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Quick Time Events show up in all sorts of games as an attempt to make cutscenes interactive. Press the buttons displayed on-screen before time runs out, or else.
A weighty real-world issue that some games comment on, often through allegory. Unfortunately, other games can offend players in their depiction of different ethnicities, whether intentionally or not, thus becoming part of the issue themselves.
Rain can heavily increase the atmosphere of a video game. Some games use it to add detail to an environment, while other games use it to make it difficult to see.
The foil of almost every early RPG lover, these rodents often live in sewers. While most rats are simple targets, games like Ratatouille make them the hero.
This character has been sacrificed by the game designers to serve as a warning or amusement (probably both). These are the non-player characters who die at the beginning of the game or level.
A gathering of people who believe in the same higher power(s), and follow the rules laid out by the mortals chosen to be their prophets. Video games generally try to shy away from negatively portraying real religions to avoid controversy, however they make ample use of fictional in-game religions.
Games which have nothing to do with each other, but have the same title.
A Scripted Death is a moment when the player is taken out of control resulting in the characters death
Sometimes, things are just meant to happen the way they do. Usually triggered by a timer, or by the player crossing a checkpoint.
Instead of having the loot spew out of the corpse it-self, this concept is based on having to interact with the corpse to obtain the loot.
Characters that harbor their past even though it may be revealed later. They are commonly uncovered in a number of video games.
The use of separating portions of a games story into separate chapters that have definitive beginings and ends, similiar to a serial dramas on television.
Non-stealth games with a mission or level where you must sneak/creep through an area undetected.
Many horror-themed games feature characters uttering despondent noises; this includes screaming, sobbing, and moaning.
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.
Using stealth often requires the player to accomplish their objective without being detected by enemies. Methods of detection can vary from game to game, and can be based on an enemy's line of sight, how quiet the player is, or even how the player interacts with the environment.
Stealth kills are special kills in video games that usually occur when the AI is not aware of the threat of the player.
A digital distribution service owned by Valve Corporation. Originally created to distribute Valve's own games, Steam has since become the de facto standard for digital distribution of PC games.
Valve's counterpart to Microsoft's popular achievement system.
A series of Steam features related to cross-platform play, including cross-buy, cross-play, and Linux compatibility layers.
Subtitled Silence is when a character remains silent in a section of dialogue and a subtitle box appears usually having an ellipsis (...) or nothing at all. Most common in J-RPGs and dating sims. The character can also make a small moan or grunt.
The act of taking one's own life.
Survival is a concept that signifies that the player's life is constantly in jeopardy.
Popularized by franchises such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill, these games typically involve a strong implication of danger, vulnerable protagonists, and disturbing monsters.
Sometimes when players beat a game, the credits sequence will end with the phrase similar to, "Thank you for playing!".
It's the designer's go-to guy. If they want to steer a player in a given direction they'll lock an in game door and force the player to find a way to either unlock it or find an alternate route.
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.
When a certain amount of time is given to the player to reach a goal or finish an objective.
A gameplay mechanic where the player must make narrative decisions or dialogue choices in real-time, within a certain time limit, with their choice (or lack thereof) affecting the plot. Timed decisions are essentially a form of QTEs (quick-time events), but differ in the sense that they affect the narrative outcome.
Tips are usually used throughout the game as a way of showing players features.
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