At this point it probably goes without saying that when you think of almost any kind of arcade game you’ll think of Sega, and one genre that the company is prominent in are light-gun games. It was only a matter of time and a bit of common sense that some of Sega’s better rail shooters would hit the Wii with Ghost Squad being a taste of what’s to come if everything went off without a hitch, the next title on the block is something many of us can jump into with reckless abandon with precious memories of the undead being blasted away in droves. If I’m still being too vague I’m talking about The House of the Dead games where the only real emphasis was unloading bullets upon almost every entreatingly absurd variation of monsters ever thought of - like zombie musclemen, zombie frogs, zombie ninjas, zombie plants, even your neighborhood Frankenstein has been known to make an appearance - with stylish and “vividly” portrayed voice acting being the cornerstone of any light-gun title to come out of the Japanese developer stable. What we’re left with is a near arcade-perfect compilation package of House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return for the Nintendo Wii, while skilled players will probably breeze through both title on this single disc it cannot be ignored that arcade experience has finally made it home with Sega managing perfect IR aiming controls for those unfamiliar with this horror classic.

The House of the Dead 2 (HotD2) is nearly arcade by an inch this time around with you playing an AMS agent searching for your lost partner ‘G’, of course the army of the undead are naturally going to stand in your way. Of course this mean you’ll mowing down seemingly endless waves of zombies and saving some civilians or two as well, the experience is just like the arcade release of many years ago but options like training missions, Boss Battle mode, and a endearing Original Mode that gives you some opportunities to load up on power-ups. HotD2 does show its aging roots from the Naomi/Dreamcast period with some minimal additions that don’t hold up quite as they should as package, but the co-op outing and sheer gameplay enjoyment is definitely a strong point overall.

The House of the Dead III (HotD3) takes zombie disassembly to an overly cliché post-apocalyptic 19 years after the former title, where former AMS agent ‘G’ and Lisa Rogan literally blast their way into the research facility that started this whole global outbreak of the living dead and while the story probably won’t win its way into your heart the method of undertaking the task will. Combat Shotguns are standard issue and civilian rescue is also omitted, instead you’ll be required to back up your partner for a chance to earn some extra health in certain parts. HotD3 is an comparatively impressive game over the last title with branching level choices, improved graphics (taken from Xbox-based Chihiro board), and even more emphasis of difficulty and immediacy, but other imperfections with lack of features (only Time Attack and even more difficult Extreme Mode) and some minimal frame-rate issues keep you wishing for a bit more especially if you play solo.

Since both games are arcade ports; better or for worse, SEGA has retained all the frustration and extreme difficulty these game had way back when. The initial limited number of lives and continues may also be intimidating to anyone just now picking up on these titles, but expect some tough love because it’s common to be required to dispose of 5-6 enemies on-screen at a time have near-pinpoint accuracy with your shots when bosses are concerned. Luckily, Sega has done it again with some of the best IR light gun abilities to ever grace a console, a nifty calibration option is readily available along with the apparent option of using the Wii Zapper as your tool of destruction, but using the Wii Remote alone is also a valid (if not default) choice. Still, forget about scoffing at that extra piece of plastic and invest in the Zapper now - its more than worth it.

When all is said and done, House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is something that must be played by any and all fans of light-gun gaming, especially with a strong-stomached friend, because even after a decade the experience is still wildly entertaining. The lack of additional content (even online leaderboard aren’t accounted for) does hurt the value of this compilation, but it’s certainly worth picking up whether you passed up the cabinets and missed their appearances in the arcades or just want to blast waves of zombies all over again. IT seemed that the recent re-release of Ghost Squad (also for Wii) was just be beginning, and it certainly doesn’t get much better than this. Light-gun gaming is back!