Should Games Have Numbered Titles?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2023
- Today I wanted to talk about numbered titles in video games.
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The thing I hate the most is when they drop the numbers and leave the title by itself, like doom 2016 and gow 2018. At the very least add a subtitle so we can differentiate between titles.
Yeah that trend has always been annoying, especially since you have to put the year afterwards like Sonic 06, Doom 2016, and GOW 2018. If it released on one console you can use the console name instead, but multiplats are screwed
Sonic the Hedgehog 2006?
@@brandonwilliams6119 most people shorten it to Sonic 06, but yeah that's an example
@@brandonwilliams6119 SONIC O6 SUCKS BAD BECAUSE MY BROTHER LIKE IT NO MY BROTHER SUCKs
@@Jelly_shy_guy_man sonic 06 isn’t bad
Spider-Man 2 the game, not to be confused with Spider-Man 2 the movie, or Spider-Man 2 the game based on that movie, or Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro which is a sequel to an entirely different game…
i like how metroid 3-5 do it, the games have their own titles but in the title screen of the game it says which number metroid game it is, idk it just always felt cool.
For sure. I like that Metroid actually has a timeline too. Unlike the Zelda series where Nintendo originally admitted that the games (with some exceptions) were not connected at all but then later realized they could capitalize on it so they pulled a timeline out of their hats.
Honestly, I'm a bit mixed on numbered titles.
On one hand, I'd like a game to be numbered as it makes it easy for one to search it up online for whatever reason.
But on the other hand, it does seem a bit daunting sometimes, ESPECIALLY when you take into consideration the chronological order of the games and its numerous spinoffs.
I think the numbers for searching part could rly benefit yearly titles, I get pretty confused with all those call of duty entries (especially since they have similar art styles)
Also changing from Regular Numbers to Roman Numeral, and vice versa.
Resident Evil 1,2,3,CV, 4,5,6, VII, and VIII
Street Fighter II, III, IV, V, and 6
To be fair SF6 integrated the VI into their logo. I guess Capcom thought some people would be too stupid to know the Roman numerals past V and they might even be right.
Oh my god he sound like a beer commercial at the end.😂 But instead of drink responsibly, it's "number titles are fine as long as they're used responsibly"😂
I wonder if Sega will call that rumored Sonic the Hedgehog 5 exactly as that. I still can’t believe there’s a Toy Story 5, Frozen 3 and Zootopia 2 in the works.
The only games that have technically reached the number 5 mark are Gameboy bootlegs, and it still boggles me
@@Spongyboi897 I heard Megaman V on Gameboy is really good but never played it, X5 was going to be the last game in the X series and it would lead into Zero series.
sonic superstars?
@@ehhorve857 Good on Sega for coming up with a unique name
3:35 5:33 Ah, yes, the Kingdom Hearts effect, where Kingdom Hearts III is the 13th mainline title.
It works for Street Fighter and for Final Fantasy it's crucial.
Don’t even get me started on the King of Fighters Games lol
@@brandonwilliams6119 I still remember how SNK Playmore decided to name a KoF spin-off as KoF 2006, despite abandoning the yearly titles with XI
Final Fantasy went for so long that they don't need a "first title: second title" to make it pop out. If Super Mario Bros. would do the same thing, then the title should be called "Super Mario Bros. 49" by now.
I just want to be alive on the day where they release Final Fantasy XXX, it's going to be a very funny day on the internet.
@@zaxentothegreedy7816
I kinda wish Megaman didn’t drop its Roman Numerals after VII/7, but Capcom probably did that so the eventual Megaman 10 wouldn’t coincide with the X subseries since 10 is X in Roman Numerals.
I think Yakuza made the right decision to abandon numbers when it did. After Yakuza 7 was so popular, it makes sense that they didn't want RPG fans to feel too much baggage for the previous 7 games. The only issue I have is that it'll take me years to get used to calling it "Like a Dragon" lol.
