Skip to Content

AOL Games

20 gameplay innovations we take for granted

Bionic Commando1UP has erected a list of 20 important gameplay innovations. And while the list does not contain every crucial addition to gaming's evolution, each entry is significant, and more so than not, is taken for granted by today's average gamer.

Imagine Double Dragon without combos ... Bomberman without chain reactions ... Gauntlet without co-op ... Bionic Commando without the grappling hook ... Contra without the spread shot! Heck, imagine no life bars or power ups! Or how about this: no boss battles! Yes folks, gaming would be bleak without the great minds that have carved out its history.

1Up's list of 20 important innovations (divided by category):

The Basics
Life Bar / Hit Points
Power Ups
Magic Spells
Bosses

Handy Features
Grappling Hook
Character Customization
Sniper Shot
Enemy Power Acquisition
Omni-Directional Fire

House of Style

Combos
Ice
Transformers
Chain Reactions
Time Manipulation
Spread Shot

Side By Side
Canine Sidekick
Cooperative Play
Tag-Teaming
Vehicles
Online Communities

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Joystiq Features





Featured Galleries

Comet Crash

Comet Crash

Darksiders (11-06-09)

Darksiders (11-06-09)

Skate 3

Skate 3

Mass Effect 2 (11-06-09)

Mass Effect 2 (11-06-09)

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (DS)

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (DS)

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Wii)

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Wii)

T-Freestyle NW (Wii)

T-Freestyle NW (Wii)

Whizzle (UDK)

Whizzle (UDK)

Unreal Development Kit (UDK)

Unreal Development Kit (UDK)

 


Team Joystiq

 
Chris Grant
Editor-in-Chief, Email
James Ransom-Wiley
Managing Editor, Email
Ludwig Kietzmann
Senior Editor, Email
Andrew Yoon
East Coast Editor, Email
Randy Nelson
West Coast Editor, Email
Justin McElroy
Reviews Editor, Email
Justin Glow
Developer, Email

Joystiq Podcast

New episodes every Friday! Now playing: Joystiq Podcast 115, for Friday, Oct., 30.



Archive | RSS | iTunes