117
votes
Accepted
What kind of creature is Pac-Man?
A pizza with a slice missing
It is reported[1] that the creator of Pac-Man, Toru Iwatani:
...imagined something different, a video game that looked and felt like a cartoon. Inspiration struck, as it ...
- 45.4k
73
votes
Accepted
How did GLaDOS open portals in the beginning?
This is an Autoportal, also described as a 'Portal Spawner' in the official game level creator.
The mechanic isn't described, but the Autoportal has two bars on either side that appear to emit one ...
- 677k
69
votes
Accepted
Who is Mario trying to rescue in Donkey Kong?
"Pauline" or "The Lady" or "The Beautiful Girl"
The original (1981) arcade game has this bumper on the side
"Jumpman saves the lady"
Note that Mario hasn't ...
- 677k
66
votes
Accepted
Are the pipes in the Mario series made by Mario as tunnel entries to infiltrate Bowser's kingdom or are they a normalcy?
According to the Nintendo authorised comic Super Mario Bros. Special Edition #1, the tunnel network of warp pipes was created by the former inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom, mice.
- 677k
55
votes
Accepted
What is Princess Zelda's full name?
Assuming she follows the same patterning as her relative (King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule) her full name and title would be Princess Zelda Hyrule.
That being said, her name is given in all of the games ...
- 677k
55
votes
Accepted
Why are Vortigaunts violent in Half Life 1, but peaceful in Half Life 2?
Vortigaunts in Half-Life 1 are an enslaved (or merely subservient) species ruled by the Nihilanth after they were driven from their homeworld by the Combine. The green collars they wear in Half-Life 1 ...
- 1,781
51
votes
Accepted
Why does Luke Skywalker use a green lightsaber in Star Wars Battlefront?
Luke's blue lightsaber was lost when Vader removed his hand in Cloud City. The outfit he uses in the Battlefront beta is the outfit he wears at the beginning of Return of the Jedi, complete with green ...
- 1,224
47
votes
How did the Mario Brothers discover/enter the Mushroom Kingdom?
The original backstory for Super Mario Bros is laughably short. Mario heard that the Mushroom Kingdom was in danger and set out on a quest to free it. No information is given about his mode of ...
- 677k
46
votes
Accepted
NES game with town building between RPG/Hack-and-slash levels
Reminds me of a Super NES game called Actraiser. Are you sure you weren't thinking of a SNES game?
You play some kind of god that can come down to Earth to smite evil in a very personal way. You also ...
- 6,582
45
votes
Accepted
Can you identify this game from 1991 or before?
This is "X Multiply," a side-scrolling shoot-em-up released by Irem (perhaps best known from another stylistically similar shooter series, "R-Type") in 1989. The characteristic &...
- 95.5k
43
votes
Accepted
Does Mario actually like mushrooms?
According to Paper Mario he finds normal (magic) mushrooms bland and uninteresting. Presumably he only eats them in-game for their magical and restorative effects.
For the record he finds volt ...
- 677k
43
votes
Accepted
Old 1990's point and click game, first person adventure, odd story
Sounds like Amerzone (1999) by Benoît Sokal:
Like the comic, the game tells the story of a French explorer, Alexandre Valembois, who goes on an expedition to the mysterious South American country ...
- 2,928
43
votes
Accepted
Creepy dinosaur pc game identification
Lost Eden
From MobyGames:
Lost Eden is an adventure game set on an eerie planet populated with dinosaurs.
Your civilisation is menaced. Armies of Tyranns, led by Moorkus Rex, are gathering around ...
- 51.5k
42
votes
Accepted
Why can't Zerg use Terran technology?
Although it is never shown that Zerg use Terran technology, nothing speaks against them being able to do it. At least their "leader" types are very intelligent and thus should be able to use Terran ...
- 10.1k
41
votes
Accepted
Is there any canon evidence of a second "One Ring?"
