Story
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On December 18, 1998, AMS agents Thomas Rogan and "G" are sent on an assignment to investigate a panicked phone call from Rogan's fiancée Sophie Richards and a series of disappearances at the Curien Mansion, home laboratory of Dr. Curien, an acclaimed biochemist and geneticist. Dr. Curien was obsessed with discovering the very nature of life and death, backed by the DBR Corporation and its scientists. The nature of the experiments, however, drove Dr. Curien insane, resulting in him releasing his experimental subjects onto the unsuspecting world.
Amidst the chaos wrought by Curien, Rogan and "G" face many formidable foes, including The Chariot (Type 27), a plated undead warrior who mortally wounds Sophie), The Hangedman (Type 41), a gargoyle-like creature which sees to it that she cannot escape the mansion grounds, who even kills two DBR scientists in the grand courtyard. As well as The Hermit (Type 6803), a mutant spider crab guarding the passageway leading to Curien's restricted research area.
Upon confronting Curien, the AMS agents are treated to his greatest masterpiece, The Magician (Type 0), a humanoid creature with mastery over fire. Ironically, after he releases the creature from its incubation chamber, Dr. Curien is killed by his creation; "The Magician" seemed to have reached a state of sapience in which he feels an inferior being such as a human has no place in giving him orders. To prevent the Magician from escaping the mansion and destroying the world, Rogan and "G" are forced to confront it in one final battle. After a long and difficult battle, they succeeded in destroying Curien's creation and were given one last warning from the Magician itself, "You haven't seen anything yet!"
With those words, the Magician exploded and ceased to exist. Nevertheless, he returns in The House of the Dead 2 and The House of the Dead 4 Special, which proves the warning. Rogan and G leave the mansion, then the game ends.
There are however, alternate endings in which the camera pans to the foyer one last time, showing either Sophie alive (which is the true ending, as confirmed by the presence of Rogan's daughter in House of the Dead III.), or Sophie as one of the undead, depending on the following conditions:
- Player's score
- Number of continues
[edit] Reception
The House of the Dead was well received. Three arcade sequels have been made, The House of the Dead 2, The House of the Dead III, and The House of the Dead 4 and ported to consoles. The original Saturn release is rare and used copies consistently sells for more than $50 US and upwards of $125 US new.[1]
[edit] External links
- The House of the Dead at the Killer List of Videogames
- The House of the Dead at SegaSaturn.co.uk - Information, box scan, screenshots and review of the Sega Saturn version.
[edit] References
- ^ VideoGamePriceCharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
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