Wow, that rule of 3 is weird! I never thought about it before. Though FFXIII-2 has become an exception (but you only have 2 party members total in that one).

One cliche I've gotten sick of is making all the main characters orphans. I want to see a main character with a family (who is not dead) for once. I really liked in DQV that you can get married and have kids and they all become a part of your party. I'd never seen that done before.