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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.
In many games there is a ranking system, the players with the highest point value are listed in a "high score" table.
Third-party developers and publishers occasionally engage in the practice of releasing a title or piece of DLC on only one platform for any number of reasons. Sometimes these are permanent while others are only platform exclusive for a certain window of time.
Female ninja.
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 shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object.
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
From Beat-em-ups to fighting games to modern FPS, one dude hitting another has made an enjoyable pastime.
A flawless victory is a victory in which the winning player has incurred no loss of health, or in other uses, like Unreal Tournament III or Fury, no points scored against the winning team.
Multiple fighters/people ganging up to fight another fight/group of fighter.
A fighting game archetype where characters with a significant similarity in fighting style to Street Fighter's Ryu & Ken.
An unofficial translation of a video game, created by people not associated with the original development team.
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 special combo-move in fighting games that is executable after building a meter throughout the match (or round).
Karate is an umbrella term for a wide range of martial arts originating in pre-Japanese Okinawa.
A Dream Match is a game (usually a fighting game) that combines many different characters from various eras of a series, including those who have died or retired, or from alternate continuities. They are almost always non-canon events.
Games whose main character is so egotistical that the whole game just HAS to be named after them.
Collectibles are items such as coins, rings, gems, packages etc. that can be gathered, usually for some kind of reward, or sometimes to simply beat a level. Often (almost too often) the source of earning achievements and trophies on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Commonly found in fighting games, a super meter increases when either a character takes or gives damage (depending on the game). There are many variations on the super meter, depending on the franchise or game.
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.
A powerful release of energy. This energy is usually expelled in all directions very quickly, typically giving off orange or red flames.
Slashing weapons are designed to cut and slice rather than causing blunt trauma. Examples include swords, axes, claws, naginatas, or even whips.
A crossover occurs when a character from one franchise makes a special appearance in a game from an unrelated franchise. Some games are specifically designed to be crossovers that bring together characters from two or more franchises.
Anthropomorphism is the concept of an object, concept or character that has human qualities or traits, such as speech, a level of intelligence similar or higher than a human's and self consciousness. "Anthro" means "of human" and related to the concept of humanity.
Featured mainly in fighting games, special attacks usually require more than just pressing a button to activate. They are usually unique or at least varied between characters.
Primarily found in fighting or sports games, the versus screen typically masks the load time of an upcoming matchup. Sometimes codes may be entered here that will affect the game.
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.
Button Mashing is a term used to describe gameplay where certain skills can be only realized explicitly through mashing buttons, a reckless player trying to get results or when the game rewards the player(s) who bash buttons the fastest. The latter example is common in Party Games.
CQC and CQB are close range combat techniques.
Characters controlled by the game for players to interact with, as opposed to player characters which are controlled by whomever is playing the game.
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