FAQ, including the survival guide, the 1st chapter (stage) walkthrough, and some other not-so-great "chips" (extras).
FAQ by: Guy "Type R" E-mail address: hsakuragi@xoommail.com Version: 0.65 Started on: 1.6.1999 Finished on: 1.15.1999
1. My life and House of the Dead 2 2. What is House of Dead? 3. Characters and allies I had seen so far 4. How to survive in House of the Dead 2 5. Enemies I had seen so far 6. Elements in HOTD2 that I like and hate 7. The First Chapter -- The Prelude walkthrough 8. Credits (coins) 9. Rumors about HOTD2 10.Credits 11.Things between legal and illegal
=============================== My life and House of the Dead 2 ===============================
NOTE: Forgive my English. I HATE to learn English, so some grammars and word usage will really mess up. If there are some parts that you do not know what I am really talking about, I will fix them by telling me. Thanks.
12.18.1998. The date when I last saw The House of the Dead 1 in Albany Bowl (Albany, CA) before my Christmas holiday, I said to myself "Gives us new a light gun game here, ho!" And it's here. Really here. In 1.04.1999, I saw: The House---of the Dead, 2. When I took a good look at the machine, I said to my mind, "why in the heck they designed the machine like that?" The real screen is now at the bottom, mirrored. What is in front of me is a "mirror-mirrored" screen with a glass blocking far away. And the screen is so darn small! But.... who cares about that anyway? Three quarters, then the start button. Five minutes later, I have been killed by that purple bat (I think it is called reaper, but I really do not know WHAT it is) flying around as a tsetse fly in a tropical rain forest. Cannot beat stage 1 for the first time. Now I know, this game will be the next light-gun challenge I have to face.
I used up 10 dollars to keep up with my skills. But still, the furthest distance I can go (no continue) is the second stage boss. I've beaten House of the Dead 1 and Time Crisis 2 WITHOUT USING A SINGLE CONTINUE, but why? Why I cannot beat House of Dead 2? It's useless to get more information by seeing how other people play, since THEY cannot CROSS THE END OF THE LIBRARY (as you might not know, the library is where G [Player 2 in House of the Dead 1] is). Yes, this FAQ is ALL by myself. Darn those weak light-gun people. I can only get a dollar every Friday. No job, no beg, poor guy. Anyway, I know a lot of things about how to last your life marks longer. If you want to be a good House of the Dead player or just do not want to be a WEAK light-gun player, read on.
This is my very first FAQ, by the way. I made this FAQ because.....I really do not want another light-gun player to lose THAT many quarters. I saw a guy wasted 15 dollars (count it, 15!) to beat the game.....
================================== What is House of the Dead (HOTD)? ==================================
House of the Dead series is a first-person light gun game that your objective is to shoot and destroy zombies, rescue stupid people, fight tough bosses, and get a bad and boring ending (actually, this is tragedy). The series focuses on challenge more than fun, so it's tough to beat. YOUR ONLY WEAPON IS A HANDGUN WITH ONLY SIX ROUNDS OF BULLETS. I demand magnum guns in the next game.
HOTD2 is the first arcade game that uses the SEGA's NAOMI (Nay-o-mi) board (Same board as the Dreamcast's). This board can soup up to 3,000,000 polygons per second (Playstation only has a maximum of 600,000). So the graphics can be "skin-like", meaning that everything looks real. The board is also CHEAP! It's about 3X cheaper than SEGA's Model 3 board (used in HOTD1 and Daytona 2) but with the same performance. It's about 100-200 dollars, I guess.
======================================================== Characters and allies I had seen so far (before stage 3): ========================================================
James ----- Player 1. I do not play him often because he is ugly. Slow talker and he is like an idiot. :( Gary ----- Player 2. I always play him because he is a fast talker and I just like the right side of any light-gun games. :) G ----- Sub character in HOTD2 but Player 2 in HOTD1. Amy ----- Sub character in HOTD2. She looks like a red dressed woman. Harry ----- Sub character in HOTD2. He looks like another Goldman. Goldman --- The boss of the boss in HOTD2. Still Curien (that old man in HOTD1) like, though. Civilians--- Characters you need to rescue, but still stupid. Can't they RUN or something?
