I know reviews of Forever Entertainment’s first The House of the Dead Remake were mixed when it came out a bit ago. I can see why, given some of the issues with controls. But I still enjoyed it, and, yes, those zombies did blow up pretty good. So would I have a similar feeling with The House of the Dead 2 Remake, which is out today? The answer is yes – there’s fun at hand here, but you need to tweak it a bit.
In the game, you play as two agents seeking answers in a bid for supremacy by Sir Goldman, who’s unleashed undead upon the city. Of course, they have to come in guns a-blazing, since zombies and other monsters come from all directions.
If you’ve played the Dreamcast, Wii or arcade versions, The House of the Dead 2 Remake should be easy territory to conquer. It’s a fine port of that version, with some nice refinements and hilariously bad voice acting. However, there are some iffy parts, like with the continuous shout of “Reload! Reload!” Hey, we get it.
The biggest problem, though, is the control. Instead of pick-up-and-play, you have to tweak options galore to get on-screen cursor or gyro operations working properly. That’s not to say it isn’t worth the effort – it is, thanks to the various modes and challenges. I just think Megapixel could’ve made it a little easier to get into right off the bat. The House of the Dead 2 Remake still comes recommended to fans. But I can’t help but think an update would keep these zombies from lurching over so much.
The House of the Dead 2 Remake Brings, Well, the Dead
What I really enjoy about Sega’s old House of the Dead games is their no-nonsense approach. The story is silly, the voice acting is silly (“G!”), and the general nature is to just blast just about everything. This approach still works in The House of the Dead 2 Remake, as you simply run through stages, take dividing paths and try to save innocent people. They’ll have health power-ups for you.
The problem with the game is it’s not so simple to just jump into. You have to tweak the controls, whether you prefer gyro aiming (ideal for the Switch, you’d think) or general cursor movement. There’s a good options menu to do this with, but you have to keep going back to experiment to find that “sweet spot,” as it were.
That’s not to say you won’t. I finally got comfortable after a few tries, though gyro controls are still somewhat loose. Still, once the game clicks, it clicks nicely, letting you deliver carnage with one or two players.
Plus there’s bonus challenges, including branching paths and multiple endings. And it’s nice to have extra modes. These include a Training Mode (where you can tweak controls better, I feel) and a Boss Mode, where, you guessed it, the “biggies” come at you. “Go, Kuarl!”
And the game is only $25, so it’s not a colossal investment like, say, some high-priced collections. I just can’t help but think Megapixel should consider the best control options and make them default. It’d certainly save a lot of time and effort for the players.
You Won’t “Suffer Like G Did” With the Presentation
While the controls need some tweaking, I’d say the presentation is just about right with this game. The House of the Dead 2 Remake looks good on the Switch. The character models are very polished, and I like the city backdrops you rush through. It is a little dark and dank, but, really, what zombie-infested game isn’t? And there are even more improvements on the Switch 2, with a beefed up frame rate and other little details.
I do like the voice acting as well. It’s the right level of goofy, even with its re-recording, and the in-game music is similar to the original. Just one gripe, though. You consistently hear some yelling “RELOAD! RELOAD!” when you run out bullets. You can turn this off, and I highly advise that you do so.
The in-game menus are easy to navigate, and the in-game tips are pretty hilarious, if only because they’re so obvious. Plus you can access the bonus modes and even a few gameplay options with each coming round. Heck, yeah, I want stronger bullets!
Overall, it looks like a winner, particularly on Switch 2. Not sure about the Steam version, but we’ll see how it fares soon enough.
Dogs of the AMS, Time They Made a Move
I still recommend The House of the Dead 2 Remake. The gameplay isn’t broken, just in need of some fine tuning so that you spend less time working through them. The presentation is solid and the options give you plenty to do, particularly with Boss Mode. You can also bump up the difficulty in case you really want to see the blood fly.
It may slouch a little bit, but this Remake still has plenty of bite. Just watch out for G’s blood stains, yeah?
GAMERHUB RATING: 3.5 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
Many thanks to Forever Entertainment for providing a review code! The House of the Dead 2 Remake is available now for Nintendo Switch consoles and PC/Steam!
Need more zombie-killing goodness? Check out our review of Night Slashers Remake!
