5 Games that Changed Names in Development

Hey guys! I have gathered a list of popular games that went through interesting name changes during development. If anyone can think of anymore please leave a comment and maybe I’ll add it to the list or create a new post.

Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto is most likely the record holder for the game franchise with the most lawsuits against it! Interestingly what we now know as GTA was originally created as a fun racing and crashing game called Race’n’Chase. It began production in 1995 and it was projected to be released for MS-Dos, PlayStation,  and the Nintendo 64 (We all know why that idea fell through). According  to early documentation of Race’n’Chase players would only commit a few crimes during the game because they wanted more of a focus on the driving and racing. Later versions of the game focused more on crime and missions throughout the city and it was renamed to Grand Theft Auto because of your ability to steal other people’s cars.

Pac-Man

Originally was originally called Puck Man because its creator Toru Iwatani thought your character looked like a hockey puck. When Puck Man was being manufactured by Midway the game was changed to Pac-Man to prevent people from turning the “P” into and “F” to form F**ck Man. Classy.

Halo

Halo went through several names during development including: Monkey Nuts, Blam!, The Crystal, Star Maker and the most obscure of them being Solipsis. The game would have taken place on a planet called Solipsis but the planet eventually was scrapped for what is now known as the Halo. Solipsis seems to be a reference to solipsism which is the idea that “my mind is the only mind that exists” and that there is a collective body of consciousness in the universe. Or they just made it up cause it sounded cool.

Q*bert

Original names for Q*bert were mostly descriptions of the game such as Cubes (this could have been a fitting name). But some other original titles include: Snots, boogers and my favorite “@!#?@!”.

Doom

Lastly, we have DOOM one of the most prolific games of the first person shooter genre in the 1990’s. From the beginning the plot of the game was going to be an alien/zombie FPS. The game’s title in development was It’s Green and Pissed taking inspiration from monster movies of the 1950’s and 60’s. Later it was changed to DOOM because one of the creators liked a line from the movie The Color of Money, where a pool player walks up to Tom Cruise asking what he has in his billiards cue case. Cruise’s character slyly replies, “Doom”.

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Thanks for reading! If you have an idea for a game to add to this list feel free to leave a comment.

You can read some of my older post:

• How to Start a Video Game Collection
• Man Keeps super Famicom Running for 20 years
• Lets Draw: Dig Dug

And you can follow me on Twitter and YouTube where I post geeky content that you will enjoy!

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Starting a Video Game Collection

Game room photo from Nintendo Age user Maximus_Clean

Everyone has seen the huge game collections where Atari games line the walls and shelves are decorated to look like level on of Donkey Kong. These may make collecting look like a daunting task but as someone new to collecting games myself I have a few tips that have helped me begin my journey.

What are you trying to collect?

Are you unsure, and have no clue where to begin? You should ask yourself: are you collecting for a specific console or genre?  Many people will start with the classics: Mario, Zelda and Sonic. These are great games to start with because they are fairly abundant, they span across many consoles and are almost always satisfying games. I personally have begun my collection with the intent to relive my childhood gaming memories. I have found that this is a great way to begin your collection because the nostalgia connected to these first few games will drive you complete your childhood collection and eventually expand upon it.

Where to look for games?

1. Yard Sales:
   Yard Sales are usually a great place to get games for a bargain because these are mostly people selling their “junk”. People will sell their games for dirt-cheap because they assume they hold little value. I recently went a yard sale where the guy was selling a Nes game and accessory case for $1. After a quick Google I found that this was worth $50+!
2. Thrift stores:
   Searching your local thrifts stores you may find many great games for a bargain. Local Goodwill will often have areas with game selling at prices much lower than you’ll find on the internet or in stores. While in thrift stores, make sure your look through CD and DVD piles, I have found decent PlayStation and CD Rom games that were buried under music and bootleg movies. Also If you are into collecting PC Games you will sometimes find them stored with the board games Video Cassettes (depending on their size).
3. The Internet:
   Of course I didn’t forget about this one but I wanted to save it for last as it isn’t always the cheapest option. There are many places throughout the Internet to buy new and used games. It is important to always do your research before purchasing a game. You don’t want to end up paying 20 bucks for a used copy of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt. eBay is a good place to get some gems for cheap but you can’t always believe the “Buy it Now!” price. This is often an inflated price due to perceived value or a way to get more money out of the ill-informed. If you want to see the true value of a game you should look at the auction listings to see what people are willing to buy this game for. For the real bargain hunters, you can go into the advanced search options and see the sold listings and final price for the game.
   I have also found great deals on Amazon with many great used games for under $10 though; some of the more popular games such as Contra and Mario Bros. 3 can go for upwards of $30+ because it is well known. If you want to support smaller game retailer sites be warned that many of the small sites selling games tend to sell used games for more money because of their small size for more income.
   When buying online remember to factor in the cost of shipping. Sometimes you may see a good deal only to find out that the game has a $28.00 shipping fee. Sometimes if you buy multiple items from the same seller you will not only lower the shipping costs and possibly get a discount.

Summary and Tips

• Figure out what you want to collect it will help motivate you.
• Look locally for yard sales, thrift stores, or game stores that sell old video games.
• The internet can be great place to find bargains. But, sometimes beware of inflated prices and people overcharging.
• Start small. It may be tempting to empty your wallet buying every game you want.Do your research before buying a game.
• A personal rule of mine is not to spend more than about $5 dollars on a game you don’t know anything about. Some people go with $3.
• Remember not to get discouraged if you can’t find a game you are looking for, if you keep looking you’ll probably find it when you least expect it. Plus, searching if half the fun!

Whether you have a wall of games or a shoebox, you can easily begin a fulfilling game collection to build upon. Have fun collecting!