The Rise and Fall of Video Game Titles | Semi-Ramblomatic

It's about time we had a little refresher on how to title a game. As the year draws to a close and I go over the usual shower of bastards that were this year's releases, the sheer soporific blandness of a title like "Lords of the Fallen" really stands out. What is it with all the rising and falling these days?
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[@danielcalabrese5769]

While I agree that pery 2017 has a bad title I strongly disagree with your statement that it is mediocre or forgettable. It is by far one of the best immersive sims ever made, if you are not a fan of immersive sims then I can understand your statement and obviously immersive sims are not your thing but to the handful of us who do like them prey is right up there, the sheer amount of options available to the player when confronted with an obstacles is just unbelievable and would of taken alot of time and thought to bring to life. The title however is really dumb.

[@YuzuDrink]

@@danielcalabrese5769 Prey would have been, IMO, a much better game had I not gone in expecting _literally any_ connection at all to the original, which is one of my all-time favorite gaming memories. Had it been named more like, "Bioshock: Starbase" or something, I wouldn't have been forced to fight the urge to be constantly comparing it to my memory of the original Prey, which completely blew my young mind.

[@danielcalabrese5769]

@@YuzuDrink I hear what you are saying but it was easy enough to find out that it was not a sequel to the original which I have just but looking for any info about the game before buying it. I knew about the original game and when I was interested in the 2017 prey I looked it up to see if I liked the look of it and I quickly learned that the name had nothing to do the the original prey, once I knew that I didn't have a problem separating the two games from each other and never once thought about the old prey game while playing prey 2017. I still think that it was a mistake to name it prey but I personally don't care too much about a games name once I'm playing it I'm in that world and I decided if I like and enjoy being in that world with its rules and I really enjoyed it and was blown away by the sheer amount of choices we have with all the different powers and abilities.

[@boxhead6177]

@@danielcalabrese5769 In Games media, it was forgettable, cause they didn't see it... Bethesda refused to give out review copies at the time.

[@danielcalabrese5769]

@@boxhead6177 hahaha nice one mate and it does make sense because most of them wouldn't bother playing after release because that means that they couldn't be one of the first to upload a review lol

[@DivineRainor]

The Rise and Fall of titles: Revengence would have been funny.

[@negative6442]

That's if he decides to make a video on how to make a good title :D

[@artheus5069]

this totally needs to be the tittle if he makes a part two, dear god

[@IsiahTomas]

Ot just Leonard Part 6.

[@darwinsdummy]

The title was already that joke, just the smallest bit more subtle since Rise and Fall are both part of the generic word lists he harped on.

[@MindOfGenius]

@@IsiahTomas That's a hilarious name for a game. "What about the previous 5 parts?" "WHO CARES?!?!"

[@Bedinsis]

I suspect the AC initials might be a combination of: 1. Titles starting with "A" gets sorted first in listings leading to increased awareness. 2. There are lots of words starting with "C".

[@simplysmiley4670]

Yup.

[@Dryish]

Just waiting for someone to take the absolute piss of this logic and produce the aptly named game: A Cock.

[@Jedi_Vigilante]

Had a friend who's first name started with Aa (Aaron) and last name started with Zy... he was always either first or last in every alphabetical attendance roll call lol

[@josephattwell1006]

The “title things by A” trick has been long abused. Back in the days of phone books, Steve Jobs gave his company the name “Apple” so it appeared above the company he quit, Atari.

[@ashb7]

Amazing Catch!

[@jamesbevan9939]

I'd like to propose a community challenge inspired by Yahtzee's fourth rule - make a generic game title using the words from his list, but pitch a concept you would never expect from its name. For example: Guardians of Light - a game where you play a security guard defending a novelty lamp store from thieves.

[@magikaru]

Age of Ancients - a simple browser game where you guess the age of an old person based on a photo

[@pierssegal5910]

Chaos of the Lords. A political simulator set in the House of Lords (the UK's closest analogue to the US Senate.)

[@COMMISSAR_CHIABUS_CHODE]

fall of the fallen - an action adventure where you go about pushing paraplegics out of wheelchairs

[@kindoflame]

Curse of Infinite - You are in a boring college math lecture and need to entertain yourself without getting caught by the teacher.

[@Stobe_]

Chronicles of Darkness: A pre-computer era guy trying to make his tax report during a blackout. And it's sequel Chronicles of Darkness: Revelations where it's revealed that the blackout is due to him forgetting to pay the electric bill

[@SneedEnthusiast]

The funny (and tragic) thing about Prey 2017 was that the game's director came out recently and said he never wanted it to be called Prey and felt it was disrespectful to feel like their game needed to be tied to an existing IP. I truly believe that Bethesda chose to go with the name Prey entirely to spite Human Head Studios, who were working on Prey 2, an actual sequel to the original game (it went in a completely different direction to the original but had the main character from the first character in a supporting role), before Bethesda tried to forcefully acquire Human Head. When they refused, Bethesda set unreasonable deadlines and essentially tried to bankrupt the studio until they were forced to agree to the acquisition, and when they didn't, they cancelled it. Bethesda continues to deny this and argues it simply "wasn't up to their standards", which is laughable given the state some of their games launch in.

[@eneco3965]

True reality

[@minmaxxer]

prey 2 never coming out was an absolute travesty given i've always felt that prey 2006 was actually a really good game with some super inventive stuff for its time

[@ericvcod2133]

Where did you get that from? I'm pretty sure the director explained the use of the name in the NoClip documentary. Basically he needed a name, and someone at Bethesda suggested they could use the Prey name and he was like: "sounds cool let's use that". Feels like it was more out of convenience than anything else.

[@SneedEnthusiast]

I was wrong about it wanting to be called Neuroshock, but there's no doubt that Raphaël Colantonio, the game director, hated the name

[@Fourtytwo4242]

sounds kinda like what they did to obsidian, insane deadlines, unfair deals, almost bankrupts the company.

[@JF-um3wz]

I think something like “Professor Layton and the Curious Village” works even without a promised sequel because it harkens to a mystery novel, which suits it well.

[@hyperon_ion9423]

That’s my thought as well. You use a subtitle when you want to describe a major secondary component, a “sub component” if you will, of your game that isn’t as important as the main theme, such as the main character or the setting, but is still a critical part of the game that would drastically change it if it was removed.

