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Author Topic: The Name Of the Game  (Read 11530 times)

Chupperson Weird

  • Not interested.
« Reply #30 on: March 10, 2007, 12:25:57 PM »
Don't exactly know why you said people think "that's a kids' game." Most people, at least ones that play games, know what Mario games are, and probably have played a few.
So yeah Glorb, I'm calling you wrong.
That was a joke.

The Chef

  • Super
« Reply #31 on: March 10, 2007, 12:57:46 PM »
You'd be surprised how badly I was rejected by everyone back in 5th grade simply for being a Mario fan.

« Reply #32 on: March 10, 2007, 06:39:27 PM »
5th grade is serious business. If you don't like games about shootin' hos, you're just not cool.

The Chef

  • Super
« Reply #33 on: March 10, 2007, 08:13:50 PM »
You're pretty right about that, actually.

WarpRattler

  • Paid by the word
« Reply #34 on: March 10, 2007, 11:46:59 PM »
Holy cow! I haven't thought about Pickle Wars in a decade. That game was totally awesome. Thanks, donotcare95!

Glad to be of service.

5th grade is serious business. If you don't like games about shootin' hos, you're just not cool.

When I was in fifth grade, everybody played Pokémon.

Back on topic: Life Force. Salamander. Scramble. Darius. All of these fall under the category of "shmup". Does "Scramble" sound to you like it would be a space game, or a stupid little puzzle? Obviously, shmups and other arcade titles didn't need names that described the game, because you could just watch the demo onscreen and decide if it looked like something you wanted to play. However, when they got ported to home consoles, people who had never experienced them in an arcade (myself included) probably wouldn't know what to think of them from the title alone. Not only this, but the console versions of many arcade games are considerably lacking compared to the original version, and even if someone had loved a game in the arcade, they might still dislike the home version because it was too easy/too hard/looked like crap. In other words, companies had to be careful about what they ported, and also about what they named a game (especially if they changed the name in the conversion). Same thing goes for when weird games like Katamari Damacy are localized - they have to pick a good name, especially if it's a crazy game like that.

Now, let's switch from arcade and console games to PC games. Ever heard of a game called "Alien Carnage"? It was previously called "Halloween Harry" once. Which sounds better for a sidescroller about destroying invaders and rescuing hostages? If you're like me, you'd probably say the first one. Well, so did Apogee, and they changed the name. Not only did some PC games change title, but many of Apogee's games were episodic in nature, and each episode's title reflected that game (see Commander Keen), rather than one name having to fit multiple games. Nowadays, we have what are known as "expansion packs", some of which might as well be called episodes, while others only add some new features (such as new units or play modes, or, in the case of an MMORPG, new areas, quests, and character classes) to a game. However, they oftentimes have their own name, and the name usually describes the new content in some way.

The name is a hugely important part of a game, and can determine if a game sells at all, though it's not odd if a game with an awful title that would cause it not to sell turns out to be great, while games with utterly awesome titles (or games based on a hit anime or movie) are lackluster, but still sell huge amounts.

Chupperson Weird

  • Not interested.
« Reply #35 on: March 11, 2007, 12:39:32 AM »
"Scramble" sounds like eggs to me.
That was a joke.

« Reply #36 on: March 11, 2007, 01:20:49 AM »
Holy cow, Halloween Harry. That rawked even harder than Pickle Wars!! I gotta go back and play these again (well, maybe just Halloween Harry).

Katamari Damacy is an interesting case of the game title not even being translated from Japanese. A good choice, I'd say, especially with the theme song repeating those words over and over (and over).

Glorb

  • Banned
« Reply #37 on: March 11, 2007, 08:48:40 AM »
There's a whole slew of Japan-only weird-sounding names. Two that I can name off the top of my head are Hresvelgr ([wtd]?!) and Sexy Parodius. The first sounds like someone threw a fish onto a keyboard and used whatever letters it hit, and the second...well, let's just say "sexy" has nothing to do with the game. At all.
every

Chupperson Weird

  • Not interested.
« Reply #38 on: March 11, 2007, 12:18:26 PM »
Sexy Parodius is a joke though. I mean the whole game is a joke. Including the title.
Good Japanese name: XEXEX
Oddly similar American name for a completely different game: Xexyz (it could even make the same sounds as XEXEX theoretically)
That was a joke.

WarpRattler

  • Paid by the word
« Reply #39 on: March 11, 2007, 02:51:10 PM »
Okay, I'm now officially disgusted with HH/AC. Apogee has completely discontinued it, to the point of not even offering a shareware episode any more. Also, "It is not legal for you to email/upload/download/trade/distribute [this title] under any condition." Since I'm having difficulty getting the copy of the shareware episode I already have to run...

I should go back and play Bio Menace, Boppin' and Major Stryker, since they're freeware now. I already got the Windows version of Boppin', since Apogee isn't offering the DOS version, and I recently got the full DOS versions of the other two when my dad found an old Apogee compilation disc and I was trying to troubleshoot some of the games. Also, I should totally get my dad to buy me RotT, and maybe Raptor. I'd say Blake Stone, but we've had the original 6 episodes since whenever, and we recently bought Planet Strike, so we have all of that.

I believe Katamari Damacy had a spelling change in translation, but other than that, the title stuck.

Speaking of freeware games (ones which started out as freeware, not previously sold games that started being offered for free), how often does the name for one of those match the level of fun and playability of the game?

« Reply #40 on: March 11, 2007, 07:51:48 PM »
BOPPIN'!!!!!!!!!!! *squeal*

donotcare95 is bringin' the good old game train, and I'm on board for the ride.

I believe Katamari Damacy had a spelling change in translation, but other than that, the title stuck.
Well, the US boxart still has the actual kanji on it, so there really wasn't a spelling change. The sound of shi got changed to cy, though, in the romanization. That's what you're thinking of.

WarpRattler

  • Paid by the word
« Reply #41 on: March 11, 2007, 08:07:48 PM »
Yes, that is what I was thinking of.

Please don't squeal like that again, it's more than a little scary. Now, all aboard! We make stops at Diamondus, Selon, and Mysteria.

Infinite cookie cheat to anybody who can tell me what games those are from.

« Reply #42 on: March 11, 2007, 08:16:59 PM »
I have always like the name Kickle Cubicle.  It always felt good in the back of my throat saying that many K sounds.  I think that most games that have repeating sounds like that get at least a little bonus from me.  For example, Golgo 13, Karate Kid, another one that I can't think of right now.  All got a boost from just being nice to say.
"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special." Stephen Hawking

« Reply #43 on: March 11, 2007, 08:17:31 PM »
Diamondus is from Jazz Jackrabbit. No clue on the second two.

WarpRattler

  • Paid by the word
« Reply #44 on: March 11, 2007, 08:48:42 PM »
LD gets the cheat, even though he didn't know that Selon is the planet that Blake Stone: Planet Strike takes place on, and Mysteria is the land that Realm of Chaos takes place in.

Alliteration, assonance, and other ways of repeating sounds are silly methods for names, as is the "DS acronym" mentioned previously. True, some games have names that are difficult to say (many anime games before translation, for instance). But that's no excuse to make the title so simple that people are turned off of the game simply because of its name. Examples of games with silly names: It's Mr. Pants!, Pickle Wars, Sexy Parodius.

Well, maybe not the last one, that one makes sense.

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