The House of the Dead (series)

The House of the Dead is a series of horror games published by Sega.

Originating in arcades, the main series currently consists of six rail-shooter light gun games as well as a series of spin-offs, including a beat 'em up, typing tutor and mini-game compilation. The overall plot is that of current or former agents of international secret service AMS and their battle to prevent, and then reverse, a zombie apocalypse created by insane scientist Dr. Curien and shadowy businessman Goldman.

Main series

 * The House of the Dead (1996). Set in the then future of 1998, two AMS agents Tom Rogan and 'G' respond to a distress call at Curien Mansion, the setting for the whole game. Initially released for arcades with two pistol shaped light guns, it was later ported to the Sega Saturn and has not been re-released since


 * The House of the Dead 2 (1998). Again set two years into the future from its release date, 2000, two new agents James Taylor and Gary Stewart travel to Venice, Italy to face off against Goldman, the man pulling the strings behind the first game. After it's arcade release it as ported to the Sega Dreamcast and personal computers, it has since been re-released in the compilation The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return for the Nintendo Wii.


 * The House of the Dead III (2002). Set in 2019, 19 years after the world devolved into a zombie apocalypse AMS agent G and Tom Rogan's daughter Lisa investigate Rogan's disappearance while searching for the source of the world's collapse. While the previous two games used pistols, III gave the arcade players two replica shotguns, that must be reloaded in an authentic manner. Given no immediate port, it was first released for home systems in 2003 for the Microsoft Xbox, then again in 2005 for personal computers and finally as part of The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return for the Nintendo Wii in 2008.


 * The House of the Dead 4 (2005). An interquel between House of the Dead 2 and III, set in 2003 following AMS agents James Taylor and Kate Green dealing with events leading to the world's collapse into the zombie apocalypse. The light guns for this game were replica Mini Uzis, fitted with motion sensors to detect shaking (used for reloading and shooing away enemies). The game was later ported to PlayStation 3 in 2012.
 * The House of the Dead 4 Special (2006). An arcade title taking place immedietly after the events of The House of the Dead 4, this game follows Kate Green and Agent G as they fight the creature infestation to it's source. It was released as an additional unlockable campaign in the PlayStation 3 port of The House of the Dead 4 in 2012.
 * The House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn (2018). Taking place three years after the events of The House of the Dead 4, Kate Green this time teams up with former partner James Taylor's younger brother Ryan as they investigate a bioterror threat at the opulent Scarecrow Manor.

Spinoffs:

 * Zombie Revenge (1999). A beat 'em up game set in The House of the Dead universe.
 * The Typing of the Dead (2000). A spin-off game that requires typing to kill zombies. It is adapted from The House of the Dead 2.
 * The Pinball of the Dead (2002). A spin-off for the Gameboy Advance in which players play on three The House of the Dead inspired pinball tables. Zombies wander over the table and can be killed by the pinball.
 * The Typing of the Dead 2 (2007). Adapted from The House of the Dead III, players type words to kill zombies. Japan exclusive.
 * English of the Dead (2008). Like the first Typing of the Dead it is based off of The House of the Dead 2. This time, Japanese words appear, and players must translate the text into english with the DS stylus to kill zombies. Japan exclusive.
 * The House of the Dead: Overkill (2009). The first of the main series released solely for home consoles, in this case the Nintendo Wii, Overkill is set in 1991 and follows Agent G on his first mission for AMS in Lousianna, USA, working with local cop Isaac Washington to eliminate a local crime lord Papa Caesar. Inspired by Robert Rodriguez's film Planet Terror, it was given an over-the-top exploitation/grindhouse film look and feel. Overkill is the only game in the series thus far to not name it's villains after Major Arcana tarot cards, but as the story predates Curien and Goldman, this could be explainable.
 * Loving Deads: The House of the Dead EX (2009). A spin-off arcade title about two zombies Zobio and Zobiko that fall in love and attempt to escape captivity. The gameplay is based off of various mini games that utilise the gun and pedel in creative ways.
 * The House of the Dead: Overkill: Extended Cut (2011). A new version of The House of the Dead: Overkill with two additional campaigns exploring what Varla Guns got upto during the events of Overkill.
 * The Typing of the Dead: Overkill (2013). A Typing of the Dead version of The House of the Dead: Overkill: Extended Cut. Released on Steam in time for Halloween, this version contains both a typing version and the original light gun version of the game as well as the Extended Cut content and the ability for players to add their own words to the line up.
 * Darts of the Dead (2017). A limited time game that appeared on Sega Sammy's Darts Live 2 machine. Players throw darts to fight off creatures, with the HP being written on screen and players needing to hit the dart board to do damage. Could be played with up to four players. The game was only available between October 2nd and October 31st of that year. Adapted from The House of the Dead III.

Other appearances:

 * Sega Superstars (2004). A House of the Dead related minigame can be played where players must attack creatures and avoid hitting civilians.
 * Sega Superstars Tennis (2008). Curien Mansion appears as a playable tennis court. A mini-game can be played where players must defeat creatures by hitting them with tennis balls.
 * Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010). Zobio and Zobiko are playable racers and Curien mansion appears as a track.
 * Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012). Curien Mansion is once again a playable track. Zobio and Zobiko don't appear as racers but do cameo in the track.
 * SEGA Heroes (2018). Agent G, Thomas Rogan, Ebitan and Dr. Curien appear as heroes in this title.