The 50 Worst Videogame Names of All Time 220
Game Revolution has a great feature looking at fifty of the worst-named games ever to require a controller. They dig deep here, unearthing gems like 'Yo! Noid!', 'Awesome Possum Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt!', and 'Huygen's Disclosure'. From the article: "From Dick Butkus to Hootie and the Blowfish to Lake Titicaca, bad names have been with us forever. But thanks to the inevitable collision of reclusive nerds, bizarre artists and painfully unhip marketing execs, the video game industry enjoys some of the worst names of all. The following list was compiled after hours of lively debate, pages of exhausting science and one actual geek fistfight."
It could be worse! (Score:2, Funny)
No wait, MS just did with XP and Vista...
Re:It could be worse! (Score:2)
Missed a classic WTF one... (Score:2)
{{ Ummm.... }} {{ English }} {{ Do you have it? }}
Re:Missed a classic WTF one... (Score:2)
Re:Missed a classic WTF one... (Score:2)
So that's the ticket (Score:5, Funny)
Re:So that's the ticket (Score:4, Informative)
Use your imagination with caution
Awesome Possum (Score:3, Funny)
What a rip! (Score:4, Informative)
Speaking of sequels, there are games like "Mega Man X" (right after MM6) and "Wizards and Warriors X" (sequel to W&W2, I believe) that just confuse people as to what game they are playing. Hey, what's all this "Super Castlevania IV" about? Is it better than regular old "Castlevania IV"?
Gah, now I need to make my own list.
Street Fighter (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, and who could forget the classic Street Fighter:The Movie:The Game? I mean, it was a game about a movie that was based on a game. Has that ever been done before? Movies based on arcade games almost universally suck. And video games based on movies also suck. But a video game based on a movie based on an arcade game? That approaches a level of suckitude that almost cannot be measured. Oh, and getting back on topic: The name sucked too.
Re:Street Fighter (Score:2)
a video game based on a movie based on an arcade game? That approaches a level of suckitude that almost cannot be measured.
They must have bet on it sucking so much it'd actually be cool.
Re:Street Fighter (Score:3, Funny)
FYI on the MegaMan thing (Score:2)
You can see the same thing with Final Fantasy: 1, 2, 3, 7. WTF? Well there really were 6 before 7. 1 was a dual release, 2 and 3 were NES games, never came to the US. 4 was released in the US but numbered 2 here (and we only got the easy version). 5 wasn't released, 6 was released as 3. Finally Square decided to dispense with the bullshit and release the games as the orignal number
Re:FYI on the MegaMan thing (Score:3, Informative)
And also, 7 and 8 were released in the US. 9 (Rockman and Forte/Mega Man & Bass) was eventually ported to the GBA.
Re:FYI on the MegaMan thing (Score:3, Informative)
The SNES game Super Castlevania IV is more of a retelling of the events of the first Castlevania NES game than a true, chronological sequel. But then, Castlevania III took place two generations prior to the events of Castlevanias
Re:FYI on the MegaMan thing (Score:2)
Re:What a rip! (Score:2)
Re:What a rip! (Score:2)
True for 1-6, for the most part. 2 introduced the "8 boss rule", 3 introduced sliding, and 4 introduced the charged shot. But 7, 8, and 9 (Rockman & Forte) are MUCH more removed, from a gameplay standpoint, than MegaMan X is. They introduce various sid
Obligatory Animaniacs Reference (Score:3, Funny)
Why do we sing of its fame?
Lake Titicaca! Lake Titicaca!
'Cause we really like saying its name!
Re:Damn Edutainment! (Score:2)
Chris Mattern
Skidmarks (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Skidmarks (Score:2)
Linkle Liver Story (Score:4, Funny)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linkle_Liver_Story [wikipedia.org]
Doesn't count. (Score:2)
What, no floppy? (Score:3, Funny)
King and Balloon (Score:3, Funny)
Spaceship Warlock (Score:3, Insightful)
Da Da Da DAAAAH! SPAACE SHIIIIP WAR-LOCK! (Score:2)
When the game doesn't involve any playing, they call it an "interactive novel."
Re:Da Da Da DAAAAH! SPAACE SHIIIIP WAR-LOCK! (Score:2)
Pop quiz: did you acquire the game:
1. In original retail box
2. In Best Buy "CD-ROM Games that are almost clearance" 3-pack
3. Walmart "CD-ROM Games that are past clearance" 10-pack (including such other joys as corridor 7, hypergate, and spear of destiny...)
