STACK #213 July 2022

GAMING REVIEWS

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THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD REMAKE: LIMIDEAD EDITION

ARCADE SHOOTER MULTIPLAYER

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Back in 1996, while SEGA were revered royalty in the arcade machine world, they unleashed The House of the Dead . An on-rails gruesome creature light gun shooter that went headlong for the horror angle, the game was a riot of mindless, jump scare infused silliness. Now it’s been rebuilt pixel-by-pixel – as SEGA

allegedly lost the source code in a massive feat of oops – for PS4 and Switch and, while we don’t get a plastic weapon, a DualShock, Joy-Con or a Pro Controller make pretty good stand-ins. The gameplay? Well, all you need know is that there’s a relentless parade of mutants,

REAL DEAD! The ‘Limidead Edition’ refers to real-world goodies, in the form of a cardboard slipcover with a cut-out section that reveals a lenticular card, a sticker sheet, two little mutant standees and the most important thing, a standard Switch case with a game cart inside.

almost synchronised swimming in a sea of mutant gloop. There’s not much else at all, save for mostly overpowered boss mutants to get a tad more strategic with, as they each have particular weak spots. Oh, and there are three endings to revel in, depending upon what score you end up accruing.

and you're aided by a near-relentless cache of handgun bullets (or other weaponry if you manage to unlock it) to fire at said mutants however you see fit. You may take the strategic route and go for big points with perfect headshots, or the scattergun approach and just rapid fire/reload/rapid fire/ reload repeatedly until you’re

Yeah, it’s basic, and that's because this is an arcade game - and it’s rightfully proud of it - and you can complete the entire four levels of the thing in under half an hour if you get good enough. If you’re after a short, sharp arcade-like blast of mindless mutie shooty cartoon violence thrills that won’t keep you engrossed for days, then it doesn’t take too many brains to realise that The House of the Dead Remake may be well worth the coin! AF

EVIL DEAD: THE GAME

SURVIVAL HORROR MULTIPLAYER

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Evil Dead has become one of the most enduring horror franchises out there, much of which is due to the wildly likeable star of the show, Bruce Campbell. So, no pressure making a game out of it all then… Ah, but the brave souls at Saber Interactive felt up to the challenge, and have concocted a heady

mix of the Evil Dead movies and the more recent TV outing Ash vs. Evil Dead . Yes, this means characters from throughout the universe colliding, which is explained away as being due to Professsor Knowby unknowingly summoning the Kandarian Demon and Ash being left to clean up his mess, bringing various mates along for the ride. Familiar faces and voices abound, and it’s a pleasure hearing Campbell and actors such as Dana

dedication to getting things looking and sounding right can mean nought if the game around them isn’t up to snuff. Saber have taken the survival horror asymmetrical multiplayer route (four players versus one), with small nods to solo game players. There’s no single-player story mode, but you can team up with a selection of console-controlled players for a run through the survivor experience. If you’re in it to battle deadites with mates, or versus whomever you may encounter in that big wide world online, the action really arcs up, with co-op and PvP options. If you need a comparison game to gauge things, think Dead by

GOOD OR EVIL? There’s an appealing twist to proceedings in that you don’t have to be on the side of good. Fancy walking in the shoes – well if it had them – of the Kandarian Demon? Go for it, introducing different play elements as you float about setting traps for those helpless (ahem) humans.

DeLorenzo and Ray Santiago doing their thing in-game. The universe’s creator Sam Raimi was also heavily involved. Of course, all the

Daylight and you’ll be somewhere on the right track. Gameplay can get quite frenetic, and there’s Evil Dead lore aplenty. For a fun multiplayer horror experience that’s full of Ashy Slashy goodness, shop smart, shop Evil Dead: The Game ! AF

32 JULY 2022

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