[@jalpat2272]

its Detective puzzle games for ten years old, the tittle should be clear and non offensive like "Professor Layton and the Kiddy diddlers Village"

[@Kaunte]

It's certainly better than "Professor Layton: Curious Village"

[@hyperon_ion9423]

@@Kaunte That's the other part I think. For some reason lots of developers avoid using the word "and" like the plague. No clue why.

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

Ori and the Blind Forest is another example, because you'd have a hard time selling that game solely on the title "Ori". Or even just "The Blind Forest". It's about the adventures of someone called Ori, in a forest that needs a guide dog. Simple.

[@Problematist]

Symphony of the Night would be a banger name for a dog. If dogs had better comprehension of language it would definitely be a constant conversation starter rather than being embarassing.

[@ObadiahtheSlim]

His dad's name, Rondo of Blood, also had a nice ring to it.

[@SimuLord]

Just wait until you meet Hideo Kojima's dog Snake Eater.

[@Ryuchitoran]

Just call him Symp for short, no problem.

[@ichijofestival2576]

​@@ObadiahtheSlim I am now genuinely curious if you can give your child the middle name "Of."

[@ObadiahtheSlim]

@@ichijofestival2576 Well not with that attitude. :D

[@cogspace]

I have never played Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, but I still think about it on a regular basis. A+ title right there.

[@The_Viktor_Reznov]

Yeah, no joke, the title is very brain wormy. Like, what do you _mean_ "a machine for pigs"? Do... Do I want to know?

[@MechWomanWarrior15]

​@@The_Viktor_Reznov If you don't like stuff that's disturbing, probably not.

[@xolotltolox7626]

Well, you shouldn't really play it, as it isn't very good. Amnesia has never reached the heights of the first game again

[@gmailisaretard]

I am too much of a chicken shit after trying Dark Decent and getting actually pretty far into it. But I do think they are quality games!

[@DrBluefall]

@@xolotltolox7626 Disagree; Amnesia: The Bunker goes pretty damn hard in its own right, with horror capacity comparable to The Dark Descent.

[@AntiVectorTV]

"That terrible brief window in the early 2000's when black trenchcoats were trendy" said Yahtzee, pretending we don't have records of him being totally into that shit.

[@0ctopusComp1etely]

He did say that right after stating The Matrix had a lot to answer for... EXCEPT that. He knows who he is.

[@AgentParsec]

Regarding #2, sometimes you HAVE to add a subtitle. In the case of Slender, for example, I got contacted by someone who had a trademark on the name "Slender" as a software title, so I had to add "The Eight Pages" to differentiate it (because realistically someone might confuse a horror game for a software tool design to save space or whatever).

[@danilooliveira6580]

that is true, we have a limited number of words in the world.

[@Booksds]

It’s always interesting to see a game dev’s take in the comments!

[@user-sv8nf1ve9m]

That game is a classic, so simple yet so good and fun. Hats off for you.

[@hoodiesticks]

This excuse is less applicable for big AAA publishers who can afford lawyers. Blizzard got into some legal trouble with Overwatch because another company was using that name. If they had given up and stuck a subtitle after Overwatch rather than lawyering up, the game would've been much less memorable.

[@gabrote42]

Thank you for your creation!

[@Copeharder00]

“Looks out of window” OVERCAST: God rays of the sun “Perfect”

[@Saefogeo]

I have just read that the titles for the two first DLCs for Final Fantasy XVI are going to be: - Echoes of the Fallen - The rising Tide What an Astounding Coincidence.

[@TomBombadil515]

I see what you did there, actual communist.

[@FFKonoko]

It comes to mind that Matrix 2.0 would have been a perfect sequel title. Its standard numbering, but with some computer themed flair. And arguably suggests the idea of multiple in universe functioning matrixes, which is good to prime people for

[@scbtripwire]

That would have been nixed by idiot publishers almost certainly (I don't know why, just because they're dumb). The original Matrix movie was supposed to have the humans being used as extra CPUs for more processing of the titular Matrix, which made sense. The publishers forced them to dumb it down because they think so little of their audience, resulting in people being used as batteries instead in the final movie, which, I mean, wtf?

[@kuroineko6440]

I am so sucked in to Second Wind. Never seen any of the other formats than zero punctuation but now I am watching every video that comes out! I am so happy this happened 😁

[@SecondWindGroup]

Glad you're enjoying! We've still got a lot more on the way too!

[@IIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllll]

@@SecondWindGroup Are you teasing Second Wind: Revelations?

[@SecondWindGroup]

More like Second Wind: All Deez Nuts@@IIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllll

[@janosd4nuke]

Yeah, Yahtzee was singlehandedly keeping The Escapist alive for a while until Nick came along and started to push the envelope even harder. I managed to develop a severe Cold Take addiction too before the wings of their exodus parted the red sea of corporate BS. Now on Second Wind I try to catch everything they do.

[@IIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllll]

@@SecondWindGroup I guess that title does make you interested in what nuts you are talking about. Should be a fine title by yahtzee's standards.

[@HiddenGemsReviews]

Another crowning achievement, Croshaw! A complimentary and creative answer concerning asynchronous credits!

[@SapphireDragon357]

Acutely cryptic and circumspect.

[@Wandergirl108]

It took me a minute to realize how beautiful this comment is. Well wrought! XD

[@digitaljanus]

🤌

[@spiderjerusalem8505]

How

[@JustSomeRandomIdiot]

aye, cool

[@Herrikias]

I always liked the longer, poetic titles along the lines of A Mind Forever Voyaging. Gods Will Be Watching, Every Day the Same Dream, and The Static Speaks My Name have stuck with me simply for how beautiful their titles are to me.

[@robertbernard7844]

As an anime fan (and social loser by default), NO. We don't need any more long titles. Maybe 5 words max like the titles you gave as examples, but that's it. I'm so sick of people putting the entire synopsis of their thing as the title.

[@danielhay4737]

I still haven't gotten around to playing Where The Water Tastes Like Wine, but fuck me its a great title!

[@shogunblade]

The one that has always stuck in my mind is "I have No Mouth and I must Scream", which I'm aware is a short story before becoming a game, but if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

[@normalgraham]

​@@shogunbladeI Had A Comment But You Beat Me To It And I Must Scream

[@lolavale]

I’ve dearly missed Yatzhee screaming profanity at me through the screen. It’s like being welcomed by an old friend for tea.

