Going to be succinct on this one. Controls are not great, something that needs to be perfect for a light gun game, the menus and UI scream “cheap cash-in”, and technical issues hamper what should have been an easy slam-dunk of a game. Zombie designs are pretty bland and lifeless (something that’s been an issue of the series since HOTD4; comparatively, look at the designs in 1, 2, and 3, which tow the line between “generic” and “immediately recognizable”.) Typos and sound balancing issues left and right leave an air of amateurism. The worst way to play an arcade classic. Never trust Forever Entertainment, folks!
Bro's hand is on fire, he got 5000 shots fired in 35 mins. I hope he doesn't go that fast whenever he goes to do the "deed"
Fun to revisit, but its not like the original game was great to begin with. Sometimes the graphic changes look good, other times not so much. Don't play the switch version lol
Controls worse than the wii ports. This should've been PC+VR.
For years we struggled to replicate Light gun technology, I believe VR is probably the best fit for it, and many other more gimmicky arcade games, but that technology is stuck on a catch-22 and it being in the wrong hands makes matters worse
For years we struggled to replicate Light gun technology, I believe VR is probably the best fit for it, and many other more gimmicky arcade games, but that technology is stuck on a catch-22 and it being in the wrong hands makes matters worse
The House of the Dead is a series near and dear to my heart. I've played it in arcades some growing up, but my real love for it developed when I originally played The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return and Overkill on Wii. I have always thought that console/PC games needed more on-rails shooters, as it is a genre that has slowly died out with the fall of arcades. So, when seeing the announcement for this game, a remake of the original House of the Dead, I was pretty damn hyped. Does this game live up to the hype tho? Well, I am a bit mixed, but overall find the game enjoyable and a good time as a fan of this series.
Let's start with the positives. I really enjoy the visual style that they went with here. Everything looks pretty damn good imo. Zombies, humans, and the environments all look fantastic and faithful to the original game. The music and sound design are also very well done here. Its spooky, but also full of B-movie level voice acting and vibes.
The thing I have seen complained about the most is the way the game controls. You basically have two options: use the gyro controls on the joycons/pro controller, or use the left/right stick to aim. Many have been wanting to use gyro controls in order to full get that light gun experience. Unfortunately, THOTD Remake has some pretty wonky gyro controls. It always feels just a bit off, even when tampering with it in the settings. Curiously enough, unless I completely missed it, there doesn't seem to be a way to reset the gyro either. This is a baffling decision to me, as pretty much every game that I have played on Switch that features gyro controls has a simple way to reset them. Instead, you have to opt for dual aiming with the gyro and the left stick, and use the left stick to sort of manually reset it. This is very cumbersome to the point where I opted to just use the left stick to aim. While this sort of defeats the purpose of a light-gun game, I still found it to be fun overall to control the game this way. But this does not mean that I was not disappointed to relive the light-gun arcade, or even the Wii Zapper days here with this game.
The game's performance has also been called into question. In my experience, after turning on Performance Mode, things operated perfectly fine. There were some long load times and the occasional stutter in a cutscene, but I never had the performance affect the way I played or cost me a life.
There is also some neat little features added here, such as a horde mode and model viewer. I would have liked to have seen a bit more here though in this remake. For example, I would have loved to have seen some concept art from the original game, some videos detailing the history of the series, or some more unlockables other than achievements.
With all that being said, I do really enjoy this remake. I am surely going to play it a ton in order to get all the endings, discover all of the paths throughout the game, and play co-op with my girlfriend and friends. But I do wish that a bit more went into this game, especially on the controls side. Even with that said, this is a game that captures the feeling of old-school on-rails shooters pretty damn well. Just patch in a way to reset gyro, and this game could be one of the best HOTD games out there. As it stands now though, this is a good time for fans of the series, but probably won't win over anyone else.
If I would let my love of the series cloud my judgement, I would give this a 7/10. However, turning my fanboy off, the game is def closer to a 6/10.
