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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.
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.
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 many games there is a ranking system, the players with the highest point value are listed in a "high score" table.
Digital Distribution is the concept of purchasing digital media via the internet and having it sent to the user directly via the internet. No physical representation of this content is given but the content resides on the users hard drive and is legally owned by them.
Special codes or button combinations used to gain powers or advantages in a game. Generally hidden.
The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.
Carefully exploring a large, labyrinthine area full of enemies (i.e., a dungeon) in the hopes of finding treasure, leveling up, or completing a specific task. Having their roots in tabletop games, video game dungeon crawls are found almost exclusively in RPGs.
These games take the select button literally. Pushing up and down (or any other button) to select an option will do nothing.
Game Over originally appeared in pinball machines, and later, arcade machines. When players lose at a game, it is game over.
A sub-genre of adventure games, visual novels are a form of interactive fiction that usually have very little in terms of gameplay but often focus more on extensive storytelling, character interactions, decision-making and branching narratives.
Famicom Disk System games that were only available via a disk writing service available in many Japanese game stores. As such, they have no official box art and are harder for collectors to find.
Gravity is a physical phenomenon, specifically the mutual attraction between all objects in the universe. In a gaming setting, gravity determines the relationship between the player and the "ground," preventing the player or game objects from flying off into space, and hopefully acting in a predictable/realistic manner.
8-bit can be a reference to actual computing power, or it can be a retro look for videogames that want to recall a bygone era.
Japanese PC online digital distribution service for emulated retro games, launched on 24 November 2001, years before similar services from Steam, Virtual Console, or XBLA.
The Classic NES Series of games were re-released versions of NES games for the GBA. Also known as Famicom Mini and NES Classics in Japan and PAL regions respectively.
These are games you don't need a console to play. You plug in a controller to the TV and you're ready to play.
Games that have an open gameplay structure that allow players to interact with the world as they choose.
Ever since Pac-Man, games have had us navigating mazes.
Any character you can control in a game is a Player Character (PC), as opposed to a non-player character (NPC), which is a character that can only be controlled by the game.
Cheating is the act of creating an advantage by using methods beyond the normal means of the game.
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.
Passwords are codes used to save a player's progress, primarily during the 8-bit era and, to a lesser extent, the 16-bit era.
This concept is for games in which at least one of the main characters is male.
These games are designed to be played by one person, and one person only.
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.
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.
These games, franchises, characters, or companies have some connection with PlayStation Home. They could have some related digital wares available, have their own Space, or even be playable.
Games that have had an Original Soundtrack album released.
Chiptunes are musical compositions that are synthesized by a computer or console sound chip.
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