[@user-eb3wo9yu8d]

Titanfall is an objectively cool title though. The titular titan literally falls down from the sky. And it’s awesome every time.

[@danielsteffee7957]

And I'd add Deadrising as well. The fact that what's rising is something that should never rise is what makes it work, imo. But I agree with the rest of Yahtzee's mentions

[@johnnamkeh1290]

Yeah and at least they use it in the game. ''10 seconds to Titanfall''.

[@SuperDomochan]

maybe it was a time where it wasn't so cliché, nowadays everything is pretty much the same. Marketing has its hands on everything so whatever resonates with consumers will be used, to the detriment of creativity, shock or amazement.

[@ashb7]

Yeah Titanfall gets an automatic pass, on grounds of the title being super relevant, and also the act of Titanfall being cool as fuck

[@HA-ot6uf]

Titanfall and Downwell get a pass since the Titans do indeed fall and the Downwell guy does indeed go down a well.

[@IAmTheAce5]

I like those old-timey titles that portrayed serialized pulpy adventures, like so: [Hero name] and the Order of Battle [Hero name] and the Scourge of Iron [Hero name] and the Rage of Thunder

[@blarg2429]

[Hero name] and the Name of the Hero

[@Ch4pp13]

Another thing to add could be "don't name your game close to something else". For a while I kept mixing up Outer Wilds, a game basically everyone loves, and Outer Worlds which I struggle to describe other than "Rick Sanchez lashes out at late-stage capitalism, in space".

[@philnova2580]

We need a general “no homophones” rule! Chants of Sennaar is a terrible name for several reasons, not least that “chants” is a less common word than “chance”. Then you throw in a hard to spell nonsense word right after. Good luck trying to recommend this game to anyone without having to write it down.

[@FrostedCreations]

@@philnova2580 It's not really nonsense though, it's a reference, it's the Greek version of the ancient name of a real world place: babel. As in, the mythical tower of babel, where all languages were created and what the game is very obviously based on. They probably didn't want to call it "Chants of Babel" to avoid the explicit biblical reference. Or maybe they did just think "Sennaar" sounded cooler. "Chants" is a completely different word than "chance" so I'm not really sure what your point is there. It also has a different context than "songs", referring to religious or spiritual sounds. I'm not arguging it's a great name, but I also don't think it's fair to call it "terrible".

[@nykcarnsew2238]

Didn’t those come out within a month of each other? I don’t think you can really hold it against either of them

[@mykaruest3620]

I mean, how are you supposed to know what everyone else on the planet is doing?

[@mrdaym]

I can't do nothing but stand in awe in front of a person who's been so disappointed so many times by a medium he loves that he can still muster up the will to still be actually disappointed.

[@SimuLord]

I am a strong believer in "Exactly what it says on the tin" titles. My Time at Portia and its sequel My Time at Sandrock are about places called Portia and Sandrock and your time there. Dave the Diver is about a diver named Dave. And on television, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a show in the Star Trek universe set on a space station called Deep Space Nine. And if there's some ambiguity about what exactly is in the tin you're establishing that your title is exactly what it says on, don't forget that a picture is worth a thousand words and there is still such a thing as box art even on Steam. See Stardew Valley. It's about a place called Stardew Valley, and the art establishes pretty clearly that you have a farm there.

[@LordShrub]

Do I need to watch Deep Space 1-8 before 9? 🤣

[@hafuketo9458]

You might like Myst

[@cattysplat]

Star Trek: The Next Generation probably sounded cool in it's day, but now seems very dated 30 years later.

[@SimuLord]

@@cattysplat Anything that implies novelty in its time is going to age like milk as a title (if not as a show.) See also Saved by the Bell: The New Class (and DeGrassi: The Next Generation in the same subgenre.)

[@pierssegal5910]

I can't get over my feeling that they should be called "My Time IN Portia/Sandrock" and that the "at" is deeply wrong. You'd maybe say "during my time at Yale" but you wouldn't say "during my time at America" (I even had the little blue grammar checker pop up trying to convince me to change the second one to "in America".)

[@manigoldo8736]

I got a chill down my spine when I heard the word "Chronicles", during the 2000s EVERY game was called "The Chronicles of my Aunt" or "Project Dimwit", thank you Yahtzee for putting into words my frustration with videogame titles!

[@hafuketo9458]

Its like when an artist comes out with a new song named "One", "Angel", "Hero" or "Crazy".

[@cyberen]

The Neverhood Chronicles

[@MetalDragon199]

Sega just announced "Metaphor: ReFantazio". Someone should send them this video

[@TSDT]

Did NOT expect a mention of the Infocom classic "A Mind Forever Voyaging" but here it is. For the uninitiated, it was a terribly underrated text adventure where you play a sentient AI tasked with seeing the results of a Reagan expy's socioeconomic plans. As opposed to other Infocom games such as Zork, it's less a puzzler and more of an interactive scifi novel where you witness the country fall into disarray. Well worth checking out.

[@GuardsmanSmog]

I enjoy the sections where it's just clearly Yahtzee decing to play around with his writing a bit just to see if he can. It's Appeals Creatively to my Aimless Conscience.

[@SimuLord]

Amazing coincidence that Yahtzee's artful cockabout struck me as equally amusingly comical.

[@Unknown-jt1jo]

Artfully crafted!

[@Ceece20]

Arguably Coincidental

[@afriend1743]

I'm A Cunt

[@thescrewfly]

Absolute Croshaw

[@mushuwu]

5:14 Age of the Ancients: Infinity would actually be a pretty funny title. It looks like a person answering their own question. "Hey, what's the age of your average ancient? Idk probably infinity."

[@SimuLord]

The old Grecian urn joke repurposed.

[@iantaakalla8180]

Age of the Ancients: Infinity sounds like a cool god-killing game. It brings to mind stagnant gods that are only worshipped because they live forever, and therefore you have to kill them.

[@DanGamingFan2846]

All those years of Yahtzee dry heaving in place of a colon and REminding us how words with "RE" on the front have lost all meaning have lead to this. And while feel there are some exceptions to some of these, (e.g. God of War is a cool, catchy title, despite breaking rule #4,) in general, I really wish publishers would take these rules to heart.