EDIT: I bought the PC version and my god, what an improvement. The game runs a lot better, looks great, and sounds better too. I'd love to get a PC lightgun controller so that I can get the full experience. But even with just using a mouse and keyboard, the PC version of THOTDR is much, much better. I'd say this is now around a 7.5/10 for me. If you are going to get this game, the PC version is the way to go.
Let's start with the positives. I really enjoy the visual style that they went with here. Everything looks pretty damn good imo. Zombies, humans, and the environments all look fantastic and faithful to the original game. The music and sound design are also very well done here. Its spooky, but also full of B-movie level voice acting and vibes.
The thing I have seen complained about the most is the way the game controls. You basically have two options: use the gyro controls on the joycons/pro controller, or use the left/right stick to aim. Many have been wanting to use gyro controls in order to full get that light gun experience. Unfortunately, THOTD Remake has some pretty wonky gyro controls. It always feels just a bit off, even when tampering with it in the settings. Curiously enough, unless I completely missed it, there doesn't seem to be a way to reset the gyro either. This is a baffling decision to me, as pretty much every game that I have played on Switch that features gyro controls has a simple way to reset them. Instead, you have to opt for dual aiming with the gyro and the left stick, and use the left stick to sort of manually reset it. This is very cumbersome to the point where I opted to just use the left stick to aim. While this sort of defeats the purpose of a light-gun game, I still found it to be fun overall to control the game this way. But this does not mean that I was not disappointed to relive the light-gun arcade, or even the Wii Zapper days here with this game.
The game's performance has also been called into question. In my experience, after turning on Performance Mode, things operated perfectly fine. There were some long load times and the occasional stutter in a cutscene, but I never had the performance affect the way I played or cost me a life.
There is also some neat little features added here, such as a horde mode and model viewer. I would have liked to have seen a bit more here though in this remake. For example, I would have loved to have seen some concept art from the original game, some videos detailing the history of the series, or some more unlockables other than achievements.
With all that being said, I do really enjoy this remake. I am surely going to play it a ton in order to get all the endings, discover all of the paths throughout the game, and play co-op with my girlfriend and friends. But I do wish that a bit more went into this game, especially on the controls side. Even with that said, this is a game that captures the feeling of old-school on-rails shooters pretty damn well. Just patch in a way to reset gyro, and this game could be one of the best HOTD games out there. As it stands now though, this is a good time for fans of the series, but probably won't win over anyone else.
If I would let my love of the series cloud my judgement, I would give this a 7/10. However, turning my fanboy off, the game is def closer to a 6/10.
EDIT: I bought the PC version and my god, what an improvement. The game runs a lot better, looks great, and sounds better too. I'd love to get a PC lightgun controller so that I can get the full experience. But even with just using a mouse and keyboard, the PC version of THOTDR is much, much better. I'd say this is now around a 7.5/10 for me. If you are going to get this game, the PC version is the way to go.
Definitely for the fans of The House of the dead but a hard recommend for newcomers to the franchise...
The House of the dead remake certainly tries its best to be as closely to the original game . What is there is pure fun. I was certainly distracted enough to complete the story. Pretty simple and straightforward on rail shooter I would say and there isn't as much replay value for the returning player compared to the other HOTD games which again makes it hard for me to recommend to new players that may have not played this type of game before on console or PC but for less than 20 Dollars USD, I would say its worth the risk to see if you like it or not but I would recommend on a sale for sure. Acting is always the A+ Cheese and I adore it very much. I really appreciate that they took a classic and modern approach to the game as well.
Where I think it hiccups is the technical performance on the game. Mostly the Steam version. It has a hard time to maintain its 60FPS even with a fewzombies creatures on screen. Having more zombies creatures certainly tanks the framerate and the load times are long as well. Its unfortunate that this game suffers from these technical errors even till this day. The music is a step down for sure and it seems like some Boss battles seemed easier this time around. There wasn't a challenge I felt like even on normal or arcade.
