The House of the Dead 2 is a 1998 video game created by Sega AM1 and released by Sega for arcade machines using the Sega NAOMI system. It is the second game in the House of the Dead series and continues the story of the first game, which was released in 1997. The story begins more than a year after the events of the first game and follows several AMS agents as they investigate a zombie outbreak in Italy. The main characters are assigned to find the cause of the attack and locate a missing agent named G.

After its release in arcades, the game was later made available on the Dreamcast in 1999, Microsoft Windows in 2001, the Xbox in 2002 as part of The House of the Dead III, and the Wii in 2008 as part of the collection The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. It also inspired several other games in the same series, including The Typing of the Dead.

Gameplay

The House of the Dead 2 is a rail shooter light gun game that includes an auto-reload feature. This allows players to point their guns off-screen to reload their weapons without pressing the trigger. Players must shoot zombies and other monsters while trying to save civilians who are being attacked. Health is shown by torches at the bottom of the screen. Players lose health if they are hit by enemies or if they shoot civilians. Extra health can be earned by rescuing civilians or finding first aid kits hidden inside crates and barrels.

Like the first game, this version uses a branching path system. This means players can choose different routes during each stage based on their actions. The game offers more paths than the original, leading to a wider variety of stage layouts and locations. However, the main story remains the same throughout the game.

The flashbacks to the first The House of the Dead in the game’s introduction were created using the game’s engine.

Plot

AMS Agent G's investigation into the 1998 Curien Mansion incident led to his mysterious disappearance after he discovered traces of Dr. Curien's activities in Venice, Italy, where a zombie outbreak occurs. The international government agency, AMS, sends American agents James Taylor, Gary Stewart, Harry Harris, and British agent Amy Crystal to Italy to locate G and help civilians escape the danger.

On February 26, 2000, the agents arrive in Italy and quickly face a large group of undead creatures similar to those from 1998. James and Gary find an injured G in a library, who gives them a journal with information about their enemies. They continue their mission to rescue civilians.

During the chaos, James and Gary battle Judgment, a group led by Zeal, a mischievous figure, and Kuarl, a large, headless, axe-wielding armored puppet. After defeating them, they reunite with Amy and Harry, who plan to meet at Sunset Bridge. There, the group faces the Hierophant, an amphibious monster attacking Venice's waterways and Central Plaza. After defeating it, they travel by boat through the city's rivers.

It is revealed that Caleb Goldman, a wealthy businessman who funded Dr. Curien's experiments in 1998, is now causing the new zombie outbreak. Goldman sends a message to Amy, inviting the group to meet him at the Colosseum, which Harry believes might be a trap. James and Gary separate from the group again and fight five giant serpents called the Tower. After defeating them, they receive an emergency call from Amy before the line goes dead. They rush to the Colosseum and find Amy and a hurt Harry, who were attacked by Strength, a powerful zombie with a chainsaw. James and Gary kill Strength, then drive to Goldman's headquarters. Along the way, they battle Judgment, the Hierophant, and the Tower, who have been revived by Goldman.

At Goldman's skyscraper, James and Gary confront the Magician, a creation of Dr. Curien revived by Goldman to help birth the Emperor, a shapeshifting crystalline creature designed to protect nature and destroy humans. After defeating the Magician, they fight their way to the top of the building, where they confront Goldman, who releases the Emperor. After a final battle, James and Gary defeat the Emperor. With his plans ruined and no escape, Goldman throws himself off the building's roof, warning that "in time, a successor will come."

The game's ending depends on these conditions:
– Whether the game was completed by one player or both
– If both players defeated the final boss
– The number of times the player continued the game
– The points earned

In the good ending, James and Gary meet Thomas Rogan, a character from the first game, who tells them that G and Harry are safe and urges them to continue their journey "as long as they have the will to live" (James) or "as long as there is an answer" (Gary). In the normal ending, James and Gary leave the building to find G, Amy, Harry, and many civilians thanking them for their help. In the bad ending, James and Gary encounter a zombified Goldman outside the building. As the screen turns white, a gunshot is heard.

Development and release

The House of the Dead 2 was released on several home gaming systems. In 1999, it was made available for the Dreamcast as one of the system's first games. Later, in 2001, it was released for personal computers. In 2002, it appeared on the Xbox as an unlockable feature in the port of The House of the Dead 3. It was also released together with The House of the Dead 3 on the Wii. This game was the second and last title in The House of the Dead series to be released on a Sega console. The first game in the series, The House of the Dead, was originally released for the Sega Saturn.

Remake

A new version of the game was announced on January 10, 2025. It was first planned to be released in Spring 2025, but the release was put off until October 24, 2025, for platforms such as Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game was created by MegaPixel Studio and made available by Forever Entertainment. Most players gave the remake bad reviews, with many saying the PC version had serious problems and was difficult to play.

Reception and legacy

In December 1998, Game Machine ranked The House of the Dead 2 as the third most successful arcade game in Japan. The Dreamcast version of the game received "favorable" reviews, while the PC version received "average" reviews, according to the website GameRankings. AllGame gave the arcade version a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars. In Japan, Famitsu scored the Dreamcast version 33 out of 40. IGN praised the Dreamcast version for its detailed level design and variety of enemies but criticized the poor English voice acting. GameSpot said of the Dreamcast version, "A gun that lines up with the sights should not be too hard to use." Game Informer listed the game as number 99 on its 2001 list of best games of all time. Reviewers noted that the game increased the violence and intensity from the first game in the series but mentioned that the Dreamcast version did not include a light gun, which was disappointing.

Blake Fischer reviewed the Dreamcast version for Next Generation and gave it 2 out of 5 stars. He said, "Without the light gun, this game is a complete loss. With a gun, it's better, but not for very long." Many reviewers agreed that the English voice acting was very poor, with one calling it "some of the worst in the genre." Some found the voice acting so bad that it became funny. In 2020, The House of the Dead 2 was named the best game in the series by Screen Rant.

The House of the Dead 2 was a critical and commercial success and became one of the most famous games in the series. It helped lead to the release of other games, including The Typing of the Dead (for arcade, Dreamcast, and PC) and English of the Dead (for Nintendo DS). The game also inspired The Pinball of the Dead for the Game Boy Advance.