[@watershipup7101]

Very much agreed

[@waterbullstudios9195]

God of War is a pretty good dog name too.

[@garnetbird7557]

Good times, good times.

[@Unknown-jt1jo]

It sounds like he's going to retire that dry-heaving gag, which makes me a little sad. It was one of my favorite ZP gags.

[@Frapsity]

I feel like God of War gets a pass for several reasons: 1) GoW was a franchise long before the "blank of blank" became a tired, overused trope. 2) God of War as a reference to something was already a thing (i.e. Mars is the Roman God of War). "Guardian of the Ancients" or "Chronicles of Ancients" or "Fall of Light" might sound cool but are so generic and forgettable because they don't have any intrinsic meaning.

[@jonathalon6022]

I've always maintained that "Cruelty Squad" is the best video game title that I am aware of. The juxtaposition between the emotion of cruelty and the coldness of squad basically made me buy the game on name alone. Such a great name.

[@Xenomorthian]

Good point

[@iantaakalla8180]

Cruelty Squad is also seemingly random. Like the videogame itself. You sort of know the vibes of the game when you hear the phrase “Cruelty Squad”. Random, wanton killing in a meaningless, goal-oriented world.

[@cassun603]

I feel like Lethal Company has the same vibe, namewise. Idk what either game is about, but I want them

[@nekro5342]

@@cassun603 lethal company is great with a group. and the name describes the game perfectly.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

5:28 Imagine a roguelike that uses this method in-game to retitle itself every time that you launch it or return to the title screen. Steam Page just says it's called "Don't #4".

[@sofer2230]

"Shadow of Darkness" and "Fall of Fallen" are the Moon Moon of roguelike games.

[@Kumimono]

@@sofer2230 Sequel to Rise of the Risen?

[@ObadiahtheSlim]

Dwarf Fortress kinda does that. No clue if it still does because i've not paid attention. However it sometimes had a random subtitle on the main menu. Often it was the official "Slaves of Armok," and other times it would be something like "Histories of [GREED] and [STUBBORNNESS]

[@Dr.Death8520]

Didn't the Stanley Parable Deluxe dip into this idea by the end of the dlc loop?

[@MrRudiMentary]

@@ObadiahtheSlim Lol it's "Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress - Histories of X and Y" where X and Y are randomised :D

[@R4yj4ck]

I don’t know Yahtzee, Fall of the Fallen sounds like a great mind-bending mystery. What happens to them at the end you think? You’ll never see it coming.

[@SapphireDragon357]

Would that make Rise of the Risen a prequel or sequel?

[@gutsmasterson2488]

We can’t forget elevation of the ascended also.

[@barleysixseventwo6665]

I prefer the interquel, _Stagnation of the Inchanging_ personally

[@ravensshade]

i dunno i prefer fall of the risen. or possibly rise of the fallen risen

[@Unknown-jt1jo]

How about "Fall of the Fallen: Regurgitated"?

[@rrrrthats4rs]

Disco Elysium is the all time champ for great video game names because you think it's utterly meaningless (but kind of interesting) on first glance, and then you play it and it's actually *deeply* meaningful both in it's intended reading (Learn "Elysium", the world of the game) and in the implied meaning (Disco Heaven, an inversion of Disco Inferno, a restoration of hope in the futile project to make the world a better place)

[@williamfaber1506]

Robert Kurvitz talked in a GameSpot interview about naming Disco Elysium, and he boiled down a lot of Yahtzee's advice to simply: "I wanted it to be two to three words and for it to be the only thing that comes up when you google it." With that criteria, 'Disco Elysium' beats the pants off 'No Truce With The Furies', its original title

[@ashb7]

​@@williamfaber1506yeah, the SEO component is SUCH a good point. Dunno why AAA publishing studios don't consider it a lot of the time, indie studios seem a lot more conscious of it in comparison.

[@rrrrthats4rs]

No Truce With The Furies is *Such* a cool name but you're absolutely right. Disco Elysium is much more singular@@williamfaber1506

[@Robert399]

Yes, it's both a sort of meditative afterlife for the main character and a sort of afterlife of the Disco movement itself now that it's just a nostalgic memory of tired, middle-aged people who've moved on in life.

[@KingOfElectricNinjas]

Actual Communists!?

[@monstergenome7566]

I think a corollary to number 5 is that you should avoid naming a fictional work (video game or otherwise) after a person or location that is specific to the franchise. Big names like Skyrim and Baldur’s Gate can eek by because they’re not particularly weird names, but the number of fantasy games and novels I bounce off of because they’re called something like “armies of Agarundiamalus” or “Siltspireshireton rebellion” or “Darmongumini’s revenge upon kaldorphgrad” is too high to bother keeping track.

[@lucasLSD]

It also helps that Skyrim is actually called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, we just shortened it, which says it's a new location from this popular franchise, if there are 5 games people must love them. But they did have balls to call their first game Elder Scrolls: Arena

[@cyansuy3062]

Good to know that abbreviation titles followed by what the abbreviation was abbreviating is not a faux pas of titling video games, ie. FTL: Faster than light or BPM: Bullets per minute. Was half expecting that one to get brought up

[@EcthelonEvendil]

Funny that you brought up the matrix sequels. I remember being confused when I first got told what they actually were because I'd seen the DVDs sitting on my Dad's shelf growing up and always assumed that Matrix "Reloaded" must have been some special edition of the first and therefore "revalations" probably was as well.

[@TheKhamuhl]

Also funny because in the context of the plot of the movies the Matrix (as in the VR thingy all the humanity is plugged in) DOES get reloaded... in "Matrix: Revolutions." No reloading happens in "Matrix: Reloaded" :) And there is no revolution in "Matrix: Revolutions." Only the "Matrix: Resurrections" has a title that is related to the happenings of that particular movie's plot.

[@EcthelonEvendil]

@TheKhamuhl Very true. I've just realised I accidentally made up "Revalations" but I suppose that's pretty telling in of itself hahaha

[@IndiBrony]

5:10 - Me: ...."Age of Chaos!" 6:52 - Yahtzee: Don't use A.C.!