Overall its good fun but I would recommend newcomers get it on a SALE for sure. Most of the returning people probably already have this game in their library or backlog but I assure you, your money wont be wasted but I would certainly lower expectations just a bit for you to enjoy it.
The House of the dead remake certainly tries its best to be as closely to the original game . What is there is pure fun. I was certainly distracted enough to complete the story. Pretty simple and straightforward on rail shooter I would say and there isn't as much replay value for the returning player compared to the other HOTD games which again makes it hard for me to recommend to new players that may have not played this type of game before on console or PC but for less than 20 Dollars USD, I would say its worth the risk to see if you like it or not but I would recommend on a sale for sure. Acting is always the A+ Cheese and I adore it very much. I really appreciate that they took a classic and modern approach to the game as well.
Where I think it hiccups is the technical performance on the game. Mostly the Steam version. It has a hard time to maintain its 60FPS even with a few
Overall its good fun but I would recommend newcomers get it on a SALE for sure. Most of the returning people probably already have this game in their library or backlog but I assure you, your money wont be wasted but I would certainly lower expectations just a bit for you to enjoy it.
They removed all the charm and personality the OG had and made it feel like a washed up asset flip that you would buy on steam for literal cents.
the music was butchered.
The fonts, menus, UI and everything else about the game looks idiotic in some way.
The magician feels like a fan made asset.
The zombies don't have a single distinct death animation (which was a big part of work and care put into the original trilogy) and when killed they just flop around with the most stupid physics possible.
Giving away beloved franchises to mediocre third-party studios making quick and cheap cash-ins became the norm nowadays and SEGA was no different in this case.
the music was butchered.
The fonts, menus, UI and everything else about the game looks idiotic in some way.
The magician feels like a fan made asset.
The zombies don't have a single distinct death animation (which was a big part of work and care put into the original trilogy) and when killed they just flop around with the most stupid physics possible.
Giving away beloved franchises to mediocre third-party studios making quick and cheap cash-ins became the norm nowadays and SEGA was no different in this case.
Shorter than I was expecting. Still fun co-op.
Not the best game ever made but I will say was a nice change of pace. Short quick campaign and just straight chaotic fun. Not every game has to be 20 hrs plus
Annoying controls and a new art style that's really ugly. Where's the colors guys lol
I feel happy that my old games are getting remake or remaster.
Between wonky audio, long load times and grammatical errors in loading screens, this is far below the standard a remake of the beloved classic deserves.
The game's graphics on Performance Mode really look muddy, and the load times are pretty long, but the gameplay, while simple, is pretty fun!
Honestly deserves a lot more love than it's getting on this page. It's a great recreation of the Arcade/Saturn game, bad voice acting and all. The updates to the game seemed to have easily fixed whatever performance issues were plaguing it at launch. But what I find the most commendable is that you have a cheats system that is directly reliant on what achievements you get in game. So for once, an achievement system on Nintendo Switch actually matters. Bravo. I'm definitely going back to this and I'm definitely looking forward to the HOTD2 remake, which is my favorite in the series.
How in the f*** did this game, in its current state, get thrown onto the eShop? As if the technical issues weren't bad enough, the gyro is genuinely rage inducing with both a Pro Controller and PARTICULARLY Joy-Con, and this game is obviously way too precise to be played with the right stick. An absolute train and submarine wreck that does a complete disservice to a SEGA classic.
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When I was a child, there were three games that pretty much any other kid you met was guaranteed to have played: Tekken 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and The House of the Dead. While the latter did not have the staying power of the other two, particularly after the rail shooter genre died out, HOTD was very impactful in its time. Alongside Resident Evil, it revived zombies in the public imagination - going so far as to inspire the likes of George A. Romero. So when I heard the news that one of my most beloved childhood games was getting a remake, I was ecstatic.
