Power Bombcast: The Skin Doesn't Quite Fit
Giant Bomb Presents
Game Mess Mornings 05/03/24
GrubbSnax
The Community Spotlight 2024.05.04
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.27
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.20
Platform »
Darkness is used in games to restrict access, increase tension, or just to set a mood. Often the player has access to a light source that can mitigate its effect.
The concept of lives in video games evolved to let the player get a second chance after failing once. The most recognizable symbol is the heart.
Enemies and NPCs are only able to move or attack when the player character moves; otherwise, they stay still. Most often this is seen in roguelikes and games with grid-based movement.
A subscription service from EA for the PC. Similar to EA Access, users pay a monthly fee to gain access to a range of titles published with additional incentives.
The 1995 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles California on May 11-13.
A mechanical system designed to capture or cause harm. Either the player can set traps for their enemies or others set them for the player.
Main characters in games who hold leadership positions for a nation, world or planet.
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.
Police are paid protectors who enforce the law through legal use of force. They are supposed to help ensure public safety and social order. Their motto is to protect and to serve.
A heads-up display is a graphical overlay of vital information used in most modern games.
By definition, a pirate is a (mostly naval) robber without commission from a sovereign nation. While maritime robbery has been around since ancient times, Piracy had its highpoint during the 17th century. They are easily identified by the "Jolly Roger", which is the traditional name of the famous skull flag.
In the sky or in the blackness of space, these guys can get you from one place to another, and maybe blow up a few bad (or good) guys along the way!
A series of arcade system boards and graphics engines developed by Sega to produce advanced, three-dimensional, sprite-scaling graphics. Capable of scaling/rotating thousands of sprites, Super Scaler produced the most advanced sprite-based graphics, from the Sega Hang-On in 1985 to the Sega System 32 in the '90s. It was an early form of 3D texture-mapping.
"Hand to hand. It is the basis of all combat." -Gray Fox
A weapon that has been forged and/or imbued with mystical energy, magic, or some other supernatural force. It is often required to solve a specific puzzle, or vanquish an impossible foe.
See? The exploiting, soulless people who run the video game industry DO care about their fans!
A malevolent character whose goals are evil in nature. While villains are commonly featured as antagonists, not all antagonists are necessarily villains.
These spooky entities are the spirits of the dead, returned from beyond their graves for generally sinister purposes. There's generally about even odds whether a particular ghost will be helpful or malevolent towards the living, but some ghosts just want to be left alone entirely.
In video games, breaking the fourth wall occurs when a game becomes aware of its nature as a game, or when a character directly acknowledges the player.
A concept in games with multiple characters, a screen with pictures of all playable characters with the possibility of stat listings.
A narrative that takes an unexpected turn. Commonly, plot twists come in the form of revealing that the player character is not actually who they thought.
The skeleton is the framework of the human body.
Skeleton Warriors are comprised of the animated bones of the dead. Often brought to life to do the bidding of an evil master as mindless and indefatigable soldiers and guardsmen.
Gameplay type emphasizing deliberately paced tactical battle where each side politely takes turns moving and attacking one another through varied forms of combat.
Electricity is commonly used as a damage-introducing element causing inanimate objects to become harmful (electrified water, floors, cables, etc). It can also refer to a power wielded by characters that generates sparks, is conductive to metal surfaces, forks or branches, and is often blue in color.
When the player's actions trigger a change in the game's soundtrack. This adds a cinematic quality to the gameplay.
SCUMM is an acronym for Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion. SCUMM is scripting language developed internally at LucasArts to help streamline the creation of graphic adventure games.
Monarchs and their families.
When the main character at some point has to escape from a confined area, be it a dungeon, a prison cell, or a penal colony.
Cold-blooded aquatic animals that have scales and breathe through gills.
This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:
Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.
Use your keyboard!
Log in to comment
Log in to comment