[@teabot9398]

That ending was a masterclass of allitération

[@roboslacker5593]

On of my all time favorite titles is Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy (WW2 histories): An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle, and The Guns as Last Light. I really love the temporal progression through the names

[@Booksds]

Halo: Combat Evolved always comes to mind for first-entry subtitles. Apparently Bungie had wanted to just call it “Halo” but the Microsoft marketing dept. didn’t think an angel headpiece made sense as an FPS title. The “Combat Evolved” was tacked on as a compromise.

[@Pyrian]

And then everyone just called it Halo, anyway, at least until there were sequels that it needed to be distinguished from.

[@onceonly1111]

That's a weird one that gives me Mandela effect vibes because I mentally filtered out the 'Combat Evolved' part since HALO was so much larger on the cover. After that I don't think Halo 2 had a sub title.

[@TheJadedJames]

We all know what Halo is now. But I think adding the “combat evolved” was a good strategy for making sure it was obvious to the average person could that it was an action game

[@Ajbolt89]

"Like a snail traversing a trilby" has a really fun sound to it. It's musical almost lol

[@ghouliethousandtrouser2905]

Something that's always worked on me for whatever reason, is making the title sound slightly melancholic, with a grand but understated tone, like Vagrant Story, Vandal Hearts, Lost Odyssey. I've never even played a JRPG (unless you count the South Park game I s'pose 😆), but those titles have stuck in my head for 20 years or more. Beneath A Steel Sky is another good example, and in my opinion, that game can't live up to its' title. But when I try'n think of my favourites, I'm thinking Timesplitters, cos that's just fkn badass. And Quake. And DOOM. Turok. Duke Nukem. Thinking about it, oldschool shooters were great for titles that like, kick you in the face with how blunt they sound. Tom Clancy games usually had cool titles as well, but that might just be cos I'm a low-key cold war fetishist 😆

[@OneOfTheStorms]

Wow, thank you, Yahtzee! With your naming hints, I am sure the world will not overlook the splendor of my upcoming game, Apocalypse Cornathul: Curse of Chaos: Revelations (2024)!

[@DJChizzlesworth]

why did I hear the Bender from Futurama line "I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating" in Yahtzee's voice after watching this 🤣

[@quetzalthegamer]

Your point about "AC" games made my ears perk up, because I feel similarly about how some action film characters are named. "JB" for James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer. I don't know why this is so common for characters like these, but I thought it was amusing.

[@JustSomeRandomIdiot]

Kinda sounds like 'Ja-Bow!' if you say just the beginning half of their names together. Kinda like an action sound. Maybe that's why? It just 'sounds right' for a 'man of action'?

[@matthewmuir8884]

Wasn't that a joke in Kingsman? The protagonist names his dog "JB" and someone's first two guesses are James Bond and Jason Bourne before the protagonist says, "Jack Bauer".

[@quetzalthegamer]

@@matthewmuir8884 I'm not familiar with Kingsman, but that sounds pretty goddamn funny. Lol

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@quetzalthegamer I see. Kingsman is a hilarious spy action-comedy film that released back in 2015. Since then, it's had a sequel and a prequel; both of which have their problems, but the first film is definitely worth watching.

[@Medytacjusz]

I like the long titles like the aforementioned "A mind forever voyaging" or "I have no mouth but I must scream" (though the latter had it easy, given that it's an adaptation). "Do androids dream of electric sheep" was always a more memorable title than "Blade Runner". A more recent example of a game with a long one: "The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante". My interest is immediately piqued. Regarding colons, there's an actually good way to do it - UFO: Enemy Unknown is a great title because the part after the colon describes the word before the colon in an evocative way, there's logic to it so it it's not just a random pairing.

[@paulbennett2284]

Well done for calling it UFO and not X-COM as that was the original title.👍

[@xanderfulton3186]

This is good advice for any person making fiction and not just video games. And I really think that list one is rock solid. If you’re going to have a title with “Of” or “of the” in the middle you really need to give it some meaning. One of my favorite books is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and even that title, generic though it may be, rings with meaning. The same way Symphony of the Night does. I think he’s a bit harsh with Immortals of Aveum because I like it personally but it’s still really solid advice

[@silasisawesome]

On the note of Sanderson, he often uses made up compound works for his titles; Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, Warbraker, Dawnshard, Oathbringer, Edgedancer. These of course all mean something in the world of the books, but even just as a title I feel it works and is an interesting alternative to the tried and true "something of something". FFXIV's expansions so far also follow this scheme; Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, Endwalker, Dawntrail. These titles are snappy, evocative, memorable, and, lest we forget, pronouncable.

[@tharionthedragon3531]

Being a writer and an aspiring game creator that really struggles with naming stuff, this was a really cool and useful guide! Thanks, Second Wind!

[@elcidcrosby]

I like to watch Semi-Ramblomatic videos on 2x speed so they become fully ramblomatic

[@NuSpirit_]

I always knew something like this was bothering me in so many games but you put it into exact words I couldn't formulate. 100% on point you Amazing Contributor.

[@matasa7463]

Agreed. I found Armored Core 6 didn't need the subtitle. Also, now the expansion/sequel that usually comes after the first game of the generation will be confusing, since the subtitles usually are given to the follow up game.

[@echomjp]

AC6 was a sequel to the Armored Core series of games, so it having the name "Armored Core 6" fits well. But having a game called "Armored Core 6" without further context of the specifics when the last game came out ages ago and it isn't a direct sequel but a reinvention would be odd.

[@screwed8182]

Armoured Core had perfect reason to have the subtitle, because it is an installation to a long standing IP while still roll off the tongue easily and giving a brief view of the story the game is in

[@IIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllll]

The subtitle did make me curious about Fires of Rubicon and what they were and what role they will play in the game's story. I think that one works.

[@f14uubercat]

@@echomjp Armored Core games work off of generations. So take Armored Core 4, the sequel to that game is Armored Core For Answer. Armored Core V was followed up by Armored Core Verdict day. Armored Core 6 breaks the Armored Core naming conventions by giving the first game of the 6th generation a subtitle.

[@akmal94ibrahim]

Because it's a fromsoft title, I can't escape the thought that Fires of Rubicon is the AC6 GotY edition like The Fire Fades or Scholars of the First Sins

[@hickknight]

And that's one of the only times people will have heard of Astral Chain.

