There was once a time when the arcade scene was bursting and new games were flowing out on a monthly basis. It was during those times that SEGA really shined as a powerhouse developer. Most people's earliest memory of the light gun genre would be Duck Hunt or maybe the Konami classic Lethal Enforcers. In the mid 90's SEGA really blew the doors open with Virtua Cop and then The House of the Dead. Already past its 4th incarnation, SEGA decided to give Wii owners a second helping of Light Gun shooting with the release of The House of the Dead 2 and 3 Return.

To be clear, this is not a port of two games or a compilation. This is a port of one game The House of the Dead 3 for the original XBOX. The House of the Dead 3 already contained the entire second game as an unlockable, here SEGA has simply swapped out part 2 to be ready to play at the start and added the new Extreme mode in part 3 as a new unlockable.

As a port of the XBOX original it holds up well. Which really should be standard, I don't believe in any excuse as to why a Wii game should look worse then an XBOX game. Some nifty lighting effects are thrown into both games probably just to add something. The House of the Dead 2 is an ancient game -- it was in arcades before the Dreamcast came out. The upside is it is very clean and very smooth on the Wii. There are still pixelated textures and the voice "acting" is as horrible as ever. The House of the Dead 3  is a leap in just about every area presentation-wise, and thankfully doesn't appear to be downgraded for the Wii. The soundtrack is just as techno/goth/rock heavy as it always was and is still awesome.

The real question is: does it work on the Wii? Being that you're using the IR bar and not the actual TV, each game has a really quick and easy calibration setting in the options menu. Even better, you can pause the game at any time and calibrate it right on the spot. Playing with just the Wii remote is serviceable, the Wii Zapper is clunky as always, and the Nyko Perfect Shot is the best way to go I found, as it stimulates the arcade experience the best. The game defaults to having round cursors on the screen, these can be turned off if you prefer, but since its not a true shooting at the screen game, I prefer to keep them on. The game also does not flash when you fire a shot, this might be an advantage to those sensitive to epilepsy more then anybody. To reload all you do is move the cursor off screen, which makes reloading a lot quicker.

The biggest problem with the game was the fact that after traveling to the end the first time and getting a game over, you are rewarded with more lives and credits. This doesn't make sense because if you can beat the game with three credits you wouldn't need more. Also it sort of defeats the purpose of owning an arcade game, if the maximum amount of credits you can have is 9. It would almost be better to just go to an arcade during a free play night and not worry about running out of credits. You could chalk it up to being challenging, but why couldn't you have it both ways? The game also adds mini games and extra modes to sweeten the deal, but to be honest they are really variations of the main games, and don't actually take you anywhere not found in the arcade mode. Also, because of the nature of the IR aiming, it can be a little frustrating on the final bosses to nail the weak points, as it requires speed and precision that sometimes the on screen reticule has trouble getting.

The House of the Dead 2 and 3 Return is a thirty dollar package for what is assuredly now a cheaper XBOX game. SEGA did try to sweeten the deal with extreme mode and having part 2 playable from the start, but just know that you're not really getting much new here. However, both these games are a total blast and a great throwback to a bygone era of gaming where arcades ruled the land. The games are quick, fast, and offer instant gratification. This actually makes The House of the Dead 2 and 3 Return a companion piece to Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles rather then a competitor. If you own a Nyko Perfect Shot, then this is a good buy, and a better rental for some quick and fun arcade action.