Note: For the Russian novel written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, please see The House of the Dead.
House of the Dead is a first-person shooter arcade game released in 1998 by Sega, where the player assumes the role of a government agent who must shoot his way through an army of recently resurrected zombies.
Two government agents, Rogan and G, are sent on an assignment to investigate a series of disappearances at an old abandoned mansion thought to be inhabited by Curien, a mad scientist who was notorious for his dangerous, inhumane experiments. They soon find the result of the experiments - biologically engineered zombies, thirsty for blood.
Rogan and G must use their wits and their handguns to find Curien and stop him before his zombies can reach civilization. However, the fight is more personal for Rogan, whose girlfriend Sophie is among the missing persons.
Wildly popular in the United States, House of the Dead was followed by House of the Dead 2 in 2000, and House of the Dead III in 2003.
Because of its graphic content - players blasting off zombie limbs and heads - House of the Dead and its sequels became centers for video game controversy, particularly in 2000, when the city of Indianapolis, Indiana used the game as an example in an attempt to pass an ordinance requiring minors to obtain parental consent before being allowed to play violent video games in arcades. The ordinance was eventually struck down at the appellate Federal court level on the grounds that it violated First Amendment rights.
In 2003, a film version of House of the Dead was given limited theatrical release with the intent of becoming a cult film, serving as a prequel to the game (It was revealed that the last name of the protagonist is Curien, the villian in the first game). It received generally poor reviews and little box office return.
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