========================================== How to survive in House of the Dead 2 ==========================================
House of the Dead 1 is hard at first, but about 3 months, it becomes pretty easy to beat, so I use some important (and valuable) information I had learned about this type of genre. You will need these to beat every single light gun game, like Lethal Enforcers, Virtual Cop, Time Crisis's, Area 51, and of course, House of the Dead. Ready?
Tip A: YOUR HEIGHT. Obviously, you don't want a 4-year old kid to play light-gun games.... make sure you are tall enough to see the whole screen without any trouble (Chair works, but do not fall or you will be unconscious).
Tip 1: HOW TO HOLD THE GUN. Put the hand that you usually write to the trigger (i.e. if you write left-handed, put the left hand to the trigger). Why? Because if that hand writes a lot, it's more comfortable to pull and release the trigger rapidly. It's true (I am right handed though). Now use the other hand to the bottom of the barrel. DON'T hold the gun one handed or two hands around the trigger. You will feel very tired that way.
ON SCREEN EXAMPLE: If you have Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation, defeat Revolver Ocelot in Baker's booby trap room. You will be treated with a cut scene. When Solid Snake says, "Who are you?", watch carefully and see how he holds the gun.
Tip 2: HOW TO SHOOT FAST AND AIM WELL (or better accuracy). First, follow tip 1. Second, while use the writing hand to pull and release the trigger VERY FAST, use the other hand to hold the gun TIGHTLY. The other way of saying this: turn that handgun to a sub-machine gun! That's it. Just do not shake the non-writing hand or you will shoot a civilian instead and you thought you are aiming at the zombie. Yipes!
Tip 3: HOW TO RELOAD FASTER. There are two ways to reload:
a) Off screen reload. Follow tip 1 and 2. When you need to reload, IMMEDIATELY put your arms under the screen and pull the trigger. Then aim the gun again. DON'T put your arm to the left or right side of the screen because often you will shoot a bullet on screen instead, and it's SLOW to put in back on screen. This is useful if you want to rescue civilians in an easier way.
b) On screen reload. Put the non-writing hand a bit forward when you play the game. When you need to reload, put the index finger or the middle finger (it's longer) at the end of the barrel (a.k.a. the "invisible hole"). This is an excellent trick when the enemy does not move around too much.
Tip 4: CLOSER ENEMY = BANG, BANG, BANG! When you see 2 or more enemies that has no range attacks (i.e. throwing a knife, etc.) on the screen, shoot the closer one first. I saw a lot of weak light gun gamers playing James, and they always shoot the left zombie first (it's in the beginning of the game). BUZZ! Wrong!! If you are not following tips 1 & 2, you will just being whip by the closer zombie (the right zombie in the beginning). This tip does not work if there is a long ranged enemy(ies) on the screen teamed up.
Tip 5: SHOOT THE PROJECTILE BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE. If any of the enemies throwing stuff(s) at you, shoot those IMMEDIATETLY. Forget that zombie(s) that throwing stuff(s) for now. Your life is much more important than a -1 zombie.
Tip 6: AIM AT THE HEAD MOST OF THE TIME. A brain is EVERY SINGLE ORGANISM'S(yep, even zombies) LIFE. If you aim and shoot at the head (a brain is inside a head, duh!) 2-3 times, spat. Do not waste your time shooting its p***s ----- it's fun, but not worth it. When rescuing a civilian, the zombie(s)' head is/are very close (repeat) to the civilian(s)'. Also, some enemies who have metal weapons can cover their heads (i.e. Ax zombie).
Tip 7 (being annoyed?): KNOW EVERYTHING. Obviously, you want to know when what kind of zombie appears. Play it 3-4 times and you will automatically remember everything in Chapter 1 (if you can cross it, that is). Understand each enemy's patterns are important in any light gun game (well, except Area51). Also, always try to use your familiar route that seems easier to you.
Last tip (for now): WHEN IN A GAME, BE A PLAYER, NOT A READER. This means all the tips above cannot save all of your lives COMPLETELY. There is a word called "luck", you know.
