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Also known as: Nintendo Wii

What game names really mean

From Katamari to Mass Effect, we reveal games' secret meanings

Words: Brett Elston, GamesRadar US

TimeShift (360, PS3, PC)
Time shifting is the act of recording something to watch it later. Sounds as common as toothpaste by today's standards, but in 1979 Universal filed suit against Sony and its Betamax player, saying its ability to record copyrighted material was "going to send our entire civilization into Satan's cruel embrace, you content-devouring monsters." Perhaps the craziest part of that case is that Sony only won 5-4. We were two old dudes away from not having a collection of dusty old VHS tapes, DVRs and finicky writers who have the balls to ask for money for things they created.

Speedball (NES, PC, Atari, Master System, XBLA)
Other than being an overly aggressive form of paintball, we hear a speedball is heroine mixed with cocaine or an amphetamine. Don't ask us what a Speedball 2 is...

Astyanax (NES, Arcade)
We're quite certain no kid pronounced this properly back in the day - unless they were big into Greek mythology, that is. Ol' Asty is the son of Hector and Andromache, two names you'll recognize from that dizzyingly boring movie from a few years back. It's also a fish. Again with the fish.

Revengers of Vengeance (Sega CD)
"We have no idea what to do or what to call this, so let's just make shit up. Wait, what? Revengers... that's not... that's not even a word. Aw hell it's noon. It's time for lunch. Yeah we'll call it Revenging Avengers or whatever. I'm buying."


 
14 Comments
Order Comments: Newest First | Oldest First
norcemastero  - 1 year 2 months ago 
haha not all too funny
HypherionWing  - 1 year 2 months ago 
Who said it was supposed to be funny? I found it informative 8) ^^ 8)
musashi1596  - 9 months 26 days ago 
I too found it informative.
Keep up the good work!
Resident  - 7 months 25 days ago 
Exaaactly , i found it informative too , and we too like to learn some things ;)
Let the other features for fun

// I love Katamari, it's a nice word and means something
linkmaster21  - 7 months 24 days ago 
funnny and imformative but what exactly is a galaga i want to know
Styrophoamicus  - 7 months 24 days ago 
Sol-Feace ftw.

Sun poop.
ZeRo  - 7 months 22 days ago 
Revengers of Vengeance????? WTF?
Hinro  - 2 months 20 days ago 
A good article but I just want to clear something up about the 300 movie. It is true that 300 spartans went to hold of the Persians while the rest of the Greek armies prepared a battle else where. What is not true is that it was just those 300 spartans that faught. Each Spartan had 3 servants (who were not considered to be Spartan citizens but live in Sparta) with them at the battle of Thermopoli (I know I spelt that wrong sorry to any english majors who happen to read this but this message is about history) meaning that there was actually around 1200 people who were battaling the Persian. I know my response is a little late and it's unlikely that anyone will read it but anyone who does will know the truth of the story behind 300.
swbf69  - 2 months 18 days ago 
I thougt it was a good article and good work with your history knowledge Hinro. Your very accurate.
sovtek37  - 2 months 10 days ago 
Actually wrong about "Deus Ex Machina". It is NOT an "act of god", it is actually "god from the machine". A completely different meaning and usage that originated in Greek theater.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina
sovtek37  - 2 months 10 days ago 
Deus Ex Machina does not mean "act of God", it means "God from the machine". It is a storytelling device which originated in Greek theater. With regard to the video Game Deus Ex, the title of the game was a take on the true theater meaning (an inexplicable event is central to the resolution of the plot), and also a take on the literal translation (that technology is enhancing the state of humanity).

Wikipedia: Dues Ex Machina
Hinro  - 2 months 8 days ago 
Thanks Swbf69. I try my best. And good catch on the meaning of Deus Ex Machina sovtek37
LordUberDowzen  - 1 month 16 days ago 
Um, not sure if this is a joke or not, but Mass Effect refers to the technology that humans find on mars which allows them to use FTL drives and stuff.
ulmxn  - 1 month 16 days ago 
i skipped through most of the names that i dont recognize but, u can doo eet!
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