Your favorite game names
Feb 28, 2015 18:53:20 GMT -5
Post by wyrdwad on Feb 28, 2015 18:53:20 GMT -5
I figured since we have a topic on "games that made you hate a genre" as well as one on "games that made you love a genre," it might be interesting to also create a counterpoint for the "if you could change a game's name" topic -- because while posting in that one, I thought of quite a few game names where I was like, you know what? That name is absolutely 100% perfect for that game, and really drives home what it's about (and/or just plain sounds awesome and makes me interested in playing it before I even know what the game is about!).
These are the handful that come to mind for me right off the bat:
- La-Mulana
This is just a really clever name in general, I think. Not only does it just plain SOUND like some ancient temple in a far-off land or something, it also has a couple layers of meaning to it as well. For one, it translates as "the mother" in the game's made-up language, which (1) seems linguistically plausible and (2) is also INCREDIBLY RELEVANT TO THE PLOT, as the entire story very much revolves around "the Mother" (with a capital M) in ways that become more and more apparent as the game progresses. Plus, it's also a nod to the game's creator -- his name is Naramura, which is written out in Japanese with the four letters NA, RA, MU, RA. If you write it backwards, it's RA, MU, RA, NA -- La-Mulana. The backward names of his co-creators, programmers, etc. are also hidden within the game (not hidden WELL, mind you, but they're there!). It all just works together to really represent what La-Mulana stands for -- it's a name that has to be dissected to be understood, but it's attached to a game where nothing comes without intense dissection of clues, so it's hard to deny how apropos it is.
- Axiom Verge
I don't actually know how well-suited this name will be to the game itself, since it's not out yet... but, I mean, just look at that name! "Axiom Verge"... it looks cool written out, and sounds cool when you say it. It's just a generally badass name for what looks to be a generally badass game! I'm sure it'll fit the themes of the game just fine, too, when it's out -- but even if it doesn't, it's one of those where I saw the name and was like, "That sounds cool. What is it?" And as far as I'm concerned, that's just the kind of name any video game worth its salt should have!
- Knightmare II: The Maze of Galious
I know others have groaned at the name "Knightmare" before, but I quite like it -- it's got just the right amount of silly cheesiness, while still getting across that your game has something to do with knights (which it does). The sequel, then, made that name even better with the decidedly video-gamey subtitle "The Maze of Galious" -- which, though part of the "X of Y" pattern of naming that I too am not especially fond of, does actually sound pretty neat in this case and describes the game well, so we'll call it a general exception in favor of cheesy awesomeness. (Incidentally, though, the third Knightmare game kind of ruined this streak, which I discussed further in the "game names you wish you could change" topic.)
- Brandish II: The Planet Buster
Really, the entire Brandish series has good names that reflect the balls-to-the-wall hardcore medieval fantasy dungeon-crawling atmosphere of the games, but I think Brandish II in particular has the best name of them all simply because "The Planet Buster" is such a cheesy yet utterly METAL name for a sword. In keeping with its logo, this is probably the single most metal video game name I've ever seen, and I absolutely love it. And this is from Falcom, who are responsible for a lot of games I listed in the "if you could change a game's name" topic like Zwei, Dinosaur(: Resurrection) and Popful Mail! But I guess for as prolific as they are, it makes sense they'd hit a few home runs with their nomenclature every now and again. And speaking of Falcom, there are three more Falcom titles that I think have really effective names:
- Sorcerian
Which is, again, just very metal and badass-sounding.
- Vantage Master
Which is kind of Engrishy, yet oddly very descriptive, bringing to mind an image of someone poised atop a tall cliff, looking down on his enemy and smiling, knowing that victory is at hand... exactly the sort of situation you're striving for throughout the game. I do think it may have been possible to give the series a BETTER name... but for what it is, I think "Vantage Master" is surprisingly well thought-out and extremely suitable to the experience players will have with any Vantage Master title.
- Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
Again, the key word here is "badass." The Ys series has had a lot of hit-and-miss in its naming schemes, but far and away the best name of the bunch is The Ark of Napishtim, which just sounds seriously hardcore.
I'm sure I can think of more, but that should do for now. What do you guys think? What games do you feel were just named perfectly?
-Tom
These are the handful that come to mind for me right off the bat:
- La-Mulana
This is just a really clever name in general, I think. Not only does it just plain SOUND like some ancient temple in a far-off land or something, it also has a couple layers of meaning to it as well. For one, it translates as "the mother" in the game's made-up language, which (1) seems linguistically plausible and (2) is also INCREDIBLY RELEVANT TO THE PLOT, as the entire story very much revolves around "the Mother" (with a capital M) in ways that become more and more apparent as the game progresses. Plus, it's also a nod to the game's creator -- his name is Naramura, which is written out in Japanese with the four letters NA, RA, MU, RA. If you write it backwards, it's RA, MU, RA, NA -- La-Mulana. The backward names of his co-creators, programmers, etc. are also hidden within the game (not hidden WELL, mind you, but they're there!). It all just works together to really represent what La-Mulana stands for -- it's a name that has to be dissected to be understood, but it's attached to a game where nothing comes without intense dissection of clues, so it's hard to deny how apropos it is.
- Axiom Verge
I don't actually know how well-suited this name will be to the game itself, since it's not out yet... but, I mean, just look at that name! "Axiom Verge"... it looks cool written out, and sounds cool when you say it. It's just a generally badass name for what looks to be a generally badass game! I'm sure it'll fit the themes of the game just fine, too, when it's out -- but even if it doesn't, it's one of those where I saw the name and was like, "That sounds cool. What is it?" And as far as I'm concerned, that's just the kind of name any video game worth its salt should have!
- Knightmare II: The Maze of Galious
I know others have groaned at the name "Knightmare" before, but I quite like it -- it's got just the right amount of silly cheesiness, while still getting across that your game has something to do with knights (which it does). The sequel, then, made that name even better with the decidedly video-gamey subtitle "The Maze of Galious" -- which, though part of the "X of Y" pattern of naming that I too am not especially fond of, does actually sound pretty neat in this case and describes the game well, so we'll call it a general exception in favor of cheesy awesomeness. (Incidentally, though, the third Knightmare game kind of ruined this streak, which I discussed further in the "game names you wish you could change" topic.)
- Brandish II: The Planet Buster
Really, the entire Brandish series has good names that reflect the balls-to-the-wall hardcore medieval fantasy dungeon-crawling atmosphere of the games, but I think Brandish II in particular has the best name of them all simply because "The Planet Buster" is such a cheesy yet utterly METAL name for a sword. In keeping with its logo, this is probably the single most metal video game name I've ever seen, and I absolutely love it. And this is from Falcom, who are responsible for a lot of games I listed in the "if you could change a game's name" topic like Zwei, Dinosaur(: Resurrection) and Popful Mail! But I guess for as prolific as they are, it makes sense they'd hit a few home runs with their nomenclature every now and again. And speaking of Falcom, there are three more Falcom titles that I think have really effective names:
- Sorcerian
Which is, again, just very metal and badass-sounding.
- Vantage Master
Which is kind of Engrishy, yet oddly very descriptive, bringing to mind an image of someone poised atop a tall cliff, looking down on his enemy and smiling, knowing that victory is at hand... exactly the sort of situation you're striving for throughout the game. I do think it may have been possible to give the series a BETTER name... but for what it is, I think "Vantage Master" is surprisingly well thought-out and extremely suitable to the experience players will have with any Vantage Master title.
- Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
Again, the key word here is "badass." The Ys series has had a lot of hit-and-miss in its naming schemes, but far and away the best name of the bunch is The Ark of Napishtim, which just sounds seriously hardcore.
I'm sure I can think of more, but that should do for now. What do you guys think? What games do you feel were just named perfectly?
-Tom