Well, "Like a Dragon" is how the Yakuza games are called in Japan. I think we could argue if games should or should not have their names translated into other languages. I don't think people would like if Capcom decided to rename the Resident Evil into the original Biohazard
The problem is that the mainline sequel to Y:LAD is "Like a Dragon 8". So it now gets more confusing because, unless you're informed with the series, a non-Japanese outsider might think that a new series appeared out of nowhere and already on its 8th entry and is has no connection to the "Yakuza" games.
@@spongebobfan78 honestly, I had forgotten that. Good point. I was on a one track mind for things like Gaiden and Ishin
@@spongebobfan78 not to reply to an old comment, but now that LaD8 is renamed to LaD Infinite Wealth, it's a subtitle based series now
Don't forget Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Funniest title ever in my opinion
(and genuinely a great game XD)
But imagine if we got a Mario Advance 5
th-cam.com/video/ysWIdC7EG4w/w-d-xo.html
Also don't forget about Goat Simulator 3.
If it's random and out if nowhere then no, like Mario Kart 7 for example, like
feels so weird to go from something like "Mario Kart wii" to "7"
but it can be funny to me sometimes
like how a lot of games have "64" or "3Ds"
That was always weird to me as well lol
Well, there was already a game called Mario Kart DS. Make it "Mario Kart 3DS", and consumers might get confused.
Smart, but dumb move at the same time.
(But, this is just what I think)
@@bluejay21. consumers wouldn't be confused XD
@Facko You never know, people are stupid at times...
@@bluejay21. well yeah that's true
"Hey son, i bought you an xbox controller for your switch"
I didn’t think a video about titles numbers could be fun but what do you know ?you did it!
I do think it depends on the type of game. For a fighting game, I think it matters less because most people aren’t thinking: “I gotta play Street Fighter 2 and 3 before I get to 4”. The same could probably be said for racing games, but there can be an effect of making the previous entries seem inferior.
I don’t think Sega’s really gonna give that rumored 2D game the number at the end though. Not after 4.
Certain games truly do need numbers or if it doesn't have a number you're going to have to Google what game you need to start out with
Is NO-ONE gonna mention Angry Birds?
Where after LOADS of games with the traditional slingshot gameplay, they decided to make a game in the same style called "Angry Birds 2"
What a weird move.
Persona is one series that so far has been incredibly consistent with its use of numbers. Each number connotates a certain setting, group of characters, and soundtrack, so they can make several games with that same number and you still no what to expect. There also aren't any unnumbered oddities (unless you count Trinity Soul, but nobody does). They're also numbered chronologically.
Man, i LOVE persona 2 it has the best story and characters sadly the gameplay is really bad....
The fact is some games do need numbers and some kingstone final fantasy don't need numbers because you get different characters in each final fantasy I know that there's a timeline but it's convoluted to at least for me
Numbered titles seem to be the most efficient straightforward way of conveying "These are the important ones", although of course there are exceptions. I think it's annoying when they don't actually have anything to do with each other or have a confused chronology; if you're numbering the games already, why don't they follow each other in the numbered order you've made?
Love your channel man. I am here for every upload
I think it depends on how linked each game is to each other. Like if they’re continuing the story of the last game I’d number it.
However, if each game in the series are more stand alone (Mario, Zelda, and Kirby games come to mind) I’d go with a sub title.
I much prefer games sequels being numbered and when remakes of games have a word added to them of their names to distinguish them from the original so we don't have to write gamename (date)
it just makes easier and clearer
It's important to note that pop'n music did not stop at 20 - they just *stopped* counting at 20. At the least, their naming scheme hasn't changed drastically in the 7 versions following Fantasia.
In fact, Mega Man 's Japanese title has both numbers and subtitles, so it's easy for Japanese players to remember their main content, I really don't understand why the English titles delete the subtitle.
“square innix” bit bri’ish sounding there innit bruv
Was literally waiting for him to mention Mortal Kombat “1”. The whole numbering thing was on my mind the whole of last week because of it’s announcement.
