GameSetQ: Peggle Nights And The Art Of Sequel Names
December 6, 2007 8:01 AM | Simon Carless
So I was reading the latest issue of PC Gamer U.S., profiling 'The Top 8 Games Of 2008' for PC - headed by Spore, of course. But one of the titles in there is the next sequel to Peggle from PopCap, and it's got a rather wonderful name, it's revealed - Peggle Nights.
This is wonderful news, firstly, because Peggle is too addictive, and we deserve as many versions of it as possible. But more to the point - any sequel naming itself in the fashion of Baywatch Nights deserves special plaudits. Why don't more sequels go off in the style of the Hoff?
In turn, this triggers a possibly interesting question. What kind of sequel naming do you prefer, and what are your favorite sequel naming choices in games?
There's everything from the simple and straightforward (Half-Life 2) to the slightly sophisticated (Deus Ex: Invisible War) all the way to the just plain odd (Marble Man, the prototype-only sequel to Marble Madness.) Examples of sequel names or desired sequel names are welcome...
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11 Comments
Think about all of the incredible names we could have with this naming scheme!
Knytt Nights
FIFA Nights
Bejeweled Nights (actually rather poetic)
I think sequels should have unique names. They should stand on their own rather than use the previous iteration as a crutch.
th15 | December 6, 2007 5:43 AM
I'm a fan of putting the originals name after the colon as in "Dreamfall: The Longest Journey"
Zack Hiwiller | December 6, 2007 7:08 AM
I've always liked "We ♥ Katamari" as far as sequel names go. Frequency/Amplitude was kinda cute. On the other hand, I wonder if Sega still has time to run with Peggle's fantastic idea and publish their new Wii game as "NiGHTS: Nights"
RavenWorks | December 6, 2007 8:02 AM
My favorite sequel name ever is Oh No! More Lemmings.
Nich | December 6, 2007 9:38 AM
There's always Goblins, Gobliins, and Gobliiins.
Shih Tzu | December 6, 2007 11:15 AM
I like sequels that change the gameplay and elements of the name - for example Wizkid, which was a follow-up to Wizball.
simonc | December 6, 2007 12:38 PM
I prefer adding "...of the Dead" to any game for the sequel. It makes it 135% more awesome.
Come on, Peggle of the Dead? Super Mario Galaxy of the Dead? Bioshock of the Dead?
Dead Rising of the Dead might be problematic, though.
As to the real question, I hate colon names. We see it now for the first game; if you need a colon, you need a better name. Even Microsoft thought Halo needed it; it's name is actually Halo: Combat Evolved.
I'd prefer clever names like Peggle Nights, but failing that just do a simple number. Or you can do both, like the ridiculous Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. I was hoping for Max Payne Presents: Max Payne 3: Time for Payne.
steve | December 6, 2007 12:59 PM
In the casual space colon names are often used. This is partially due to the long shelf-life of downloadable games. Players may not know if they are playing the original or a sequel, and they don't care, unless you tell them. (what does Mystery Case Files gain by adding a 2, 3 or 4 at the end? What would it lose?)
Additionally, colon names work well for episodic gaming. I've been musing more lately that the casual space, with short turn around times for sequels and a plethora of similar games, is probably perceived by customers as episodic gaming. (the MCF series is a great example)
Russell Carroll | December 6, 2007 1:22 PM
Halo's subtitle was rather useless. Aside from the shield system there really wasn't very much that was innovative about it. I think it was ignored because it just doesn't fit very well. On the other hand, perhaps it was a way to disassociate the game from angelic headwear, much the same way Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare uses the subtitle to be clear that it won't deliver anything WWII related.
Carroll, don't you think that adding a numeral to game is a sure fire way to get someone who likes the game to search for others like it? From what I see, plenty of casual games have sequels that don't add anything to the gameplay but offer more levels instead. In such a case, having the very title of the game point toward others of the same series would help marketing, would it not? On top of that, all of the games should appear together when listed so it's easy for players to find them (and your casual gamers are hardly about to trawl the internets for sequels!).
th15 | December 6, 2007 6:00 PM
Trackmania Sunrise is one of my favourite titles. Embodies the kind of wonderful mood of the games. Trackmania United is also rather charming.
Smee | December 11, 2007 9:26 AM
I like it when they use a completely different name such as in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It makes each seem unique and interesting.
kurisu | September 21, 2008 11:17 PM