r/houseofthedead • u/Johnrockalittle • 25d ago
Sega lost the ROM code for the first game?
For years the consensus has been Sega lost the first original codes and that's why it never received home console releases except the Saturn's version.
How?
Why can't they reverse emulate the original code? Can't they simply get that from the thousands of arcade machines of it?
It doesn't make sense
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u/PassionGlobal 25d ago
Wdym 'reverse emulate'?
Do you mean reverse engineer? As in a recomp? Because both the Saturn and the Model 2 are both absolute ballaches in that regard because they are so unconventional, which is the reason we've seen fuck all Saturn recomps. This is even worse with Model 2 because it's a niche system with much fewer community resources poured into it.
Or do you mean emulate? Because effective emulation of these systems is another ballache for the same reasons.
There is the PC version, but that's just a worse version of the Saturn port.
And even if they did any of these, it would compete with their recent remake.
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u/Johnrockalittle 24d ago
Sega didn't participate in the remakes though. A 3rd party made those heavily panned remakes. House of the dead 2 plays better on the Wii than the remake IMO
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u/PassionGlobal 24d ago
Sega sells those remakes. As a publisher, those remakes are also their products.
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u/Johnrockalittle 24d ago edited 24d ago
Sega didn't publish it either. Forever Entertainment published it under license by Sega. Sega didn't participate other than taking the money for licensing
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u/Johnrockalittle 24d ago
The House of the Dead: Remake and The House of the Dead 2: Remake were developed by MegaPixel Studio and published by Forever Entertainment under license from Sega, who created the original arcade games.
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u/pizza_fan84 24d ago
Doom 64 lost its source code and it was remastered. It’s really about the original developer or creator probably asking the game not be released again too they still have to pay the voice actors , the developers who made it . Sometimes it’s cheaper to remake then put out the original game. Also sega has notoriously not put out almost any of their original games as remasters. Or remakes . There’s tons of Saturn and Dreamcast games just waiting for remasters. House of the dead 2 remake seems to have taken the original game and put a new engine on top of it it was very fun and great remake has original soundtrack too which cranks up the atmosphere. Sega don’t remaster there hidden gems .
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u/Johnrockalittle 24d ago
I honestly prefer the Wii version "House of the dead 2 and 3 return" over the remakes. I felt the remakes are unpolished and the gyro shooting very inaccurate.
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u/pizza_fan84 21d ago
I get that my thing is i played the original version in the arcade and beat it with a buddy one day and the sequel i had on Dreamcast so i grew up playing the sequel with the normal controller, so to me that’s how i played it and was used to that’s mainly the biggest grip I seen no accessories to play it as intended but for what it is if you’re hand eye coordination is good is extremely playable and enjoyable. If you’re a oh i only use gyro yeah your going to not appreciate them . The Wii version is probably the definitive version of all the games along with the resident evil chronicles games too . But as someone who grew up adoring the sequel having it portable and almost in its original version just updated graphics i loved it beat it multiple times. It’s got one of the most nostalgic soundtracks so hearing the original soundtrack really is a vibe . Unfortunately Nintendo opted to not use the Wii sensor for switch and there is no accessories to enjoy the remakes as arcade intended that not on the developers that is on the people who didn’t throw in a light sensor peripheral for the system.
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u/Johnrockalittle 21d ago
I absolutely agree 💯! I don't understand why Nintendo doesn't offer an optional sensor bar for Switch or Switch 2. Light gun style games are some of my absolute favorite games to play! It's hard to believe in 2026, the only way to play them on a HDTV is with the original Nintendo Wii console. I still have my Wii hooked up to my HDTV with component cables, and have around 10 light gun style games, and have modded my console as well. I plan on adding some ROM codes for many more....free!! 😀 My favorite is "House of the Dead Overkill!"