If you are a good player, you should get into Stage 3 without a continue.
========================================== Enemies I had seen so far (before stage 3) ==========================================
Key: WP --- Weak point ATK -- Attacks HP --- Hit points to kill. Ranged from small to large. Small-- one hit die Medium -- Except head, 2 to 6 hits Large --- Except head, 6 or more hits
================ Normal enemies: ================
Original zombies (They should have blue pants and no shirt) WP--- Head ATK-- Bite , 1 arm slash or 2 handed arm crush HP -- Medium Comment: The EASIEST enemy you can ever face.
Ax zombies (They should have 2 axes crossed in front of their heads) WP--- Head ATK-- Ax slash or bite if both hands are being shot off. HP -- Medium Comment: Block shots if the axes are in front of its head. Shoot at its stomach or its legs to lower its axes. Then shoot its head.
Frogs (They are green-skinned and say "ribbit" when you meet them) WP--- Anywhere ATK-- Jump bite HP -- Small Comment: Idiots. If you do not shoot fast they can be deadly.
Worms (They have a mouth with dracula-typed teeth) WP--- Anywhere ATK-- Jump (what the heck?) bite HP--- Small Comment: Always come with a pack of 7-10. If you do not shoot all of them they can be really deadly.
Chainsaw zombie (They are thin and hold a chainsaw with both hands) WP--- Head ATK-- Saw slash (need info if both hands are off) HP--- Large Comment: Block shots if the saw is in front of its head. Shoot at its legs to lower its saw. Then shoot its head.
Ax throwers (They are always stay in a building throwing axes at you) WP--- Head and only head ATK-- Ax throw HP--- Small Comment: Their axes, if have not thrown, can block your shots. Leaves after it throws 2 axes.
Claw zombies (Robot-like zombies with claws) WP--- Head and only head (Anywhere if it comes right at you) ATK-- Claws HP--- Small Comment: Can jump anywhere in the background and jump at you, face to face, then slash. Shoot at them as you see it's crawling the buildings.
Owls (White, bird-like thing with an ugly face) WP--- Anywhere ATK-- Bites HP--- Small Comment: They are VERY FAST, and you may get hit very easily. Luckily, you can only meet owls in the second stage.
Knife-throwing zombies (Zombies with orange shirt and small head) WP--- Head ATK-- Knife throw or air slash HP--- Medium Comment: Their knives can block a lot of shots. Your best bet is when it moves side by side very fast (it looks really lame in present), instead of tracking it, stick and shoot to the point that it may come. The bullet will hit it in no time.
Fat zombies (Black, fat zombies) WP--- Head ATK-- Dash attack or flying stomp HP--- Large Comment: They can take about 3 shots to its head in order to finish it. Since its head is pretty darn small, this is one bad a** jerk.
Rotting zombie [Green] (Green zombies with no skin) WP--- Head ATK-- Bite HP--- Medium (small in special situations) Comment: A little less HP than the brown ones.
Rotting zombie [Brown] (Brown zombies with no skin) WP--- Head ATK-- Bite HP--- Large Comment: About the same HP as the fat zombies.
Fish (Yellow fish with dracula-typed teeth) WP--- Anywhere ATK-- Jump bite HP--- Small Comment: Can shoot while in water. DON'T let it come and bite you. Finish them as soon as possible.
======= Bosses: =======
Stage 1: Judgment Type 28 (A huge, but headless knight with a large ax [or halberd] on his right hand purple bat flying around the knight) WP--- Purple bat (Reaper?) ATK-- 2/3 to full energy: Halberd slash (Knight only) Minimum to 2/3 energy: Bat bite (Purple bat only) HP-- Knight: Large Purple bat: Large Comment: More details in the walkthrough.
