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A protagonist who lacks some or all of the qualities traditionally seen as heroic.
Effect used in films and video games that slows down time for a short period of time
A protagonist who is arrogant, cynical, and aggressive, but also intelligent and introspective. Named after the English Romanticist writer Lord Byron, who popularized such characters and was said to have fit this description himself.
A page for the Camera Following Projectile concept of when the player fires a projectile (bullet, arrow, cannon ball), time slows down and the camera will follow the projectile to its target (can be controllable with sixaxis such as in Heavenly Sword).
Nothing says edgy new approach like some five o'clock shadow or a nice bushy beard.
The new badass way to look, as seen on 90% of hit video game covers.
The cutscenes are nothing but the pages of a comic book. Audio is usually dubbed over to give them a little more life.
Games involving characters that round up local hoodlums for the good of the community.
A non-interactive sequence within a game most often used for plot advancement.
The act of throwing someone or something out of a window. The etymology of this Latin word combines de-(down) and fenestra (window).
A pervasive feeling of sadness, perpetual boredom, or both, which can dramatically affect a person's life.
Someone who investigates unsolved crimes and other mysterious happenings, either for a living, as a hobby, or simply by chance.
Characters that intentionally resemble a member of the game's development team.
Games whose titles are meant to be taken more than one way.
Dream sequences are a narrative and gameplay mechanic that present the thoughts or events that occur in dreams.
US federal law enforcement agency dealing with enforcement of drug policy and law.
The usage of drugs by the protagonist or NPCs.
Life altering and potentially dangerous, drugs come in a large variety of forms. In most games, drugs can have significantly different physical and social effects on video game characters.
Some characters get drunk off of alcohol - often this is portrayed with blurred vision, impaired movement, or slurred speech.
The concept of using two weapons at once, often for more damage at the cost of accuracy, the use of a shield, grenades, or other similar accessories.
Missions during which players are tasked with protecting a non-playable character or object from harm until a certain goal is met.
When a character in a video game must explore their own psyche to progress through the game. Although this can be metaphorical, more often than not, the character does so literally.
Receiving damage or dying as a result of falling.
Some people will do anything for their families. They will fight, steal and kill to keep those close safe and alive.
Fate is a force in the background of all things that determines what is going to happen to the world and its characters. Many games incorporate fate as a vital component of the story or as a convenient plot device.
Literally meaning "black film," film noir is a term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas. This unique style of storytelling and cinematography is often incorporated into video games.
A frameup, or framing, is when someone tries to convince people someone else committed a crime. It could be in the form of leaving false clues or giving out false information.
A grief beard is facial hair that appears on a character after something tragic happens to them in a storyline. The amount of tragedy and how the character is handling it can often be seen in the beard itself.
When a character or group of characters does something extremely brave on behalf of another character or group of characters, knowing that they will get killed or seriously injured in the process.
A storytelling technique with which the narrative begins in the middle of a story, rather than the beginning. With this technique, prior events are often shown in extended flashbacks. This is not the same as a game that simply contains flashbacks.
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