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Sega Launches HOD4 Mini Deluxe at ATEI 2006
Sega launched the mini deluxe version of House of the Dead 4 at ATEI last week, which offers a smaller footprint and lower cost for this strong game. House of the Dead 4 was first released at the London Preview last year in a 62" widescreen deluxe model. Sega boss Paul Williams said, "Sales of the deluxe in both 52" and 62" version had been fantastic since the launch, but we saw requirement for a smaller cabinet and for operators on a different budget, who didn't feel that gun games in upright cabinets worked that well. The solution is the mini deluxe"
House of the Dead 4 is the next edition in the House of the Dead series, and the first title to demonstrate Sega's powerful new Lindbergh hardware. The London based storyline is the battle of two government agents against the evil genius Goldman. In the previous edition of the game, agent Taylor defeated Goldman's attempt to wipe out the human race and gain world domination in what became known as the ‘Goldman Incident'. James Taylor is accompanied this time by a sexy and sophisticated sidekick, Kate Green. House of Dead 4 sees a European city under attack from Goldman's army of zombies. Taylor and Green must thwart the efforts, otherwise they will witness the end of mankind. A new weapon in House of the Dead 4 features a new reload technique which means players do not need to shoot outside the screen, and also a hand-to-hand combat feature. In this edition, the zombies can also ‘grab' players, requiring the player to shake their gun to try escape.
Virtua Tennis 3 was also on display at Earls Court this week on the new Lindbergh universal cabinet, which boasts the top players in the world including Henman, Roddick, Hewitt and World No.1 Roger Federer. The format of the game takes players on a world tour of some of the most famous courts in the world across France, the US, Australia, Germany and the famous halloed turf from SW16.
To increase the player's involvement, this version features IC Smart card technology. The card allows the player to participate in a virtual ‘World Ranking', starting at 999th in the world with the aim of becoming World Champ. The progression up the ranks depends on how well matches are won and who against. Equally any matches lost will affect the ranking. Also as a feature to stimulate regular repeat play, if a player does not use his card for a period of time his ranking will decrease.
It is also possible for the player to manipulate the play style of the tennis player; whether they want to ‘play base' line, ‘serve and volley' or ‘offensive' amongst a choice of 8 styles. With the IC Card the player can change outfits and build up a collection of tournament medals. For the novice player the game features a series of training sessions. This will strengthen various techniques by setting the player a mission – such as performing 6 forehands followed by 6 backhands followed by a smash volley.
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