7:04 Persona 5 is actually the sixth Persona game, there are two Persona 2 games🤓
To be fair, Tetris 99 is not about being a numbered title for the hell of it like '64', so if give that a pass, it's like its meaningful subtitle. The issue lies with the other numbered titles, if they weren't numbered it wouldn't be an issue for 99
64 has meaning too. It refers to the 64 bit CPU of the console.
@@riversart2030 but it's not about the game
@@riversart2030 you could also say '2' is because it's the second game in the series, it's not about the explanation behind the number, it's about wether it fits the theme of the game (that's what I meant by meaningful substitute), like 'Double Dash' for example, I love Mario Kart Wii, but that's a terrible name.. just like Mario Kart 64.. calling the game 'Tetris 99 versus' wouldn't be as catchy, so 'Tetris 99' is just perfect
@@DETahaX Ok I see your point. I wouldn't say Tetris 64 is a bad name though. It lets you know all you need to know about the game. It's another version of Tetris that takes advantage of the N64's hardware but doesn't change the formula much. Same thing for Mario Kart 64 and Wii.
@@riversart2030 I wouldn't say "taking advantage of the hardware", but sure see it as you fit. And I still don't think adding the console's name to a game is a good subtitle unless it's does creatively, kinda like Smash "four" Wii U/3DS..
I do appreciate scenarios like DMC5 having a safety net when DMC:DMC fell off that cliff.
Anime fighters weirdly enough don't number themselves, but if you've seen the titles, well...
They usually go for long convoluted names, which I guess the audience and directors' are into.
One of the most intresting one though that has some logic behind it besides lore stuff, is Guilty Gear.
First game, GG The Missing Link, then the sequal is called GG X. The sequal to X is called XX and the updated versions have additional bits to the name, the final one being GG X Accent Core Plus R. But all the X games are technically just updated versions of the second game in the series.
The third proper instalment continues the use of X, but they call it GG Xrd. This obviously being a play on the word 'third' since it is the third installment.
Then the fourth, most recent one, is called GG STRIVE. Now this is both a reference to the story of the game (here, all the characters are striving to be their best self, with some getting happy endings and others developing themselves further), but also it being the fourth game. STRIVE has IV in it, which is roman numerical for 4.
So, despite Guilty Gear's naming convention changing with each major instalment, they are still technically following something that indicates which one it is.
The worst case of skipping a number is in Metal Gear. Peace Walker is by all means a mainline game, and is essential to understanding what the hell is happening at the beginning of MGSV. But, no, it’s a PSP game, so it gets no number.
It was originally gonna be called Metal Gear Solid 5: Peace Walker but, IIRC, the number was scrapped since it might cause a backlash to suddenly have a numbered entry on a portable console, which is seen as lesser by people, instead of a console.
It does help you keep track of them a hell of a lot easier.
Rune Factory is a series that is really consistent with its numbered titles
1:37 FNaF is a great example of this
the timeline is even confusing as-well
I immediately thought of FNAF when this part of the video came up…
@@TifaLockhartVII_ IKR
Thank you for acknowledging the existence of IIDX and pop'n.
One of my favorite number titles is probably _Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age_ just because of how wacky it is to someone unfamiliar with the series like myself. I know the XI means it’s the 11th game in the main line series (I think), the subtitle is just a descriptor of the game, but have no idea why there’s just a random “S” in their
I get what you're saying with some games do need numbers like prototype 1 and 2 that is a perfect example if they didn't have numbers how would you know what game to start out with
i think if the story isnt self contained it should have chapter or episode in the title e.g. half life 2 episode 1. numbered games that cant be played on their own are kinda weird.
Early Final Fantasy numberings were also annoying for other regions. Final Fantasy II in the United States is Final Fantasy IV, whereas Final Fantasy VII was the first Final Fantasy game released in Europe.
That is mostly correct except VII was the first to come out in Europe, not VI.