Until I watched some gameplay footage, anyway. But I believe watching a game and playing it are often two very different experiences, so here we are: I've finally played through House of the Dead Remake.
It's a pile of shit. This has to be one of the worst remakes I've ever played. Given Sega's lack of interest in reanimating this old zombie, I feel like developer MegaPixel and publisher Forever Entertainment's main interests lay in wresting some nostalgia dollars from people who grew up playing the original, because this is clearly not an attempt to introduce a classic to a new generation of fans. There simply isn't enough effort put in. Gone are the iconic character designs, the vibrant and striking colour palette, the campy fun, the well-animated violence, the punchy sound effects and the incredible soundtrack.
Instead, what we've got here is a washed-out blob of mediocrity. Everything is functional, and nothing more. The art design is hideous, with only the Hermit boss looking decent, and it's hard to even tell things apart. The fluid effects - blood, slime, water, lava - are distractingly bad and feel like they come from a pre-alpha version of the game. The guns sound like toys. They feel weak too, because the ragdoll physics are so limp compared to the hand-animated reactions of enemies in the 1996 game. I could go on and on.
The original House of the Dead had a distinct corny charm born from its lack of self-awareness. House of the Dead Remake feels like it's trying to border on parody, but it doesn't even accomplish that. For whatever odd reason, the serious parts have been made more serious and the comic parts more comic, and the end result doesn't mesh well.
The most heinous crime of all is the soundtrack. The original House of the Dead boasts some of the best arcade music in history. House of the Dead Remake's OST sounds like a YouTube musician making HOTD-inspired music, and you know how YouTube musicians are. Everything has been douched up with excessive synths and shred-metal wankery. No sense of proportion. I know, I know, Forever Entertainment didn't license the original's soundtrack and the composer's Twinkies were too soggy and bla bla bla. I also don't give a shit; I have my own problems. This soundtrack isn't bad just compared to the original, it's bad by itself. It sounds like circus music, and strengthens my feeling that no one making this remake was interested in the cohesive whole as much as their own contribution.
This is a very harsh assessment, but I feel MegaPixel's dev team were simply too immature. Talented people who are probably big fans of the original game, but have neither honed their craft nor learned about subtlety enough to have a project like this outsourced to them. The emojis in the loading screens contributed to this conclusion. [¬º-°]¬
Playing House of the Dead Remake is like drinking a soda after it's gone flat. It wears the skin of the original, but lacks the heart. 'Soul vs soulless remake' is a bit of a meme, but I feel it really applies here. The original game managed to do more with technology 25 years in the past. Go play that.
Until I watched some gameplay footage, anyway. But I believe watching a game and playing it are often two very different experiences, so here we are: I've finally played through House of the Dead Remake.
It's a pile of shit. This has to be one of the worst remakes I've ever played. Given Sega's lack of interest in reanimating this old zombie, I feel like developer MegaPixel and publisher Forever Entertainment's main interests lay in wresting some nostalgia dollars from people who grew up playing the original, because this is clearly not an attempt to introduce a classic to a new generation of fans. There simply isn't enough effort put in. Gone are the iconic character designs, the vibrant and striking colour palette, the campy fun, the well-animated violence, the punchy sound effects and the incredible soundtrack.
Instead, what we've got here is a washed-out blob of mediocrity. Everything is functional, and nothing more. The art design is hideous, with only the Hermit boss looking decent, and it's hard to even tell things apart. The fluid effects - blood, slime, water, lava - are distractingly bad and feel like they come from a pre-alpha version of the game. The guns sound like toys. They feel weak too, because the ragdoll physics are so limp compared to the hand-animated reactions of enemies in the 1996 game. I could go on and on.
The original House of the Dead had a distinct corny charm born from its lack of self-awareness. House of the Dead Remake feels like it's trying to border on parody, but it doesn't even accomplish that. For whatever odd reason, the serious parts have been made more serious and the comic parts more comic, and the end result doesn't mesh well.
