House of the Dead III

House Of The Dead III is an addictive horror zombie-survival game.

This well-known arcade game is the third instalment of the hugely popular House Of The Dead franchise, first introduced in 1996. The greatest thing about this game is the excellent storyline. Continuing on from the first two games, players take on the role of Lisa Rogan, the daughter of Thomas Rogan, who was the main character in the original game. Set twenty-one years after the zombie outbreak of the first game, players discover that Thomas Rogan has vanished following a visit to the EFI Facility, which is a research centre owned by Dr. Roy Curien and is the main setting of the story. With the help of G, Thomas Rogan’s partner from the first game, Lisa Rogan goes to the EFI Facility to find her father. Players can also choose to take on the roles of G and Daniel Curien, the terminally ill son of Dr. Roy Curien and the inspiration for his medical experiments that led to the creation of the zombie mutation.

The aim of the game is to enter the facility and find Thomas Rogan, all the time fending off the constant threat of attacks from zombies, gigantic mutants, deformed animals and mutated plants. A series of flashbacks are revealed throughout the game which tell the story of the zombie mutation and there are four different, but equally satisfying, endings that will depend on the players performance. Unlike the first games, there are no civilians to rescue. However, there are many times throughout the game when players will need to rescue their partner from zombie attacks. The constant suspense and the scenes of blood, guts and gore make for excellent and sometimes frightening gameplay.

Other good points to raise about House Of The Dead III is that it can be enjoyed as a two-player game, there is a Time Attack mode that enables players to upload their score to an online scoreboard, there are a variety of difficulty levels and there is no longer the need for players to point their weapon off-screen in order to reload. Also, the shotgun available can take out several enemies at once, although unlike the standard handgun, it does have limited ammunition.

Whilst the graphics may seem a little dated, considering the fact that House Of The Dead III was first released in 2002, they are still rather good. The sound effects of moaning zombies and deafening, rapid gunfire are also quite good, albeit a little monotonous at times. All in all, the satisfaction that players get from shooting zombies makes for entertaining and highly enjoyable gameplay.

Pros

• Excellent storyline
• Reasonable graphics and sound effects
• Two-Player and Time Attack modes available

Cons

• A bit dated
• Too easy to complete