Stage 2: Hierophant Type B 05 (Beta 05, looks like Chariot Type 27 in HOTD1. It has a large spear [or called trident] on its right hand)
WP--- The central heart inside its chest ATK-- 1/2 to full energy: forward trident slash or dancing trident slash 2/3 to 1/2 energy: Fish summon attack NOTE: Different fish summon patterns if fight in different areas. SUNSET BRIDGE: Should be 3-5 from left, then 3-5 from right. WHARF: One left, one right, repeat. Should be ranged from 2 to more than 15. 1/4 to 2/3 energy: Forward jump trident slash Minimum to 1/4: Hide, then Left or right jump trident slash (Sunset Bridge only, I guess) Comment: I hate the Wharf boss, especially the fish. I don't even have time to shoot the boss's WP, and dies. To prevent meeting it, rescue the man at the start of the chapter, then somewhere later you will find a gate with a key. Shoot the key and then you will meet a fat guy with barrels. Then there is a girl with a fat zombie. RESCUE THE GIRL. Then you will get into a house and you will see a door with a lock. RELEASE THE LOCK. Save the man (or not), and you should be on the way to the Sunset Bridge. The dance trident slash is HARD too (well, at least in 1-player mode).
============================== Elements that I like and hate ==============================
What I like in HOTD2:
1) The challenge. This is exactly how hard a REAL war is.
2) The boss music. It's another cool piece of techno music in video games. The tones are REALLY weird, like the beeps in each "section" of the music.
3) The fonts that appeared in HOTD2. There are about 7 different fonts in all, and some of them are really weird looking.
What I hate in HOTD2:
1) The intro. The music stinks with almost no music tones, and it contain stupid start-to-end scenes.
2) The civilians. Uh....you know what I mean by that, right?
3) Too Resident Evil/Biohazard like. RE1 got mansion, HOTD1 got mansion. RE2 has trouble in the city, HOTD2 has trouble in the city. What's the point?
4) The purple bat. This tsetse fly can really drive me nuts.
5) James. An ultra ugly guy. He will bring me bad luck.
6) The machine. The screen is just too darn small and far away.
7) The crates and barrels. Most of them take two hits instead of one.
More will be coming as the plot continues.
================================================= The FiRsT CHAPTER-------- tHe PrElUdE walkthrough =================================================
Think you can survive the first chapter? Keep in mind that this walkthrough will spoil almost everything in the 1st chapter, with Gary's solo mode ONLY. Since this FAQ focuses on survival, I do not really need info about the next few chapters. Here goes.
NOTE: I am NOT a novel writer. I want to be, though. I lived in the US for 5 years and I still cannot speak English really well, and I do not know a lot of those "easy-for-American" vocabularies. Darn it.
Slang: Cap means "to shoot at an animal or a human being's head." Spat means "now eat my bullets." Bang means "to shoot." ------------------------------------------------------------------------
It all begins with a car drove through the screen, with a purple bat waited at the roof of one of the tall buildings. As the car drove almost 3/4 of the screen, the purple bat fled and started the chase. Then.....
The FiRsT ChaPTER
THE pReLuDe
"We're meeting G over there," said Gary, while still driving. After a moment, he saw something in front of him..... the purple bat. He stepped the brake in a hard way. The purple bat laughed. "I've already taken care of G." said the bat, with a weird voice. Gary felt confused, so he got out of the car. "This is only the beginning. You're next." The purple fled in front of the library building. It said, "Get him!" in a not-so-loud voice. Gary, pulled the gun out of his pocket, put six rounds of bullets into the gun's chamber, and he aimed at the street, with two zombies "waited" for him....
(I think it's not a bad start to write a kid's novel, but I think it totally stinks. I just want to improve my English, so I keep typing. I HAVE TO.)
