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An AI companion is a computer-controlled ally who follows and aids you through your adventures or who requires your protection. The AI companion's survival is often essential to game and story progression.
Abilitease is an aspect of game design wherein a game will provide a glimpse of your full skill-set at or near the start, only to remove most of these skills, stats, and abilities soon after.
Achievements are extra challenges added into video games that sometimes carry a point value or unlock bonus material, and are sometimes solely for bragging rights.
Used by protagonists when opening a door that is locked, or just for looking really cool.
Games often use iron sights to define precision shooting with non-scoped weapons.
Extraterrestrials appear in many video games in a variety of styles. Sometimes they're evil, sometimes they're benevolent, and sometimes they're very similar to humans.
Games with stories that involve aliens invading another planet.
A secondary function for a single weapon, such as launching a grenade from a rifle.
Ambient Occlusion attempts to realistically depict the way light reflects off surfaces and radiates throughout an area.
In many games the player is given the power to harm and or kill creatures. Many games have been brought to spotlight by groups like the rather militant PETA.
Games that allow fauna to be used as weapons.
A system put in place to stop players from performing game breaking-actions, such as hacking or using specialized software to cheat, such as an aimbot.
The protagonist arrives by a helicopter, a plane, or similar; the vehicle is subsequently shot down, stranding the protagonist on unknown soil. This can occur either at the beginning of a game or to start off a level.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, commonly refers to the programmed behaviors of NPCs in a game, whether it's the fact that a soldier takes cover behind a wall in Gears of War, or that townspeople cheer upon your arrival to their village in Fable.
A partial reward granted to the player for aiding a teammate by softening a target or helping to fully score by completing an objective in competitive multiplayer. Assist Points may also refer to bonuses awarded for simply supporting an ally with repair, supplies or a defibrillator zap.
Attachments are objects in video games that augment the user's abilities.
Characters that are described and interact with the character primarily or only via audio (most often through dialogue, but usually also using some audio effects). As opposed to cutscenes which often emulate film, the way aural characters are presented in games often more closely parallels radio dramas and other audio-exclusive media.
The game automatically saves for you when you reach certain points. Implemented in order to reduce frustration for forgetful savers.
Automated Grenade Throw refers to games that have specific controls for tossing a grenade, as opposed to being forced to switch out your current weapon with a grenade before throwing.
Backtracking is the act of navigating through previously explored areas, usually for the purpose of progressing in an objective-based adventure game. Players who are lost may also backtrack to reorient themselves.
Bald Space Marine is the concept in many shooters that the player's character is a generic blank slate with no or little narrative development. Recently parodied in TimeSplitters and Matt Hazard. Also exemplified by limitations in technology.
When characters make conversation during normal gameplay, rather than a dialog-focused scene.
Whether you're trying to stay alive for a certain time period or just trying to gain the upper hand in a fight, being able to make a barricade is crucial to your survival.
When the player character (re)visits a certain area or location that was also present in a previous game, or visited later on in the same game, with some alterations.
Winged, usually flying creatures, many of which enjoy perching on branches and defecating on unfortunate victims below.
Necessary to sustain life in organic creatures, the crimson fluid known as blood tends to make appearances when the body's structure is compromised in some way, a very, very common occurrence in videogames.
Body armor in games acts as additional protection. In most cases, when a player takes damage that would completely affect their health, their body armor reduces the damage taken or takes the damage instead.
Bosses are enemies that fight you at the end of a level or at a significant point in the story.
Not all bosses can handle the player by themselves. Many use waves of lesser enemies to fight for them while they rest, and some even let these minions do all the work.
A boss fight is a culminating challenge that pits the player against one or more enemies representing a greater threat and/or difficulty than those previously faced. These scenarios typically feature unique antagonists.
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