| The Typing of the Dead | |
|---|---|
 Japanese Dreamcast cover art | |
| Developers | WOW Entertainment Smilebit |
| Publisher | Sega |
| Director | Masamitsu Shiino |
| Producers | Rikiya Nakagawa Shun Arai |
| Composer | Tetsuya Kawauchi |
| Platforms | Arcade,Dreamcast,Windows,PlayStation 2,iOS |
| Release | Arcade
|
| Genres | Survival horror,educational |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Sega NAOMI |
The Typing of the Dead[a] is anarcade game that was developed byWOW Entertainment and published bySega for theNAOMI hardware. The game was released in Japanese arcades in 1999 and was ported to theDreamcast in 2000 bySmilebit. AWindows version was released in 2000 and aPlayStation 2 port followed in 2004.[1]
The Typing of the Dead is amodification of Sega's 1998light gun arcade gameThe House of the Dead 2 in which the gun is replaced by acomputer keyboard. The player takes the role of a secret agent in azombie-infestedVenice and must quickly type letters, words and phrases in order to kill fast-advancing enemies.[2]
Despite falling under the criteria of"edutainment", the game was lauded by mainstreamgame critics for its humor, difficulty and originality.[2][3] ThePC version ofThe Typing of the Dead sold 120,000 units in 2003.[4]
A PlayStation 2 port was calledThe Typing of the Dead: Zombie Panic. This version was released in Japan in late December 2004 and was packaged with aUSB keyboard. The game was mostly unchanged, although the Dreamcast backpacks were replaced with PlayStation 2 backpacks and newminigames were incorporated into the main story.[5][6] Two sequels,The Typing of the Dead 2 (based onThe House of the Dead 3) andThe Typing of the Dead: Overkill (based onThe House of the Dead: Overkill), were released for PC in 2007 and 2013 respectively.English of the Dead, another revision ofHouse of the Dead 2, was released as a language-learning game for theNintendo DS in Japan in 2008.[7] In 2012, aniOSremake was released entitledFlick of the Dead.[8]
The Typing of the Dead has been described variously as a remake or as amod of the originalThe House of the Dead 2. It retains the original's first-personrail shooter style, but instead of shootingzombies and other enemies the player must type out words or phrases to kill them. The required word, sentence or phrase is displayed in a box that appears with the enemy. The phrases' length and complexity increase as the game progresses.[9][10] Other features retained include the rescue challenges that alter the path the game takes to its final destination and the secrets and bonus items hidden throughout the game.[3]
All levels contain specific challenge areas in which the player is required to kill a certain number of zombies in a limited time. These end with aboss battle that uses some altered form of usual gameplay, such as a long phrase or a question whose answer must be correctly typed.[10] The console ports have "Original" and "Arcade" modes for the main storyline and "Tutorial," "Drill," and "Boss" modes for additional typing training.[2] Most other changes are superficial, such as replacement of the weapons wielded by zombies with harmless items and equipping the AMS agents with keyboards attached to backpackSega Dreamcasts with oversized batteries.[2]
The plot of the game closely follows that ofHouse of the Dead 2.[2] The story begins on February 26, 2000, when several AMS agents have been dispatched to investigate a zombie outbreak inVenice, Italy. The player can control two characters, James and Gary, who are sent to find the original game's "G" and then tasked with restoring order.[11] Responsibility for theoutbreaks is soon traced to "Goldman," a banking tycoon and scientist who attempts to end human control of the earth. Much of the game revolves around destroying Goldman's creations, concluding with the final boss of "the Emperor." One of three possible humorous ending sequences occurs, depending on the answers given to the questions asked to defeat the Emperor.[12]
There are three possible endings:
During the game's attract mode, it also includes a recap of the events inThe House of the Dead.
The Typing of the Dead was originally released for arcades in Japan in 1999 with a special cabinet equipped with dualQWERTY keyboards.[10][13] The game was one of the first developments bySmilebit, a team ofSega developers that had recently spun off as a new company.[14]
The first home console release was for the JapaneseSega Dreamcast market on March 30, 2000. The North American release took place the following January.[15] APC port was produced byEmpire Interactive and released in September 2001.[16] A second PC release,Typing of the Dead 2003, featuring support for higher resolution and a "Kid's mode" featuring a new character with Japanese voice acting, was released in Japan only; several other Japanese-exclusive PC versions followed. The original PC version was made available onGameTap in October 2007.[17]
| Aggregator | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Dreamcast | PC | |
| Metacritic | 83/100[18] | 75/100[19] |
| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Dreamcast | PC | |
| AllGame |    [20] | [21] |
| Edge | 7/10[23] | 7/10[23] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.5/10[24] | |
| Eurogamer | 8/10[25] | |
| Famitsu | 35/40[26][27] | |
| Game Informer | 9/10[28] | |
| GamePro | [29] | |
| GameRevolution | B[30] | |
| GameSpot | 8.7/10[31] | 7.5/10[32] |
| GameSpy | 8/10[9] | 78%[33] |
| GameZone | 8/10[34] | |
| IGN | 9/10[2][3] | 8/10[35] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 69%[36] | |
In Japan,Game Machine listedThe Typing of the Dead on their March 15, 2000 issue as being the fourth most-successful dedicated arcade game of the month.[37]
The Typing of the Dead was regarded overall by critics as an enjoyable game, receiving "favorable" reviews on both platforms according to thereview aggregation websiteMetacritic.[18][19] It was nominated forGameSpot's annual "Most Innovative" prize amongconsole games, which went toGrand Theft Auto III.[38]
In Japan,Famitsu gave the Dreamcast version a score of 35 out of 40.[26] Reviewers appreciated the absurdist humor of the game's format, especially in the unusual phrases the game generates during later levels.[3][9][10] The sub-par voice acting of the originalHouse of the Dead 2 was considered to enhance this aspect of the game.[9][31][32]
The quality of the graphics was criticized to varying degrees, as they had not been updated from the originalHouse of the Dead 2 arcade version.[32][39]PC World was so unimpressed with the game's premise that they listed it as a runner up on a "Top TenWorst Games" list.[40]
Game Informer has named the game the weirdest of all time.[41]