Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Issue 36
Demo Derby
Game Mess Mornings 04/22/24
GrubbSnax
8-4 Play 4/19/2024: LEAVE IT TO BEAVERS
8-4 Play
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.20
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.13
Community Endurance Run XIV - April 12-14
Game » consists of 9 releases. Released May 26, 2009
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.
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.
The ability to fling oneself around an environment gracefully. Wall-running, jumping, massive drops, climbing, and other physical activities are what acrobatics is all about.
Characters either begin with multiple outfits, unlock them through play, or purchase them as in-game items. These costumes are sometimes integral to play.
Alternate realities are worlds that exists next to, in parallel of, or in place of our own.
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 proprietary video codec (.bik/bk2 extension) developed by RAD Game Tools and used in a very large number of video games.
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.
Bosses are enemies that fight you at the end of a level or at a significant point in the story.
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.
An action that is sensitive to context. Like going up to an object and pushing a button, which would normally perform a different action, to interact with it.
Cooperative play in games allows humans to play together as a team to accomplish a task. Instead of playing against a human opponent, the team must defeat an AI. Cooperative Play in some games also means 2 human versus 2 human, this occurs in some Billiards games. (Scotch Doubles / Doubles)
A sight placed on the HUD used to aim and provide a point of reference to the player when looking and interacting with the game world. Although they often aim weapons, they have a variety of uses and have appeared in many games in many different forms.
A bright flash, usually red and seen on the borders of the screen, that indicates damage or injury.
Destructible cover is an increasingly popular feature in shooters, even those without cover systems. It is used to encourage creative tactics both in single-player and multiplayer.
Proving that the blood graphics are great until there is just too much gore on the ground.
The 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California on July 15-17.
When the player's actions cause enemies to say specific lines of dialog, such as "He's here!" or "Who turned out the lights?"
An environmental hazard that can be exploited to inflict massive areal damage, exploding barrels are one of the most ubiquitous objects to be found in games. The most common methods of ignition include shooting and throwing. Exploding barrels are usually distinguished from the non-exploding kind by a conspicuous red tint.
Sometimes, enemies will explode (usually when shot at) and will cause damage to the player.
A powerful release of energy. This energy is usually expelled in all directions very quickly, typically giving off orange or red flames.
Extreme violence pertains to excessive amounts of blood, gore, or violent acts. These include decapitation, mutilation, dismemberment, amputation, defenestration, disembowelment, torture and much more.
Enemies that prefer to keep a distance to the ground, and swoop down occasionally to do some damage.
A system that gives a game the technical capability to implement the effects of gore which include but are not limited to, dismemberment, charring, beheading and gibbing. Gore systems have progressed significantly over the years from enemies scattering into pixels to highly detailed body tearing.
"Hand to hand. It is the basis of all combat." -Gray Fox
Any stealth operative or athletic character knows this ability. Necessary if you're hanging on a ledge and don't want to fall.
A heads-up display is a graphical overlay of vital information used in most modern games.
Most modern shooting games add the realistic touch of rendering shots to the cranium instantly fatal. Glorious for the shooter, kind of a bummer to the shootee.
Historically inaccurate games are those that do not abide by actual historical timelines for design or plot points.
A hub is the central location from which a player can venture out into different areas of a game. It is often used as a clever way of masking loading between levels or worlds.
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