10 Video Games That Were Sold On Stupid Gameplay Gimmicks

8. Keyboards Replace Guns - The Typing Of The Dead

A mod for SEGA's iconic light-gun game The House of the Dead, The Typing of the Dead sees the weapons of the base title replaced with, yep, you guessed it, computer keyboards. Instead of relying on quick reflexes (and your arm not getting tired) to pull off stylish kills, this alternative version instead has you quickly typing out words and phrases that pop up on screen in order to take out the shamblers eager to devour you.

Launching in Japanese arcades alongside its more action-orientated counterpart, the weird, experimental "Edutainment" title was expected to be nothing more than a niche bit of fun, but eventually managed to court a pretty large fanbase who actually preferred it over the base game.

A light-gun game without the actual guns might sound like a rather silly concept, but The Typing of the Dead actually became a surprising success, prompting SEGA to release a version on home consoles as well as PCs.