As one of the premier titles for the Sega Dreamcast, The House of the Dead 2 carries the responsibility of showing off the system's capabilities and being fun enough to make people buy a Dreamcast as result. Fortunately for everyone, AM1 and Sega have created a better-than-the-arcade translation for the Dreamcast.

If you haven't played a House of the Dead game before, the concept is standard shooting fare with the player blasting zombies and saving humans.  The innovation is in the branching paths that give the game its replay value. Players will explore different paths in the game based upon how they play the game. If a player shoots everything in sight with no regard for innocent bystanders, the path taken will change drastically from the route that would have been explored had the player made an effort not to shoot them. Unlocking secrets by shooting doors or windows can also lead to different paths.  Since there are multiple ways to go, The House of the Dead 2 ends up providing decent replay value to keep you blasting away at evil for weeks.

Despite that you'll be blasting at the decaying bodies of the undead, The House of the Dead 2 is a gorgeous game with an extreme attention to detail. Everything from the stitches in a zombie's head to the missing teeth in its mouth make it clear that AM1 put a lot of time into making sure this game looked as good as a next-generation title should. There isn't a graphical flaw in the entire game. The locations are all interesting and there is not one messy blur or hint of graininess to be found. The House of the Dead 2 may very well be the best-looking game on the Dreamcast, even edging out the ultra-beautiful Sonic Adventure.  

So with all that drooling over the graphics aside, the game sounds pretty good too. The gunshots can be a little overbearing when the music is quiet but, for the most part, everything is balanced out nicely. There is quite a bit of voice acting in the game and, unfortunately, it's all terrible. However, it's mostly during the between level cinemas so, if you don't want to hear it, you can just skip over it. Besides that, the rest of the game sounds great. The music, which is mostly a mix of rock and techno, does a good job of keeping pace with the game and really helps enhance the atmosphere. If you're busy blasting away at a boss who is closing in on you fast, the music will be pumping, doing its best to keep you on edge.

Control-wise, The House of the Dead 2 can be played with either a controller or a light gun. Hardcore shooter fans will no doubt purchase a light gun to achieve arcade perfection, but novice players can hold off on the gun as the game is completely playable with the controller. The Options menu allows a player to select a graphic for their crosshairs and the speed of their crosshairs making play with the standard controller a total breeze. Of course, it's just not the same experience without the gun, but if you can't find one at a local store, playing with the controller doesn't make sending zombies back to hell any less fun.

Some extras thrown in to extend the life of the title include a Boss Mode, where players battle one boss after another; a Training Mode to help players improve their skills; and the Original Mode, which is exclusive to the Dreamcast version. In Original Mode, secret items like infinite lives, extra weapons, and hidden costumes can be earned by shooting various background items such as car doors or wooden barrels.

Even though the game only takes about 30-40 minutes to complete, playing through it with these extra items is a blast. Shotguns, grenade launchers, grandma outfits, and super-bullets make killing those groaning pests a new experience each time.

To sum up, The House of the Dead 2 is a short game that can be beaten within a day of being purchased, but its so much fun that you're likely to keep on playing it for weeks on end just to explore every nook and cranny of the game. With a friend along, you'll probably play it even longer just because it's a total blast.