One-Word Video Game Titles Trivia Quiz

Answer: Riven

Beginning in 1993 with "Myst", the Rand Miller puzzle series hit it big with PC players and became one of the best-selling PC games of all-time (that is until "The Sims" was released). "Riven" showed up in 1997 followed by "Exile", "Revelation", and "End of Ages". All of the games in the series were developed by Miller's developers at Cyan Worlds and the original "Myst" has been ported tot he Playstation and Nintendo DS.

The games are also followed by a novel series.

Answer: StarCraft

"StarCraft", once put onto Battle.net online, became one of the most popular internet-based RTS games on the market after its 1998 release. Blizzard Entertainment (already known at this point for "Warcraft" and "Diablo") created a three faction game in which players can build armies and structures in a futuristic setting.

The Terran, a humanoid race, The Protoss, a sophisticated alien race, and the Zerg, an insectoid race, all feature in the game and its expansion, "Brood War". The game was also released on the Nintendo 64 (albeit without online but with the expansion included) in 2000.

Answer: Pikmin

In this game, Olimar crash lands his spaceship on a planet inhabited by servile creatures he affectionately calls 'Pikmin'. Appearing in a flame-resistant red, bomb-toting yellow, and water-breathing blue, these creatures can help Olimar defeat horrible creatures, navigate the land, and carry supplies and parts to his ship. Once Olimar collects enough pieces he can fly home to planet Hocotate.

The game was solely released on the Gamecube but had a revised edition with Wii controls released eight years later.

The same happened with its sequel, "Pikmin 2". Olimar later appeared in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl".

Answer: Bully

Set at Bullworth Academy, the player character is one of the students, and the aim of the game is to rise through the cliques to become one of the most popular kids in school. Originally released in 2006 on the Playstation 2, the game was rereleased in a "Scholarship Edition" on the Wii and Xbox 360. Rockstar Games are also well known for working on the "Grand Theft Auto" series. Like this series, "Bully" wasn't without controversy upon its release; many parent groups figured that the game would support bully stereotypes. Certainly better than car theft...

Answer: Portal

"Portal", while quite short, was one of the more prestigious games to be released in 2007. Part of Valve's super-pack ("The Orange Box") was released along with "Team Fortress 2" and most of the "Half-Life" series itself. You play as Chell, who has been locked into the bottom level of the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center for a good amount of time, as she makes her way in and out of the different chambers with a portal-forming gun and the guiding voice of GLaDOs. "Portal" appeared with "Orange Box" on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC and with was also released stand-alone for the computer afterwords. "Portal" was based on the earlier indie game "Narbacular Drop".

Answer: Spore

Beginning as a cell, moving into creatures, progressing into tribes, forming into civilizations, and advancing into space, "Spore" begins in the primordial ooze and makes its way into the distant future to chronicle the entire lifespan of a planet's evolution and beyond.

It's a vastly sprawling game with tons of ambition, but shortly after its release it faded into the background despite good reviews. Creators and players deemed the game to support Creatiolutionism in which the player creates the organism from the get-go and evolves it to a stage past human feats. Ironically, what you can do in a matter of hours, humans still haven't been able to accomplish in real life. I guess we're a bit more complicated...

Answer: Prototype

"Prototype" is an open-world sandbox game in which you control a single player in a massive environment. As Alex Mercer, you travel around the city ensuring that the virus taking a stranglehold on a quarantined New York City is kept at bay. When you come into contact with or kill specific enemies, you can take their identity, appearance, and memories to progress in the game.

The story follows both Alex's seeking of his identity and the seeking of the truth behind the virus plot itself. The game was well-received upon its 2009 release.

Its developers at Radical Entertainment (part of Blizzard-Activision) also created many "CSI" games and "Simpsons" and "Crash Bandicoot" racing games.

Answer: Infamous

"Infamous" was the notable sandbox release for the Playstation 3 in 2009 going up against Xbox 360's "Prototype" in May. "Infamous" stars Cole MacGrath, a bike messenger who ends up on the wrong side of an explosion (the wrong side being the epicenter). Rather than being obliterated, he survives and finds himself endowed with odd powers.

For example, Cole can extract electricity and use it to fire or destroy enemies. Another notable point of the game is the fact that you can decide whether or not you want Cole to be influentially good or evil. Every decision you make contributes to his demeanor and the quests you are able to pick up. What may have once been about saving a character may turn out to be killing a character if you choose the evil side. Use the force, it seems.

The creators, Sucker Punch, also created the "Sly Cooper" games and "Infamous" itself was relatively well-received.

Answer: BioShock

Originally released for the Xbox 360 (but also appearing on PC and Playstation 3), "BioShock" was one of the most well-received games of 2007. A spiritual successor to the horror game "System Shock 2", "BioShock" is both an action game and a somewhat creepy puzzle game.

Its sequel, "BioShock II" was released in 2010 (and was originally to be subtitled "Sea of Dreams"). The player delves into the underwater world of Rapture in which a scientific discovery known as ADAM has turned the inhabitants insane.

The game doesn't solely touch on science though- it also touches on the social and political impacts of the dystopian society which was once prominently held in Rapture. Millions of copies of the game have sold since its release and it soon rose to the ranks of 2K Games' most popular titles.

Answer: Bayonetta

Known for its attempts to flaunt female sexuality and containing tongue-in-cheek references to other popular video games, "Bayonetta" was released in January 2010 by Sega on both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. A hack-and-slash action game with quick-time elements, the game was critically successful upon release selling a number of copies and becoming the first success of 2010. Platinum Games, who previously released "MadWorld" (an M-rated game) on the Wii, certainly upped their already-promising gameplan with this title. You play as Bayonetta, a witch with the ability to use her powers to defeat evil angels with powerful guns in tow. Every once in a while she'll say an overtly sexual quote and she'll flaunt around, but it's all part of the game's wit. Hideki Kamiya, who wrote the game, also created "Devil May Cry".