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the game that never should've been

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 32
Date: June 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

What a boring game that is if you know how to type alredy the whole monsters will get you if you dont type fast enough theme is lame i personally much liked the game better when it was a shooting game.

Typing of the The Dead -DOA

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 9
Date: September 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Turns out after careful scrutiny, the cd Typing of the Dead turned out to be a Dud. The cd offered only works on a sega playstation, and is not the pc platform version as was lead to believe. So out of the box game was useless, unless I invest in an obsolete play platform necessary to run it. My nephew was very disappointed, luckily I was able to download the demo version and after a few hours of it, the game left the Most Wanted list and became just another game on the rack. Luckily the CD wasn't expensive and the shipping just didnt make it worth returning. Sorry Amazon, but my search was for the Typing of the Dead PC version, we both dropped the ball on this one. Next time I'll read more closely the fine print before I click. P.S. despite the context (tongue-in-cheek hacking/slashing theme), the dialogue is what disturbed me. I found the typing word samples misogynistic, and sophomoric. You can almost visualize the desperate poor programmer creating this program in his basement. My sympathies, but I think a better selection of typing samples would be less offensive and potentially less negatively influential to the kids (seriously dont we have enough negative influences for the kids).

TYPE OR DIE!!!! BWUAHAHAHAHAHAAAAH

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: June 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Remember the House of the Dead 2? It was an arcade game also released on the Sega Dreamcast, where you get your lightgun and shoot a horde of zombies.

Well, this game is that exact same game, but with one big difference: You type the zombies to death! Yes, the learning-to-touch-type games are back and it came back in the most hilarious incarnation ever. With it's "Type or Die!!" tagline, words appear along with your enemies. Your typing gets rated and helps you pass the levels.

Afer a while it gets crazy and the words selected are very weird indeed. Some are just like thoughts: "I hope she likes me", "I want my promotion" etc etc. Some of the end-level bosses give you difficult tasks as well. You have a three headed dragon that let's you type in answers to their trivia questions. As another headless lad is chasing you down corridors with a bloody chainsaw, you have to type jokes and manuals: "This game is not appropiate for children who are below 17 years of age, because..."

There's even a funny tutorial which teaches you how to touch type. It's presented quite well, but it doesn't always work very effectively. You have to practice a lot to learn from this. You have plenty of modes to play with - which are all basically the same though.

The graphics and sounds (including the terrible voice acting) are exactly the same as the original game. You can even hook up a second keyboard and have a go at it with your mate.

I'd recommend the PC version though, which is the version I'm reviewing. It's much better to do this while sitting on a desk with your keyboard. Excellent game!!

The best overlooked game for the dreamcast!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

After I finished this game I was like, this is dumbest thing ...until I picked it back up and played it over and over and over. Typing Of The Dead has incredible game play written all over it, no pun intended. Typing Of The Dead is nothing like Soul Calibur, or even Sonic Adventure, the game is totally different because you only use your keyboard. This may seem very awkward at first but becomes second nature after a day or two. I must warn you, this isn’t for the average dreamcast player, and when with company it feels down right stupid. I’m surprised Sega brought this out in North America, I can’t thank them enough! If you are a fan of those weird off beat Japanese imports, definitely pick this up. I have to say the only two things I don’t like is that it’s the exact same thing as House Of The Dead 2, and that all the levels are already unlocked. Don’t get me wrong, this game is great because you finally get some use out of the keyboard, other than using it for Phantasy Star Online. The replay value is fantastic, the words are generated randomly every time, and so you never get the same exact level twice. Typing Of The Dead is the best overlooked game for the dreamcast!

A Solid Videogame

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It is a shame the Dreamcast had to die so early in it's life because it was a home to truly original games like this one that were a real treat to play. This game is just Sega's The House of the Dead 2, (also released for Dreamcast) but instead of using a lightgun peripheral you use a keyboard to type words and phrases that appear on screen as zombies and the undead try to attack you. It is actually a lot of fun, and it's only real flaw is that your wrists will be in graet pain after playing this game for a good period of time. Still, if you own a Dreamcast, these kinds of games are what made it one of the greatest systems, no matter how long it's life was.

Wicked Learning Fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

"The House of the Dead" was a lousy game. I love zombies and the practice of shooting them as much as the next gamer but aside from reflex action the title had little to offer but flashing lights and stupidity. "House of the Dead 2" was much the same.

"The Typing of the Dead," however, is something different. Instead of shooting zombies with a light gun you lay them low by typing the appropriate phrase. Though essentially the same game as HOTD2, by changing a sub-par shooter into a typing tutorial, Sega has transformed
the mildly insulting into something sublimely silly.

