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Sometimes designers add old-school things on purpose to enhance game design. These games tend to be heavily inspired by hardware limitations of older systems. NES, Atari 2600, and early computer platforms (DOS, Commodore 64, MSX, etc...) are common sources of inspiration.
Games that have had television shows based on them.
A character in a game who uses unorthodox moves, and who likes to play 'practical jokes' on opponents. This makes losing to him/her all the more humiliating.
In a franchise, it entails the second game that takes on a gritty and dark tone to distinguish it from the first.
Original concept for downloading the emulated back catalog from prior systems.
The feudal period of Japanese history, which was dominated by powerful regional families holding large areas of land (daimyo) and military warlords (shogun), between 1185 and 1603 AD.
The single most important thing in the world, love is a powerful story telling element that can connect characters or drive a story. There are many video game characters who have fallen in love with someone or something.
Greatest hits is a general term for re-releases of games which have sold a certain number of copies, as part of a program managed by the console manufacturer.
A grappler is a combatant in a fighting game whose best attack strategies usually revolve around throwing their opponents around the stage.
Romance in video games can either be interactive, in which the player attempts to woo another character, or an unchangeable part of the story of a given game.
Sequels that have the player controlling a different character than the preceding game(s).
A special combo-move in fighting games that is executable after building a meter throughout the match (or round).
A broad spectrum of games can be described as remakes, from straightforward graphical overhauls to extensive revision of gameplay and story elements. In the most basic sense, a remake keeps the original's core gameplay and plot but makes significant changes to peripheral aspects.
A tragic hero is a protagonist who makes several mistakes to fall from glory, or is affected by tragedy and seeks revenge or redemption.
Propelling oneself with kinetic usage of limbs while submerged in liquid (or otherwise fluid material).
A creature which is made up of mostly identical segments and has an elongated shape.
A level in which everything is displayed on-screen at once, with no scrolling, flip screen, or 3D movement. Many '80s games consist entirely of single-screen levels.
Karate is an umbrella term for a wide range of martial arts originating in pre-Japanese Okinawa.
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.
Not all bosses can handle the player by themselves. Many use waves of lesser enemies to fight for them while they rest, and some even let these minions do all the work.
Valve's counterpart to Microsoft's popular achievement system.
A simple texture mapping graphics mode on the SNES that allows a background layer to be rotated and scaled. Many game developers used this to create faux-3D worlds and environments.
A double jump is the ability to jump while already in mid-air to get some extra lift. In reality, double jumps are not possible and violate fundamental laws of physics.
Some games feature protagonists that are not humanoid in nature. These are creatures that do not have human characteristics (i.e. stand on 2 legs, have 2 arms, a body and a head).
PlayStation Plus is a premium PlayStation Network subscription service.
In video games, dithering is a graphical technique using pixel patterns to simulate additional colors or transparency. While far more common on CRTs, many games still use the technique, especially games which use pixel art.
Necessary to sustain life in organic creatures, the crimson fluid known as blood tends to make appearances when the body's structure is compromised in some way, a very, very common occurrence in videogames.
Anything that can be picked up and used temporarly. Basically any item that is optional but can be used to an advantage.
A concept found in many puzzle and casual games. Matching blocks of the same color or type to gain points and/or erase the blocks.
Backtracking is the act of navigating through previously explored areas, usually for the purpose of progressing in an objective-based adventure game. Players who are lost may also backtrack to reorient themselves.
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