is a 1998 light gun shooter video game developed by Sega AM1 and published by Sega for arcades on the Sega NAOMI system. It is the second installment of the House of the Dead series, and a direct sequel to the original House of the Dead, released in 1997. The story picks up slightly over a year after the original game, and follows several AMS agents investigating a zombie outbreak in Italy. The protagonists are tasked with finding the source of the attack while also locating a fellow missing agent known as G.
After its release in arcades, the game was ported to the Dreamcast in 1999, followed by Microsoft Windows in 2001, the Xbox in 2002 as a bonus in The House of the Dead III, and the Wii in 2008 as part of the compilation The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. It would also serve as the basis for several spinoff games in the franchise, most notably The Typing of the Dead.
Gameplay
The House of the Dead 2 is a rail shooter light gun game with an auto-reload feature that allows players to point their guns off-screen to reload their weapons without pulling the trigger. Players must shoot their way through hordes of zombies and other monsters while attempting to rescue civilians being attacked. Health is represented by torches at the bottom of the screen and are lost when the player is hit by an enemy or shoots a civilian. Bonus health can be awarded by rescuing civilians and finding first aid kits hidden in crates and barrels.
As in the first game, this game incorporates a branching path system that allows for a variety of different routes in each stage depending on the players actions (such as saving civilians). This is expanded upon with an even greater variety of alternate stage layouts and locations, although these do not affect the plot of the game.
The flashbacks to the first The House of the Dead in the game's introductory sequence were recorded using the game's engine.
Plot
AMS Agent G's further investigation on the 1998 Curien Mansion incident leads to his mysterious disappearance upon his discovery of the remnants of Dr. Curien's operations in Venice, Italy, where a zombie outbreak takes place. The international government agency, AMS, sends American agents James Taylor, Gary Stewart, Harry Harris, and British agent Amy Crystal, to Italy in order to find G and evacuate the civilian populace.
On February 26, 2000, the agents arrive in Italy and soon encounter a massive undead horde, similar to the kind from 1998. James and Gary locate an injured G in a library, who provides them with a field journal containing information on the enemies. They continue on, trying to save the town's civilians in the process.
During the chaos, James and Gary face Judgment, consisting of the impish Zeal and his giant, headless, axe-wielding armored puppet, Kuarl. After defeating them, they meet up with Amy and Harry, who split up and plan to meet at Sunset Bridge. Upon meeting, the group faces the Hierophant, an amphibious monster which heads an assault on Venice's waterways and Central Plaza. After defeating it, the group takes a boat through the rivers.
It is revealed that Caleb Goldman, a wealthy businessman who financed Dr. Curien's creations leading to the 1998 incident, is now responsible for the new wave of zombies attacking the city. Goldman leaves a message on Amy's phone, inviting them to meet him at the Colosseum, which Harry fears to be a trap. James and Gary split up from the group again, and encounter five giant serpents known as the Tower. After killing them, they receive an emergency call from Amy, before getting cut off. The two quickly race to the Colosseum, only to discover Amy and a wounded Harry, injured by the Strength, a massive, chainsaw-wielding zombie, which James and Gary manage to kill. While Amy tends to Harry’s wounds, James and Gary drive to Goldman’s headquarters. Along the way, they battle Judgement, the Hierophant, and the Tower, who were revived by Goldman.
Upon arriving at Goldman's skyscraper, James and Gary are confronted by Curien's masterpiece, the Magician, revived by Goldman to oversee the birth of the Emperor, a shapeshifting crystalline entity designed to protect nature and destroy humanity. After defeating the Magician, they fight their way to the top of Goldman's Headquarters, eventually finding and confronting Goldman, who releases the Emperor. After one final battle, James and Gary defeat the Emperor. With his plans ruined and unable to escape, Goldman commits suicide by throwing himself off the roof of his building, though he warns the players that "in time, a successor will come".
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 ending, James and Gary run into Thomas Rogan, the other 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 they 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 normal ending, as James and Gary leave the building, they are greeted by G, Amy and Harry, as well as a large group of civilians, who thank them for their help. In the bad ending, James and Gary run into a zombified Goldman outside the building. As the screen goes white, a gunshot is heard.
Development and release
Ports
The House of the Dead 2 went on to receive several home ports. In 1999, the game was ported to the Dreamcast as a launch title for the system, then to PC in 2001, on Xbox as an unlockable on the 2002 port of The House of the Dead 3, and Wii, in a double release with The House of the Dead 3. It was also the second and final game in The House of the Dead series to appear on a Sega console, with the original The House of the Dead for the Sega Saturn being the first.
Remake
A remake of the game was announced on January 10, 2025. It was scheduled for release originally in Spring 2025, but was delayed until October 24, 2025 for Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It was developed by MegaPixel Studio and published by Forever Entertainment. The remake received generally negative reviews, with many players citing the PC release as having been released in a broken and unplayable state.