Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length

 
Advanced search

1411279 Posts in 69323 Topics- by 58380 Members - Latest Member: bob1029

March 28, 2024, 03:42:26 PM

Need hosting? Check out Digital Ocean
(more details in this thread)
TIGSource ForumsDeveloperPlaytestingGame Name Clinic - I will rate your game's name
Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 ... 155
Print
Author Topic: Game Name Clinic - I will rate your game's name  (Read 612201 times)
Pacian
Text Heavy
Level 4
*



View Profile WWW
« Reply #60 on: November 23, 2007, 05:10:00 AM »

Instead I'd have called it "Inspector Lex".

Logged

(\ /)
(O.o) - Achtung, baby!
(> <)
moi
Level 10
*****


DILF SANTA


View Profile WWW
« Reply #61 on: November 23, 2007, 07:49:59 AM »

It's dark browninsh.
Logged

subsystems   subsystems   subsystems
Stij
Level 3
***

the world's tallest dwarf


View Profile
« Reply #62 on: November 23, 2007, 08:51:52 PM »

If I may offer another general point:
If a title doesn't tell you anything about the game, you may as well not have a title.

bu bu but you said Tetris already has a good name. Ah....HA!
Ooh, burn.

And just so this post has something worthwhile: Benzido, how would you rate your own name?
Logged
Bennett
Jinky Jonky and the Spell of the Advergamez 3
Level 10
*



View Profile
« Reply #63 on: November 23, 2007, 08:58:00 PM »

bu bu but you said Tetris already has a good name. Ah....HA!
Ooh, burn.

That's not a burn. Like Seth pointed out, the name 'Tetris' encapsulates the four-block premise of the game. It tells you something about the game. It's short, it's unique, it sounds cool, and it is easy to search for on Google. It's a totally powerful name.

Quote
Benzido, how would you rate your own name?

Ok, like I said, I think the point of a pseudonym is not the same as the point of a game's name, so I don't want to muddy the water too much by evaluating people's names.

I think I lucked in with a good name for my game, 'Too Many Ninjas'. It drew probably 100x more attention than it deserved, because the title is a shock. Surely there can't be too many ninjas?!
Logged
Stij
Level 3
***

the world's tallest dwarf


View Profile
« Reply #64 on: November 23, 2007, 09:04:52 PM »

bu bu but you said Tetris already has a good name. Ah....HA!
Ooh, burn.

That's not a burn. Like Seth pointed out, the name 'Tetris' encapsulates the four-block premise of the game. It tells you something about the game. It's short, it's unique, it sounds cool, and it is easy to search for on Google. It's a totally powerful name.
Er, isn't tetra- the prefix for three and not four?

That being said, I don't think the average (male in his teens/early twenties) gamer is going to know the meaning behind Tetris anyway. It's just a catchy name.

Also, how do you explain, say, Gish? Or Qbert? Those names mean nothing and yet the games behind them were still successful.

Sorry, I'm just being argumentative today. Tongue
Logged
Bennett
Jinky Jonky and the Spell of the Advergamez 3
Level 10
*



View Profile
« Reply #65 on: November 23, 2007, 09:11:19 PM »

Er, isn't tetra- the prefix for three and not four?


No, you're thinking of 'tri'.

Quote
I don't think the average (male in his teens/early twenties) gamer is going to know the meaning behind Tetris anyway.

I agree, but I don't think it matters too much. Even if you don't know that 'tetra' means four, you still have encountered a lot of words in your life which feature the word. Tetraplegic. Tetrahedron. Tetralogy. etc.

Quote
Also, how do you explain, say, Gish? Or Qbert?


Ok, Q-bert. As in, 'Cube - bert'. Because he jumps all over cubes. It totally makes sense.

And Gish? I haven't played it, but I assume it's an onomatopoeia for the sound a tar blob makes as it rolls around. Perhaps the author can jump in here and enlighten us.
Logged
Stij
Level 3
***

the world's tallest dwarf


View Profile
« Reply #66 on: November 23, 2007, 09:16:30 PM »

Okay, how about...Platypus? : D

Or *shudder* Zuma?
Logged
Bennett
Jinky Jonky and the Spell of the Advergamez 3
Level 10
*



View Profile
« Reply #67 on: November 23, 2007, 09:42:25 PM »

Okay, how about...Platypus? : D

Either the developer thought the spaceship looked like a platypus, or they were just fans of Australian monotremes. Perhaps it would have done better if it had a better name.

