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Game » consists of 12 releases. Released 1982
Sure, these days have almost every game sporting the newfangled 3D, but way back when, everyone had to live with plain old 2D. 2D, or two dimensions, limit the game to scrolling backgrounds, but some games even now make use of this basic concept.
8-bit can be a reference to actual computing power, or it can be a retro look for videogames that want to recall a bygone era.
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.
Usually refers to the end of the world.
The End of Days. A concept often used in video games. In most games: the protagonists are working to prevent it, although sometimes the goal is to actually bring about Armageddon yourself.
Palette-swapping are sometimes used to denote the different strengths and abilities of your adversaries.
The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.
Any weapon that shoots laser and plasma beams or energy bolts rather than conventional bullets.
Whether it be Mario vs. Bowser, Jedi vs. Sith, Link vs. Ganon, or Elves vs. Orcs, the forces of good are in an eternal battle with the hordes of evil.
A situation where the player-controlled character loses their life immediately. The quickness of that demise is often a stark departure from the balance of power, and sometimes the rules, established by the developers during the rest of the game.
Whether it be a close up shotgun blast, far away sniper rifle, explosive, or backstab, the "one hit kill" is a popular kill strategy. Usually hard to master and even harder to avoid, the instant kill is loved and hated by gamers everywhere.
The opposite of open-ended gameplay, linear gameplay uses scripted events, Quick time events, cut scenes, and a restricted path to tell a story exactly how the writer intends, and control elements of the action.
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.
Sometimes, for one reason or another, a game will never actually tell you exactly where you are. Usually, this does not negatively impact the gameplay. Usually.
Any game that does not have any written or spoken dialogue in it, regardless if it has characters or not. This includes any text or recorded dialogue that is spoken by a character or narrator, but not text such as "Press Start".
A circumstance in video games where the player will defeat large numbers of enemies without any assistance from AI or other players. This may occur for part of a game or the entirety of it.
Pixel art refers to digital images composed of visible pixels, drawn with individual pixel-level intent and precision.
Many games feature a story which involves saving the world and its inhabitants, often single handedly.
Games whose titles consist of a single word.
A level in which everything is displayed on-screen at once, with no scrolling, flip screen, or 3D movement. Many '80s games consist entirely of single-screen levels.
Space is usually empty, but sometimes it's filled with virtual death machines.
A two-dimensional image or animation overlaid into a scene. The foundation of early 2D games, making up everything from props to the player-controlled character.
Survival is a concept that signifies that the player's life is constantly in jeopardy.
What lies ahead, and is distant from the present.
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