[@Dzztzt]

We have to stick together, they hunted us all down who know

[@scylla1772]

It looked interesting. What were the game's highlights? I still haven't quite forgotten it

[@hickknight]

@@scylla1772 mostly the combat and bgms. Loved those about the game. I should replay it. But from what I remember, there are two parts to it: an investigation part where you try to track the monsters or tears, and the action part, where you go from fight to fight. The most important thing is that you have a monstrous buddy with you. On a chain. Normally, they fight on their own, but you can force it to go somewhere with the right analog stick. Usingt hat with the chain allows you to bind monsters for a while to pummel them. For the rest, it's standard action game fare. Oh, and you have to press a button to tell them where to go. The game does explain that to you. Also, it's very anime. I don't remember if there were Japanese voice overs in the west. The dub isn't bad, but I was glad I chose booty shorts over sensible clothes.

[@DylanYoshi]

@@scylla1772 Its gameplay was solid and had some pretty cool ideas. Its story was very Evangelion-esque, which on its own I think can be pretty interesting. There's some pretty great music too. Despite the story having a lot going for it with an interesting world and some really cool ideas, a lot of it is brought down by how the main character is a silent protagonist. I'm not against silent protagonists if they're handled well (I think Atlus's games generally do silent protagonists pretty well), but here the character just feels awkward in just about every scene they're in. I get the feeling that they wanted this to be subversive, as the silent protagonist being good at everything does make another character jealous resulting in a series of horrible decisions being made, but I don't think that excuses the sloppy implementation of the protagonist. I don't think it's even that unique or subversive of an idea, either, Persona 3 did something similar over a decade before Astral Chain and it didn't come with any of the drawbacks. In any case, the protagonist feeling so disconnected is really my only MAJOR complaint about the game- I think I had fun with just about everything else. It's not one of Platinum's best, but I think it's worth playing if the idea of a Cyberpunk story that implements Jojo-esque stands into its gameplay sounds appealing to you. It definitely feels derivative of Evangelion, which sometimes works for it and sometimes doesn't, but overall it does make for a cool setting. I think it's worth giving a try, with the boring protagonist being the only thing I think detracts heavily.

[@jeffreymonsell659]

I remember being annoyed by the trailer for the game during a Nintendo Direct because I wanted Smash Bros news.

[@dvmpld9103]

And at this day I'm writing, Game Awards 2023 just announced God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla and Final Fantasy XVI Echoes of the Fallen & The Rising Tide. I think Yathzee is about to have a rage induced heart attack.

[@Vesperitis]

That illustration of the Bollocks Sandwich is exactly why Second Wind is a fan-funded venture. Also we need shirts and stickers of that diagram.

[@roboknobthesnob]

Finally Yahtzee got a chance to get all his gripes with videogame titles out of his system. It took a decade but all that repressed rage gave us one of his best videos to date Edit: uhhh finally got to see my name on the Patreon list. Probably the only way something with my handle will ever linked to a big number of views

[@nirast2561]

One of my comments was screenshotted in one of his Extra Punctuation videos (the one where he says he hasn't seen bugs in the new Saints Row, forgot what it was).

[@spiderjerusalem8505]

That edit :'(

[@StryveUK]

Relax, there's plenty of time for great swathes of people to gaze upon your roboknob with the proper admiration and wonder it truly deserves.

[@roboknobthesnob]

@@StryveUK these must be the weirdest words of encouragement I’ve ever received. Internet is truly a magical place

[@Beakerbite]

I doubt this is all of Yahtzee's gripes on titles, but merely what would fit into a punchy video. There's at least an hours worth of ranting in the barrel.

[@skyllalafey]

I always struggle to remember the name of Horizon Zero Dawn, because that name sounds like it would be for a first person shooter or similar; so I'd add to this list "Don't give your game a name that doesn't fit the genre you're going for"

[@jurtheorc8117]

It's definitely a lot less snappy than something like Darksiders. You play as four fellows usually associated with dark stuff and it's a dark fantasy universe.

[@Kumimono]

Wait, it's not part of the Forza Horizon series?

[@_furydance8890]

The name comes from -- spoilers alert -- the Zero Dawn Project in the universe. Its an very important story bit and I think the writer really want to keep that. The Horizon part tho I think they could drop that without too much loss of information.

[@CADClicker]

@@_furydance8890 Probably a bad idea to name a game something that requires intimate knowledge of that games universe to make sense. Especially if it's a new IP

[@Someguy1357]

@@CADClicker ... Halo

[@GGHF]

I just finished watching the Game Awards and Square Enix, no joke, literally just announced two expansions to Final Fantasy XVI. Their titles? Echoes of the FALLEN and The RISING Tide. You can't make this shit up...

[@weirdunclebob]

Love it, especially the AC stuff at the end. GGWP, Yahtz!

[@15oClock]

I'll assume Aristocrats of Cambalynn: Recovered isn't going to sell well then,

[@nicklager1666]

I just really get the distinct impression from all videos so far that many in Second Wind has gotten new energy. So its really fitting with a logo that is a phoenix rising from the ashes.

[@andrebrynkus2055]

Did you intentionally phrase that to name drop a game he references a few times in the video?

[@avgchoobafan]

For games more children friendly I think a name that is funny to say and repeat several times is a good title, Patapon & Ratatan are my favorite examples

[@the_representative]

LocoRoco too

[@MoonLitChild]

I wanna argue the whole rising/falling thing came from isekai anime: "the rising of sheild hero", "the ascendance of a book worm"-- at least American games haven't caught on to the anime title convention of putting "A Certain" in every other one-- though that's an A/C title so it's only a matter of time.

[@shellshock7043]

The bollock sandwich is such and insanely good analogy

[@buamp8186]

Halo: Combat Evolved really dodged the bullet. "Oh are we popular? Fuck that subtitle, then. HALO 2!"

[@joink25]

Had to come back here after Final Fantasy XVI released two expansions with “Rising” and “Fallen” in the titles.

[@Lorondos]

This is why I like Satisfactory, one word and a satisfactory factory building game.

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

But Yahtzee, _The Matrix Reloaded_ isn't named that because it's the sequel to the first Matrix movie -- it's called that because the function of the One is to reload the matrix. As in the way you reload a program: every now and then the simulation needs a refresher or it starts to break down so the machines intentionally created Neo as the messiah for this very purpose.

