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The Virtual Console is a platform service that first appeared on Nintendo's Wii and later on the 3DS and Wii U. Games from past consoles are emulated to run on the new hardware with the added benefits of system-level save states and other features.
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.
Games whose titles consist of a single word.
A boss fight is a culminating challenge that pits the player against one or more enemies representing a greater threat and/or difficulty than those previously faced. These scenarios typically feature unique antagonists.
In many games there is a ranking system, the players with the highest point value are listed in a "high score" table.
Side-scrolling games present the world as viewed perpendicular to the direction the characters are facing on screen. With a heavy focus on lateral movement, objectives are often met by moving from one end of a stage to the other.
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.
These games are based off of established licenses, such as movies, comics, or TV shows. Examples are the James Bond 007 and Spider-Man franchises.
Power Ups can be used to give the controlling character, or any other character, temporary or permanent upgrades.
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.
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.
The concept of purchasing media and having it delivered over the internet. No physical representation of this content is given, and although the content resides on the user's hard drive they are typically granted a license to the product, rather than ownership of it.
Game Over originally appeared in pinball machines, and later, arcade machines. When players lose at a game, it is game over.
A game perspective that views the action from above, commonly at a fixed position and/or rotation.
Dragons were originally messengers from heaven, according to early Buddhist texts. In games, they can be among the most fearsome of adversaries, but there are some exceptions.
Special codes or button combinations used to gain powers or advantages in a game. Generally hidden.
Vertical scrolling is when the screen scrolls along the y-axis. In a vertical scrolling game the player usually starts from the bottom of the screen and moves up. They are also almost always presented in a top-down perspective.
This concept is for games in which at least one of the main characters is male.
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
Bosses are enemies that fight you at the end of a level or at a significant point in the story.
The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.
Original concept for downloading the emulated back catalog from prior systems.
Pixel art refers to digital images composed of visible pixels, drawn with individual pixel-level intent and precision.
A mode in the game, often an unlockable, allowing players to listen to individual music tracks, voice clips and/or sound effects.
A game based on an anime.
Levels that progress forward by themselves at a fixed rate.
Chiptunes are musical compositions that are synthesized by a computer or console sound chip.
The continue is a classic gaming concept, and usually arises when the player "dies" or fails in the game. Usually some loss is tied to a continue, in a form of a "life" or something of other value.
Bonus levels, rounds, or stages give players a chance to gain extra points, powerups, or lives. Occasionally bonus stages will play completely different than the rest of the game, like as a slot machine or pinball minigame.
Games released coinciding with new hardware.
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