Confessional: Favorite Video Game Cliche

[Wolf Kanno]

Alright, often in these forums, or really any gaming forum we bitch and moan about cliches and how everything is so formulaic now but let's face it, no matter how jaded you are, there are just some cliches you really love in video games and you are willing to overlook them for your pure enjoyment. This is a thread where we get to confess what are favorite cliches and overused stereotypes in games that we love. From the girl with secret powers the evil empire wants control of, to all barrels and crates being filled with flammable materials, to silent protagonist, to collecting useless items like coins/stars/chips/severed heads in a platformer, what are your faves that you will always jump into without a moments notice.

[VeloZer0]

I'm kind of weird that way, but I can't think of any cliches I dislike because they are cliche. The ones I don't like I dislike just because I have an aversion to the device itself, not the overuse.

On that note, my favorites:
- Protagonists summoning crazy awesome power when in dire need
- Boss battles that don't make sense with the story. Come on, we all love bosses don't we?
- Random monsters dropping money. I'm playing a video game, it doesn't have to make real life sense. Why do I need a middleman of selling vendor trash?
- Main protagonist being a jerk/silent. As it seems the only trade off is for them to be an idiot.

Hm, I googled Video Game Cliches and most of the stuff people call 'cliche' is really just mechanics. And they are used all the time because they work better than the alternatives. Whiny <female dogs>.

- Swords > Guns. Come on, swords are just so much cooler.
- Kingdoms with one town. Have some imagination. Not that I don't think the development staff should have spent months populating the landscape with useless towns.

[Vermachtnis]

Stupidity is the only option and/or schmuck bait. It always leads to something good, a funny scene, or the next plot thingy. Personally I like the funny scenes the best. And that's why I will always jump head first into anything that looks suspicious and pull all levers and push all buttons I find.

[Clo]

I like love triangles and childhood friends.

Also, I'm going to be SO MAD if anyone links to TV Tropes.

[qwertysaur]

The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches

[Old Manus]

Every single JRPG in history

[Slothy]

silent protagonist

This is easily one of my favourites. It's funny that I think that because it can easily be done poorly and end up not being immersive, but I guess I'm just a huge fan of Half-Life and Chrono Trigger. I wouldn't even say it's something that is overused either. It seems like the game with the silent protagonist is more the exception than the rule these days, even if some high profile games use it regularly.

I'll also say I enjoy flammable barrels as well, but no one who's played HL2: Deathmatch could fault me there.

[xXsarahXx]

The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches

Just sat and read through all of these and my word they are true!
Thats one very comprehensive list!

[Madame Adequate]

Thread was Begging for TVTropes.

I'm a fan of Underground Monkeys and I find Video Game Geography quite amusing.

[black orb]

>>> Hot girls in videogames, thats a cliche I will always love..

[~*~Celes~*~]

Every single JRPG in history

/thread

There are so many cliches I've come to adore.

The trusted, loyal best friend turns out to be the one true love.

Love triangles. Not as fun in real life by any means, but fun to watch in games and read about in books.

Someone has a secret power that the higher ups like, so they wish to kidnap this person and use their for their evil doings.

The pet turns out to be more powerful than you could ever have imagined. And saves your life. Many, many times.

The best friend that you fell in love with? He's a supernatural being of some sort that tends to rescue you at your neediest times

Maybe I'm just a romance junkie xD

[Necronopticous]

9999

[Clo]

The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches

Ah, is it wrong if I enjoy all of these, though not all at once? But each one makes me think of a new game and I go, "aw".

The Compulsories
There's always a fire dungeon, an ice dungeon, a sewer maze, a misty forest, a derelict ghost ship, a mine, a glowing crystal maze, an ancient temple full of traps, a magic floating castle, and a technological dungeon.

Smurf sewer mazes! Everytime I encounter a sewer maze in a game, which is inevitable in almost EVERY GAME, I fill with blinding rage.

[The Man]

I'm fond of evil corporations because there are so many of them in real life. I probably would've been much more fond of Final Fantasy VII if it had stayed focused on Shinra.

Evil empires are a pretty great cliché too.

[Greatermaximus]

Now we've gotten it started. Here's only my few.

Jumping from a high place without a sprain or and ow.
Computers without feelings showing higher level reasoning, obidience, and suspicion.
Not all of us likes a 'boss'. They can take considerable more damage than you. They are invincible until the end even if you cheat the game before the final events.
Overall I've gotten use to the cliches and they go unnoticed now.