You know things are about to get serious when the game drops the title.
Have you ever picked up a book just because you liked the cover? You might have seen a movie because of who was in it. The first thing we see about something can affect how we feel about it, and games are no different in this way. A title is very important.
Dragon Age is clear about what it is, and The Legend of Zelda sounds like an epic old story. Names can be interesting, but some games like to take it a step further and make their names more literal. This is the best title drop in all of games.
Table of Contents
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry is one of the best character-action games and has a lot of memorable characters. It also has a powerful title. It’s the name of Dante’s business, which is a joke about how he could even make devils cry.
The title of the game is mentioned in the first game when Dante gets a job offer. In Devil May Cry 3, Lady says, “Maybe somewhere out there, even a devil may cry when he loses a loved one.” This line is also said at the end of the game, just to make sure you don’t forget what it is you’re playing.
Control
Remedy only makes a certain kind of game, and those are ones with a lot of weirdness. Alan Wake, for example, is just like Twin Peaks, but with more direct supernatural elements. There are a lot of title drops there, which makes sense. Control then adds its own kind of surrealism to this.
When you play a game called Control, you can bet that you have a lot of power, and the game wants you to know that. The Ashtray Maze is a part of the game that everyone who has played will remember. The first words sung are “Take Control.” It’s a great way to set the scene.
Thomas Was Alone
Thomas Was Alone is like a balm for the eyes in an industry that is pushing for more and more unrealistic levels of hyperrealism. The overabundance of polygons was cut down to simple shapes with sharp angles. Just shapes, that’s all. But even a small shape can show a lot about who it is.
Even though they are all simple shapes, each has its own job. Some are short and some are tall. Some are oddly shaped, while others are more normal. But at first, Thomas is by himself. In fact, “Thomas Was Alone” is the very first line of the game. Poor little fellow. Eh, square.
Life Is Strange
Life is Strange was made by Dontnod and has won the hearts of players all over the world. What seemed like a simple teen drama turned out to be a game that peeled away the layers of life, showing how people can get scars over the course of their lives and how manipulating time can’t fix it.
Life is Strange talks about a lot of serious things, but it isn’t afraid to be funny sometimes. It even pokes fun at itself. In that way, it’s a little bit cheeky, because in the last episode, Max goes to an art show and says, “Life is… weird.” It’s not the title, but the way it was said makes it sound like a deliberate lie.
The Evil Within 2
Even though 8 Ball Pool has gotten a lot of attention, Tango Gameworks got their start with The Evil Within, Shinji Mikami’s attempt to mix Resident Evil and Silent Hill. It’s an odd, disjointed game, and in many ways the sequel improves on it.
If you go back to O’Neal’s safehouse in Chapter 8, you can have an interesting conversation with him. He says, “That may be… but there’s EVIL WITHIN, TOO…” before staring at the camera. Honestly, this is one of the most scary parts of the game.
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica
Code: Veronica falls in a funny place for Resident Evil. It takes place after Resident Evil 2 and 3, and the style changes from more American horror to gothic horror. Even though it is one of the most popular games, it is the only major game that hasn’t had a major release or remake in recent years.
All that said, you play as both Claire and Chris Redfield in the game, which takes place on a prison island. Without giving away too much of the plot, there is a point in the story where you have to enter a code. That code? Veronica. Even better, this isn’t hinted at much in the game.
Dark Souls
Dark Souls, yes. Even though the game’s namesake, Dark Soul, is famous for its combat, enemies, and world-building, not much is said about him. You could go through the whole series collecting Lord Souls before figuring out what the Dark Soul is.
There are two times when the Dark Soul is talked about. In the first game’s opening movie, it says, “Your ancestor found the fourth soul… The Dark Soul.” In the third game, you find the rest of the Dark Souls. Slave Knight Gael says, “The blood of the Dark Soul?” Fitting for a last meeting.
Metal Gear Solid
In Metal Gear, names and words are a big part of the story. It’s hard enough to keep track of all the different Snakes, but the series is also full of codewords and signature phrases that mean something as well as being funny.
In every game, Snake or someone else says “Metal Gear” in some way. Of course, that’s not enough, and the subtitles usually find their way in too. Solidus saying, “And we will become the Sons of Liberty,” or Ocelot shouting, “Behold, the Guns of the Patriots.” They’re not even close to being subtle, which fits with the series.
Kingdom Hearts
Almost feels like this one isn’t fair. Kingdom Hearts is already strange because Tetsuya Nomura got the idea for it from a literal elevator pitch. But the show’s titles change so often that you almost forget it’s a show. Almost, except that the subtitles of each game are just ridiculous.
Yes, every game shouts “Kingdom Hearts!” very loudly. Yet, hearing Namne say, “You would knowingly bind your heart with a Chain of Memories made of lies,” or Aqua having a nice talk with Ansem, where he says, “So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their Birth by Sleep,” made me realize that I needed to change. There are so many more that they could each have their own article.
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