[@JustSomeRandomIdiot]

And then revolution because there's literally a revolution in the movie.

[@Rusty_Spy]

And it's also what you do with guns after you've emptied the magazine, which there are a lot of in the film

[@iantaakalla8180]

The Wachowski sisters know what they do, and they do it well, including titling stuff. Even the seemingly tired “The Matrix: Resurrection” is a great title, for it shows tired versions of Matrix people, and is the goal of the Arbiter, and is also a cheeky way for the Wachowskis to subtly hint that they are dragging The Matrix franchise for longer than it should be.

[@hedgehoundable]

5:14 The funniest part about this list to me is that there's a Castlevania game called Curse of Darkness and it's really damn good. There's also Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Lords of Shadow 2 which are... not good...

[@sofer2230]

I feel like "God of War" also deserves a mention there.

[@sageoftruth]

Thing is, this isn't about whether the game is good or not. It's about whether or not it has a good title. A good game that no one tries or notices or tries because the title slid right off their brain is a tragedy that may have been avoided if the creator had picked a snappier title. In Castlevania's case I think having the name Castlevania stuck on the front did all of the heavy lifting, because boy do they love using vague sub-titles that evoke no imagination. Harmony of Dissonance? Lament of Innocence? They sound more like vague Zen phrases designed to empty your mind and lapse you into a meditative state, rather than fill it with exciting new ideas.

[@jurtheorc8117]

I thought the Lords of Shadows games were quite alright. I didn't have much of an experience with mainline Castlevania games beforehand, so it was easier for me to just consider them their own thing. Had cool stuff, interesting ideas both good and bad, backtracking in 1 was much better and less cumbersome than in 2, 2 offered more on the front of combat options, 1 had more variety in monsters and enemies, both had amazing music, both had a good amount of bosses. I can see why people would lose patience with them, but I like them well enough.

[@iantaakalla8180]

@@sofer2230 “God of War” only works because in this case, it is actually about a Greek myth playing differently, and is edgy enough to suggest endless battling, and God of War is about battling angrily. Then, when Kratos moved to the Norse myths, it still works because “God of War” is now a burden on Kratos he struggles to leave behind as he knows he destroyed the Greek pantheon entirely.

[@SiroBenju]

Hope to get part 2 someday: How to break your addiction to generic cocky and/or heavily-armoured box-art man as your protagonist. It's basically the big brother to the generic title thing.

[@lucasLSD]

Sadly I think it's a west problem since it's been going on since the 80s.

[@dennydravis8758]

​@@lucasLSDI mean, we could just as easily genericize it as "stop just using cool tropes with no substance" and then we've got everyone in the mix lol

[@eleanorsfate445]

Good luck to you lads! Love your work! Good on you for breaking off and making it on your own!

[@IIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllll]

Surely you meant "Video Game Titles: The Rise and Fall". Alternatively "Video Game Titles: The Ryse and Fall" if you are feeling fancy.

[@SimuLord]

Ryse: Son of Rome would like a word. And there's an episode of Tasting History with Max Miller in which he cooks "Ryse of Fleyshe", which is apparently Ye Olde Butcherede English for "Rice with Meat".

[@Ch4pp13]

Why stop there? "Video Game Titles: The Ryze and Fahl". Just to be bit extra pretentious.

[@memeweirdguyn.0019]

We need more complicated titles, not easier ones to say. I want to resolve a math problem every time I need to say the name of a game or involuntarily spit when saying the acronyms or accidentally summon Cthulu *I'm looking at your entire bloodline Kingdom Hearts!*

[@princeapoopoo5787]

this franchise absolutely would not have lasted more than three games if it weren't for the novelty of square meets disney. like seriously, i need to know what kind of drugs they're taking to think these name ideas are any good.

[@Square1production]

All of the non-numbered titles are pretty simple except 358/2 Days, (Three Five Eight Days Over Two.) And χ (Chi [key]) The rest are either remakes (Re:Chain of Memories, Re:Coded) for other platforms than the original or collections of enhanced ports which do obfuscate exactly which titles are included (1.5, 2.5, and 2.8, which included a mechanical demo for 3 which was entirely separate from 3 and was not released in any other context.)

[@feral_orc]

@@princeapoopoo5787 the drug is called anime and manga, blame fate/stay night for bringing those worlds together

[@memeweirdguyn.0019]

@@Square1production I was thinking too in the "Earth Defense Force" titles, those have the most unhinged names and acronyms that are way too funny to pronounce

[@OctEddie]

Anime is there for you then with “the day I accidentally summoned a demon who is my friend” or “reborn as a vending machine, I now wander the dungeon.” One is fake and one is real, and I still hate it and personally find it lazy.

[@godofthunder4242]

What an Abrupt Conclusion!

[@davidmills8726]

Good Lord, name-dropping 'A Mind Forever Voyaging' in 2023?! That's just blowing my mind.

[@michaeljohnson6905]

In fairness, Jedi Fallen Order works pretty well to tell you what it's about and isn't too clunky

[@paulschumacher4308]

I think Jedi Fallen Order works because it's referring to an event that we're all familiar with. If we did not know about the Star Wars storyline, then it would be forgotten.

[@randombencounter263]

Old Star Wars tie in titles were funny though. Star Wars: Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight. Dark Forces because it features characters from the "Star Wars: Dark Forces":tm: novel series and Jedi Knight so they could make a sequel later called Jedi Knight 2 without paying the writer of Dark Forces. It's a lawyer optimised title.

[@Kaunte]

"Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" on the other hand...

[@armelior4610]

nothing beats the clunkiness of Star wars : Knights of the old republic 2 : the sith lords

[@flamingbagofcrisps9157]

Yeah, at least "Jedi: Fallen order" is accurate in that the order of jedi has fallen, and relevent since the game makes reference to the falling of the order in a flashback

[@MerabuHalcyon]

Yahtzee's mastery of the English language never ceases to amaze me. Accolades Completed.

[@Respectable_Username]

Slightly secondary to the main point of the video, I didn't have to go diving for the volume button at the start and end of this video, for which I'm incredibly thankful!

