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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!

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!!

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.

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.

Type Fast Or Your Dead

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I tried this game out as a demo for my PC and it was exactly the same as the DC version so there is really no real discrepancy. Anyway, the game involves the player to use the keyboard to type in a designated word and each word shoots the approaching zombie or deadly creature. once you have completed typing the designated word the creature will fall back, dead. The game is really designed to either teach someone to type as fast and error-free as possible in order to survive or to be a fun game for people who are able to type fast enough to kill the the forever advancing zombies. There is also a training mode in which you can learn to type different single keys that require you to hold down the SHIFT key or number keys. Overall, I enjoyed the game immensly and recommend it for you if you're tired of the same old 'learn to type' programs. The games haunting effects make it worth it and It's one of the most interesting games to learn how to type.

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.

An excellent crossover of horror/tping.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: February 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I haven't been a fan of typing games and I've been a fan of the "House of the Dead" series for quite sometime. When I heard of this game, and I got the Keyboard needed for this game, and is it fun?

It is in 2 ways.

1) "The Typing of the Dead" has the engine of "The House of the Dead 2", where you replace the light gun support with the Dreamcast Keyboard. And your aim is to destroy numerous zombies by typing in words, letters, or phrases that each zombie has. Like its' light-gun brother, it's challenging to the core. Too many zombies mean that you gotta have the fastest fingers to eliminate them, or be killed!

2) Despite the Mature-ness of blood and gore in this game, this game is also a typing tutor with the Tutor mode and Drill mode. The Tutor Mode is where James, one of the AMS agents, will guide you through "Touch Typing", "Mastering the normal keys, Shift keys, Special keys, etc." - Mavis Beacon Style. The Drill Mode is where you'll go through a series of drills that deal with Speed, Reflex, Accuracy, etc. Anytime you clear the first drill for the category, you'll unlock the 2nd drill for that category. There are 3 drills for each category. These drills will help you speed up your typing and helps you make little mistakes.

Here is an example of the drills...

1. When the zombies go from left to right, type in a zombie's word or phrase QUICK before he gets away, and make a mistake, he'll run!

2. For "Mr. Rank B", the 1st stage boss will give you little secs to type in a word. Type it quick, and achieve a Grade A or B and go to the next word. Take too slow, and get a C, D, or E, and he'll axe you, and it's over.

For the others, I'll let you do the rest. If you get a Grade C or over, you'll unlock another drill, by the way.

The storyline is still the same from "The House of The Dead 2", with the same heroes we played as, and the bosses we loved to hate from the light-gun brother are in this Keyboard version. As for me, I still love it!

If you're looking for the gross horror entertainment of "The House of the Dead 2" with the educational typing tutor style of Mavis Beacon, then "The Typing of The Dead" is for you!

typing of the dead

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: October 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

this is the most effective educational software ever written.

Better than House of the Dead 2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is one of the most original ideas I've ever seen. Typing tutorials aren't anything new, but horror light-gun games converted into one is definitely something that required some thinking. But aside from being original, it's also very fun to play and is an excellent substitution for a standard typing tutorial. Sometimes after playing it will allow you to go back and practice words which contain letters which you had difficulty on, which definitely will help a new typer or a skilled one. On a side note, I've been using a computer since long before they became popular, I've clocked my typing at up to 85 WPS with other tutorials, and I still ranked among the lower positions after my word try at this game. Definitely challenging.

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