Fighting Zombies, Invaders All Simple Fun

By AARON CURTISS

Oct. 28, 1999 12 AM PT

Video games that make you think are all well and good. But sometimes the whole point of firing up a game is that you just want to sit there and veg, to reach that sweet, reptilian spot in the brain where all extraneous activity stops.

We’ve all been there. But four recent games seem to make the trip so much shorter. They’re like an uncrowded freeway to Zombieville.

In fact, “House of the Dead 2” for Sega Dreamcast takes place in a quaint European village overrun by zombies. The goal is simple: Kill zombies, save civilians. There are directions to “House of the Dead 2,” but reading them is unnecessary. Like all good mindless games, “House of the Dead 2” can be dropped into the console and played immediately.

Players assume the role of James Taylor. No, not the singer-songwriter. This James Taylor is a cool-as-a-cucumber secret agent who tends toward trendy, three-button suits. In 1998, he found himself in the middle of a mansion with a nasty infestation of zombies.

That was the original “House of the Dead,” which like its sequel debuted in arcades and wowed coin-op fans with lightning-fast action and grisly scenes of undead carnage. Fans who rushed to buy the original home version of “House of the Dead” on Sega Saturn were disappointed by horribly pixelated graphics.

But “House of the Dead 2” suffers from nothing--thanks to the huge processing power of Dreamcast. Players flit from one zombie-filled corridor to another with nary a slowdown. And even as zombies rush up close to jam an ax in a player’s forehead, they are as lifelike as something dead can be.

Although “House of the Dead 2” retails for about $50, no player who wants to enjoy the game will get off that cheaply. Because this is a shooter based on a coin-op game, the only real way to play is with a light gun. The Dreamcast controller--for all its virtues--is not cut out for moving a target swiftly across the screen. For that, InterAct makes a light gun that sells for about $30.

The StarFire LightBlaster plugs into a controller port and accepts both a visual memory unit to save game progress and a Tremor Pak to feel all the action. A reload trigger is stuck right next to the main trigger so players can reload swiftly. For even faster action, an intelligent reload option replenishes clips automatically.

And in “House of the Dead 2,” clips empty out swiftly. Even on relatively easy levels, zombies move swiftly. They’re not that smart, but they are relentless. And that means it can take several shots to finish one off. Toss in a few civilians and the game gets difficult fast.

‘Space Invaders’

Games as smooth and beautiful as “House of the Dead 2” stand on the shoulders of giants--titles that pushed the limits and established whole new genres or technologies. Way back at the beginning there was “Space Invaders,” the original coin-operated opiate.

Given the current obsession with updating classic games, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to give “Space Invaders” a face lift. Happily, the publisher behind the project is Activision, a company that has been around since the earliest days of the game industry.

The result is a game that pays homage to the original with intensified game play and souped-up graphics. “Space Invaders” for the PC and Sony PlayStation is simple, clean and a joy to play. Aliens march from side to side as they descend. New attack formations make the challenge that much stiffer, as do gigantic level bosses that show no mercy.

Designers of this update understood a simple rule: Don’t mess with perfection. All they’ve done really is cleaned up the edges of the original and presented it proudly to a new generation. May they enjoy it as much as mine did.

9’Jet Force Gemini’

In my day, “Space Invaders” was cutting edge. Of course, the competition is much stiffer now. These days, even a game as beautiful and fast as “Jet Force Gemini” on Nintendo 64 can look a little rough when compared to titles on Dreamcast.

No matter, because this game rocks.

Designed by the same folks responsible for “Donkey Kong Country” and “Goldeneye,” “Jet Force Gemini” is a futuristic shooter in which players rescue a planet of furry little Ewok look-alikes from giant insect invaders.

Players start the game as the warrior boy Juno and dive immediately into some intense third-person fighting. More powerful weapons litter the landscape and players quickly collect a commanding arsenal--which is good because the enemies seem to grow exponentially from level to level. Drones clog the ground while snipers and robots attack from the air.

A nice touch in the game allows players to switch characters. Get deep enough into the game and players can become Juno’s twin sister, Vela, or his dog, Lupus. Each has special abilities and can uncover secrets that no other character can. This gives the game a lot more playability because different characters make even the same landscapes seem fresh.

“Jet Force Gemini” is one of Nintendo’s big fall titles. With games like “Jet Force Gemini” and the upcoming “Donkey Kong 64” and “Perfect Dark,” it should be a very happy holiday season--not only for Nintendo, but for game players everywhere.

‘Omega Boost’

Someday, computers may get so smart that they’ll figure out they don’t need humans around anymore polluting the air, building mini-malls and making Pauly Shore movies. The idea is part of the pantheon of sci-fi story lines. Although it provides the backdrop to “Omega Boost” for Sony PlayStation, it doesn’t really matter.

“Omega Boost” may claim to be about saving the future from the cold calculations of a self-aware computer. But it’s really about zooming around in a spacesuit blowing up everything in sight.

“Omega Boost” perfects the art of three-dimensional space combat by putting players inside a time machine that floats effortlessly through the solar system blasting baddies. With a gentle nudge of PlayStation’s thumb stick, players can propel themselves in any direction. An efficient heads-up display alerts players to enemy locations and makes zeroing in on them a snap.

Those who bother to read “Omega Boost’s” manual are confronted with some deep questions. When is artificial intelligence no longer artificial? Or too intelligent? Those who skip the reading are treated to a lickety-split game that demands players don’t think too much.

To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.

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Essentials

House of the Dead 2

* Platform: Sega Dreamcast

* Publisher: Sega

* ESRB* rating: Mature

* Price: $49.99

* Bottom line: Gory

StarFire LightBlaster

* Manufacturer: InterAct

* Price: $29.99