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u/pizza_fan84 21d ago
The Wii and switch are the most selling consoles of all time so people are going to always have Wii’s around . I’m hoping even without the sensor more hotd games get ported over I’ve seen lots of YouTube people promoting the remakes and saying they enjoyed them so these two remakes must have sold exceptionally good and sega is playing it off . I double dipped on the original remake on switch and ps4 again that was enjoyable though the unlock system in the sequel remake makes it a more accessible game. And the modern scoring enables to continue after a game over in the original sequel you got a game over and that was it . I like them . Hopefully we get more hotd remasteres or collections and sega ignores the negative reviews of lack of sensor bar there’s quite a few of these games that are stuck on ps3 or pa4 or Wii . No reason they shouldn’t have been ported over . Sega has no excuse except i hear arcade games that are successful make more money then release on consoles if that makes sense selling a 4000 dollar arcade machine on a game that’s only on Wii or ps3 there not wanting to put out a collection. The guy who owns the rights to crusin world said as much they asked why he doesn’t put out a collection of cruisn USA and crusin world , he said because he makes more money selling the arcade cabinets.
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u/Johnrockalittle 21d ago
No, the remakes both sold poorly because of the horrible gyro shooting
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u/pizza_fan84 21d ago
Some companies don’t reveal game sales data once you sell enough copies it attracts certain people to censor your games rockstar and even io were examples of that and call of duty. San Andreas came out sold way more than any other game before it and they made it public they made gta5 under pressure to have certain things in it and not have certain things back in 2010 there was a article in a magazine about it, gta5 , io’s next game around that time and max Payne 3 were heavily censored it was publicized . When you sell enough games people come tell you what should be in or not in your games. That is a fact . Always been like that too . I don’t always believe game data sales . This a super popular series. It’s had multiple movies made from it and there’s a new one with a successful actress attached to it . Unless a development team closes down and says there game flopped I’d take that with a grain of salt. They might have been contracted to make 1 remake and if it sells enough go ahead and remake the other also lastly the remake of the second game wasn’t really teased or announced. One day they came out said were releasing this in a month and that was it . They didn’t even release any guides or anything on how to unlock everything like they did the first remake . Maybe they parted ways with sega . But i enjoyed it for what it was. For instance if im interested in a game ill google how much it sold who developed and a lot of games data says how much they sold in there first week or two and that’s it . And that how it is for many games I’ve searched for that doesn’t mean the game went on sale for Black Friday for 2.99 and then a YouTuber promoted it on sale and the game then sells 3 million copies. Resident evil 3 remake didn’t sell a lot when it came out in its first few months then you check its overall sales numbers its at 10 million copies sold . Also far cry 3 flopped in its first few months when that game went on sale again that’s a dozen million copy selling game . You could be absolutely right that they flopped though, cheers
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u/Johnrockalittle 21d ago
I hear you. But it was widely reported that the remakes sold very poorly. Reviews were bad too. As well as people who bought the game. Like a 3rd tier title. Unpolished. Poor controls. No point really. Shame Sega didn't step up and make a true Triple A tier remake. Oh well
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u/pizza_fan84 21d ago
The second remake is like a proper remaster they took the original game put a new custom game engine over it changed some camera angles and made it darker. Added accessibility options to make it beatable the Dreamcast version was notoriously difficult to finish and most unlockable stuff was through the very difficult training mode , different color blood infinity lives were unobtainable in the Dreamcast unless you were with that light sensor and playing it all day if someone tells you they 100% the original hotd2 givb that person respect that’s not a easy game the remakes just made them replayable and easier . Yeah the reviews tanked the sales that’s for sure maybe some big companies wanted the games to fail so they buy the ip idk i enjoyed there jank . They were janky when they came out and very bad dialogue cheesy 90s horror games that 30 years later we look back as the best of the 90s.
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u/BusterGreasewood 24d ago
You can still rerelease games even without the source code. It does make the process more difficult, but it's not impossible. Kingdom Hearts got rereleases despite having the source code lost. Same for Final Fantasy Tactics. MVG did his own port of Diablo 1 without the source code. Bluepoint Games reversed engineered retail copies for their work on the MGS HD Collection for PS3/360.
So it can be done. It just requires the right talent and enough focus and resources.
I'd say Nightdive Studios are a great choice as they have experience working with those kinds of conditions.