I bought this game the day it came out, and man, it is awesome! First off, this is a light-gun game, meaning that you can use a light-gun peripheral to play it. This game is pure fun from the get go. I highly recommend you get the light-gun along with this game which is the Mad Catz Blaster and is the only light gun currently available for X-Box. The game has the best graphics I have ever seen in a light-gun game. I own Time Crisis 2, Vampire Night, and Endgame on PS2 and have seen/played Dino Stalker and Ninja Assault so I've been there. The graphics are phenomenal. This time around the characters are equipped with a shotgun, so when you shoot you get a wider blast. If you use the light-gun you can reload by shooting off-screen or pressing the button on the grip of the gun, or it will reload for you once you run out of ammo. The gameplay is fast, intense, and the story follows the previous two installments. Another great thing about this game is that it is really two games in one. Once you beat the game you can unlock and enable the complete and full Dreamcast version of "The House of the Dead 2" it is the exact same thing as the Dreamcast version and contains all the same modes (a direct port of the Dremacast version, so no X-Box enhanced graphics), but hey, you get a bonus game in this package, two full shooting games in one, you can't beat that. Some people complain that the game is too short, well the inclusion of House of the Dead 2 more than makes up for this. I think the lenght of the game could have been a bit longer, but it is a light-gun game and you have to keep in mind that people get tired of holding the gun and what not so a 1 or 2 hour light-gun game would not be the best idea. This game is pure fun from the get go. It is a must have for light-gun game aficionados and fans of zombie movies, you get the best of both worlds. Oh yeah, the game also includes a 15 minute feature of the upcoming House of hte Dead motion picture which hits theaters in 2003, this is another great bonus that comes with the game. House of the Dead 3 includes two modes, Survival (the main mode), and Time Attack. House of the Dead 2 has Arcade, Original, Boss Mode, and Training Mode. You can adjust the difficulty for both games and increase or decrease the number of lives and continues to suit your taste. This game is excellent, I have not played it with the controller so I can't help you there, but it works great with the gun. If you love zombie flicks, video games, shooting games, and having a blast then you owe it to yourself to get this game. I highly recommend the gun (Mad Catz Blaster) it works great with the game, accurate, comfortable, and gets the job done. I got to go now, going to blast some more zombies!!!
**PLEASE let me know if my review was at all helpful-thanx