[@Dead-EyeJuncan]

My absolute favourite convention is ridiculously long Japanese game names. Mon-Yu: Defeat Monsters And Gain Strong Weapons And Armor. You May Be Defeated, But Don’t Give Up. Become Stronger. I Believe There Will Be A Day When The Heroes Defeat The Devil King. That is the full title of the game and is madness!

[@CassidyBooks]

Yahtzee listing off a bunch of A.C. words at the end was so funny😆and a brilliant ending stinger too💖😄

[@sUmEgIaMbRuS]

I'll have to defend The Matrix Reloaded. The subtitle was decent wordplay on how reloading has different meanings for guns and computer programs, both of which were core elements of The Matrix. I'm not much of a fan of the Matrix movies, but I think they don't deserve blame for this.

[@InfiniteDarkMass]

Agreed on that. Revolution also kinda works with the context, but makes it weird just by being a Re- again.

[@iantaakalla8180]

On the other hand, The Matrix: Resurrection sounds tired and phoned in. Which is still meaningful considering not only is it a franchise the Wachowskis did not want to return to, but no one who lived in the first Matrix wants the second Matrix to be made either, and they rebel against the creator of the second Matrix. This is also in addition to the fact that the characters ported from the first to second Matrix are themselves tired, and initially are just washed-up versions, especially Neo, Trinity, and the Merovingian, and that this calm AU is the point of the Arbiter.

[@SGTArcAngel7]

You guys are so fun to watch and listen to, been watching all of the content!

[@NogridSC]

Had to come back to this after the announcement of the new FFXVI DLCs, Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide. No publisher can resist the rise and fall combo.

[@seleneshofner9176]

I cannot believe that the coming-for-games man came for MY beloved Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness.

[@Zalintis]

As something with similar gripes, and who is a long time fan, love the deep dive into what is qn obvious a pet peeve in precious videos

[@Tyrfing42]

The funny thing about Immortals: Fenyx Rising is that the original title for that game was "Gods and Monsters", but for whatever reason they were threatened with a legal battle over that one so they threw it out and hastily slapped together a new one.

[@JustSomeRandomIdiot]

Because Monster Energy, yes the drink, sues anyone who uses the word "Monster' in their titles of movies or games. Yes really. It's so utterly stupid. They act like they bloody invented the word. It'd be like me creating an energy drink called Blade, then suing MCU when they eventually make a Blade sequel.

[@Tyrfing42]

@@JustSomeRandomIdiot I would think that the popular video game series named "Monster Hunter" would be a much more relevant factor in a lawsuit like that.

[@JustSomeRandomIdiot]

@@Tyrfing42 They probably have been sued already but weren't on their first game which came out in 2004, monster energy was only introduced in 2002, so they probably weren't suing everyone by then. Some companies just tank the lawsuit and win because obviously they should but a lot of times if the company isn't attached passionately to having the word "monster" in their title, they just abandon all hope and give up.

[@cattysplat]

Monster Energy Drink threatened them with legal action over the use of the word Monster. Yep that's it. As if a drink and a game is something that can be confused.

[@lucasLSD]

@@Tyrfing42 I remember seeing a video on youtube that said something like that Monster did actually try to beat pokémon down in japan, but Japan wasn't having any of that.

[@Ytinasniiable]

I like how points 1-5 had a serious reason as to why theyre forgettable and point 6 was "theres too many AC franchises, please stop"

[@arielcahn7728]

That was Amazingly Captivating!

[@declancarroll3131]

Love this format, hope we see plenty more of this!

[@Hotshot3334]

I know it was called out a couple times but, in its defense, I've never forgotten "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" since the first time I heard it nor did I ever question it being set in a high fantasy. I think it did its job.

[@benjaminlee985]

It really doesn't need the "Reckoning" bit on the end. "Kingdoms of Amalur" already says "high fantasy."

[@Hotshot3334]

@@benjaminlee985 I kind of like the 'Reckoning' tagged on there. Maybe it's just because I'm used to it but "Kingdoms of Amalur" seems a bit lacking without it. Like I'm not really that interested in a high fantasy kingdom by itself. But if those kingdoms are in the middle of some old fashion reckoning? Now you've got my attention. Plus, what game, before or since, has ever used "Reckoning" in the title? It's like "Revengeance". It adds some pizazz. ✨

[@TheJadedJames]

The thing to remember about Kingdoms of Amalur : Reckoning was that an MMO in that world was supposed to drop soon after. So I get why they’d want a distinct title

[@casey4697]

Loved this. I want to go through the full possible list those two tables create and see how many of them are real games on steam!

[@PsychoSonicFreak]

I LOVE the captions for the musical interludes. Good job, whoever did that.

[@kooroky]

Even in the subtitle of this video, when playing the background music, extraordinary humor is used. Protect this man at all costs.

[@dragmire3D]

For an A.C. named game, my mind immediately went to Alpha Centauri.

[@willgiering6844]

Honestly this could be a good guide for titling many things. In the world of underground metal music I can’t begin to tell you how many bands either name themselves something that’s already taken (or very similar to something taken) or some obscure medical term that’s hard to remember

[@xelous9997]

Its so good to see you guys managed to create your own channel. You deserve all the best. You have my sub and respect

[@shanetemporarily4039]

The person in charge of captioning has my heart, the jokes landed like a well built crashing 747...in a good way!

[@metazoxan2]

So I took all of Yahtzee's advice and created the ultimate game title Mulbog: Age of Chaos wait what do you mean that was the "don't list"? I already made shirts and everything!

[@magikaru]

Congrats! I’ve already forgotten it.

[@cynthmcgpoet]

Regarding the whole "AC-naming" phenomenon, it reminded me of how the old school phone directories would have a slew of businesses beginning with "AAAAA..." just so they could be in front of the white page section. Truly abysmal.

[@lucasLSD]

Mihoyo has massive balls to name their new game Zenless Zone Zero then, it will be the absolute last one in any list.

[@charlesruteal9062]

@@lucasLSD Zero Escape still has that beat, though.

[@ryan5412]

love the ramblomatic and design delve series and this feels like a combo of the two love it.

[@Palooka37]

For all of the work that goes into these videos, i have to say that terms like "Bollock Sandwich" really draw me in the most. Thank you for enriching my life.

[@NoNicknameRequired]

Personally, I like titles that are simple but also have something extra about them that is hard to define. My favourite is "Grim Dawn".