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 If you've ever played a
House of the Dead game before, then you probably already know what
House of the Dead III is all about. If not, imagine a game where an army of undead creatures come at you in a bloodthirsty
rage as you desperately try to blow them away before they bleed on your
favorite shirt. If that sounds like your kind of game, read on.
So what does the new Xbox-exclusive installment of the series bring to
the table? Well, the gameplay is almost exactly how you remember it from past
HotD games. You walk down a pre-determined path and shoot everything that isn't you. The changes this time are that you wield a
shotgun instead of a wimpy handgun and those helpless people you used to
rescue in earlier games are all dead. At least I like to think they are. Instead of rescuing them over and over, your partner will now ask
for backup and it will be your job to save them from harm's way and earn
yourself an extra life. So instead of just showing up for cut-scenes,
your partner will now play a somewhat active role in the game during
single-player mode.
 Let it also be said that this is the best looking
House of the Dead ever. Every ugly, rotting, godless bastard you fire a shot at looks
state of the art. Not only are they pretty to look at despite being so
ugly, but they explode beautifully when hit point-blank with your shotgun. There's even one boss battle in particular that is absolutely
jaw-dropping due to the incredible lighting and shadow effects. In short, these are the kind of graphics you bought your Xbox for in the
first place.
I wish I could say the sound and graphics are equally matched, but I'm
afraid they're not. Of course the voice-acting is terrible, but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. On the other hand, the sounds of
moans, screams, power tools, and stomping of massive feet slamming into
the ground all do a great job of bringing you into the game. However,
the music doesn't have the same impact. Its not that the music is bad,
but its definitely not as memorable as the music in other HotD games.
This time, the developers seem to have gone for a more eerie soundtrack
that doesn't tend to stick with you. There are a few bigger moments where the music shines (the sloth boss for example) but most of it is
just standard fare that's been done better in other games. All-in-all
it's nothing that will ruin the game because, honestly, who plays House
of the Dead for its soundtrack?
 Like every other
House of the Dead game, Dead III is not without its minor flaws. The main gripe people will have with this game is that it
is only about an hour long. For a typical shooter, that's really not too bad. Anything much longer and most people wouldn't see the end. To
combat this, Sega was kind enough to make House of the Dead 2 unlockable
after beating Dead III. Beating Dead III is no easy task though so it
may take a couple weeks of practice for the average gamer to unlock
the previous installment.
By now, you probably know if House of the Dead III is your type of
game or not. If you like shooters such as Time Crisis or Point Blank and, of
course, the past House of the Dead games, there is no reason for you to not
buy this game. If you are unfamiliar with shooters, House of the Dead
III is a great introduction to the genre and will keep your pulse-pounding from start to end.
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