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 4 releases. Released Nov 19, 2002
Violence doesn't solve everything - in these games you have the option to arrest perpetrators instead of killing them outright. Often a bonus is attached to taking suspects in alive.
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.
An option that makes the physical character models in the game have enormous heads, and occasionally equally oversized arms. Usually accessed through a cheat code.
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.
Bullet time is a gameplay mechanic that allows players to slow down time. Depending on the game itself, the player often slows down along with the world around them, however occasionally the player can simply move at normal speed while the game world continues to slow.
A page for the Camera Following Projectile concept of when the player fires a projectile (bullet, arrow, cannon ball), time slows down and the camera will follow the projectile to its target (can be controllable with sixaxis such as in Heavenly Sword).
Video games that pick up the story where a movie, book or comic left off.
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 non-interactive sequence within a game most often used for plot advancement.
The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.
Sometimes you want a challenge, sometimes you wanna coast.
Generally used to fool other characters or parties into thinking you're one of them or belong there for purposes of deception, spying, or accessing data.
The concept of using two weapons at once, often for more damage at the cost of accuracy, the use of a shield, grenades, or other similar accessories.
A powerful release of energy. This energy is usually expelled in all directions very quickly, typically giving off orange or red flames.
First-Person is a vantage point that attempts to simulate looking through a game character's eyes. It is most commonly found in first-person shooters, racing games, and visual novels, and to a lesser extent in other genres, such as RPGs, 3D platformers, and adventure games.
Platforming from the character's point of view.
Whenever there's a new Pixar, superhero or Harry Potter movie they have to make one of these.
Characters that have a German accent.
A heads-up display is a graphical overlay of vital information used in most modern games.
Health is a value that gauges how much damage players can take in a game before they die or pass out. Also known as life in some games. Health is usually represented by a bar or a percentage instead of an exact amount. Found in most non sport games
Hostages exist to be saved, guarded, and occasionally executed.
The act of obtaining information through questioning.
It's arguably the one move that symbolizes the medium to those outside it. The ability to jump, be it onto a building, a platform, or a skull, is one of the all time most important abilities ever put in a video game.
Games that allow the player to choose which level to play next, rather than a fixed linear order.
These games are based off of established licenses, such as movies, comics, or TV shows. Examples are the James Bond 007 and Spider-Man franchises.
Loading Screens are specific screens that are displayed while a game is loading resources so that the player has something to distract them while the game loads. Loading Screens can be images, text or even mini-games - and sometimes a combination of all three.
Lock On is a game mechanic that allows the player to automatically center the character's aim on a target, usually done with a toggle or a press of a button.
The presence of different kinds of ammunition that pose advantages depending on situational needs. They vary on a per-game basis, but popular types include incendiary and armor-piercing.
Characters controlled by the game for players to interact with, as opposed to player characters which are controlled by whomever is playing the game.
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