Video Game Gimmicks

[UnknownCatalyst1.5]

I decided to start a little list here of video game gimmicks that I've seen over the years. Feel free to post any that you come across.

MegaMan: Spike pits; disappearing platform puzzles
Resident Evil: Hand cranks, keys, and awkward puzzles
(for a game based on reality, it's weird how shooting a wine bottle filled with blood can open a steel door)
Silent Hill: Keys and puzzles
Grand Theft Auto: Hooker-killing...as usual
Mario: Plant pipes
Old time-y platformers: Butt-stomping
RPGs: Levelling up; definitive boss battles that take hours to beat
Final Fantasy: Only so many characters in a party; the constant reminder of the evil "Big Dog" (i.e. Kefka and Sephiroth); Chocobos and Mogs/Moogles
Mortal Kombat: The Fatalities...you know
All fighting games in general: The Ryu knock-off; "quarter-circle-forward and attack button;" final bosses are treated as secret characters to the player

I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of right now...

[Darfox8]

unknowncatalyst said:

I decided to start a little list here of video game gimmicks that I've seen over the years. Feel free to post any that you come across.

MegaMan: Spike pits; disappearing platform puzzles
Resident Evil: Hand cranks, keys, and awkward puzzles
(for a game based on reality, it's weird how shooting a wine bottle filled with blood can open a steel door)
Silent Hill: Keys and puzzles
Grand Theft Auto: Hooker-killing...as usual
Mario: Plant pipes
Old time-y platformers: Butt-stomping
RPGs: Levelling up; definitive boss battles that take hours to beat
Final Fantasy: Only so many characters in a party; the constant reminder of the evil "Big Dog" (i.e. Kefka and Sephiroth); Chocobos and Mogs/Moogles
Mortal Kombat: The Fatalities...you know
All fighting games in general: The Ryu knock-off; "quarter-circle-forward and attack button;" final bosses are treated as secret characters to the player

I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of right now...

That is extremely ignorant. It's not even a gimick. It's equel to everything else in the game because in that game YOU do what you want. So you only kill hookers if you want. I have played through GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas and only killed one hooker!!!!!!! And that was only to see if I realy could get my money back from her. People act like thats the object of the game but that only give the anit-video game people ammo for their crusade. It's false ammo put the American parents don't know any better so they say"Hmmm GTA that must be about teaching my kids how to steal cars and kill hookers"

[pitch]

I dunno if any of those are really all that gimicky for that matter. Take levelling up in RPG's / "Butt Stomping" in Platformers for example. There may be a few that don't implement that, but ultimately it's part of the style of gaming. It's like saying Punching is a gimmick for fighting games... >_<

I'd say some of what you mention are more Trademarks than Gimmicks. Chocobos, Mario's pipes(the man is a plumber afterall.. >_>). And, well I haven't played some of those games, so I can't really say much about that. But yeah, most of those - not so much gimmicks.

[Chiz]

EDIT: Pitch's post wasn't there when I started writing this, so there may be a bit of duplication.

gim·mick noun
Defintion 2a An innovative stratagem or scheme employed especially to promote a project.
From ]Dictionary.com
The other definitions weren't even close to this kind of thing

Now, tell me, how are any of these things gimmicks?

Megaman: Spike pits, disappearing platform puzzles
Not a big seller there, there're hundreds of other games that feature these "gimmicks". Pick up any decent old-school platformer to see 'em.

Resident Evil: Hand cranks, keys, and awkward puzzles
Ooo, there're a lot of games that feature those, too. Mainly puzzle adventure games. In fact, I figure a puzzle game would need to have that to make it a decent puzzle game.

Silent Hill: Keys and puzzles
See above.

Grand Theft Auto: Hooker-killing
Alright, I agree with Darfox on this one. Honestly, if you think that Hooker killing is the main selling point of any GTA game, you've been influenced way too much by those anti-video-game-extremist groups that form riots and stuff. Besides, with most in-town racing games, you have the opportunity of killing any pedestrian, prostitute or not.

Mario: Plant pipes
Uh...Mario = Plumber. There's a reason those things are there.

Old time-y platformers: Butt-stomping
I don't think I've ever let the butt-stomping ability convince me I absolutely must obtain a copy of that game.

RPGs: Levelling up, etc
Uh...those are called RPG Mechanics. And the boss battles that drone on and on are called clichés.

Mortal Kombat: Fatalities
I dunno, the added gore of the game was a sales gimmick back in the 80s, but now that most gamers are desensitized about the whole blood/gore/wildly huge fighters throwing each other around like tennis balls...

All of the Fighting genre: Ryu knock off moves
How is a knockoff move a gimmick? I'm fairly sure there're enough people in the world that are disgusted by knockoffs and cheap imitations that in the end it wouldn't be worth it.

Well Eric! What are prime examples of gimmicks then?

Well, for one, if a game comes with some sort of item such as 3D glasses for 'enhanced 3D gaming', perhaps a free membership to some club or magazine, maybe a rebate off your next Brand-X videogame/product...or even a demo disc of another of their products...that's a gimmick.

Most console addons (other than main controllers and possibly DVD remotes) are gimmicks. They include controllers with turbo buttons, wireless controllers, lightguns, and even stuff like the HD and Modem for the PS2.
Having a Matrix bullet-time effect scene is a (very VERY overused) gimmick.
Baring the logo, name, or the likeness of a popular character/object is also a common gimmick.