@@riversart2030 Yep, I'll update that. That was just me misreading something. This is why the numbering is so confusing across regions.
Lmao DDR is *WILD* they really said, "Y'all think your titles are confusing? Watch this"
Dropping the number and adding the year ironically adds more numbers
I like the fact Goat Simulator 3 has a 3 on its title despite the fact there was never a Goat Simulator 2.
The developers stated that half of the team wanted to name it Goat Simulator 2 while the other half preferred the title Goat Simulator 4 so they came to a compromise.
I think it's a case-by-case basis
But the thing is the dance dance games you can play whatever you want to you're not really connected they're just making the games and adding different names it doesn't matter what you play in the dance dance games so essentially you can play in the game and it doesn't matter
As early as I was a pre-teen, I actually already found it intuitive to see games (and movies) use numbers for major entries and subtitles for spin-offs or "lesser titles." Final Fantasy made it pretty clear early on also that chronology isn't really dictated by the numbers too.
That said, I can fucks with both naming conventions, even if they're not consistent. Mixing and matching and innovation is art's quintessence. Besides, it's so easy to look up things on the internet if you wanna know where to start in a game series.
You'd be surprised at the amount of people asking if they need to play I-XV before they play XVI. And back in the day a lot of people's first FF was VII. And when VIII came out people were upset or outraged cus they thought it was going to be a direct sequel.
2:57 that is clearly Super 64 Mario TM
xD
My problem with Final Fantasy's numbering system is that it makes it hard to remember any of the games or what makes them unique. When I think of Mario Odyssey or Mario Sunshine, they feel unique and like different games.
But how the hell is anyone supposed to remember the difference between Final Fantasy, IV, XII, XIV, VIII, or any of the other games? As an outsider to the series, it makes them all look the same, and makes the good ones like VII feel less significant. Using roman numerals doesn't help either.
If a game is a sequel I think it's better to be numbered. If it's something that can be played standalone or a different setting then non-numbered can work well.
The amount of people asking if they need to play Final Fantasy I-XV before XVI is common. The answer is no, but the numbers usually tell people otherwise. And a lot of people's first FF was VII back in the day were let down and upset when VIII was not a direct sequel.
And the amount of people who ask do they need to play A Plague Tale Innocence before A Plague Tale Requiem is common as well. Requiem is a direct sequel, but having no numbers doesn't tell the person that and may lead to them thinking they can play it by itself.
The Ys series (fantastic set of games and all short too) uses numbers but they aren't in chronological order. The newest game (Ys X) is the third in the adventures.
Each of them are separate adventures tho even if connected. Can be played on their own
Well think about it the reason why they use numbers that is part of the main line and then they stop using numbers that supposed to be a spin-off it makes sense if you think about it except for code Veronica a resident evil game that's not a numbered game but is part of the mainline but that's an exception but not the rule it honestly makes sense if you think about it
I like how the Tales series works. They use "Tales of" to designate the series, then one to two words like "Destiny" or "the Abyss" for each different game with the rare number to show a direct sequel to a previous game like "Destiny 2" (in Japan, at least, because the Destiny 2 we got in the US was actually Eternia and they changed the name for myriad reasons and used the number to add brand recognition then they made an ACTUAL ToD2 that was never release in English and that's still a problem when talking to retro gamers...). It's good to denote that it's a game with certain aspects to it, even with changes, so you at least know "this is a Tale game." Meanwhile, FF16 is so different from FF1 or FF11 that they really shouldn't have even used the numbers, I think. FF16 could have been named anything else, but they used the brand name for easy recognition alone.
