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Izuna Drop
The Izuna Drop's origin began in the 1969 manga called Ninpu Kamui Gaiden OP (The Legend of Kamui). Kamui learned this move from watching weasels leap from trees and attack birds. Many fictional ninja and/or video game characters use Kamui's move to this day, such as Vega (Street Fighter), Ryu Hayabusa (Dead or Alive / Ninja Gaiden), and Kage-Maru (Virtua Fighter).
Appears in 43 games
First appeared in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
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Triple Question Mark
Device used by games with text boxes to show that a mysterious and/or unknown character is talking. Mostly used in games coming from Japan (at least nowadays).
Appears in 69 games
First appeared in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
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Thanks For Playing
Sometimes when players beat a game, the credits sequence will end with the phrase similar to, "Thank you for playing!".
Appears in 145 games
First appeared in Catrap
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Unskippable Intro Movies
Avoid getting straight to the fun in favor of learning who developed, published, and provided middleware for this game.
Appears in 13 games
First appeared in Energy
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Dream Sequence
Dream sequences are a narrative and gameplay mechanic that present the thoughts or events that occur in dreams.
Appears in 87 games
First appeared in Erika to Satoru no Yume Bouken
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Uroboros
In Resident Evil 5, Uroboros is an adaptation of the Las Plagas parasite.
Appears in 1 games
First appeared in Resident Evil 5
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Astronaut
A person who travels into space.
Appears in 35 games
First appeared in Lunar Rescue
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Dust
Dust is a particle effect that usually occurs when an object or character impacts/rubs/scrapes along another object, character, or surface, creating a dust effect.
Appears in 35 games
First appeared in Moon Dust
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Particle System
Various effects using "particles" (billboard/sprite planes or full models).
Appears in 160 games
First appeared in Galaxy Force
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Single Item Inventory
Some games only allow the player character to carry a single item in their inventory at one time.
Appears in 12 games
First appeared in Maziacs
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Orca
Black-and-white predators of the sea. Despite being colloquially called killer whales, these marine mammals are actually dolphins.
Appears in 37 games
First appeared in Ecco the Dolphin
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Interactive Install Screens
While a data install can be a long and unpleasant process, certain games entertain the player in various ways to make the long-lasting event an entertaining process.
Appears in 17 games
First appeared in Command & Conquer
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D.I.C.E. Awards
Owned and operated by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and presented at the D.I.C.E. Summit, the D.I.C.E. Awards, formerly known as the Interactive Achievement Awards, are regarded as the most prestigious awards in the gaming industry.
First appeared in GoldenEye 007
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CriWare
Popular audio/video middleware tools developed by CRI Middleware, INC. Used in over 1,700 games spanning the PS2, PS3, Gamecube, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC, Arcade, DS, PSP and more.
Appears in 76 games
First appeared in Rupupu Cube: Lup Salad
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Flying Squirrel
Squirrels that glide between trees.
Appears in 14 games
First appeared in Bird Week
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Three Kingdoms Era
A turbulent period of Chinese history following the fall of the Han Dynasty. Although it officially began in AD 220 with the founding of the kingdom of Wei, its starting point is often considered the Yellow Turban Rebellion that began in AD 184.
Appears in 52 games
First appeared in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
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Self-Advertisement
Sometimes the creator's logo or name can be found in the product's game world.
Appears in 95 games
First appeared in Zombi
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Duty
One of the major, joinable factions in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise. Opposes the Freedom faction's struggle to destroy the Zone.
Appears in 1 games
First appeared in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
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Freedom
One of the major factions in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, they oppose the Duty faction in their belief about the Zone's usefulness to mankind.
Appears in 3 games
First appeared in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
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Kunoichi
Female ninja.
Appears in 186 games
First appeared in Ninja Princess
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Footprints
Footprints are visible marks left behind by a character walking.
Appears in 60 games
First appeared in Alley Cat
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Play Ball
Games in which the player can directly control a spherical object or creature that rolls along surfaces, such as in Marble Madness. Often the basis of puzzle platformers where the sphere must be guided through an obstacle course.
