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The Typing of the Dead (DC)

I would have paid money to have been in on the brainstorming session for this one. "Yes, let's take our number-one shooting game and add typing! Genius!" Despite the incredulous origins, this may yet reach a surprisingly wide audience. When I first saw it at last spring's Tokyo Game Show (with two quick-fingered secretaries at the helm) and then in a Japanese arcade, I thought I'd seen everything. Yet, somehow, it works. Take The House of the Dead, nix the need for light-guns, plug in a keyboard and you've got Typing of the Dead! As zombies approach, words pop onscreen. You must type out the words that appear. The faster you type, the higher you score. The more accurately you type, the higher you score. Suck at typing? Fear not, the in-game tutorial mode will have today's Web-savvy gamers clicking their keyboards faster than ever. The game features the familiar arcade and original modes, among others. Original mode allows you to earn special items for one-time use (usually by hitting the F1, F2, F3 and F4 buttons), and is a bit more enjoyable than the straight arcade port. The real hilarity is when you see the cutscenes, which reveal the characters with Dreamcasts strapped to their backs and keyboards bound to their chests. It's an inspired piece of software that may not be for everyone, but quirky gamers'll no doubt find it an extremely enjoyable, humorous game.
Milkman
Rating:8.5

Without a doubt, The Typing of the Dead is the best typing-training/zombie-murder simulator I've played thus far in 2001 (yes, even better than Night of the Brain-eating Mavis Beacons for PC), but I gotta wonder how much appeal this game will have for folks who long ago played, beat and buried The House of the Dead. Aside from its typing drills, "edutainment" value and sheer novelty, this sucker doesn't offer much new. And you really need to be careful where you place your keyboard or you'll be stuck in carpal-tunnel-syndrome city for a week (my fingertips are still tingling). Still, this game delivers unique thrills, and it's fairly cheap to boot.
Crispin
Rating:7.0

This is why I love Sega. Who else would have the rocks to bring a title like this to these shores knowing it likely won't make much money? Basically, this is a typing tutorial that plays out like House of the Dead 2. It's the same game, except for a few new challenges in each level (like beating 10 zombies in 30 seconds and such) and some weird power-ups that simplify the required words or change the form of your onscreen counterpart. Somehow, though, I don't see parents buying this as a typing tutor for their children with all the carnage and horrific themes involved. Plus the font makes it hard to discern a period from a comma.
Greg
Rating:7.0

The Typing of the Dead

Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Featured In: EGM #139
Players: 1-2
Supports: Keyboard
Best Feature: Hysterical gameplay
Worst Feature: Too weird for some folks
Web Site: www.sega.com
Visuals: 8
Sound: 7
Ingenuity: 9
Replay: 8
 
Electronic Gaming Monthly   [posted on: Feb 06 2001 12:00:00:000AM]

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