Power Bombcast: The Skin Doesn't Quite Fit
Giant Bomb Presents
Game Mess Mornings 05/03/24
GrubbSnax
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.27
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.20
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.13
Game » consists of 3 releases. Released Jul 20, 1990
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.
Alert is a state a game may enter after the player has been overtly detected by enemies, and often brings increased enemy opposition (in numbers, aggression, etc.) while a cooldown timer or meter appears by which the player can gauge the expiration of Alert.
Instrumental music, often electronic, that does not follow conventional music structures, instead using various sounds to create a mood. Ambient music can evoke many different feelings in the listener, from tranquility to creeping dread.
Anarchism is the rejection of all government authority.
A protagonist who lacks some or all of the qualities traditionally seen as heroic.
The inverse of an anti-hero. An anti-villain is a villain that portrays him/herself as someone who is just and altruistic while is secretly working towards an otherwise nefarious and villainous goal. Common archetypes of anti-villains are politicians and religious figures who craft a wholesome and good-natured image to hide their evil intentions; this may even sometimes include doing good deeds, but only as a temporary measure to potentially further their true ambitions.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, commonly refers to the programmed behaviors of NPCs in a game, whether it's the fact that a soldier takes cover behind a wall in Gears of War, or that townspeople cheer upon your arrival to their village in Fable.
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.
Characters that are described and interact with the character primarily or only via audio (most often through dialogue, but usually also using some audio effects). As opposed to cutscenes which often emulate film, the way aural characters are presented in games often more closely parallels radio dramas and other audio-exclusive media.
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.
Betrayal is when a person breaks the trust and faith that others have placed in them.
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.
In video games, breaking the fourth wall occurs when a game becomes aware of its nature as a game, or when a character directly acknowledges the player.
A condition in which two male characters are socially close, but not sexually or romantically, and are often partners.
When characters largely go by code names or call signs to protect their identities during their missions. They are also adopted for conveniences sake.
The 3rd stage after being spotted in the Metal Gear Series.
The Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, is an arm of the US government devoted to espionage activities. The Agency plays a significant role in plenty of games.
Whether it's a hero's turn to the dark side or a villain becoming a hero, it's usually unexpected and will bring a whole new moral dimension to the story. Sometimes, they change they sides more than once.
Chiptunes are musical compositions that are synthesized by a computer or console sound chip.
A clone is a being created as a perfect genetic duplicate of another being, right down to the DNA.
CQC and CQB are close range combat techniques.
Codec is the communication system used by Snake in the Metal Gear series of games.
Plotting and scheming, usually for wealth or power.
Crawling is a form of locomotion in which a person lies down and uses the hands and knees to move around, or by dragging the body along the ground.
The act of bending at the knees from a standing position. Crouching is an essential part of many shooters and platformers, and can be used by players to stay behind cover or avoid incoming projectiles.
Cyberpunk is an aesthetic choice that is employed in many different media, it focuses on technology and how that technology encroaches on our natural, daily lives.
High-tech exoskeleton wearing, sword wielding warriors featuring prominently in the Metal Gear and Mortal Kombat franchises. Several characters assume the identity of a Cyborg Ninja throughout several console generations.
One or more events from someone's past that negatively affected them. Plenty of video game characters have such pasts.
In a franchise, it entails the second game that takes on a gritty and dark tone to distinguish it from the first.
The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.
This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:
Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.
Use your keyboard!
Log in to comment
Log in to comment