The House of the Dead 4

The House of the Dead 4
Developer	WOW Entertainment (SEGA AM1)
Publisher	SEGA
Director(s)	Takashi Oda
Platforms	Arcade, PS3
Release date(s)	Arcade December 30,2005
Arcade System	SEGA Lindbergh

Face your worst fears - Tagline

The House of the Dead 4 (ザ・ハウス・オブ・ザ・デッド 4) is the fourth installment in The House of the Dead series and was released in Japanese arcades on December 30, 2005. Other territories received it the next year.

The House of the Dead 4 continues the story of the first two games and fills in the gap in the storyline between The House of the Dead 2 and The House of the Dead 3, whilst introducing several new gameplay concepts. Players can control either James Taylor from The House of the Dead 2, or Kate Green, a new character to the series. 

The House of the Dead 4 is the first game to run on the Sega Lindbergh arcade system board. A PlayStation 3 version featuring support for PlayStation Move and the two stages from The House of the Dead 4: Special was released on April 17, 2012 on the PlayStation Network for $9.99. It is currently the last game in the series to use Tarot Cards as names for bosses.

Gameplay

In The House of the Dead 4, players use a Mini Uzi submachine gun which allows fully automatic fire. The gun also has a motion sensor that can detect when the player shakes the gun. The player can reload the gun by shaking it. The game also features grenades that the player can throw to destroy large numbers of enemies and heavily damage most bosses. Additional grenades can be earned by completing certain tasks or by shooting crates. At some points in the game, players are required to shake the gun vigorously in order to escape certain situations, and in some cases alter the path.

The game features branching paths, but as in House of the Dead III, the player is prompted on which path to choose. However, alternate paths can still be taken by succeeding or failing prompts to shake the gun to open doors or by destroying certain objects. Most of the paths lead to the same point in the game's story. There is also an end-of-stage bonus where players can receive extra lives depending on critical shots, accuracy, and score. Another returning factor is the presence of the "Cancel" bar during boss fights. Civilians are absent once again, and the partner rescue mechanic from the previous game does not return. To compensate for the above two points, one life is awarded for every B or A rank (as opposed to the previous game which one life is awarded only for A rank) and two lives are awarded for every S rank (like the previous game).

The game runs on a critical shots counter where the player is encouraged to go for headshots rather than spraying ammo at the enemy. It starts off as Good, Excellent, Amazing and then Perfect. Getting hit, or killing an enemy not by the head resets the counter.

The most common enemies have three attacks. A "normal attack", a "grab," and a "push". The foremost inflicts one point of damage, while the second forces a shaking sequence that, if successful, pushes back attackers for easier disposal, but if unsuccessful, will result in the player being bitten or the player's character being knocked down and vulnerable. Multiple zombies may also pile on top of both players in an attempt to stomp on them.

Story

In 2003, veteran AMS agent James Taylor and rookie agent Kate Green are gathering intelligence at the fifth basement floor of the AMS' European headquarters in Italy. The former of the two still has a sharp memory of the 2000 "Goldman Case" on his mind, and believes that the ordeal had not yet ended. A sudden earthquake rocks the room while they talk, collapsing the basement walls and leaving the agents trapped.

Several days later, Kate and James await a rescue team. James' PDA goes off, and a group of undead are seen on the security cameras. Realizing that they are in danger, James has Kate gather all the weaponry they can find in preparation for the arrival of their foes. Soon after, the two travel through the sewers to an information room where they uncover a plot to fire nuclear missiles worldwide within 24 hours' time, facing the four armed Justice and a pair of mutant tarantulas known as The Lovers along the way. Taking the subway into zombie-infested streets from an underground shopping district, the agents narrowly avoid attacks by Empress, a double-ended chainsaw-wielding assassin, and the obese, nearly impervious Temperance.