You see 2 normal zombies in front of you. Finish them by shooting their heads. Then shoot the bicycles, and, if you like, try to shoot the zombies far from you to see if you are a "sniper" or not. After a few seconds, Gary said, "No, not G." and he opens the door. 2 more zombies awaited for you. No, it MY BULLETS awaited for their HEADS. After that, Gary said, "how could this happen." A zombie will pop out from a chair. Cap it. Then you will see a zombie lying on the ground. You can cap it when it rises. Another zombie will rise from the right desk. Cap-> Bang-> Spat. Then.. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gary saw something. It looked like a person lying on the ground. Gary ran forward. "G!" He cried. G raised his head and took a good look at Gary. It looked like G had been hurt for a while. "Gary...., I tried......" said G. "Don't under estimate the enemy..." G pulled out a book from his pocket. The book's title said, "G's file." "Gary, take this....." Gary had no choice but to accept. Just then, the windows broke, and they saw a ax-wielded zombie and a normal zombie. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kill the ax zombie first (remember tip 4?) by shooting at its stomach, THEN its head. Forget that normal zombie for a moment--- it stinks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gary ran towards the window, and turned his face to G. "Amy and Harry are going to back us up." He said. It seemed like he cannot move at all. "Hurry, GO!" "Thanks G." But Gary did not smile. Gary went forward. He heard a voice from the right side. As he looked, an ax zombie had slashed a helpless man's back. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forget that stomach thing, this ax zombie is the worst ax zombie I had ever seen in HOTD2. Shoot its head QUICKLY and it's game over. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gary ran towards the helpless man, still alive. "I don't wanna die......" His last speech summoned his death. "My GOD." Gary said. Gary ran forward a little bit, and he heard another voice in front of him.
Now it's the time to rescue the first civilian. Follow tip 1 and 2 and you will be fine. Shoot at its head if you think you are "snipe" enough (or good accuracy). This woman's life can change your routes. If you rescue the woman, she will say, "please, help him!" and you will run to the left side of the wall, to a well that you have to rescue another civilian. Shoot the zombie in front of you. Then you will have to face 2 more zombies from left and right. WHEN HE FALLS DOWN, SHOOT THE CRATES FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CIVILIAN. You can get the first LIFE UP here. Back to the zombies. The left one will hit him first, so kill it (duh!), then the right one. If you are successful rescuing him, he will tell you the other route to get to the back street (Route B).
If the woman dies though..... you will face three normal zombies from the well. After that, follow Route A.
If the well guy dies Gary tells the woman "there's nothing we could do...." Then follow Route A.
Route A:
You will see three normal zombies "ram" the gate and rush you. Nothing too hard though. Then you will see 4 frogs. Way too slow than I thought. No problems here. Then you will see a normal zombie and a ax zombie. Since the normal zombie is RUNNING while the ax zombie is WALKING, you know the distances..... after that, Gary says "G's bloodstains...." and the grate will bust open from the right side and about 8 green worms coming out. Shoot them QUICKLY. Then, ignore the crates (it reveals a diamond, but who cares about points?) and face a chainsaw guy. Legs-> Head-> Spat. Then follow Main Route.
Route B: You get out to the by pass. Then you will see a normal zombie with a man crawling the ground (funny:). Shoot the zombie's head. No changes if he is rescued or not. Then a normal and ax zombie. Kill the normal zombie->ax zombie. Use stomach attack. Then the grate busted in front of you and about 8 pink worms coming out. It's easy to kill all of them here. Then Gary said "G's bloodstains....." Follow Main Route.
Main route You will see the ax thrower. If it throws any of its axes, shoot them to save your life marks. Then you will have to shoot the green zombies that they come out from the river. They are all one-hit die. Now you can shoot the vases to get an easy coin. As a door opens, HOLD YOUR FIRE! A girl will come out, then 2 ax zombies. Use the distance rule. After that, you will face 2 claw zombies. Nothing too hard here. Next, a pack of normal zombies appear. Easy kills. Now you can shoot the red barrels (2 hits) on the left side of the screen. You can get a gold frog here. After that, you will see a normal zombie with a barrel with its hand, and a civilian at the side of the bridge. Shoot the barrel and that's an easy rescue. When she comes towards you, a normal zombie will try to kill her. Yeah right. Bang, bang. Now give me that life up! ------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Gary ran forward to the middle of a square, he saw the purple bat, again. "Seems like my advice had no effect." It continues to speak with a weird voice. "Suffer, like G did." He fled away from Gary, and then a headless knight came out of nowhere, crashed all the cars in its way, and made a big roar. Gary took out G's file from his pocket. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
(OK so the halberd is right-handed but so what) ------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the battle starts, aim the gun at the knight's chest and just shoot as fast as you can (use on screen reload). Sometimes, the bat will fly right through there and take a stupid hit. If not, though, the bat will fly at the top of the screen, and it's your LAST chance to save your life. About two seconds later, you cannot shoot the bat anymore because the knight blocks the bat's view and then SLASH you. If you hit it, good job (nah). Around 2/3 of Judgment's life, the knight falls and leaves the bat alone. Then it will do one of the following...... randomly.
a) It charges at you with up then down pattern (5 times) and "smack" you. b) It charges at you with left then right pattern (5 times) and "smack" you. c) It charges at you with far left then far right pattern (2 times) and "smack" you.