The most heinous crime of all is the soundtrack. The original House of the Dead boasts some of the best arcade music in history. House of the Dead Remake's OST sounds like a YouTube musician making HOTD-inspired music, and you know how YouTube musicians are. Everything has been douched up with excessive synths and shred-metal wankery. No sense of proportion. I know, I know, Forever Entertainment didn't license the original's soundtrack and the composer's Twinkies were too soggy and bla bla bla. I also don't give a shit; I have my own problems. This soundtrack isn't bad just compared to the original, it's bad by itself. It sounds like circus music, and strengthens my feeling that no one making this remake was interested in the cohesive whole as much as their own contribution.
This is a very harsh assessment, but I feel MegaPixel's dev team were simply too immature. Talented people who are probably big fans of the original game, but have neither honed their craft nor learned about subtlety enough to have a project like this outsourced to them. The emojis in the loading screens contributed to this conclusion. [¬º-°]¬
Playing House of the Dead Remake is like drinking a soda after it's gone flat. It wears the skin of the original, but lacks the heart. 'Soul vs soulless remake' is a bit of a meme, but I feel it really applies here. The original game managed to do more with technology 25 years in the past. Go play that.
Best $25 spent only because i can relive my glory days as an AMS Agent with an infinite amount of magazines to kill hordes of mutants
A decent amount of fun, particularly when playing drunk with a friend in horde mode. There seems to be a concerted effort in preserving the weird and wonderful aspects of the original rail shooter, including the cheesy dialogue, but the charm is somewhat diluted without those gorgeous old-school Sega graphics. Not to gatekeep old graphics but.. ok yes I'm gatekeeping old graphics.
Easily the worst commercially-released game I've ever played, as I don't tend to go hunting for garbage. Runs and looks like shit, controls are a complete disaster. Apparently just a port of HotD 1-3 is too much to ask.
Don't remember much about the original version of this, but playing with a friend is pretty damn fun, wish there were more weapons though.
I was right.
playing outside of the context of being at a mall arcade or k-mart and dipping in for 5-10 minutes tops, usually not making it past the third stage has made me realize that i'm not that into this? i wouldn't be willing to write off the whole series as who knows how this remake compares to the original and the sequels (at least 2) seem to have a better reception overall but it's a bummer.
playing this with a mouse feels like the best option for me (at least much moreso than a controller) but i can't help but miss the lightgun. if i have to play one of these games at home i think i'd rather they go with typing like the various Typing of the Dead games.
the new graphics don't mesh as well with the voice acting and general vibe of it all. i might see if i can get a version of the original game up and running on my laptop without having an aneurysm just to see if it clicks more.
playing this with a mouse feels like the best option for me (at least much moreso than a controller) but i can't help but miss the lightgun. if i have to play one of these games at home i think i'd rather they go with typing like the various Typing of the Dead games.
the new graphics don't mesh as well with the voice acting and general vibe of it all. i might see if i can get a version of the original game up and running on my laptop without having an aneurysm just to see if it clicks more.
Way shorter than expected (under one hour). Still had a ton of fun and I'm looking to play it with friends in parties. It helped me remember the times at the arcade with my brother, so that was nice too. Looking forward to the sequel.
É muito ruim, feio e feito nas coxas. Ao mesmo tempo, tem certo apelo para se jogar repetidas vezes. Como no original, às vezes a feiúra é tanta que o jogo fica charmoso. Só que falta carinho mesmo. Seja para dar mais precisão aos controles ou melhores movimentos às criaturas ou mais variedade ao looping.
Pretty decent low-budget remake and it didn't crash even once when I played. Just turn off the music (because the original one didn't have any rock music going on all the time), the UI sound effect (the annoying score sound after each kill), and aim assist before playing.
The positives:
[+] Nostalgic (pretty much faithful to the original one, even the dialogues are the same)
[+] Nice graphics
[+] All the enemy redesigns look good. The third boss, Hermit, redesign looks surprisingly better than the original one.
