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The House of the Dead (arcade game)
Encyclopedia
The House of the Dead is a first-person, light gun
arcade game
developed in 1996 and released in 1997 by Sega
.
Players assume the role of agents Thomas Rogan and "G" in their efforts to combat the products of the dangerous, inhumane experiments of Dr. Curien, a madman.
s use magazines which hold 6 rounds; players are required to reload after using each magazine. A set of torches next to the magazine of each player represents remaining health. When a player sustains damage or shoots a civilian
, one of their torches is removed. The player dies when all torches are lost. First-aid packs are available throughout the game which restore one torch. These are found either in the possession of civilians who the player has rescued or inside breakable objects. Similarly, there are also special items located in breakable objects that will grant a bonus to whoever shoots it.
Throughout the course of the game, players are faced with numerous situations in which their action (or inaction) will have an effect on the direction of gameplay. This is exemplified in the opening stage of the game when a civilian is about to be thrown from the bridge to his death. If the player saves the civilian, they will enter the house directly through the front door; however, if the player fails to rescue the civilian, the character is redirected to an underground route through the sewers. If the player rescues all civilians, a secret room full of lives and bonuses is revealed toward the end of the game.
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AMS agents Thomas Rogan and 'G' are sent on an assignment on December 18, 1998 to investigate a series of disappearances at the Curien Mansion, home and laboratory of Dr. Roy Curien, a renowned biochemist
and geneticist
. Curien was obsessed with discovering the very nature of life and death, backed by the DBR Corporation and its own team of scientists. However, Curien's relentless pursuit of this goal led him to grow insane, where the nature of the experiments began taking a gruesome turn, releasing his experimental subjects into the world. When Rogan and 'G' arrive, a mortally wounded man gives them a small field diary showing information of all of Curien's deadly creations and their weak points. It is used every time the player(s) are confonted by a boss.
Amidst the chaos wrought by Curien, Rogan and "G" face many formidable foes, including The Chariot
, an undead, armour-clad, neo-warrior wielding a bardiche
who mortally wounds Rogan's fiancée Sophie Richards before the player faces him in battle, and The Hanged Man, a winged gargoyle/bat-like creature. The Hanged Man captures Sophie in the game's opening stage before stealing away over the mansion. In the final chapter, the AMS agents confront Curien, he releases The Hermit, an eight-legged spider
-like creature that spits balls of web upon them before stealing away to his lab.
Upon confronting Curien a second time, the AMS agents are to encounter his masterpiece, The Magician
, a humanoid demon-esque creature, with mastery of fire
. After Curien releases the creature from its incubation chamber, the Magician reveals itself to be self-aware, refusing to serve any master and Dr. Curien is killed by his creation. To prevent the Magician from escaping the mansion and destroying the world, Rogan and 'G' confront the creature in one final battle. They succeed in destroying Curien's monster and are then given one last, chilling warning from the Magician.
The Magician explodes. Rogan and 'G' leave the mansion, taking one last look at it from the outside.
There are, however, alternate endings that the player can achieve upon completing the game. One ending, in which the camera pans to the foyer one last time; the doors open, revealing Sophie to be alive, running towards the camera saying "Thank you!", another shows Sophie has now become one of the undead
--the last corpse remaining, all depending on the player's final score and the number of continues used.
Light gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed in 1996 and released in 1997 by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
.
Players assume the role of agents Thomas Rogan and "G" in their efforts to combat the products of the dangerous, inhumane experiments of Dr. Curien, a madman.
Gameplay
The House of the Dead is a rail shooter light gun game. Players use a light gun (or mouse, in the PC version) to aim and shoot at approaching enemies. The characters' pistolPistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s use magazines which hold 6 rounds; players are required to reload after using each magazine. A set of torches next to the magazine of each player represents remaining health. When a player sustains damage or shoots a civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
, one of their torches is removed. The player dies when all torches are lost. First-aid packs are available throughout the game which restore one torch. These are found either in the possession of civilians who the player has rescued or inside breakable objects. Similarly, there are also special items located in breakable objects that will grant a bonus to whoever shoots it.
Throughout the course of the game, players are faced with numerous situations in which their action (or inaction) will have an effect on the direction of gameplay. This is exemplified in the opening stage of the game when a civilian is about to be thrown from the bridge to his death. If the player saves the civilian, they will enter the house directly through the front door; however, if the player fails to rescue the civilian, the character is redirected to an underground route through the sewers. If the player rescues all civilians, a secret room full of lives and bonuses is revealed toward the end of the game.
