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About eight months ago, I did a top ten list about the worst game titles in history.  In that span of time, we’ve seen the retirement of Bob Barker, the breaking* of the home run record and the completion of Boston’s “Big Dig”, so I figured it was high time I flipped the proverbial script on that one, and gave you guys the ten best names.  The problem is there are too many different kinds of good game titles to compare.  Which is better; a kick-ass moniker like GUN or a memorably funny name like Sam & Max: Abraham Lincoln Must Die!?  See?  Apples and oranges.  So I had to narrow it down to just one or the other.  I decided on bad-ass.  I’ll do the funny ones in a later list, but for now, here’s the top ten names that just drip testosterone.  The ones that appeal to your inner ass-kicker, forcing you to spend your hard earned cash in hopes of delivering epic beatdowns to endless hordes of all manner of demons, Nazis, monsters, aliens or zombies.  Whether the games themselves delivered on their name’s promise is of no concern here, though.  This one is just for the titles.  Enjoy.



10 – Resident Evil

In addition to being one of gaming’s greatest franchises, the quintessential survival horror game has a name that perfectly conveys the spine-chilling action that it’s so well known for.  In Japan, it’s known as Biohazard, which ain’t bad, but the American title is one of the best.


9 – The World Ends With You

Another game with a different Japanese label (It’s A Wonderful World), The World Ends With You is an action rpg scheduled to be released in the states in Spring 2008.  The story is a bit on the Japanese side, if you know what I mean, but the title tells you the stakes right from the get-go, and there’s nothing quite like that feeling of virtual grandeur.


8 – Wrath Of The Black Manta

Many of you may not remember this NES ninja title, but it was probably the second best game of its kind (apologies to Shinobi), and its name has an undefinable, undeniable bad-ass quality.  Wrath is cool.  Black is cool.  Mantas are cool.  Ninjas are cool.  Any questions?


7 – Devil May Cry

There’s almost nothing about the Devil May Cry that isn’t bad-ass.  The gun/sword combat is visceral and thrilling, the main characters are cool on a Jack Burton level, and the title is cryptic and unforgettable.


6 – No One Lives Forever

It would make a fantastic James Bond movie title.  Much better than the upcoming 22nd installment, Quantum Of Solace, anyway.  As it is, though, NOLF is a fun, quirky homage to 007 with a title Ian Fleming wishes he came up with.


5 – Grand Theft Auto

The game is named after a crime, for God’s sake.  What else do you need to know?  It’s simple, powerful, and it reeks of bad-assery.  No one could mistake it for a puzzle game, that’ for damn sure.


4 – Gears Of War

War is hell.  It dehumanizes us, turning people into disposable weapons: tactical resources to be fired at an opposing force of likewise nameless soldiers.  No game title brings to mind the bleakness and loss of humanity that comes with warfare quite like Gears.  Oh, it happens to be a decent game, too.


3 – No More Heroes

The number three entry also happens to feature one of the greatest character names in gaming history, too.  Travis Touchdown.  It just rolls off the tongue, don’t it?  NMH is one weird-ass game to be sure, and the title, named for the motel Travis lives in, sounds cool enough to be the next Tarantino movie.


2 – Twisted Metal

The series I most want to make a comeback.  Don’t think that’s the reason it’s on this list, though.  The title is aptly evocative of the violent, chaotic nature of car crashes, and could easily double as a name for a killer speed/thrash metal band.


1 – Run Like Hell

Certainly not one of the more well-known games on the list, RLH holds the top spot on the list for its straightforwardness, its simplicity and its WTF-factor.  What does it mean?  What does it have to do with the actual game?  I have absolutely no idea.  And I’m okay with that.

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