Quote
Or *shudder* Zuma?

Zuma is a contraction of Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. You may have noticed the game's Aztec graphical theme. Zuma isn't popular because it has a good name though, it's popular because it's as addictive as crack not even remotely as pleasurable.

« Last Edit: November 23, 2007, 10:12:35 PM by Benzido » Logged
jankoM
Level 0
***


Beat around the bushes


View Profile WWW
« Reply #68 on: November 24, 2007, 03:02:26 PM »

I need a better name for one game urgently I think... or at least someone to tell me that current one is stupid because I think it is but am not sure...

But don't laugh  Roll Eyes

Winter Break & Catch

Here is the game ... it was released last winter ... a little cheezy texts I know.

http://www.bravekidgames.com/winter_break_catch/



I intend to release a 2007 version this year but I suspect a different name would be better. What do you think?

It's a freeware

janko
Logged

Stij
Level 3
***

the world's tallest dwarf


View Profile
« Reply #69 on: November 24, 2007, 05:24:37 PM »

Okay, how about...Platypus? : D

Either the developer thought the spaceship looked like a platypus, or they were just fans of Australian monotremes. Perhaps it would have done better if it had a better name.

Quote
Or *shudder* Zuma?

Zuma is a contraction of Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. You may have noticed the game's Aztec graphical theme. Zuma isn't popular because it has a good name though, it's popular because it's as addictive as crack not even remotely as pleasurable.
Well played. : D

How about n? Or just about every shump title out there? (R-Type, Every Extend, Gradius, etc.)
Logged
Bennett
Jinky Jonky and the Spell of the Advergamez 3
Level 10
*



View Profile
« Reply #70 on: November 24, 2007, 09:07:15 PM »

Quote from: jankoM
Winter Break & Catch

Yeah that's not very good. You're onto a good thing with the holiday theme though - I guess about a bajillion people played 'Winterbells' last Christmas on orisinal.com.

First of all, a little marketing point. Make the online version the more dominant one in the sequel. Far, far more people play games in browsers than not-in-browsers.

Now, it's not actually a breakout game, even though there is a ball and a bat, you're not breaking through anything. You're dislodging presents. I will give you two options for your updated version:

1) Rejig the graphics to support a more compelling name. You could have it so you are knocking presents and decorations off a tree rather than out of mid-air. You would name it:

"How I stole Christmas"

2) Call it something that tells you the game itself is a Christmas present. "Game Over to One and All". No wait, that sounds a bit too threatening, and may attract the interest of the police. Forget it and go with my first suggestion.



How about n? Or just about every shump title out there? (R-Type, Every Extend, Gradius, etc.)

N is a minimalist game about a ninja. Every Extend Extra tells you right away that it's a game about building massive scores using combos (I assume - I haven't read a review or played it).

I'm not going to kid you - many Japanese-developed games such as R-Types and Gradius are named as they are because a Japanese man thought the name sounded cool. This coolness doesn't always translate into English, although sometimes a name which is merely blah in Japanese can be really cool in English just because it's Japanese.

Having said that, 'R-Type' plays off the aeronautics and automotive industry's naming schedule for experimental vehicles (e.g. Jaguar's 'X-type').

As for Gradius, my guess is that like a lot of Japanese titles, it's a portmanteau of two English words: perhaps, 'gradient' and 'radius'. The best other example of this I can think of is "Viewtiful Joe" (the manual helpfully explained that 'Viewtiful' means 'Beautiful View'). Regardless of what the Viewtiful Joe manual says, these word mixtures are usually meaningless.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2007, 09:13:34 PM by Benzido » Logged
Golds
Loves Juno
Level 10
*


Juno sucks


View Profile WWW
« Reply #71 on: November 25, 2007, 01:00:23 AM »

"standard bits" is only the best I could come up with, and I agree that 'standard' maybe isn't the most intriguing adjective for a game.

I took the name from StdBits(), which was the low-level pixel blitter in classic Mac OS.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2007, 02:12:26 AM by Golds » Logged

@doomlaser, mark johns
jeb
Level 5
*****


Bling bling


View Profile WWW
« Reply #72 on: November 25, 2007, 04:07:26 AM »

On the topic whether names are important to commercial success or not:

Compare "Space Giraffe" to "Frogger". If you didn't know anything about the games, which one would you check out first?

