The House of the Dead 2

The House of the Dead 2 is a horror-themed light gun arcade game. It is the second mainline game in the The House of the Dead series. In The Xbox version of The House of the Dead III the game is a unlockable bonus. The game appears in the compilation The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return for Wii.

Gameplay
The House of the Dead 2 is a rail shooter. It includes an auto-reload feature that allows players to point their guns off-screen to reload their weapons without pulling the trigger. It also incorporates a new branching path system that allows players to take a variety of different routes leading to the same point in the game's story.

The flashbacks to the first House of the Dead in the game's introductory sequence were recorded using the game's engine.

Story
The game follows the fictional events of February 26, 2000, fourteen months after the Curien Mansion incident in The House of the Dead. Strange occurrences are reported to be taking place in the city of Venice, Italy, the last known location of AMS agent G, who has gone missing. Agents James Taylor and Gary Stewart are dispatched, along with Amy Crystal and Harry Harris, to investigate and evacuate the populace. Upon finding G alive but wounded, James and Gary converse with him and G gives them a field journal showing the bosses and weak points. The pair are then met with an undead horde developed by Caleb Goldman, the president of the eminent DBR Corporation and an expert on the genome theory who funded the experiments of the late Dr. Curien.

While converging on Goldman's headquarters, James and Gary face many formidable foes, including Judgment consisting of an imp Zeal and his giant, headless, axe-wielding puppet Kuarl; the Hierophant, an aquatic beast which heads an assault on Venice's waterways and Central Plaza; segmented serpents known as the Tower; and Strength, a giant, chainsaw-wielding undead executioner which wounds Harry and chases James and Gary throughout the Roman Colosseum. Curien's masterpiece, Magician, is resurrected by Goldman to oversee the birth of the Emperor, a horned, transparent being designed to rule over nature and "destroy and hate mankind". In its prototype stage, the Emperor is not as strong as Goldman had hoped, and falls to the AMS agents. In order to evade being arrested, Goldman commits suicide by jumping off the roof of his building.

Players are given different endings based on the following conditions:
 * If a solo game was finished as either player 1 or 2
 * If both players defeated the last boss
 * Number of continues
 * Points earned

In the good canonical ending, James and Gary run into Thomas Rogan, the main character from the first game, who tells them that G and Harry are all right, and that they should head off to their next battle "as long as we have the will to live" (in the case of James) or "as long as there is an answer" (in the case of Gary). In the second good ending, as James and Gary leave the building, they are greeted by G, Amy and Harry, who thank them for their help. In the third good ending James and Gary leave the building to be greeted by the people they saved who James and Gary thank. In the bad ending, James and Gary run into a zombified Goldman outside the building. As the screen goes white, a gunshot is heard.

Characters

 * James Taylor: An AMS agent sent to investigate strange occurrences reported taking place in the city of Venice and locate agent G.
 * Gary Stewart: An AMS agent sent along with James Taylor.
 * Caleb Goldman: CEO of the DBR Corporation and an expert on the genome theory who funded the experiments of the late Curien, he unleashed all the zombies to Venice to destroy humankind. He commits suicide at the end of the game.
 * Amy Crystal: An AMS agent sent to evacuate the populace, it's hinted in the game she likes Gary.
 * Harry Harris: Another AMS agent sent to assist Amy.
 * G: An AMS agent investigating strange occurrences in Venice. He is found seriously injured by James and Gary.
 * Thomas Rogan: An AMS agent and the returning protagonist from the original House of the Dead, known for his heroic actions during the Curien Mansion incident. He is only seen in good canonical ending, informing James that their friends and allies have survived the outbreak.

Variations
The game served as the springboard for the arcade, Sega Dreamcast, and PC release The Typing of the Dead, the Nintendo DS release English of the Dead, as well as the inspiration for the Game Boy Advance game, The Pinball of the Dead.

Ports
The House of the Dead II ported to the Dreamcast, and the PC. In the Xbox version of House Of The Dead III the game is a unlockable. The game was also ported to the Wii.

Reception
On release, Famitsu magazine scored the Dreamcast version of the game a 33 out of 40. The game has become notorious amongst some gamers, due to its extremely poor voice acting.