I got it at number 3 lol
Re:Da Da Da DAAAAH! SPAACE SHIIIIP WAR-LOCK! (Score:2)
1. In original retail box... For $3, if memory serves.
And yeah, turning the sound off. Oh my lord. That game made Blizzard's voice "acting" in Warcraft II sound good.
Irritating Stick (Score:5, Funny)
I love the Japanese!
Re:Irritating Stick (Score:2)
Worst anime names (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Worst anime names (Score:2)
Re:Worst anime names (Score:2)
Biko 3: Detachable Penis
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Re:Worst anime names (Score:2)
Though as I keep altering that title, it starts looking more and more like a Jack Kirby comic book [wikipedia.org].
Zzyzzyxx not on list? (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm BAD! This list, however, is not.
Re:Zzyzzyxx not on list? (Score:2)
Re:Zzyzzyxx not on list? (Score:2)
Re:Zzyzzyxx not on list? (Score:2)
Sure it is - "Ziz-icks." It's still stupid (or possibly inspired by the insect demon lord thing in that one Elric novel), but no worse than most dot-com names.
Re:Zzyzzyxx not on list? (Score:2)
M.U.S.C.L.E. ? #36? (Score:2)
Re:M.U.S.C.L.E. ? #36? (Score:3, Informative)
The decision to the call them "Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everyw
Re:M.U.S.C.L.E. ? #36? (Score:2)
I can only assume that whomever is responsible for "M.U.S.C.L.E." being on the list must not be familiar with the pink plastic figurines of the same name from the mid-1980s. Giving a video game the same name as the toy line the characters were licensed from can't really be considered a bad name (though it's quite likely that it'll be a bad game, especially if Acclaim or LJN were involved).
As for bad names that didn't make the list: Herzog Zwei. Inexplicably left untranslated from its German title (though
Where's Seaman? (Score:2, Funny)
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (Score:3, Interesting)
But where in the !@#$ did they come up with "Let Us Cling Together"? I'm guessing it is where the minibots can cling together to create one large bot. Defeats the whole point of the original and is an incredibly stupid name (hence its place in this list). Had to have been a marketing droid that came up with this one.
My #1 (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:My #1 (Score:2)
Flashback many years ago, back in 6th grade playing D&D with my friends and rolling up a new character:
Dungeon Master: (looking over my preliminary character sheet) "Ok, half elf mage"
Me: "I don't know yet. I'll see. Hand me the Player's Handbook and I'll fill in the spell info."
...la
Re:My #1 (Score:2)
Awesome Possum (Score:2)
The article says this about the 1994 game Awesome Possum:
Um, no it's not. I believe Berzerk was one of (if not the) first games to use digitized voice...and that was fourteen years before Awesome Possum. Why does does it seem that so many online video game reviewers/reporters/etc. think video games were invented in the mid-nineties?
Re:Awesome Possum (Score:2)
Re:Awesome Possum (Score:2)
Re:Awesome Possum (Score:2)
Also, you'd think it'd be easier to find out what game really was the first via this wonderful interweb... but nope, can't find it anywhere!
Ob. Simpsons (Score:2)
I could be alone in this (Score:2)
...but I always thought most videogame consoles had lousy names. I mean, to start with. Did anybody else here think "GameCube" was a dumb name for a console? At least compared to its codename, Dolphin. Xbox? PlayStation - sounds like a pre-school toy. SNES? MegaDrive? Game Boy? Just think about them for a while. Tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this.
Of course, the fact of the matter is that console names grow on you after a short while. Like a joke getting old quickly. Nobody would dream of laughing
Lets find Worst names not Weirdest (Score:2)
I would say "Worst Names" are names of games that fall under not living up to the games thaey are associated with, such as "Final Fantasy" (which is now up to 'Final' number 12?)
