The Nintendo Thread of Existential Doom

[Paul le Fou]

what, you don't like the song?

jesus christ

 

[Violentvixen]

is it a memorable brain worm? yes

Wait, really? That's interesting to me because since it's so dang autogenerated sounded that I literally can't remember it. Every time I come back to this thread I'm delighted anew, otherwise I just vaguely remember a bad title happened.

Anyway, Untitled Goose Game rocked as did so many other games listed here. I definitely don't expect titles to reflect on the quality of the game but pointing out how silly they sound is fun.

 

[ArugulaZ]

I just get the feeling that modern video games don't have cool titles anymore because all the cool titles have already been used. It's either Engrish word salad or hopelessly derivative names or in the case of Western developers, "Fuck it, we're just going to tell you what you'll do in the game and be kind of snarky about it." Crap like Mom, Where'd You Hide My Video Game? or An Affordable Space Shooter for Two Bucks or I Made a Game with Zombies in It! or whatever.

The last time I saw a really good game title was Rock of Ages II: Bigger and Boulder. Sadly, it's a wonderful pun attached to a game I didn't particularly like.

 

[Sarcasmorator]

Video games never had cool titles

 

[balder the brave]

I think if you pick a random death metal album, most every song title will be a better video game title than actual video game titles.

Good titles are still out there!

 

[YangusKhan]

No One Can Stop Mr. Domino

Just sayin

 

[balder the brave]

I think if you pick a random death metal album, most every song title will be a better video game title than actual video game titles.

Good titles are still out there!

No Interference is an album by Dysrhythmia. It was rereleased in 2005 on Translation Loss Records with live bonus tracks.

Track listing
No. Title Length
1. "Body Destroyed, Brain Intact" 3:01
2. "Craving for Transformation" 4:15
3. "No Interference" 7:20
4. "Circulatory System Overhaul" 6:34
5. "Let You Fall" 10:51
6. "Orbiting" 6:59
7. "Nutritional Facelift" 3:03
8. "Slumlord" 3:59
9. "We Lead the Way" 3:54
10. "Psychic Desolation" 4:40
11. "Four, Five, Six Minutes Late" 1:51

 

[4-So]

"We Lead The Way" is almost certainly a sequel to that We Happy Few game from a few years back. "Let You Fall" is a Life is Strange title for sure. "Circulatory System Overhaul" is a mech game. "Slumlord" is a Yakuza spinoff. "Psychic Desolation", a game by Hideo Kojima.

 

[Sprite]

Curse of the Necrodancer
Undertale
Hollow Knight
Splatoon
The Wonderful 101 (okay this one's almost 10 years old so I guess it's not "modern")

No One Can Stop Mr. Domino

Just sayin

Nothing will ever beat this one, however.

 

[Peklo]

I have a hard time fathoming that "they used up all the cool words" is a position that would ever need to be refuted with legitimate counterexamples. It's such an absurd notion that it's difficult to even comment on.

 

[Exposition Owl]

“Disco Elysium” isn’t bad as a title, but the game’s original title, “No Truce With The Furies,” is so much better that it makes me a little sad.

 

[ArugulaZ]

You'll love Peklo and myself on Broadway as The Odd Couple. Can two internet nerds share the same forum without driving each other crazy? I'm the schlubby, unkempt sports writer, of course.

 

[Violentvixen]

The Odd Couple

Uneven Two People

 

[q 3]

video game titles peaked with Adventure

 

[Becksworth]

Uneven Two People

The Disparate Duo

 

[Patrick]

Unusual associates.

 

[Issun]

I think if you pick a random death metal album, most every song title will be a better video game title than actual video game titles.

Good titles are still out there!

No. There is no book, story, movie, tv show, play, song, album or game that has ever had a good title. A title is simply an ape throwing mouth sounds into the abyss and hoping what comes back at least somewhat accurately describes their desperate cry for attention from all the other apes.

 

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

Here's all of the lords shown at the intro (one per game save New Mystery):

Ah, thanks! So that's two, then... cool!

 

[ArugulaZ]

Can somebody walk me through this arrangement between Microsoft and Nintendo regarding Goldeneye? Why is the Switch getting console-exclusive online multiplayer? Why is the Switch getting the game at all? The way I remember things, Nintendo sold Rare to Microsoft twenty years ago. They shouldn't have the leverage to expect exclusive anything from their port of Goldeneye, yet they seem to be the ones holding all the cards in this deal.

 

[Purple]

Basic rule of thumb with games is 100% of the rights belong to the publisher, how a developer is paid/what rights they have is sort of a case by case thing but usually they get paid for their work, turn a game over, and done.

