The House of the Dead

The House of the Dead is a light-gun rail shooter developed and published by SEGA, originally released in arcades in 1996 and ported to home systems including the SEGA Saturn and PC. A landmark of the on-rails shooter genre, it casts players as agents investigating a sinister mansion and research facility overrun by zombies and grotesque undead creatures unleashed by a mad scientist's experiments. The game automatically moves the player's viewpoint along a fixed path while they aim and fire at the relentless waves of enemies with a light gun (or controller), rescuing trapped survivors, whose fates can branch the route, and battling elaborate, named bosses. Known for its B-movie horror tone, memorably stilted voice acting and tense, reaction-driven gameplay, it became a hugely popular arcade attraction and helped define the light-gun shooter for a generation. The series it launched spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs, including the comedic Typing of the Dead, and influenced the broader zombie-shooter landscape. POCG featured the original in a horror-themed countdown. The House of the Dead remains a celebrated classic of arcade gaming, fondly remembered for its frantic shooting, schlocky horror atmosphere and its role in popularising the rail-shooter genre. Its many sequels and spin-offs, including the comedic Typing of the Dead, cemented its status as an arcade institution.