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Games whose titles consist of a single word.
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.
An online retro gaming streaming platform.
Games that earned the "ASM-Hit"-Award. ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) was a popular German multi-platform computer games magazine that was published from 1986 until 1995.
In many games there is a ranking system, the players with the highest point value are listed in a "high score" table.
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.
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.
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.
A game perspective that views the action from above, commonly at a fixed position and/or rotation.
Pixel art refers to digital images composed of visible pixels, drawn with individual pixel-level intent and precision.
Chiptunes are musical compositions that are synthesized by a computer or console sound chip.
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.
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.
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.
Games that can be played with a CGA monitor and graphics card. CGA, Color Graphics Adapter was the first generation of color graphics for the IBM PC.
Game Over originally appeared in pinball machines, and later, arcade machines. When players lose at a game, it is game over.
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
The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.
This concept is for games in which at least one of the main characters is male.
Bosses are enemies that fight you at the end of a level or at a significant point in the story.
A digital distribution platform that focuses on providing DRM-free computer games, both old and new.
A parallel projection technique used in 2D sprite-based games to fake the appearance of 3D depth.
A form of copy protection using a physical object such as a wheel, manual, or dongle.
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.
In text based games, most, if not all the game play, or graphics is created with words.
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.
Power Ups can be used to give the controlling character, or any other character, temporary or permanent upgrades.
Special codes or button combinations used to gain powers or advantages in a game. Generally hidden.
Interactive fiction is a format that uses text to describe characters and objects within a setting, and the use of a parser to interpret text typed by the player, allowing the player to interact with the characters and objects within the setting.
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