It Depends
I Love The Name Kiro
I can’t help but sometimes feel weirded out by the inevitable issue with numbering games, numbering the first one may come across as kinda awkward and presumtuous (especially if you’re not even sure the game is going to get a sequel), but at the same time, not numbering it will just lead to people calling it [name] 1, despite it usually never actually being the official name, just so people don’t get it confused with the series as a whole (occasionally, rereleases of the first game will officially put that “1” in the title, which I find… interesting)
Ideally for me, each game, including the first one would have a unique subtitle, which is exactly what Fire Emblem does, but fans seem to insist on numbering them anyway, even including remakes of older games as brand new “numbered entries” (although The Blazing Blade being localized to remove the subtitle entirely, as well as Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light’s DS remake being named just “Shadow Dragon” is also very strange to me imo)
1:38 The "Ys" series is such a mess regarding this problem.
Honestly i think that a game doesn't need to have a number to be the sequel and a subtle can works for example Rayman Hoodlums' Revenge is Rayman 4 and Puyo Puyo Sun is Puyo Puyo 3 but sometimes game removes their number if the first game wasn't released in a place like for example Earthbound who's Mother 2 in Japan and Sonic Drift 2 who literally dropped the 2 when it was released in US cause Sonic Drift 1 wasn't there
I love DDR, too.
See I follow game's the thing is if you follow games sometimes you do need the numbers like final fantasy it doesn't matter what game that you play the storylines is different
Nice vid
I'm surprised Final Fantasy X-II wasn't mentioned in this video.
3:53 Is that not a big Roman numeral 5?
Why not just use both. You know, like Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Nice
I think if nothing else, Kingdom Hearts has at least accomplished to prove that not numbered titles have the potential to be way more daunting (and headache inducing) than a title with a high number.
Did anyone else get a migraine, trying to figure out what those titles even mean, or was it just me?
👌
Konami has a way with game titles
If you play metal gear solid it's essential to play every single game even though the story is convoluted but too kind of understand that you have to play every single game just like Kingdom hearts
It's funny cause they jump to different points in the time line cause even though there's MGS 3 and 5, those are basically prequels since they star big boss, but the number makes you think it's a continuation
@@UltimateTS64 yes I want hundred percent agree 💯
I would say it's only "essential" to play them all if you want to know everything there is to know about the story. As for what order you play them - I think you could start with 1, 3 or 5 and be perfectly fine. 2 and 4 are the only ones where the player would definitely be missing out bigtime if they hadn't played the previous entries beforehand.
@@riversart2030 okay got you
Complaining about MK1 "thinks it's so cute" when there's literally a lore reason WHY they're doing that lol
Ys the Ys series time line hurts me
At least we won’t have to worry about Square dropping Roman Numerals
short answer YES
Not to be that guy but.... while you were talking about DDR, you forgot to mention DDR EXTREME 2.
I also love DDR :)
2:32 you mean the sfa trilogy right?
I've liked the video just because I also like DDR
I remember as a young kid when I knew nothing about Mario and how many games there are in the series, I thought Super Mario 64 was the 64th mainline mario game 💀
Surprisee you didnt bring up the fast and furious movies
I always wanted to Play FF, but i always got bored and lazy when i saw the numbers, same for Persona series
You can play the FF games in any order. Each entry has its own world and story. There isn't even an official FF timeline. Same thing with Persona. Even though they all take place in modern day Japan; the stories are not really connected as far as I am aware. I'm not sure if there is a timeline for the Persona series or not but you definitely don't need to play them in any certain order.
The numbers in Final Fantasy titles are just there to denote which entries are mainline. You can play them in any order because each story is completely disconnected and standalone.
funny mentioning mario galaxy when there is mario galaxy 2
Nice video
Your 1st and i was 2nd
Nice
7:05 Persona 5 is the sixth in the series lol. The irony
Yup, eternal punishment is the best!
I'm not too sure about Final Fantasy VII being where it started getting popular… i thought it was pretty popular starting when Nintendo in the US(even Dragon Quest/Warrior) published and gave them out for subscribing to their Nintendo Power magazine! 🤔🤔🤔🤔 But I DID start with those, so I'm not sure because I also haven't actually PLAYED Final Fantasy VII yet! The original OR the many spinoffs or whatever! I also stopped playing Final Fantasy after X-2 because XI required(for the original PS2 anyway) the Internet adapter AND a HDD!! Which I never got because the system stopped working…
Dude, let me play Final Fantasy 37.
