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Extraterrestrials appear in many video games in a variety of styles. Sometimes they're evil, sometimes they're benevolent, and sometimes they're very similar to humans.
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.
Assassins are people who are tasked with the action of violence against peoples, though their general aims are to be discreet and as minimally violent as possible in order to remain discreet if necessary.
Bipedal Digitigrades stand, walk or run with its toes touching the ground and the rest of its foot lifted, creating a the legs to bow backwards and then forwards, while also standing upright like a human being would. This is popularly seen in anthropomorphic animal characters, aliens or monsters, Werewolves being a prime example. Unguligrades are similar but instead of toes, they have hooves.
Some characters have purely white eyes, some have eyes that radiate light, some have no eye-sockets at all. This is a page for all the occularly impaired.
Cloaking is to become invisible or become close to invisible depending on strength of the ability or item.
A Protoss melee stealth warrior.
Games that fit this category involve characters that can traverse different dimensions.
A fictional language and/or script created exclusively for the world in which a game is set, such as Tolkien's Elvish or the language of the Talan in Outcast.
Finishing moves are typically moves that end a fight in a traditional fighting game.
Whether it be Mario vs. Bowser, Jedi vs. Sith, Link vs. Ganon, or Elves vs. Orcs, the forces of good are in an eternal battle with the hordes of evil.
"Hand to hand. It is the basis of all combat." -Gray Fox
Special or stronger units than standard ones, usually found in strategy games. This is not necessarily the same thing as a superhero or a game's protagonist.
The ability for the player to become unseen, from basic camouflage to fully vanishing from sight.
An invisible enemy is an antagonist that cannot be seen under normal circumstances. Sometimes these enemies are only temporarily invisible or can be made visible somehow.
Martial arts are a popular set of skills that many video game characters possess. Martial arts are the cornerstone of any fighting game, and have influenced many platforming and adventure games.
Armed forces. The arm of government that deals with fighting wars and protecting a nation from external or internal threats
Moral dilemmas presented to the player that often have a significant effect on the story or other characters.
Protoss is one of three major races in Starcraft. A noble and powerful race.
Psychic abilities are featured in many different video games and in many forms, from the PSI powers of Ness from Earthbound to the mind-reading abilities of Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid.
The act of taking on an in-game task; most often, these are provided to the player by an NPC. MMOs and RPGs are the primary users of this concept.
Two or more factions, either with the same or completely different goals, that constantly try to one-up each other. The player is sometimes forced to pick a side to root or work for during the struggle. Other times the rivalry is only mentioned in the plot.
Many games feature a story which involves saving the world and its inhabitants, often single handedly.
When inventing a series of races for a sci-fi setting, creators sometimes utilize a common framework of three competing races, including Humans, advanced aliens, and monster aliens. This is especially true in video games, where variety and balance are key.
Strength beyond normal human bounds, i.e. lifting cars, bending metals, shattering a street with one's fist.
A superweapon is a structure or character with amazing powers and amazing costs. This weapon can turn the battle to its owner's side single-handedly, but is usually the most expensive and time consuming to construct.
Be it bionic, demonic, or just plain magic; the supernatural arm often comes alone, but one is usually enough to give its owner extra powers.
The ability to manipulate objects with one's mind. Telekinesis is often displayed as an incredibly powerful ability.
Many games feature storylines about wide, sweeping combat between three radically different factions.
War is a series of organized conflicts carried on by force of arms between two or more nations or groups. Whether it never changes or has already changed is up for debate.
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