837: R1 to Brood
Giant Bombcast
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Issue 36
Demo Derby
Game Mess Mornings 04/22/24
GrubbSnax
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.20
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.13
Community Endurance Run XIV - April 12-14
Platform »
Gravity is a physical phenomenon, specifically the mutual attraction between all objects in the universe. In a gaming setting, gravity determines the relationship between the player and the "ground," preventing the player or game objects from flying off into space, and hopefully acting in a predictable/realistic manner.
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.
A game based on an anime.
The recording of data related to player performance or progress in a game. This feature is commonly found in RPGs or competitive multiplayer games. It does not include statistics in sports games, unless related to player performance.
Collectibles are items such as coins, rings, gems, packages etc. that can be gathered, usually for some kind of reward, or sometimes to simply beat a level. Often (almost too often) the source of earning achievements and trophies on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
No point in gathering coins, gold, gil, money, or whatever if you can't buy anything with it.
Enemies that appear out of nowhere and force the player into a battle.
The political thriller is a story, often action-oriented, that tends to revolve around two or more nations struggling to gain power. Outcomes are usually found through military confrontations, covert wars, and back alley negotiating.
Puzzles may need to be solved before the player can progress to the next section of the game. Often it may not be clear to players exactly what the puzzle is, or whether the an in-game items needs to be attained before it is even possible to solve it.
Currency has all forms in video games. It is used to buy characters, vehicles, weapons, and more.
An aesthetic sub-genre of fantasy, focusing on brutal barbarians and arcane wizardly magic.
An industry game design convention that's appeared in many games over the years. The fetch quest involves sending the player out to collect a certain number of items, and return them to complete the quest. A staple of the RPG and Adventure game genre.
Many games allow you to buy stuff, these are the dudes who help sell it to you. Typically they also engage in light conversation.
The player character is seen at a distance from a number of different possible perspective angles. There is generally a movable camera but it can also be in a fixed position. It most commonly refers to a viewpoint behind the player character.
Two or more factions, either with the same or completely different goals, that constantly try to one-up each other. The player is sometimes forced to pick a side to root or work for during the struggle. Other times the rivalry is only mentioned in the plot.
A Role-Playing Shooter (RPS) is a game that rolls both Shooting and Role-Playing elements together.
A heavily armored soldier in the service of a lord or cause. Typically a champion of good and a defender of the innocent.
An intimate physical activity between two or more individuals.
A system in which the player is allowed to control multiple characters. Most commonly seen in role playing games. Can also be used to describe party systems in the MMORPG genre, which brings a group of players together to accomplish various tasks.
Point and click is an interface featured in a specific kind of adventure game, where players click on objects and characters to interact with them.
A mechanic used mainly in Japanese RPGs of both the action and turn-based variety.
An overworld is a simplified view of the game world that allows players to freely move to different locations or levels.
Some games portray cutscenes as portraits of characters talking to each other.
See? The exploiting, soulless people who run the video game industry DO care about their fans!
A style of action-adventure gameplay revolving around exploring a labyrinth with the necessity of locating new items and equipment to progress beyond otherwise impassable obstacles. The concept is named for its common usage in the Metroid and Castlevania franchises. While the term most commonly refers to 2D games, it can also refer to 3D games.
It's not just for airplanes anymore: Game mascots and MMO players alike have taken to the skies. Players can use flight to quickly navigate large levels, find hidden items, or take opponents down.
Bosses are enemies that fight you at the end of a level or at a significant point in the story.
“Indie” or “independently developed” games are video games which are developed by a studio without the support of an external publisher.
Backtracking is the act of navigating through previously explored areas, usually for the purpose of progressing in an objective-based adventure game. Players who are lost may also backtrack to reorient themselves.
This concept is for games where at least one of the main characters is female.
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