Sometimes I think they should maybe use 0 sometimes, good thing that Yakuza 0 wasn’t called Yakuza 6 seeing it’s the 6th mainline game
And then you have Street Fighter, where you basically have like 10 games called Street Fighter 2
Final Fantasy pissed me off when they called their first online game Final Fantasy XI instead of just Final Fantasy Online or something similar that delineated it from the main series of single player games in the series. Then they did it again with Final Fantasy XIV. That shoulda just been Final Fantasy Online II. The real Final Fantasy XI should been XII and the real Final Fantasy XIV should be coming out for the PS5 in a couple weeks. Like, imagine if they'd called Mystic Quest "Final Fantasy V", or if they'd called Final Fantasy Tactics "Final Fantasy VIII". Imagine if the Star Wars Holiday Special had been called "Star Wars 2: A Newer Hope!" Honestly, maybe they sholda done that, who knows.
I recall hearing at the time that they intended for mainline FF to go strictly MMO after X, hence why the first FFO was given a Roman numeral. While I do agree in hindsight that it should've been treated as a spin-off, at the time, it made sense. As for FFXIV... I don't know, maybe they thought it would diminish XIV's importance if XI was given a numeral but the new MMO wasn't.
Basically, they made their bed and now they have to lie in it.
@@GamingintheAM0801 Oh man, i do not remember hearing that. That would have been so much worse (for me, at least. I dunno, some MMORPG nerds prolly woulda loved it.).
Nobody calls God of war (2018) God of war, its become mandatory to add a 4 to it
Resident Evil is the master, where crucial plot details are explained in spin off games.
Wow
I was 2nd
dude when u were explaining the DDR shit, i got so mad i almost down voted the vid, but then i remembered ur just the messenger and I upvoted instead LOL! Fr tho that typa shit gets me so mad man - great vid btw!
Final Fantasy screwed up by numbering the MMOs when it already had unnumbered spinoffs.
Kingdom Hearts screwed up all the way back at Chain of Memories where it was treated like it didn't matter that much at release when 2 picks up as a direct sequel to it and references its events frequently. Kingdom Hearts 3 is just an egregious continuation of that release strategy with 4 and an eighth games across 4 systems and an online multiplayer game all of which seem to matter more to the story than the 2 numbered games.
I think in general numbering mainline games is the right thing to do. It makes it easier to play them in order of release and distinguish the important games from the side games. I do agree that it can make it hard to distinguish between games with no subtitle though.
I have problems with sequels having numbers.
Sonic 1, Sonic 2,Sonic 3 and knuckles, Sonic Mania and Sonic 06. I am mad
For GTA, I think it's when they change the game engine that they change the number.
Yes.
Long running franchises that used numbers in their sequels from the start can’t just simply ditch it for future sequels to come because it’s a staple such as ones from Capcom, Konami, Square, and Enix to name a few.
It was just be confusing at that point and it wouldn’t look like a mainline game anymore
Just because there is number on the title dasn't mean the don't able to have subtitles
Speaking of mega man, in japan all the classic games have subtitles
I think the most egregious offenders are definitely the games that make sequels to existing titles (looking at you Final Fantasy XIII 1-3)
Idk why they do that when other RPGs just use subtitles. Hell they used subtitles with FF4 After Years and FF7 Crisis Core.
@@xenogen372 I guess in all fairness they did just call XIII 3 "Lightning Returns," but they still felt the need to include the numeral in the title. FFVII and FFX are also somewhat guilty given their spin-offs and sequels.
Yeah I find it really weird too.
Fans: No worries, we'll name it ourselves
*Resident Evil VILLage aka Resident Evil 8*
Obviously you should start out with prototype one and then move on to 2 so you're 50% right and then you're 50% wrong
Bros just making anything at this point ☠️