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Game » consists of 2 releases. Released May 22, 1998
An AI companion is a computer-controlled ally who follows and aids you through your adventures or who requires your protection. The AI companion's survival is often essential to game and story progression.
Whether a timed button press or a more complex action, these are inputs performed during attack animations to increase damage. Most often seen in the Mario RPG series.
Animals and Creatures that serve to populate levels and give the world life. Usually passive and may try to avoid or runaway from the player, But some may become hostile to the player once attacked/provoked. Some may not be able to be interacted with at all either being in the background/foreground or too far away.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, commonly refers to the programmed behaviors of NPCs in a game, whether it's the fact that a soldier takes cover behind a wall in Gears of War, or that townspeople cheer upon your arrival to their village in Fable.
A bar, usually at the bottom of the screen, which tells you what direction enemies, locations, or main quests are.
The act of bending at the knees from a standing position. Crouching is an essential part of many shooters and platformers, and can be used by players to stay behind cover or avoid incoming projectiles.
Deadly Gas is used in many games as an obstacle and usually causes the player's health to degenerate over time.
The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.
Enemy Capture is a game mechanic that enables the player to capture or charm enemies. The capture mechanics and the ways enemies are used are myriad, but the effects are always beneficial to the player.
Missions during which players are tasked with protecting a non-playable character or object from harm until a certain goal is met.
A powerful release of energy. This energy is usually expelled in all directions very quickly, typically giving off orange or red flames.
In games, fire can be an obstacle, a tool, a weapon, or a solution. Just don't play with it...unless you really want to.
First-Person is a vantage point that attempts to simulate looking through a game character's eyes. It is most commonly found in first-person shooters, racing games, and visual novels, and to a lesser extent in other genres, such as RPGs, 3D platformers, and adventure games.
An early API by 3dfx for hardware accelerated 3D graphics on PC.
Derived from the Spanish word for "little war", guerrilla warfare is waged by a small and mobile armed force against a larger, more regimented force. It typically involves the use of ambushes, sabotage, and other offensive tactics meant to overcome an enemy's greater numbers.
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
In many games there is a ranking system, the players with the highest point value are listed in a "high score" table.
An numeral indication of how much damage a character can sustain. The loss of all hit points results in the death of the character or another penalty.
Hostages exist to be saved, guarded, and occasionally executed.
A gameplay mechanic allowing players to store their items and freely carry them around.
The act of granting freedom to prisoners or subjugated NPCs.
Armed forces. The arm of government that deals with fighting wars and protecting a nation from external or internal threats
The minimap is a small, simplified version of a larger map. This plays a vital role in many games, especially Real Time Strategy, where it is important to have an overview of the entire map.
For games that feature a mission briefing before gameplay.
The ability to see in the dark without mechanical means.
Games that allow characters to be switched with the press of a button. This concept's definition does not include player switching in team sports games.
Over-the-shoulder is a camera view point popularized by Resident Evil 4 that is featured in most modern third-person shooters and third-person action games.
A concept where the game must be restarted if you are killed. It is a mechanic found in most arcade games, but the term is usually used in reference to the RPG genre where the mechanic is less common, particularly "roguelike" games as well as strategy games such as Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics where characters die if they are defeated in battle. Often used as a significant plot device.
Who needs 2D when we've got 3D? 3D, or 3 dimensions, is what we're used to seeing in almost every game these days, letting us do all sorts of awesome stuff like run in circles!
The ability to lie down on the ground.
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