XboxAddict
Sign In Join

STAFF REVIEW of House of the Dead 3 (Xbox)


Tuesday, October 29, 2002.
by maneatingcow

House of the Dead 3 Box art House of the Dead 3 is a great fast paced shooter that will keep your heart pumping throughout the entire game. Sadly, the entire game of HOTD 3 can last 30 minutes or less. The game has been upgraded from the previous installment, with all new graphics, all new play mechanics, and a shotgun replaces the standard pistol. Even with all of these improvements, the overall length of the game and a few other setbacks make this game less enjoyable. The only thing that truly saves this game is the inclusion of a direct port of the Dreamcast version of House of the Dead 2, including all of it?s mini games as well as it?s original modes. If Sega were to have teamed up with WOW Entertainment and released a House of the Dead collection, containing all of the previous games, it would have warranted the $50 price tag. Seeing how this is not so, you are better off renting this game and finishing it off while you wait for your pizza delivery, because as it currently stands, it would only appeal to House of the Dead?s hardcore fans, as well as those who are nostalgic about the Dreamcast?s glory days.


The game play in HOTD3 has been completely reworked from the previous HOTD games. You still have the ability to use a light gun for the game (See the Mad Catz Blaster review for more on this), but for the first time in a console HOTD game, using the controller also works perfectly fine. The manual control of the crosshair helps for the new fast paced game play in HOTD3. Gone is the weak pistol of the past. Now you are equipped with a shotgun, capable of taking out multiple zombie s !&%$@#* in one blast. Speaking of Zombie s !&%$@#* , you no longer will have breathing room in between zombie attacks. The zombies now fly around from every corner, making the game move much faster than it?s predecessors. Removed from the levels are the innocents that used to appear. These sporadic civilians are now replaced by teamwork events, where you are rewarded with a unit of health if you successfully defend your partner from a zombie attack. These events are much easier than the civilian rescues of the past, as the game pauses for a moment and highlight the zombies you must attack to gain health. The game is separated into 2 different modes, Survival Mode and Time Attack. By completing any one of these modes, you unlock HOTD2. No boss battle or challenge mini games are available for HOTD3, which was a big let down. There are a total of 4 bosses in HOTD3 (with one being repeated in 2 levels). Each of the lesser bosses underneath the final boss are much easier than the final boss, and do not help to prepare for the final battle against him. The boss battles are nicely designed (I must say it was an interesting battle against Black Sabbath?s ?Iron Man? at the end of the game), but the battles against Death and Sun seemed a bit too simple and predictable. The drastic changes in game play are a nice way to give new life to an old franchise, but the game suffers from the extremely short length. Taking alternated routes to the final battle were not as interesting as they were in HOTD2, as you will always see the same areas throughout the game, regardless of the paths you take.


The graphics in HOTD3 are much improved from the previous titles. The zombies and scenery are extremely lifelike, and help to get you sucked into the game. Another new feature for the series is you can now see your gun on screen. This is another cool graphical feature, which allows you to feel more as if you are part of the game. The zombies in the game show a very wide amount of damage to them when shot. With the shotgun being a more powerful weapon, any shot to a dead carcass renders a nice sized hole. The holes in the zombies look quite nice, if you get a spare second to take a glance at them. There are other minor graphical effects that make the graphics stand out from some other games. Some zombies crawl across the ceiling, dripping some sort of fluid off of their body as they move. A major let down of the graphics is that only the zombies and certain barrels and containers display physical change after shooting them. With the extremely limited selection of areas to travel to in the game, it would have been nice to have realistic damage on most surfaces.


The audio in HOTD3 is decent, but is nothing spectacular. The standard zombie growl and attack noises are there. There are some cool sound effects when enemies bust though walls or cut through doors. The voice acting in HOTD3 is slightly better than the previous games, although it still has its cheesy moments (?I think it will open if we shoot it?). These kinds of vocals are expected from the HOTD series, and had a slight nostalgic value. Seeing how the music in HOTD3 is pretty basic, it would have been a nice bonus if they had included the option for custom soundtracks to replace the default one.


Suggestions:
I like the new approach to such a cool game series, but if you are going to continue with the same fast paced zombie-shooting action, you will need to add some serious length to the game. Including HOTD2 was a nice touch, and may be the reason why many people pick up this title. If HOTD4 is in the works, be sure to include the original HOTD, as it has yet to receive a decent console release.


Overall: 7.0 / 10
Gameplay: 6.0 / 10
Visuals: 8.0 / 10
Sound: 6.0 / 10

Comments

Site Statistics

Registered Members: 81,135
Forum Posts: 725,969
Xbox One Titles: 6,502
Xbox 360 Titles: 1,086
Xbox 360 Kinect Titles: 95
Xbox 360 Arcade Titles: 586
Original Xbox Titles: 987
Staff Reviews: 2,610
Member Reviews: 10,339
News Articles: 16,557
Screenshots: 39,558
Xbox 360 Achievements: 45,112
Xbox 360 Faceplates: 2,016
Cheat Codes: 1,706

Latest News

Bulwark: Evolution Out Now on Consoles

Bulwark: Evolution Out Now on ConsolesThis major free update, which has already been successfully launched on Steam, brings a new layer of depth, strategy, and innovative gameplay mechanics to the immersive world of Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles.

Thrustmaster Unveils T.Flight Hotas One

Thrustmaster Unveils T.Flight Hotas OneThrustmaster’s best-seller is back with a new look featuring the official license of Microsoft Flight Simulator. This complete, precise and easy-to-use hands- on throttle and stick (HOTAS) is the ideal companion for Microsoft Flight Sim 2024


See News Archives

Community Forum Activity

KeyWe Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 28138 Views

2021: XBA is still here
Post by shrew king
40 Replies, 273780 Views

Watch Dogs: Legion
Post by Nato King
0 Replies, 128253 Views

Xbox Series X or S
Post by Nato King
5 Replies, 146366 Views

Spellbreak Grand Magus Pack (3) and Starter Pack (7) Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 133103 Views

I pay $ 1000! I search the Element 54 Canadian launch Team signaturen Faceplate
Post by Smill
0 Replies, 156925 Views

Xbox one no signal
Post by debrartin
0 Replies, 146066 Views

do you remember?
Post by SnoochyBoochy
3 Replies, 218189 Views

i haz xbox
Post by SnoochyBoochy
0 Replies, 174737 Views

Claiming the first thread of 2020
Post by Kraft
7 Replies, 267763 Views

Important! I pay $ 1000! I search the Sweden launch and the Element 54 Faceplate
Post by Smill
3 Replies, 151469 Views

Squad Up
Post by samslophead
0 Replies, 260631 Views

TERA Skinned Xbox One X Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 180950 Views

Starfield Release expectations?
Post by DJ tx
4 Replies, 313614 Views

Issue with Xbox live on Xbox home
Post by rcmpayne
0 Replies, 169560 Views

© 2000-2024 XboxAddict.com - All rights reserved. All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft. XboxAddict.com is not affiliated with Microsoft.

Made in Canada
Site Design by Cameron Graphics