James and Kate then learn that the one-time President and CEO of the now-defunct DBR Corporation, Goldman, who committed suicide, is responsible for the resurgence of undead and that all of his messages and current plans were set in motion even before his death. Upon reaching the surface, they find the city completely obliterated. Goldman sends them a PDA message indicating that the launch will occur in one hour. The agents head for the abandoned Goldman building and upon arrival, they enter the main foyer only to be confronted by a levitating humanoid, The Star. Upon The Star's defeat, they arrive in time to halt Goldman's plans, though it is revealed that his true intention is to revert humankind to its original state in order to prevent them from harming the planet any further. As such, his final legacy, The World, is released in the opening of "Pandora's Box" to fulfill its role as the successor to his original Emperor project in 2000, having developed underground since his death. As the AMS agents fight it, the World continuously alters its form to meet their threats, each time growing larger and more powerful. Following the World's second defeat, James sets his PDA to self-destruct, telling Kate not to give up hope, sacrificing himself, alongside the World, in the following explosion.

In series tradition, the game has multiple endings. At the end of each, the words "The story continues in House of the Dead 3" are shown.

• In the standard ending, the view returns to the computer in Goldman's office, continuing the former president's pre-recorded message. Goldman gives a final statement as he walks away: "Ah yes, there is one thing I forgot. The human race has not been eliminated. Travel north... hope is such a splendid thing."
• The bad ending is the same as the above, except when Goldman mentions hope, he takes off his glasses and the camera zooms on his face, showing glowing red eyes and his face suddenly becomes zombie-like.
• If an "A" average is maintained and an "S" is earned in Stage 1, G is shown in front of the smoking crater where James destroyed the World stating that the crisis has not yet ended and he will assist the heroes to face what awaits with the words. "James, it's not over yet. We'll fight this back to the source". and tells James to rest in peace with "It's time for you to rest now, James". As G walks out, the camera pans on Goldman's building before cuts to black.
• If an "A" average is maintained with at least one "S" in any Stage other than 1, a mysterious and unidentified man (previously seen in one of House of the Dead 3's endings) sits at a desk in the corner of an office, stating: "Goldman, you are soft. These wretched humans have no need of hope. Soon, the true end shall begin. ...There is more than one Pandora's Box."

Chapters & Bosses

• Chapter 1: Escape - Justice (Type 0053)
• Chapter 2: Lost - Lovers (Type 6805)
• Chapter 3: Emptiness - Empress (Type 1210)
• Chapter 4: Despair - Temperance (Type 0483)
• Chapter 5: Reunion - Star (Type 0001)
• Chapter 6: Hope - The World (Type β)

The House of the Dead 4: Special

See The House of the Dead 4: Special

Trivia

• None of the zombies in this game bleed any blood when they are shot or when they die, despite blood being literally everywhere and having large bloody holes and scratches all over them.
  • Despite this, the game still has a sort of "skin damage" mechanic, in which when an enemy is shot anywhere, bullet holes are visible in the enemy, revealing red flesh underneath. This can be clearly seen when an enemy grabs the player.

• The televisions used are Mitsubishi's 2005 62" DLP 16:9 ratio widescreen model for the "Super Deluxe" cabinet, Mitsubishi's 2005 52" DLP 4:3 ratio model for the "Deluxe" sized cabinet, and the smallest version uses a Sanwa 29" 4:3 ratio television for the "upright" cabinet. The game runs in 1080P.
• The last two stages in the game take place in the same locations as the last two stages in House of the Dead 2, Point A0063 and Goldman's headquarters. The background music for both stages are remixed versions of the original HOTD2 songs, also remixed by their original composer, Haruyoshi Tomita. They are respectively titled "Dawn (Remix of Year Seventh)" and "Original Sin (Remix of Year Seventh)" on the game's soundtrack, referring to the seven years since the song's debut at the game, as House of the Dead 2 was released in late 1998 and House of the Dead 4 at the end of 2005.
• According to the Japanese Wikipedia page of the game, it was set in London (Which is confusing as Point A0063 is apparently in Italy as in House of the Dead 2)
• During the game there is a flashback in multiple parts where Goldman spells out his motive; in the final part it is revealed he is speaking directly to James and Gary, thus depicting a scene in House of the Dead 2. The speech Goldman has been giving throughout the flashback is notably different from the actual speech in the previous game.
• The House of the Dead 4 is a prequel to The House of the Dead 3
• The fourth chapter's name is the same as the fourth chapter's name of The House of the Dead 2