In addition to not being at all scary HOTD2 suffered from a ridiculous plot, absolutely awful dialog and even worse delivery. Stuff like this usually pisses me off (probably because I take my zombies far more seriously than anyone should) but it's hard to be offended by the
same faults in TOTD when the character models all have Dreamcast(tm!) consoles strapped to their backs and keyboards mounted to their chests. Even the cheesy techno music contributes to an atmosphere of ludicrous
fun.

Also surprising is how innovative the game is over its source material.
The "type-instead-of-shoot" modification extends into all areas of the game. The power-ups are reworked to be typing related. The kill phrases you have to type are calibrated to the difficulty of the enemy you face: tough zombies require longer phrases whereas a swarm of leeches can be held off with one keystroke each. Each boss monster requires a different typing strategy to to defeat it. A three-headed monster asks question with a possible answer for each head: only the correct one will do any damage. My favorite boss chases you around with a chain saw with long-winded jokes spread across his chest.

But what's probably most impressive is how effective a typing tutor the game is. The game can be customized for different skill levels and offers several configurable modes and drills to get you prepared for the onslaught.

Who knew zombies were educational?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game especially for those of us who are video game challenged. I've never been great at video games, but I can type with the best. So when a friend introduced me to (read in your scary zombie voice) The Typing of the Dead I was blown away. Sure its not the most challenging game in the world and it could use a few more levels, but its great fun. As far as actually teaching you to type, well... that's debatable. See you don't have to hit the space bar or capitalize anything. But overall I love this game.

I'm A Lousy Shot But I Can Type 108 Words a Minute!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: March 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have House of the Dead 2 regular version and even without the lightgun, just using the controller, I still can't shoot to save my life. So, when I heard about Typing of the Dead, I thought my prayers had been answered. Your parents always say "use your words!" so now I can actually apply that to something! Although the game does not exactly give you your WPM rate per se, it does give you something that is a tad more helpful. It shows your strengths and weaknesses! Perhaps your accuracy on the left-hand keys is bad, perhaps punctuation isn't your strong suit, or (if you're like me) you just can't hit those stupid number keys, the tutorial will cater to your every need and help you to become a more proficient typist! That was something I thought the Mavis Beacon series was lacking. Well, not exactly lacking, it had a similar system, but it was not as accurate or helpful in remedying problem areas as TOTD. I mean, let's face it, of all the skills necessary and important to have in this day and age, the ability to type well on a standard QWERTY keyboard is easily the most useful! Thanks, Sega! and thank you, SmileBit!

Mavis Beacon was never this much fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: February 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

When I first heard about this off-the-wall remake of Sega's arcade smash hit "The House of the Dead 2," I said to myself, 'They've got to be kidding.' Now, after having played the game, I say to myself, 'Why didn't they bring this out sooner?'

Graphically, the game is identical to its gun-based predecessor ... this means it's almost impossible to tell the arcade version and home version apart. The characters have been upgraded to reflect their new "weaponry" (snicker, snicker); Dreamcast backpacks and strap-on keyboards. Some of the evil undead now carry mallets and other unusual objects along with their standard knives. Fans of HOTD2 will find themselves laughing uncontrollably at how tongue-in-cheek this variant is.

The gameplay is very straightforward. Type or die ... zombies, monsters or other minions appear with a word or phrase in front of them. Type in the phrase as quickly and accurately as possible in order to eliminate the creature. Sometimes you only have to enter one or two letters ... sometimes sentences with punctuation. The words used can be totally random in nature, or can follow a theme. Power-ups appear and disappear quickly, and range from the essential (life-ups) to the helpful (dictionaries, which lock in a theme for a series of words) to the silly (one powerup transforms your player into a zombie, complete with keyboard).

If you can scare up a second keyboard, don't pass up a chance at two-player mode. The gameplay remains the same, with both players having a chance to complete the typing phrase to defeat the monster. Under the target word/phrase are two more copies of it, one for each player. Whoever types in the phrase first gets credit for it. This may indeed be the first truly competitive typing game, so on that alone the game receives bonus points.

Target selection is still a key component here. Just like before, you need to eliminate monsters before they can harm innocent citizens. Some of these rescues required superhuman reflexes with a light gun ... just imagine what you'll need with only a keyboard. (It can be done, though.)

As I already touch-type, I view "Typing of the Dead" as more of an unusual diversion than a typing coach. It does feature instruction in how to touch-type, and can definitely help brush up on your skills (some of the teaching modes tell you which keys you miss most frequently). Unfortunately, as the game carries a Mature rating, it may not be an appropriate choice for parents who are looking for an entertaining way to teach their kids typing.

Overall, "Typing of the Dead" is one of the most unique videogame experiences I've had. The price is more than reasonable, the game itself is incredibly addictive, and keyboarding skills are something everyone can use.

This game 0wnz j00

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 32
Date: January 29, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game 0wnz j00. Nuff said.

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