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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.
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.
Games whose titles consist of a single word.
In many games there is a ranking system, the players with the highest point value are listed in a "high score" table.
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.
Nudity is qualified as either exposed buttocks, breasts, or genitalia or general lack of clothing. Video game nudity is largely a rarity outside of the PC market.
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.
Often referred to as Hentai, Eroge is a video game genre which has (usually manga-style) pornographic content and artwork.
The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.
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.
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.
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.
Special codes or button combinations used to gain powers or advantages in a game. Generally hidden.
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
Chiptunes are musical compositions that are synthesized by a computer or console sound chip.
Game Over originally appeared in pinball machines, and later, arcade machines. When players lose at a game, it is game over.
Video game combat in which combat actions are performed in real-time, rather than through a turn-based structure.
Bosses are enemies that fight you at the end of a level or at a significant point in the story.
A game perspective that views the action from above, commonly at a fixed position and/or rotation.
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.
Pixel art refers to digital images composed of visible pixels, drawn with individual pixel-level intent and precision.
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.
Action RPG (Action Role-Playing Game), also known as ARPG, refers to RPGs (role-playing games) that use direct, real-time, reflex-oriented, action combat systems, instead of the more abstract turn-based or menu-based battle systems.
The concept of affecting the universe through supernatural methods, breaking the fundamental laws of science.
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.
Games that have had an Original Soundtrack album released.
A sequel (also called a follow-up) is a game that carries forward the gameplay concepts, and often the story, of a previous game to which it is officially linked.
Female characters who are designed with highly idealized figures and proportions, outfits that are revealing and/or form-fitting, and prone to ending up in completely over-the-top poses designed to show off their bodies.
An unofficial translation of a video game, created by people not associated with the original development team.
The process by which characters reach a new level, gain greater attributes, and learn more abilities. It usually involves earning enough experience points by completing a variety of tasks such as quests or by "farming" such as killing other characters for their experience points.
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