Machine Guides

Game History

The House of the Dead 4 is a horror-themed rail shooting game developed by Sega AM1 and released by Sega to arcades in 2005. As the fourth main installment in the series, it serves as a prequel to The House of the Dead III and continues the story established in the first two games while filling in narrative gaps between The House of the Dead 2 and III.

The game was a launch title for Sega's advanced Lindbergh arcade hardware platform, which allowed for significant graphical improvements over previous entries in the series. To showcase the Lindbergh's capabilities, Sega AM1 introduced hordes of creatures with a "slimy" aesthetic and installed 62-inch widescreen displays on "super deluxe" arcade cabinets—a first for light gun games at the time.

Gameplay innovations included replacing the series' traditional pistols with Uzi-like machine guns that held 30 rounds and allowed fully automatic fire when the trigger was held down. The game also introduced grenades as a secondary weapon, thrown via a button alongside the gun controller. To balance the increased difficulty of fighting larger hordes of enemies, the machine gun was chosen as the player's default weapon.

The game remained exclusive to arcades for nearly seven years before a PlayStation 3 port was released digitally in April 2012. An expanded version called The House of the Dead 4 Special was released in 2006, featuring dual screen gameplay and other enhancements.

How to Play

Objectives

The main goal of The House of the Dead 4 is to survive waves of zombie and creature attacks while progressing through each level and ultimately defeating the boss at the end of each stage. You play as AMS agents investigating a zombie outbreak in a post-apocalyptic setting. The game emphasizes fast-paced shooting action with hordes of enemies.

Controls

• Uzi Light Guns: The primary input devices are Uzi-like machine gun controllers that you point at the screen
• Trigger: Press to shoot your weapon at enemies
• Grenade Button: Press to throw grenades that damage multiple enemies

Gameplay

1. Starting the Game: Press the Start Button to begin your investigation of the zombie outbreak.

2. Machine Gun Combat: Aim and shoot at enemies with your fully automatic machine gun that holds 30 rounds. The weapon fires continuously when the trigger is held down.

3. Manual Reloading: Shoot off-screen when your ammunition is depleted to reload. Timing your reloads strategically is crucial as you cannot take cover.

4. Grenade Usage: Use grenades strategically to damage multiple enemies simultaneously, especially useful against large hordes or when you need to reload.

5. Weak Point Targeting: Aim for critical weak points on enemies (typically the head) to defeat them more efficiently.

6. Boss Battles: At the end of each level, face powerful boss enemies with specific attack patterns and weak points that must be targeted to defeat them.

7. Rescue Mechanics: Save civilians who appear throughout levels by preventing them from being attacked by enemies.

8. Game Over: The game ends when you lose all your lives. Your final score is displayed based on enemies defeated, accuracy, and other performance metrics.