Appears in 82 games
First appeared in Marble Madness
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Steam
Water vaporization usually represented in video games as a particle effect.
Appears in 113 games
First appeared in Out of This World
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Claptrap
The CL4P-TP General Purpose Robots, better known as Claptraps, are robots who assist the population of Pandora in Borderlands. The first Claptrap in the game (the one on the title screen) is almost always dancing for some reason.
Appears in 5 games
First appeared in Borderlands
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Sea Urchin
Marine animals with sharp pointy ends.
Appears in 10 games
First appeared in Darius+
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Sahagin
Sahagins are creatures frequently found in the Final Fantasy series. They are usually depicted as being a cross between fish and amphibian.
Appears in 18 games
First appeared in Final Fantasy
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Feline Humanoid
Humanoids with feline characteristics. Feline humanoids are most commonly seen in Japanese games.
Appears in 20 games
First appeared in Phantasy Star II
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Railroad Simulation
Games which feature laying tracks, driving trains, and growing railway companies have a long history in the strategy genre.
Appears in 51 games
First appeared in Amtrack
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Terminal Illness
A terminal illness is a sickness or disease with no cure. Barring a miracle, the afflicted will die because of it.
Appears in 37 games
First appeared in Kana: Little Sister
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Firefly
Nocturnal beetle with luminescent abdominal organs.
Appears in 22 games
First appeared in Wayout
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Automation
Automation is the broad concept of assigning direction or goals to a game area (e.g. NPCs, units, rulers), so that they continue to perform appropriate action without intervention by the player.
Appears in 3 games
First appeared in Digital Devil Monogatari: Megami Tensei
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Re-Numbered Franchise
Games usually have numbered sequels, like Final Fantasy I through XIII, but some series like to stop numbering their sequels, then number them over again. This is the concept of games that had a numbered series, then stopped, then got numbered again.
Appears in 16 games
First appeared in Street Fighter Alpha 2
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Southern American Accent
When a character's accent hails from the Southern United States. Ranges from the languid drawl of the gentleman to the rustic vernacular of the hillbilly.
Appears in 45 games
First appeared in Mad Dog McCree
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Steam Cloud
Steam Cloud is a built in feature in some Steam games, it synchronizes game saves, settings and other data to the internet for access from any computer that has Steam installed.
Appears in 948 games
First appeared in Space Ace
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Porcupine
Not a hedgehog!
Appears in 12 games
First appeared in Chew Man Fu
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Skull Helmets
This concept is featured in games that have a character wearing a helmet or mask with a skull graphic or picture on it, or else a helmet styled to resemble a skull. This does not pertain to characters who actually have skulls for heads.
Appears in 7 games
First appeared in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
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SMART
SMART is dynamic movement system in Brink, which allows for the fluid navigation over objects in the environment.
Appears in 1 games
First appeared in Brink
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Protest
A public declaration of disapproval, often an excuse for dissidents to cause riots and damage public property.
Appears in 9 games
First appeared in SimCity 3000
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Riot
When many disgruntled people choose to go haywire on the system. Usually involves torches and pitchforks.
Appears in 14 games
First appeared in SimCity 2000
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Iron Giant
Iron Giants are recurring monsters in the Final Fantasy franchise. They are clad in heavy armor and rely solely on physical attacks.
Appears in 10 games
First appeared in Final Fantasy II
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Elevators That Mask Loading Times
Long elevator rides meant to hide the game loading.
Appears in 22 games
First appeared in System Shock
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Nāga
Serpentine deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
Appears in 28 games
First appeared in Cleopatra no Ma Takara
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Revolving Platforms
Platforms that revolve.
Appears in 9 games
First appeared in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
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Logo Box Art
Whether it's for minimalism or a lack of artistic effort a lot of games use only the games logo as it's boxart. Examples would include all Final Fantasy's after VII in PAL and Japanese territories, Gran Turismo 3, Portal, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Metal Gear Solid and more!
Appears in 36 games
First appeared in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
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