Perfect Dark and Conker's Bad Fur Day were published by rare themselves. When Microsoft bought them, those rights were included. The bulk of their output prior to that, Goldeneye included, was published by Nintendo, who never gave those rights away. Granted in the case of Goldeneye it's also based on a film and that industry tends to be a bit less absurd about IP rights so presumably they have to sign off on any rereleases, but Goldeneye, the video game for the N64, is property of Nintendo, last I checked.

 

[That Old Chestnut]

No. There is no book, story, movie, tv show, play, song, album or game that has ever had a good title. A title is simply an ape throwing mouth sounds into the abyss and hoping what comes back at least somewhat accurately describes their desperate cry for attention from all the other apes.

Language peaked at "oogaoogaooga"

 

[Ludendorkk]

Can somebody walk me through this arrangement between Microsoft and Nintendo regarding Goldeneye? Why is the Switch getting console-exclusive online multiplayer? Why is the Switch getting the game at all? The way I remember things, Nintendo sold Rare to Microsoft twenty years ago. They shouldn't have the leverage to expect exclusive anything from their port of Goldeneye, yet they seem to be the ones holding all the cards in this deal.

Because the Nintendo version is emulated and NSO supports online multiplayer for N64 emulation, while the Microsoft version is a bespoke remaster that they didn't bother adding multiplayer to because reasons

 

[Positronic Brain]

Honestly I'm more surprised they are re-releasing Goldeneye while keeping Brosnan's model. I hope whatever IP dark pact Nintendo signed guarantees they can keep using the original rom in perpetuity or it might vanish in smoke when the next 007 film comes around.

 

[Octopus Prime]

I’m assuming there’s enough of a difference between an N64 character model and actor Pierce Brosnan that they can get away with not needing to pay the likeness rights.

 

[MetManMas]

Yeah, I mean 3D visuals in the 90s were abstract as hell and we really didn't get anything remotely resembling a person's actual likeness (in polygons) until a few years into the 21st century.

I mean,

But that said, Brosnan (along with Scorupco and Janssen) is on the box art.

 

[Positronic Brain]

That didn't stop the Bond IP holders from asking Brosnan's model to be changed to Carig's when they remade it for the Wii. Anyway, trademark laws are obscure and with enough loopholes and dark runes to make a warlock combust in envy, so who knows, but I hope the ROM is here to stay.

 

[Olli]

Here? Yes. Hyrule? No.

Exhibit A: The Skyward Sword

 

[ArugulaZ]

Basic rule of thumb with games is 100% of the rights belong to the publisher, how a developer is paid/what rights they have is sort of a case by case thing but usually they get paid for their work, turn a game over, and done.

Perfect Dark and Conker's Bad Fur Day were published by rare themselves. When Microsoft bought them, those rights were included. The bulk of their output prior to that, Goldeneye included, was published by Nintendo, who never gave those rights away. Granted in the case of Goldeneye it's also based on a film and that industry tends to be a bit less absurd about IP rights so presumably they have to sign off on any rereleases, but Goldeneye, the video game for the N64, is property of Nintendo, last I checked.

Interesting, if a little confusing. Was there a point in the lifespan of the N64 when Rare was an independent agent? I figured they were a division of Nintendo, then a division of Microsoft, with no period of independence between the two acquisitions.

 

[Becksworth]

Because the Nintendo version is emulated and NSO supports online multiplayer for N64 emulation, while the Microsoft version is a bespoke remaster that they didn't bother adding multiplayer to because reasons

If I recall the Microsoft remaster got canned mid-development, so they may had originally planned online, but never got that far and now the source code is nearly 20 years old, so they are probably just cleaning up what was functional for release.

 

[Purple]

Interesting, if a little confusing. Was there a point in the lifespan of the N64 when Rare was an independent agent? I figured they were a division of Nintendo, then a division of Microsoft, with no period of independence between the two acquisitions.

They've always been their own company (well pre-MS buyout). The term I recall people bandying about was that they were a "second party developer" which... honestly seems both etymologically non-sensical and pretty damn vague, but in practice, technically fully independent but in good enough with Nintendo to constantly be trusted with big brand stuff (like, again, the various Donkey Kong games.

HAL Laboratory (Kirby, Smash Bros., etc.) has always been in that same "second party" position. Not owned by Nintendo, able to go do whatever wherever, but, you know, they don't. They work more or less exclusively with Nintendo, and for lack of a better term, quite intimately.

Now you want a real brain boiler, try and get your head around who actually owns Pokemon.