Changing the Suikoden name?

[Raijin]

I know Suikoden would be more popular if people tried it, any casual RPG fan would love Suikoden. But with a hideous name like that, I don't think people would give a second look towards it. I have to say if my cousin didn't buy Suikoden III I wouldn't even think about buying it. I saw him playing it and got impressed and decided to borrow it (and I still haven't returned it back ). So my encounter with Suikoden was purely coincidental. I'm glad that I didn't miss on such a great series.

Now let's look at the name:

- It's hard to pronounce just by looking at.
- It's a very unattractive name.
- And when you do pronounce it sounds kinda funny.

Say you look at the review and liked what you saw, you go to a game shop. You have no idea how to pronounce the name. "Yeah, can I have that Sea-yo-ko-den game." The cleric would go "What?" (That's what happen to me with Suikoden V ).

So let me get to the point. Do you think Konami should change the Suikoden name to a more appealing one?

[EternalOnslaught]

I'm actually fond of names like that, but the name may be slightly responsible for being over-looked. But you could say the same with Shin Megami Tensei series, which it seems to be gaining popularity as of lately.

I always look for a review, never judge a book by the cover. You may miss out on a great story/game.

[MaskedBishop]

"Yeah, can I have that Sea-yo-ko-den game." The cleric would go "What?" (That's what happen to me with Suikoden V ).

Never have had any problems talking to a game store clerk about Suikoden. Even when I mispronounced it "Soy-ko-den" they knew what I was talking about.

I dont think they should change the name. but i dont care either way, as long as i know so i can still get em

[Pollensalta]

And alienate all the existing fans, and cause about 3/4 of them to not know what the hell was going on if another game was made with a different title?

don't think so

[Queens Knight]

I love the name, makes it stand out from all the generic names out there.
They could just call it Fantasy Warrior: Quest for the Stars of Destiny (insert title number here) and rip-off names from other franchises.

-Final Fantasy
-Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest (forgot which is which)
-Star Ocean
-Tales of Destiny

[nephlabobo]

I know Suikoden would be more popular if people tried it, any casual RPG fan would love Suikoden. But with a hideous name like that, I don't think people would give a second look towards it. So let me get to the point. Do you think Konami should change the Suikoden name to a more appealing one?

This topic is not even worth discussing.

Lock it please.

[Sniper_Zegai]

The truth is a book IS judged by its cover, and a name like Suikoden does'nt tell me anything about the game and is'nt particularly eye catching. I dont think they should change the name now but I do think for the english speaking fans they should have used its meaning "Stars of Destiny" as the name as it is'nt a bad name and its pretty informative as to what the game is about.

Ultimatly I dont think it would have made the game a huge success like Final Fantasy with a different name but I do think it would have become at least an RPG staple instead of being the "hidden gem" it is today. Who knows, we may see Suikoden spin-offs that use the name or if a remake of an old Suikoden was made "Stars of Destiny" would be a good name to seperate the 2 games.

[Raijin]

Well then they could still keep Suikoden as a subtitle for the game.

Like Zegai idea for a name they could change it to Stars of Destiny: A Suikoden Game or something like that. I gotta say that has a nice ring to it.

This topic is not even worth discussing.

Lock it please.

You could just not discuss it and never click on this topic again. We are free to discuss our opinions on various things. If you don't like it, you can always just ignore it.

[Raww Le Klueze]

Suikoden does'nt tell me anything about the game

And what does Final Fantasy, Raw Danger, Tekken, Shen Mue etc etc tell you? Nothing beyond the title.

is'nt particularly eye catching

So a more generic name would be more eye catching than a unique one? Interesting.

they should have used its meaning "Stars of Destiny" as the name

Except Suikoden means Water Margin.

[Sniper_Zegai]

Suikoden does'nt tell me anything about the game

And what does Final Fantasy, Raw Danger, Tekken, Shen Mue etc etc tell you? Nothing beyond the title.

is'nt particularly eye catching

So a more generic name would be more eye catching than a unique one? Interesting.

they should have used its meaning "Stars of Destiny" as the name

Except Suikoden means Water Margin.