Solutions: (Normally, DON'T track that stupid bat. Instead.....)
a) Aim a little bottom from the middle of the screen and keep shooting. b) Aim a little right from the middle of the screen and keep shooting. c) Aim at the far right of "Tropic of Capricorn line" and keep shooting. It basically means "2/3 to 3/4 from the top of the screen".
NOTE: Tropic of Capricorn is-- on the earth's globe, at 23ø27' south of the equator.
Either you shoot that fly or the fly "smacks" you, it flies back to the far middle of the screen and repeat the process. It takes three shots to kill it. And.....
If you kill it, you made it! You crossed and survived the first chapter! ------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bat gave its last speech. "Sir....G..o..l..d....." then it fell on the ground. While Gary stared at the beast, a red dressed woman running behind him, with a man in black besides her. "Amy, Harry!" Gary turned around and cried. "Thank god you're all right." Amy smiled. Gary did not, though. "What the hell is going on in the city?" "Don't know....." Harry answered. "But it's very similar to that 1998 Curien case." "That case?" Gary questioned to Harry. Harry ignored him. After a moment, Harry said, "Gary, go and prevent the confusion of the city." "OK." Gary was still wondering about the Curien case. "Let's meet at the Sunset Bridge." Harry continued. Amy broke in. "We're counting on you Gary." She sure did cheer Gary up a bit. "Leave it to me," Gary said in a low voice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of civilians rescued in order to get a life up: 5. (The music is extended, by the way)
End of Chapter 1, in Gary's solo mode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============== Credits (Coins) ===============
You need three credits (One quarter per credit, so count them) to start the game (In U.S.A). You only need 2 credits to continue. Since most weak light-gun gamers cannot even cross the library, it's good to save a quarter (I am a pretty poor guy), as no civilians can harm at that point (Unlike HOTD1, there are scientists right at the start of the game).
================== Rumors about HOTD2 ==================
There are four rumors that I have heard so far....
1) House of the Dead 3 will be release around 2.26.2000...... 2) Codes like: Play as G, points gauge in the chapters, infinite bullets, easy mode, etc. 3) House of the Dead 2 will be port over to Dreamcast once SEGA make the light-gun for the Dreamcast. 4) House of the Dead 2 soundtrack will releases along with the Dreamcast version of HOTD2 (I hope this rumor's real).
========= Credits =========
Thanks to YC Tan (tyc11@mbox5.singnet.com.sg) who wrote the very first HOTD2 FAQ. I have learned a LOT of new vocabularies there. I put some of them over here. Thanks to my mom who gave me a dollar each Friday.......uh....
That's it. Everyone I saw in Albany Bowl is a weak light-gun player. That's why I cannot have any info after stage 2. Too bad.
I'll always appear in Albany Bowl in Albany, CA, in school days, 3:00 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. If you want me to help you, the lifetime cost is ranged from FREE to 75 cents. Hope I can have somebody powerful to play with.....so I can beat that game. If you have anything to ask or comment (something that I should add or delete), drop a line at hsakuragi@xoommail.com. I will always send e-mails back to you.
================================ Things between legal and illegal ================================
Legal: You can watch this FAQ with your eyes, or pass this FAQ to your friends without making any change to this text. Illegal: You cannot sell (I have heard that Game Cave sells FAQs...), or change this text (like Guy Type R to whatever) and post it to your web site. Those who did these kinds of stuff are STUPID and DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE ON EARTH. Get a life instead of an honor, can they?
This is Forest Law's law, get it? ========================================================================
This FAQ, the survival guide and the first chapter walkthrough are made and copyrighted by Guy "Type R", and there is ONLY one Guy "Type R" and that's me. Period.
