- For the video game of the same name, see The House of the Dead (1996 video game).
The House of the Dead (ザ・ハウス・オブ・ザ・デッド, Za Hausu obu za Deddo ) is a horror media franchise owned by Sega. It consists of video games, comics, films, and merchandise.
The main video game series, directed by Takashi Oda, consists of rail shooters for arcades and home consoles. It began with the 1996 release of The House of the Dead, which has been followed by several sequels. The series has also been adapted into numerous spin-off titles.
Story
Main series
The main House of the Dead series follows worldwide incidents involving hostile biologically-engineered lifeforms, referred to as creatures, and the government agency AMS' efforts to neutralize them.
1996's The House of the Dead follows agents Thomas Rogan and G, who raid the mansion of Dr. Curien, a genetic engineer who went insane and has released creatures upon his own research team.
The House of the Dead 2 occurs two years later, with a citywide incident organized by Caleb Goldman, the head of a financial group and the mastermind of the mansion incident. Players control AMS agents James Taylor and Gary Stewart, who, with the help of partners Amy Crystal and Harry Harris, must stop the chaos.
The House of the Dead III is set in 2019, years after civilization has collapsed due to the incidents. With the AMS disbanded, Rogan has formed a team of commandos to continue fighting for mankind. While investigating the EFI Research Facility for its ties to the apocalypse, Rogan goes missing; his daughter Lisa and a now-retired G set out to find him.
The House of the Dead 4 and the motion simulator attraction The House of the Dead 4 Special take place three years after The House of the Dead 2, following agents James, G, and Kate Green as they face a second incident that has been posthumously planned by Goldman.
House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn follows the events of The House of the Dead 4 Special, occurring three years later, with James' brother Ryan partnering with Kate for an undercover investigation at Scarecrow Manor. They discover a world-threatening scheme planned by the manor's owner, Thornheart, a man who has ties to Curien and Goldman.
Spin-offs
The House of the Dead series has been adapted into numerous spin-offs. While many are tweaked versions of existing House of the Dead games, two in particular -- Zombie Revenge and The House of the Dead: Overkill -- have their own storylines. Takashi Oda has stated that he has little involvement with spin-offs, but allows developers to come up with their own stories.[1] However, he has yet to confirm or deny the canonicity of Zombie Revenge and Overkill.
Zombie Revenge is a beat 'em up that follows a zombie outbreak in Woodside City, with government agents pursuing ZED, the bioterrorist responsible. The game has several references to the House of the Dead series.
The House of the Dead: Overkill and its Extended Cut expansion feature a rookie G teaming up with Detective Isaac Washington to neutralize a mutant outbreak in Bayou City, Louisiana. Influenced by exploitation films, the games have considerably more adult content than the mainline House of the Dead series. While Oda has not confirmed if he considers Overkill canon, Sega and developer Headstrong Games marketed Overkill as a prequel to The House of the Dead.
Games
Films
The House of the Dead series was loosely adapted into two films: House of the Dead, directed by Uwe Boll and released in 2003; and House of the Dead 2, directed by Michael Hurst and released in 2005. Both films were poorly received by critics.
In December 2016, California-based production company Stories International LLC, an affiliate of Sega Group and Hakuhodo DY Group, announced that they are developing television and film projects based on The House of the Dead and other Sega properties.[2]
Characters
- Main article: List of characters
There have been many characters throughout the House of the Dead series. The recurring characters are:
References
- ↑ "代表作:『ザ・ハウス・オブ・ザ・デッド』シリーズ ディレクター" (Japanese) pp. 1-2. SEGA Interactive Inc.. Archived from the original on October 10th, 2019.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (December 5, 2016). "'Altered Beast,' 'Streets of Rage' Sega Games to Get Movies, Shows" (English). Variety. Retrieved on September 15, 2020. “Stories is producing film and television projects based on Sega game franchises, including 'Shinobi' with Marc Platt, 'Golden Axe,' 'Virtua Fighter,' 'The House of the Dead,' and 'Crazy Taxi.'”