The House of the Dead 2

Zombies emerge from the darkness, you raise your light gun and that unmistakable dance begins — The House of the Dead 2 is the essence of the arcade light-gun shooter in its purest, bloodiest form.

The House of the Dead series was among the flagship arcade experiences of the late nineties, and the second installment pushed the formula to its peak: you advance along a predetermined path full of the undead, aiming, shooting and rescuing ambushed civilians, while every miss or hit on an innocent costs you precious points or health. The genre rests on reflexes, precision and pressure that never lets up.

On the Dreamcast the game was paired with a light gun, thanks to which the home port's experience strikingly resembled the arcade — you'd aim directly at the screen and the game turned into an intense physical battle against waves of enemies. Without the gun, on a pad or emulation, part of the magic naturally fades, but the pace and atmosphere remain.

An inseparable part of the legend is also the unforgettably overacted voice lines and the B-movie horror atmosphere, which turned the game into an object of loving cult status. This imperfection eventually became a trademark — fans quote the dialogue to this day.

The series' influence was considerable: it helped define what a modern rail shooter looks like, and its legacy lived on in sequels and later adaptations on other platforms. On the Dreamcast it was yet another proof that the console was a paradise for faithful arcade conversions.

Why play it: Pure, addictive light-gun action with B-movie horror flavor, which on the Dreamcast best showed the magic of arcade shooters at home.