1. The title does'nt have to tell you everything but it helps if its connected. Final Fantasy does'nt just sound catchy but also is mysterious and interesting. The Final Fantasy...its a good name. Raw Danger? Must be some sort of action game and even if it is'nt people who are into action are bound to look. Tekken and Shen Mue are too examples of how unusual names can be effective when they are easy to purnouce and remember. I did'nt see any threads as to how you say "Tekken" or "Shen Mue". And besides I did'nt say the title HAS to be informative but "Stars of Destiny" is informative about the game and there are worse things that you could call it.

2. What I mean by this is Im more likely to look at something and be more interested when I actually know what the word means. Even if I looked at "Stars of Destiny" and said "Nah, does'nt sound that great" I think thats a damn better response than "What the hell does that mean, is that even English?" which when I showed Suikoden to my freinds is more or less the response I got. And besides you dont need a spectacular name for something great. You dont need the most catchy name ever but are you saying in comparison that I should be more interested in a word that is'nt in my language than a word that is. In fact if I put Stars of Destiny and Suikoden on 2 cases with no other details on them and said to someone "You have to buy one of these games not knowing what they are about" which one do you think that guy is gonna pick? Stars of Destiny has some indication as opposed to a name a guy cant even say properly.

3. I'll hold my arms up on this one. I actually got that translation from an internet reveiw about how Suikoden is one of the most mis-pronouced game names ever.

You can find the link to that here.

[McBones]

I actually found Suikoden IV by reading it and saying "what the hell is that?", which caused me to pick it up and read the box, and I thought it was pretty interesting. I dont think changing the name now will do any good since Suikoden is already a pretty well-established series, plus "Stars of Destiny" sounds pretty generic to me. Lots of RPGs have some form of fate or destiny involved in the plot.

[EternalOnslaught]

Actually...the name Final Fantasy has a story behind it, but I am pretty sure most of you know what that is. So in a way, it does make sense.

As for the Suikoden name, just keep it, already over a decade of games with the title changing it will only confuse people more.

Tekken also makes sense by the name, if it was translated it would've meant Iron Fist I believe(could be wrong though) which pretty much explains the main function of the game, which is fighting.

Not all games come with names that make sense, look at Zelda for a moment? Why isn't it called Link? StarFox character is...Fox Mario is Mario, etc.

[Benthos]

I really think that now that the name was well taken by the fans and all people, the name can't necessarily have to be changed, but they could do a spin-off of the game, named "Stars Of Destiny", like Zegai said.

[Sniper_Zegai]

I actually found Suikoden IV by reading it and saying "what the hell is that?", which caused me to pick it up and read the box, and I thought it was pretty interesting. I dont think changing the name now will do any good since Suikoden is already a pretty well-established series, plus "Stars of Destiny" sounds pretty generic to me. Lots of RPGs have some form of fate or destiny involved in the plot.

Im not saying that people WONT pick it up becuase of the name but you gotta admit that not everyone out there is naturally as curious as most of us here. In fact when I scan through games at a store Im not gonna take the time to read every game case, I just cant be bothered. I want a case that speaks out to me and gives me info without me having to scan every inch of the game. I picked Suikoden up at a rent store and actually thought it was a fighting game. Im just saying that having a name that people will recognise more easily would help the game more than a name that is even hard to say.

I agree with Pollen though. Its far too late to change the name and I dont think Konami should at this point. After all Suikoden now has a decent fan following and it seems to keep enough sales to keep the series afloat. I just think its a shame that Suikoden could have been bigger if it had a simpler name. Who knows.

[reinhart]

It doesn't matter how correct I'm gonna pronounce it. If I would buy it in a common shop, do you think the shop owner knows how to pronounce it correctly.

It wouldn't be called Suikoden Series if another "Name" will take place after Suikoden VI. And I am for the game itself, I'm not particularly discussing the name. I rather ask the game walkthrough not the name "Suikoden" only. And besides it's not a hideous name, after all, its a popular game.