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
Game » consists of 5 releases. Released Aug 19, 2009
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
Death From Above.
A digital storefront which donates some of its profits to charity.
An Iconic concept of video games is the use of an idle animation for the players character, when during gameplay there's no control given. It's an example of emergent game design, and is used as a way to add depth to action characters.
The best way to make sure even the stupidest players know that certain people, places, terms, or concepts in a game are important is to highlight those words in the text with different coloured letters, or through the use of bold, italicized, or all-caps text.
A bridge made using whatever is available at the moment; used as a method to cross obstacles, such as gaps or bodies of water.
A list of games that have their own in-game graphical achievement menu. Used for showing current progress towards achievements or trophies.
Whole levels dedicated to the industrial theme. These levels resemble factories or other industrial areas, and are often filled with conveyor belts, tesla coils and other contraptions.
A concept in a game where the playable character can't run out of ammo, and doesn't need to pick up/buy ammo. In some cases, you still have to reload your weapon, but you will still have an endless amount of magazines.
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.
Game endings that are meant to be absurd and that fly in the face of a dramatic storyline. Joke endings are often included as bonuses that require the player to beat the game a certain way in order to be seen.
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.
Kidnapping is often used in videogames as a motivation for the protagonist to venture into unknown worlds and fight seemingly hopeless battles.
When the title of the game does not appear immediately at the beginning of the game, but rather after the first mission or prologue.
When a character grabs a ledge, in order to pull themselves up, or shimmy to the side until there's room. Mostly seen in 3rd person adventure games, but also in many platformers.
The process by which characters reach a new level, gain greater attributes, and learn more abilities. It usually involves earning enough experience points by completing a variety of tasks such as quests or by "farming" such as killing other characters for their experience points.
The act of granting freedom to prisoners or subjugated NPCs.
Basically you're given a flashlight and then sent to a dark place.
This concept is for games in which at least one of the main characters is male.
A game where you eventually receive a map of an area. Like in Metroid Prime you have map download stations to get a map outline of the area. This is the same concept in the exploring Castlevania games.
From Beat-em-ups to fighting games to modern FPS, one dude hitting another has made an enjoyable pastime.
A post processing effect that blurs and streaks the entire frame. Loosely based on the behavior of real-world optics.
Platforms conveniently moving you towards your destination to allow the crossing of large expanses which would otherwise be impossible to cross.
A boss fight in which the player must not only battle the actual boss, but must also defeat or defend against auxiliary enemies.
Some games feature the ability to switch the gameplay camera perspective between first and third person, either as an option or as a gameplay element.
Sometimes one playable character just isn't enough.
Hot, high pressure gases released from the muzzle of a firearm when fired.
A mode that allows a game to be replayed after a first completion, carrying over items, experience, weapons, and other elements from the first playthrough.
Anything that can be picked up and used temporarly. Basically any item that is optional but can be used to an advantage.
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.
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