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Placing the player in an environment and making them feel alone. Games often use this for atmospheric effect.
Games that feature enemies that were at one point unconscious in a sealed glass or metallic chamber (generally full of goo). Most of the time, the enemies break through the chamber to attack the player or are activated by an outside force.
The "Seal of Quality" was a gold seal Nintendo put on the boxes of games it officially licensed. Originally Nintendo used it to restrict games on their systems. It still appears on games today, despite the restrictions being far less strict.
A dead end is when a path or road is blocked off, whether intentionally or accidently, and players are forced to turn around.
Weapons that use a freezing effect to damage opponents, slow them up, or freeze them solid.
Sidehoppers are recurring enemies from the Metroid series that jump from side to side to crush their foes.
A situation where the player must quickly escape from a building currently in the process of blowing up. Could either be a cinematic or actually gameplay.
Characters that are designed to be scantily-clad.
It's easy to lose oneself in the heat of battle. Luckily, some games will alert the player as to when they are close to death.
This concept deals with platforms that phase in and out of existence as time passes. It is used to create tricky platforming situations requiring excellent timing to overcome.
The act of using one's enemies as platforms, be they stationary or moving, permanent or temporary.
A general term to describe a race or species that predates the civilisation/setting that the game takes place in, usually used in the game to provide hints or clues to the protagonist to help solve some sort of grand mystery or defeat an enemy through the help of relics left behind. Occasionally, there may still be traces of them, either through technology or lone survivors that have somehow managed to live to the present day.
Parallax scrolling is a scrolling effect used in video game graphics, employing multiple scrolling layers to create the illusion of depth, for a pseudo-3D effect in an otherwise 2D scrolling game.
A "cute'em up" is a branch of the shoot'em up genre of video games that involve weird or cute enemies and protagonists. Game titles that would fall into this genre include Parodius, Twinbee, and Gunbird.
Various shooting games includes a mode or a challenge that includes keeping an item in the air by shooting it
Overheating in video games involves guns and vehicles experiencing an increase in temperature leading to reduced efficiency or accuracy, damage or even destruction.
The 2008 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) took place at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, Washington on August 29-31.
A brand of motorbike appearing in the Excitebike francise and as an Assist in Super Smash Bros.
Games that explicitly reference a sequel at the end of the game.
Psychic abilities are featured in many different video games and in many forms, from the PSI powers of Ness from Earthbound to the mind-reading abilities of Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid.
A mechanic used mainly in Japanese RPGs of both the action and turn-based variety.
The ability to see the world in a different way. Reveals paths, secrets, enemies, among other things.
Non-game software is an application that is not designed as a game, but which runs on a gaming-focused system. Examples include films or television shows on cartridge or disc, calculators, novels, Bibles, et cetera.
Also known as Othello, this strategic board game uses round pieces with a different color on either side. When pieces of one color form a straight line between two pieces of the other color, the middle pieces are flipped over.
Console games that derive from a past PC exclusive release, either due to popular demand or poor sales.
A combat system in which all the player character's offensive and defensive moves are mapped to a single button. Depending on the game, this can lead to a surprising level of complexity.
A system of social and economic organisation which focused on a hierarchical organisation of society. Decentralization of political authority and military power were common in feudalistic societies. Japan and Europe in the medieval period were heavily feudalistic in their organisation.
Parrying is a specialized block mechanic, often with a tight input window, which prevents the player from taking damage. While some games allow this through a timed directional input towards the opponent, other games tie this to deliberate block inputs as a "Perfect Guard".
Shellcreepers are the turtle-like enemies from Mario Bros., and precursors to the Koopas.
Bet a little or bet the house. How much you win depends on how much you wager.
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