This is what an uncropped screenshot looks like. No 16:9 aspect ratio for you!
The House of the Dead 3’s greatest flaw is its brief length. There are only five chapters, eight, if you count the three chapters which can be played in reverse. Light gun games are inherently short. That being said, most players will be able to knock out the entire campaign in about 40 minutes. That’s counting controller calibration, bathroom breaks, diaper changes, and feeding the dog. The actual gameplay for our initial run-through was 28 minutes. Yikes.
If you like playing for high scores there is some replay value, as local and online leaderboards will track your best efforts. Both players are scored at the end of each round and given an “S”-”C” letter grade. There are probably scores lower than “C,” but we never messed up badly enough to find out. Okay, you caught me. The scores go as low as "E," which I assume stands for "Eh, you suck." If you get an “A” rank you’ll be rewarded with extra health. If you receive an “S” rank you’ll get double-extra health. There are also hidden targets, such as coins, frogs, and wind-up robots, scattered throughout the levels. Each offers precious bonus points. You’ll need to play through the game several times to maximize your score.
Honestly, now - do these gaping chest wounds make us look fat?
If you find the game too challenging (or too easy) you can adjust health, credits, and difficulty in the Free Play options. Your scores won't post to the online leaderboards, but you'll still be able to blast through the game at your own pace. If you set the game to "Very Easy," your shotgun becomes fully automatic and auto-reloads.
The Co-Optimus review of House of the Dead 3 is based on the PSN version of the game which was provided by the publisher.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Two local co-op players take out wave after wave of horrific zombies as they travel different routes and advance the story line, uncovering new secrets and hidden areas along the way.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.