[+] Multiple roads to each boss (just like the original one)
The Negatives:
[-] Painfully slow loading
[-] The final boss, Magician, does not look as terrifying as the original one. Even his animations are slow.
[-] I would love to see the route I chose to the final boss after finishing the game. Also in the main menu, there should be a map where it tells me which routes I have covered overall and which routes I have never set my feet on.
[-] Music
[-] Lack of online 2-player mode
[-] The original soundtrack was much better. I missed "Re-Re-Re-Reloooaad Reloaaad" sooo much! (Try this link to replace the soundtrack
[-] Light gun not supported (I don't have one, so I don't care anyway)
I would love to see remakes of other light gun game series such as Virtua Cop, Time Crisis, etc and obviously, I want a House of the Dead 2 remake!
HIlariously Gen Z idiots are giving negative reviews because the game is short. I never want unnecessary fillers in my game. Just wait for a sale if you don't want to spend much on a short game, otherwise, you may go for ubish!t games where you can do the same crap in a soulless open world over and over for hundreds of hours.
The positives:
[+] Nostalgic (pretty much faithful to the original one, even the dialogues are the same)
[+] Nice graphics
[+] All the enemy redesigns look good. The third boss, Hermit, redesign looks surprisingly better than the original one.
[+] Multiple roads to each boss (just like the original one)
The Negatives:
[-] Painfully slow loading
[-] The final boss, Magician, does not look as terrifying as the original one. Even his animations are slow.
[-] I would love to see the route I chose to the final boss after finishing the game. Also in the main menu, there should be a map where it tells me which routes I have covered overall and which routes I have never set my feet on.
[-] Music
[-] Lack of online 2-player mode
[-] The original soundtrack was much better. I missed "Re-Re-Re-Reloooaad Reloaaad" sooo much! (Try this link to replace the soundtrack
[-] Light gun not supported (I don't have one, so I don't care anyway)
I would love to see remakes of other light gun game series such as Virtua Cop, Time Crisis, etc and obviously, I want a House of the Dead 2 remake!
HIlariously Gen Z idiots are giving negative reviews because the game is short. I never want unnecessary fillers in my game. Just wait for a sale if you don't want to spend much on a short game, otherwise, you may go for ubish!t games where you can do the same crap in a soulless open world over and over for hundreds of hours.
While the updated graphics are welcomed, the game itself doesn't do much to modernize the original game besides that. I mean, it plays just fine but there just isn't much here to warrant a $25 price tag IMO.
Don't get me wrong, I like me some House of the Dead, but I would've preferred a compilation of the original trilogy or something as this is basically just a remade version of a 45 minute arcade game without much else.
Don't get me wrong, I like me some House of the Dead, but I would've preferred a compilation of the original trilogy or something as this is basically just a remade version of a 45 minute arcade game without much else.
While this game for sure is more worth $10 than $20, I don't think this was a bad remake at all. Reviving the first HOTD and giving it ample space to be seen as its own game in 2022 was for sure going to amplify the flaws, but overall I think even the remake keeps the strongest traits the original game had. Monumental for the zombie genre in video games as a whole, I'm glad this game has gotten a chance to be remembered :) would've been nice to see new additions in the remake that weren't in the original (new optional story bits/endings, or maybe new characters) but I still appreciate this for what it was. Very much looking forward to The House of the Dead 2 Remake :)
Sure, it felt great to see a remake being made after one of my favourite childhood rail-shooters. But gosh.....does this feel more like a meme than a horror game... I mean sure the old one was also had terrible dialogues but the atmosphere made up for its terrible script.
Me costó un dólar y aún así sentí que me estafaron
Pretty fun but the controls are just horrendous and nearly game-breaking. I appreciate the effort of getting light gun games back and this is pretty fun, but I can't get over how sloppy the controls are even with gyro aiming and special settings.