Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
FEAR's enemies talked so you would notice how clever they seemed
Developer Jeff Orkin described combat dialogue as a way to make squad behavior visible to the player. Enemies commenting on actions and responding to one…
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Gran Turismo uses real weather data for its skies
The game uses historical meteorological data for a track's real-world location to shape atmospheric conditions and even the visible stars.
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A real skyscraper disappeared between Spider-Man games
The Chrysler Building appeared in the 2018 game but was absent from Miles Morales after the developers could not secure an agreement to include it. Recreating…
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Splinter Cell's goggles would ruin your night vision
If those three green lenses really shone brightly toward the wearer’s eyes, they would compromise night vision rather than help preserve it.
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Forza scans real racetracks down to the millimeter
The team uses laser scanners to map potholes, cracks, and elevation changes down to the millimeter, so the virtual track reproduces real bumps.
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Uncharted 2 sends its spectacular train ride around a loop
Naughty Dog moved the train on a looping route while disguising scenery changes with enclosed carriages and camera cuts. Players experienced a long journey…
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Football Manager can make weather part of the match
The game simulates weather across thousands of cities, and conditions can alter ball trajectories and player stamina—so a rainy Manchester match can affect…
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Gears of War makes reloading a timing game
Every reload triggers a timing minigame. Mistime it, and your soldier fumbles the magazine at exactly the wrong moment.
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SOCOM let your voice become a squad controller
SOCOM II's headset let players issue orders to computer-controlled teammates. The command system followed a practical pattern: say who should act, what they…
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Spider-Man 2 made the buildings part of the controls
Treyarch's 2004 game attached webs to actual buildings instead of an invisible point in the sky. The attachment point changed the arc of a swing, making…
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Hitman's crowds make one accident many people's problem
A public disturbance can change how nearby characters move, react, and pay attention. For the player, that creates both danger and cover: a crowd can witness…
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True Crime rebuilt 240 square miles of Los Angeles
The developers used satellite images and GPS data to reconstruct streets for True Crime: Streets of LA, even placing gas stations at real locations. The…
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Spec Ops: The Line uses loading screens to judge you
As you progress, loading-screen messages question your morality, asking how many digital lives you’ll ruin just to feel like a hero.
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Vintage arcade cabinets had built-in ashtrays
The metal trays were built into the control panels so players could set down cigarettes without leaving the game.
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In Death Stranding, your urine grows mushrooms
In the game, urinating in the barren landscape can cause mushrooms to appear at that spot, turning a bathroom break into a way to fertilize the virtual…
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World of Warcraft turned logging off into a reward
In the beta, Blizzard first cut players' experience in half if they played too long without resting. After players objected, it halved the baseline rate and…
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GLaDOS is voiced by an opera singer
Ellen McLain’s trained operatic voice is behind the end-credit song, whose polished singing contrasts with GLaDOS’s robotic persona.
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Mario's longtime voice also belonged to a Skyrim dragon
Charles Martinet voiced Paarthurnax, the ancient dragon mentor, as well as Nintendo's famously cheerful plumber. One performer supplied both the exuberance of…
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Death Stranding turns bodily fluids into weapons
The arsenal includes grenades made from the hero’s sweat, blood, and excrement.
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Zelda and Rainbow Six's Ash share a voice
Patricia Summersett voices Princess Zelda in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and Ash in Rainbow Six Siege. The same performer moves between royal…
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Final Fantasy XV's artists cooked the food they modeled
Art director Tomohiro Hasegawa described a process that included preparing real dishes and photographing them for reference. The developers wanted the player…
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Final Fantasy VII's Aerith became Aeris in English
The original English PlayStation release used Aeris, while later English appearances standardized Aerith. The same character therefore carries two familiar…
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In Yakuza, gunshot wounds yield to an energy drink
In the Yakuza games, drinking a Staminan Royale can restore health instantly, even after a gunshot wound. It turns a brutal fight into a quick pit stop.
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Half-Life turns its headcrabs from enemies into dinner
In Half-Life 2, resistance members are shown cooking headcrabs, the same alien parasites players normally try to avoid. The detail makes the occupied world…
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