Anything that is 'ultimate' would also apply. As mentioned "Microsoft Works" gets a lot of such ribbing for general purpose apps. I guess also for a name to be the worst also would be an offenseive in some way or other, which had lead to the sbys
Zombies vs. Ambulance (Score:2)
FUN! [1up.com]
Re:Zombies vs. Ambulance (Score:2)
New lows in modern names. (Score:2)
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Make fun of Ninja Hamster and Cacoma Knight in Bizyland all you want, but at least those game titles don
Ninja Hamster (Score:2)
Drag-On Dragoon (Score:2)
Re:Drag-On Dragoon (Score:2)
I'd like to cast my Vote for: (Score:2)
Half-Life
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Episode 1
Nuts & Milk (Score:2)
FTFA : "Hey! You got your nuts in my milk! Hey! You got your milk on my nuts! Mmmmm."
Am I the only one surprised that they didn't come up with : "Hey! I got milk in my nuts!" instead?
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:2, Funny)
I am at a loss to explain it but there seems to be a relationship between the word king and donkey in Japanese at lease when translating it into English because I have seen this in other places.
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:2)
But you reminded me of another gawd-arful game name - "Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Offical Game of the Movie"
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:2)
Lost in translation (Score:2)
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:2)
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:5, Informative)
Unfortunately, I can't remember the source, so take it as you will.
In an interview with Miyamoto, he said that he wanted to call the game "Stubborn Monkey" (because the monkey wouldn't give Jumpman/Mario's woman back). After the standard Engrish translation, Stubborn became Dnokey, and Monkey became Kong, giving us the title we've been seeing for the last quarter-century.
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:2)
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:4, Funny)
Miyamoto's said as much in his interviews.
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:2)
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:2)
Re:Geek fistfight!? (Score:2)
Look, the explaination donkey=stubborn may be somewhat logical. But that's like Shortieflakey instead of Microsoft!
They're rating the names (Score:2)
Re:WTF?? No ET the Extraterresterial? (Score:2)
Re:I disagree with #47 completely (Score:2)
Re:"Wargasm" and "If It Moves, Shoot It" (Score:5, Informative)
Re:"Wargasm" and "If It Moves, Shoot It" (Score:4, Funny)
Except... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Gamespot's Take (Score:2)
Re:Jumpman (Score:2)
Re:Jumpman (Score:2)
I mean, what else would you have called it? You're a guy, and you jump. That's what you do. That's the entire game. And it's not that bad a game, either. But I kind of like the direct-but-obvious names, rather than something idiotic.
Re:Jumpman (Score:2)
Re:Jumpman (Score:2)
I'm sure Pouncing Pixelized Person would have been a more obvious choice.
Anyone else remember Kenneth Noid? (Score:4, Interesting)
Back in 1989, a guy named Kenneth Noid held up a Domino's in Georgia and kept the employees hostage for 6 hours. The man was paranoid delusional and thought that the campaign was directed specifically at him. The stand-off ended with no one hurt, and I believe the guy got off with an insanity plea.
I remember this in the news when I was a kid, because I'm from Georgia. It was "the big story" that day.
Turns out though, according to the Wikipedia, [wikipedia.org] the campaign was actually ended becase the artist who created the character wanted more money. That's kind of disturbing in a way.
Re:Yo! Noid! (Score:3, Insightful)
Then yes, it was dumb.
I was wondering why so many of these games weren't actually that bad. Well, there ya go.
Re:Yo! Noid! (Score:2)
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Re:Yo! Noid! (Score:2)
Re:Yo! Noid! (Score:2)
Re:Yo! Noid! (Score:2)
Re:Worst game ever (Score:2)
For starters: the name is a reasonably clever reduction of Ping Pong.
Heh, and some people got into it, at least enouugh so that it had its own strategy guide [gamespy.com]!
The gameplay works well because of the ricochet mechanic: you want to get the ball on the corner of your bat so it's a sharper angle, but go too far and you'll miss it.
Of course I might be biased, I wrote a sequel t
Re:Worst MOD ever! (Score:2)
Mod that "funny"... unless you're serious (Score:2)
My older brother and I, back when we slept in bunk beds, used to shine flashlights and chase each other's lights around the ceiling. Come to think of it, that was before Pong rocked our world. The flashlight game was a lot of fun.
How well I remember that epochal moment when, at Grandma's house on vacation, we discovered Pong. Grandma had it connecte
Re:Worst Game *Name* Ever (Score:2)
Re:Wow... (Score:2)
Re:Wow... (Score:2)
Square was in danger of going under. They had one more shot, so the game was called "Final Fantasy." If it hadn't succeeded, there would be no Squeenix today. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your POV), the game took off and saved the company from dissolution.
Re:Mean Bean Machine? (Score:2)