House Of The Dead 4 on new Sega Arcade board - location test in Japan !!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest]

http://www.kobayan.jp/
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?p=1588864&posted=1#post1588864

the Japan arcade webpage says that
there will be a location test of The House of the Dead 4 at July 2,3

- new ac board
- wide screen
- upgraded graphics
- more zombies in one screen
- auto fire machine gun / Grenade be the main weapons
- routes selectable

____________________________________



now I am wondering if this HOTD4 on test in Japan is the same HOTD game that
Sega showed at E3 as a
"Next Level" next-gen demo, along with Virtua Fighter, AfterBurner and
Sonic..


It says above, new ac board.... new arcade board - Could it be the arcade
board Sega has been working on for a long time (PowerVR-based) or does it
mean a new Xbox 360 arcade board (ATI-based) ?

Sega Sammy has at least two new arcade boards that are known to exist:

1. Aurora - a low-end board with chipset from Renesas Technology which
includes an embedded PowerVR MBX core

2. LindBergh (aka System SP) - highend board with next-generation PowerVR
GPU - assumed to be PVR Series 5 - note that Dreamcast, NAOMI and NAOMI 2
all used PVR Series 2 chips (PowerVR2 DC)




House Of The Dead 4 is either on LinderBergh / System SP (assumed to have
PowerVR Series 5)
or another unnamed board that is likely to be based on one of the next-gen
consoles, most likely, Xbox 360
(ATI's Xenos / C1 / R500)

 

[Guest]

here we go, confirmed info!
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/631/631053p1.html

House of the Dead 4 Playtest

Sega's next generation begins now.
by Anoop Gantayat
July 3, 2005 - At E3, Sega gave the press a sneak peek at its next
generation of games, offering short clips of properties like Afterburner,
Sonic the Hedgehog, Virtua Fighter and House of the Dead. We weren't
expecting to get our hands on any of these games for quite some time, but
one of the games managed to sneak out in playable form today!


Heading out to the massive, seven story Sega Gigo arcade outlet in Tokyo's
Ikebukuro district, we stumbled upon House of the Dead 4 on location test.
Sega had an early version of the game set up for a two day period, allowing
us to get some hands-on time with an actual Japanese-developed next
generation game (all the playable next generation titles at E3 were
developed in America or Europe). The game was set up with a large,
wide-screen, high-definition monitor, contrasting nicely with the nearby
Chihiro-based (that's Sega's Xbox arcade board) House of the Dead 3.
House of the Dead 4 clearly knows its roots. You'll recognize the general
look of the game, the frequent cinematic sequences that break up the action,
and the cheesy dialogue that has made the series famous. We couldn't hear
the voices too well, but Sega's managed to produce hilarity three times
already, so we expect no less from House of the Dead 4. The game's storyline
focuses on a character called James Taylor as well as a girl character. Both
look kind of like vampires, although we're not sure if this is a part of the
story.

In terms of content, Sega has made some big changes to the game. While
blasting away at zombies is still the point of the game, the experience is
more intense thanks to the massive number of zombies that come attacking. We
were occasionally attacked by more than a dozen zombies at once.

Once again, you'll find a good variety of creatures to blast. Some look like
the normal blue-collar-worker zombie, while others don't even resemble
people. Some move slowly to attack, while others leap out suddenly, forcing
a quick response.

Sega has continued some gameplay trends with this title. You'll once again
find clearly marked branching points in the level. One area of the first
level lets you select from two different paths by shooting at a small video
screen that shows a preview of the path. Similar to part 3, innocents seem
to have been kept out of this title all together. The first level was all
undead.





The switch to high definition makes HoTD4 stand out.

House of the Dead 3's characters used shotguns. This time, Sega has gone to
the next level, giving James and crew machine guns. It's possible to shoot a
lot more in less time with a rapid fire weapon. You have to reload by
shooting off screen, but your gun holds plenty of ammo in one round. The
game also has grenades, but we weren't sure how to toss them.
The gun that you use to play has one cool feature aside from a trigger. A
sensor inside the gun can determine when the gun is being shaken. You'll
often have to shake the gun in order to get out of situations, usually when
an enemy has grabbed hold of you. The game seems to be capable of sensing
how hard you're shaking the gun, so shaking hard is the way to go. This is a
fun new play mechanic -- hopefully no one will get hurt.

The game comes together nicely for the final boss of the first level. This
massive four-armed creature (whose design forms a part of the cabinet) fills
the screen, chasing after you as you flee through a shallow canal. He's got
his sights set on making you into dinner, and he'll break through anything
that gets in the way. Occasionally, he'll grab on to you, and you have to
shake the gun in order to get free. You build up a meter during the shaking,
which determines how long you can shoot the boss during the next phase of
his attack.

As a next generation title, we were most excited about seeing how far the
game raised the graphics bar. Sure enough, House of the Dead 4 is a good
looking game. Despite the massive number of zombies on screen, Sega's
managed to up the zombie detail considerably. And these creatures aren't shy
about showing off the detail by filling the screen -- particularly
impressive with the first level boss, who likes to stick his tongue out at
you. Lighting and environmental detail are also a step up from past titles.





This guy uses two guns a little too well...

House of the Dead 4 may be the most visually impressive arcade game ever
made, but it seems to be a step below the visual splendor we've seen from
some of the finer upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 titles. Aside from the massive
number of detailed zombies on screen, the most striking visual improvements
can be attributed to the switch to high resolution and the use of a high
definition monitor. House of the Dead 3 looks last generation in comparison.
Unfortunately, we couldn't determine the arcade board that runs House of the
Dead 4. We presume Sega will make an announcement at an upcoming arcade
show, and the reign of Naomi, System 246, Chihiro and Triforce will come to
an end.

As for home systems, Sega has yet to announce House of the Dead 4 for any
next generation system. However, given that every past entry has appeared on
a home system, a PS3, Xbox 360 or Revolution release is likely.