I personally feel that "Space Giraffe" is a horrible name for a game. It makes fun of the game, conveying the feeling of "this is a hobbyist game for my friends" more than "this is a great arcade game".
Logged

Golds
Loves Juno
Level 10
*


Juno sucks


View Profile WWW
« Reply #73 on: November 25, 2007, 04:26:27 AM »

I personally feel that "Space Giraffe" is a horrible name for a game. It makes fun of the game, conveying the feeling of "this is a hobbyist game for my friends" more than "this is a great arcade game".

Perhaps Llamasoft just doesn't have a flair for names... 'Tempest 2000' and 'Defender 2000' are not the most inspired of titles, but are fantastic games.  However you might make a case for 'Attack of the Mutant Camels' and 'Mama Llama'.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2007, 04:37:19 AM by Golds » Logged

@doomlaser, mark johns
Bennett
Jinky Jonky and the Spell of the Advergamez 3
Level 10
*



View Profile
« Reply #74 on: November 25, 2007, 10:29:27 AM »

Compare "Space Giraffe" to "Frogger". If you didn't know anything about the games, which one would you check out first?

I TOTALLY agree. I really want to say this to Minter, but he seems too down about the whole thing right now to want to hear marketing advice from random strangers.

It's as if he thinks the name of the game is totally irrelevant. But my heart sunk when I saw he was calling his game 'space giraffe'. For one thing, it doesn't even feature a recognizable giraffe. And as you say, it makes the game sound amateurish and silly. It's the title you'd give to a five-minute spoof game.

The game which is conjured up by the name 'Space Giraffe' is a remake of Space invaders where the player a giraffe that flings poo up at slowly descending fruit.

Given that (from what I hear) the game can't be enjoyed unless you take it seriously and invest some time into getting the hang of it, the name is totally crucial.

I get that he feels like it's his trademark to name everything after a hoofed animal, but at this point it's not a recognizable mark to the target audience. Well anyway, GridRunner (his next remake) is a much better name, and no doubt it will sell a few copies on XBLA.
Logged
Tr00jg
Guest
« Reply #75 on: November 25, 2007, 11:40:20 AM »

Meh... I dunno. I would personally choose "Space Giraffe". It sounds way more interesting... but maybe that's just me.
Logged
Stij
Level 3
***

the world's tallest dwarf


View Profile
« Reply #76 on: November 25, 2007, 11:42:09 AM »

Okay, yeah, I guess you're right, Benzido.

Also, you were the guy who made Too Many Ninjas? I had no idea!
Logged
Xion
Pixelhead
Level 10
******



View Profile WWW
« Reply #77 on: November 25, 2007, 01:14:03 PM »

"The Castle of Evil"
Logged

oliv
Level 0
**

money makin' disco breakin'


View Profile WWW
« Reply #78 on: November 25, 2007, 02:52:33 PM »

#1


Names:
AKTUN PAK or ACTION PACK are what I'm currently thinking about.  The all caps is important.  If there were a level above all caps I'd be using that.

It's about being a badass supersonic cyborg and shooting the shit out of supersonic robots.

#2






(lots of screen cause I want to show off :p)
Names:
Depths of Khrion, Tales of Khrion, Tragedy of Krion, Cave Story Rip-Off,

It's about Blaine England (hero) rescuing his wife who was captured by a Krakken.  He goes underwater and discovers a huge world in peril under the sea.  He has to save it, obviously.  The setting is supposed to be very aquatic in flavor and appearance.  I think Khrion has a semi fantasy-aquatic feel, so yeah.
Logged

Zaphos
Guest
« Reply #79 on: November 25, 2007, 06:19:42 PM »

Just thought this was an interesting / vaguely relevant thing to see, especially in wondering why some commercial games have the names they have: in an interview John Carmack said ...
Quote
Trademarking game names is a far bigger deal than most people give it credit. It’s amazingly frustrating. You can have a page of names and then have them come back and say none of those are okay.

The old story was that Quake II which has nothing to do with Quake I was going to be a completely different name, but we got fed up with getting the names rejected so we said, “Dammit, it’s Quake II. We own that trademark.”
Logged
Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 ... 155
Print
Jump to:  

Theme orange-lt created by panic