Story
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
and geneticist
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
. Curien was obsessed with discovering the very nature of life and death, backed by the DBR Corporation and its own team of scientists. However, Curien's relentless pursuit of this goal led him to grow insane, where the nature of the experiments began taking a gruesome turn, releasing his experimental subjects into the world. When Rogan and 'G' arrive, a mortally wounded man gives them a small field diary showing information of all of Curien's deadly creations and their weak points. It is used every time the player(s) are confonted by a boss.
Amidst the chaos wrought by Curien, Rogan and "G" face many formidable foes, including The Chariot
The Chariot (Tarot card)
The Chariot is the seventh trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.-Description:...
, an undead, armour-clad, neo-warrior wielding a bardiche
Bardiche
A bardiche or berdiche is a type of glaive polearm known in the 16th and 17th centuries in Eastern Europe and Russia. Ultimately a descendant of the medieval sparth , the bardiche proper appears after 1500, but there are numerous medieval manuscripts that depict very similar weapons beginning ca....
who mortally wounds Rogan's fiancée Sophie Richards before the player faces him in battle, and The Hanged Man, a winged gargoyle/bat-like creature. The Hanged Man captures Sophie in the game's opening stage before stealing away over the mansion. In the final chapter, the AMS agents confront Curien, he releases The Hermit, an eight-legged spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
-like creature that spits balls of web upon them before stealing away to his lab.
Upon confronting Curien a second time, the AMS agents are to encounter his masterpiece, The Magician
The Magician (Tarot card)
The Magician, The Magus, or The Juggler is the first trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination...
, a humanoid demon-esque creature, with mastery of fire
Pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
. After Curien releases the creature from its incubation chamber, the Magician reveals itself to be self-aware, refusing to serve any master and Dr. Curien is killed by his creation. To prevent the Magician from escaping the mansion and destroying the world, Rogan and 'G' confront the creature in one final battle. They succeed in destroying Curien's monster and are then given one last, chilling warning from the Magician.
The Magician explodes. Rogan and 'G' leave the mansion, taking one last look at it from the outside.
There are, however, alternate endings that the player can achieve upon completing the game. One ending, in which the camera pans to the foyer one last time; the doors open, revealing Sophie to be alive, running towards the camera saying "Thank you!", another shows Sophie has now become one of the undead
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
--the last corpse remaining, all depending on the player's final score and the number of continues used.
Characters
- Thomas Rogan: An AMS agent that was sent on an assignment to investigate a series of disappearances at the Curien Mansion. His fiancée is Sophie Richards, who gives him an alarming phone call to come to her rescue. He, along with G, head to the mansion in an attempt to rid the mansion of Curien's creations and deal with Curien himself.
- G: An AMS agent that was sent with Rogan to the Curien Mansion. If players choose him as the first character, the in-game dialogue will differ, for example, Sophie will address him differently upon arrival at the mansion.
- Dr. Roy Curien: An acclaimed biochemistBiochemistBiochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
and geneticistGeneticistA geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
that worked for the DBR Corporation and the main antagonist of the game. He was the mastermind behind the Curien Mansion incident. He was obsessed with discovering the very nature of life and death. This led to the creation of hideous monsters which spread from the laboratory to the outside of the mansion. Thanks to the help of Rogan and G, the creatures were repelled from escaping the mansion grounds.
- Sophie Richards: Rogan's fiancée. She tried to call Rogan for help when the zombies started to appear, and managed to get out of the mansion, but was somehow knocked unconscious and is seen lying in front of a fountain. She awakes and runs for Rogan/G but is taken back into the house by the Hanged Man. She can later be found in a room with the Chariot, but is fatally wounded. Her survival depends on the rating the player receives upon completion of the game.
Sentient Mutants
- The Magician (Type 0): Dr. Curien's ultimate creation, a robotic corpse with mastery over fire. He realises that he has more power over Curien and destroys him with a fireball. When you defeat him, he says, "You... haven't seen... anything yet!" before screaming and exploding. He also shows up in House of the Dead II as the penultimate boss and in the House of the Dead IV Special Edition as a boss.
- Hangedman (Type 41): A semi-sentient gargoyle creature who controls the batlike mutants. He is the second boss and his DNA is used to make Zeal from House of the Dead 2; however, he is only sentient to the extent that he can talk and make logical sentences.
External links
- The House of the Dead on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- The House of the Dead at SegaSaturn.co.uk