Almost certainly made up for the game
Celebrimbor made three Rings of Power for the Elves (the three Elven Rings worn by Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel at the time of the War of the Ring). However none ...
- 21.1k
39
votes
Why can't Zerg use Terran technology?
Zerg are capable of using Terran technology, and it was shown to happen on multiple occasions:
This is an Apocalisk, which is an Ultralisk with integrated Terran Thor armour, courtesy of Alexei ...
- 10.2k
39
votes
Accepted
Who are the video game dogs in this GIF by animator Paul Robertson?
This artwork is called Bark Bark Bark. A print can be purchased here.
From left to right:
Chihuahua from God hand
Zombie dog from Resident Evil
K.K. Slider from Animal Crossing
Iggy from JoJo's ...
- 677k
37
votes
Which legend is the "Legend of Zelda"?
The phrase "The Legend of Zelda" has been used in-universe at least once in the series, in the manual for Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Here it refers to a story explaining why there are ...
- 1,772
36
votes
Accepted
Who is this red coated magician in “Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems”?
I believe that is Dr. Strange with the look he had in the comics circa 1996, the year the game was released.
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Vol 1 #82
This page lists him as having a cameo in the ...
- 108k
35
votes
Accepted
Video Game where you control a woman (an acrobat?) in early 1900s Europe who can interact with shadows
As I was writing the last sentence of my question, another "C" title came to mind, Contrast.
The game is set in a noir atmosphere aesthetically inspired by Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau. The ...
- 216k
33
votes
Accepted
Computer Game - Opens with meeting a famous person and chasing a robber who vanishes using magic
This sounds very much like the prologue sequence of Myst III: Exile.
You were greeted by Katran (Catherine from the original Myst games), holding their daughter Yeesha, and were visiting Atrus (who ...
- 22.7k
32
votes
Are the pipes in the Mario series made by Mario as tunnel entries to infiltrate Bowser's kingdom or are they a normalcy?
Pipes appear in Yoshi's Island 2 (example), where Mario is but a baby. Pipes also appear in Super Mario Galaxy (1 & 2) in galaxies that Mario is only seeing for the first time. Therefore, it wasn'...
- 22.1k
31
votes
Accepted
Is Mario killing people when he smashes bricks?
There seems to be two answers if I google the question. One is that yes Mario is a murder and the other is not on your nelly!
View one seems to be this widely spread and well known theory which has ...
- 2,977
31
votes
Accepted
Spaceship chess game identification
This is Battleboard (1998).
Basically chess, except that when you lose a piece, you enter a...
...real-time one-on-one space battle with the two pieces in question to
decide who wins.
...
- 677k
30
votes
Accepted
How did the Mario Brothers discover/enter the Mushroom Kingdom?
It would seem that any origin plot, if any, can only be derived from cross-referencing the various games.
As Valorum already said, the original NES/Famicom Super Mario Bros. game didn't provide many ...
- 6,490
28
votes
Accepted
In Half Life 2, why is the game logo the symbol of the resistance?
The symbol was not only the game-logo in the first game either. In fact it makes various appearances in Black Mesa, first and foremost on Gordon Freeman's HEV suit itself. But there's also the Lambda ...
- 3,161
27
votes
Accepted
Shareware computer game where you play a starfighter pilot
I think you're talking about...
Solar Winds
By Epic MegaGames
You're a mercenary in it, flying a fighter spaceship in a kind of top-down view. There's a smug bastard who thinks he's better than you. ...
- 13.3k
26
votes
Accepted
Touchscreen-controlled dentist office snowman collector game
This is Megatouch Games' Feeding Frosty.
Unfortunately, the products that played this game (the Merit Megatouch Countertop Touchscreen range) are now discontinued. ...
- 677k
25
votes
Accepted
How does a medic unit heal someone in Starcraft?
This is addressed in the game's tie-in Field Manual. What you've described as a
"beam"
in fact contains 'attenuating lasers' (presumably to cauterise wounds) as well as acting as a transport for '...
- 677k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible