(Overkill, EX, Zombie Revenge, and others)
The Pinball of the Dead (ザ・ピンボール・オブ・ザ・デッド, Za Pinbōru obu za Deddo) is a pinball video game developed by Sega WOW Entertainment (now Sega AM1) and released by Sega for the Game Boy Advance in 2002. It is a spin-off to The House of the Dead 2.
Gameplay[]
The game contains three tables, a "Normal Mode" based on the storyline of The House of the Dead 2 (each titled as Wondering, Movement, and Cemetery). There is also a "Challenge Mode" for playing any of the three tables. The bonuses on the tables involve such things as whacking creatures with the ball, collecting the letters of "ESCAPE" to obtain bonus (such as Extra Ball, for example), and using the ball to defeat the bosses from The House of the Dead 2.
As with the rules of traditional pinball, the player has three balls (or lives, in The House of the Dead tradition). An unique mechanism is added that if the ball dropped on either side, but the light is lit on that lane, the ball can be revived back without reducing the lives (as opposed in normal pinball, when it is usually also counts as the ball being lost). Once all three balls are lost, the game is over and the player must start again from the beginning. If the ball is 'killed', lines spoken by James, such as "My God." (from the first Chapter) and "No..." (from the fourth Chapter), will be spoken, indicating the player's failure.
In addition to keeping the ball alive as long as possible, the player must also beat all the six bosses in the game, which is the exact replica from The House of the Dead 2, including the ordering, which is Judgment, Hierophant, Tower, Strength, Magician, and Emperor, which could grants access to the next table (if playing the final table, it will unlock "Challenge Mode"; if playing "Challenge Mode", it only served as additional points). Boss Stage had to be defeated in one go, as if the player drop the ball in the middle, upon entering Boss Stage again, the player had to restart their fight against the boss.
Boss Stage's design also remain faithful to the the game, with theme used as background is those seen when facing the bosses in the original game, like Colosseum as background when fighting against Strength, Goldman's headquarters as background when fighting Emperor, and so on.
Wondering Table[]
Menu to select Wondering Table.
Player must shoot towards the hole on the top right to be able to enter "Boss Stage".
This is the first table that the player could access. It is designed with The House of the Dead 2-related things, such as the city's street lamps, the clock seen on the first Chapter of the game, as well as the ground pattern seen in front of the Goldman's headquarters.
This table was split into sections:
- "Hole 1 & Kageo", which is the hole that will send the player into "Boss Stage". However, to access it, the player must kill all the Kageos on the table first, which will made an arrow pointing towards the hole lit, indicating access to the hole opened.
- "Hole 2 (Colosseum)", which holds the word "NIGHTMARE"
- "Hole 3 & Manhole", which holds the word "ESCAPE". If all the letters are collected, a Steve head will pop up from a manhole placed in the middle of the table, which if killed, will provide additional points.
- "Hole 4 (Church)", which holds the word "CHAOS". If all the letters are collected, the arrow pointing the hole will lit. If the ball is entered through the hole while it was lit, a "Save the Civilians" event will begin.
Movement Table[]
Menu to select Movement table.
Player must shoot towards the hole on the top right to be able to enter "Boss Stage".
This is the second table the player could access, by defeating the bosses in the first table. The table was designed with what apparently looks like a laboratory, resembling the inside look of Goldman's headquarters in the sixth Chapter.
This table was split into sections:
- "Culture Tank & Loop Hole & Hole 2", which is the hole that will send the player into "Boss Stage". However, to access it, the player must make the creature on the vat become fully grown first via making numerous loop from the hole of Loop Lane, which will made an arrow pointing towards the hole lit, indicating access to the hole opened.
- "Dump Tank & Hole 4", which holds the word "VICTIM". If all the letters are collected, the arrow pointing the hole will lit. If the ball is entered through the hole while it was lit, the player could eliminate the small Kageos inside the Dump Tank for additional points. In addition to it, there is also another two holes with the words "GENOM" and "BEYOND", which have the same purpose of providing bonus or additional points upon the arrow being lit.
- "Gate 3-5 & Hole 6", which contains three gates that could close if the ball dropped between it, limiting access to the top half of the table containing the hole to Boss Stage. To open it back, the player must hit the bottom of the gate to lit the light of the gate, before putting the ball into Hole 6 afterwards.
Cemetery Table[]
Menu to select Cemetery table.
Player must shoot towards the hole on the top right to be able to enter "Boss Stage".
This is the third table the player could access, by defeating the bosses in the second table. The table was designed with red blood theme, resembling a cemetery/graveyard.
This table was split into sections:
- "Hole 1", which is the hole that will send the player into "Boss Stage". However, to access it, the player lit five lights that spell "JUDGE" and kill all the Kageos on the table first, which will made an arrow pointing towards the hole lit, indicating access to the hole opened. There is also the word "BIGBUERE", which could be lit by entering the ball through the ramp lane located right beside the "Hole 1".
- "Johnny's Head", which can be damaged to spawn a David head in the middle of the table, which if killed, will provide additional points. It also had the words "MERCY" and "REVIVE", which have the same purpose of providing bonus or additional points upon the arrow being lit.
Trivia[]
- The Pinball of the Dead was initially priced at ¥4,800, or $39.98. As of July 2021, this would be approximately ¥4,963.48, or $60.38.
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
