Cliches in Video Games...

[HardRockSamurai]

I posted this little question a while back on a different site, and I got a huge number of responses. I know everyone here's crazy about video games, so lets see if the same thing happens here!

Generations of video games have passed, and thus, creating a video game with an original motive has become increasingly difficult. Thus, game developers start taking ideas from other games, which we can't really condemn them for, but alas, here's where the cliches started rolling in. My question is, what video game cliches do you know?

I myself know quite a few, but if I had to pick favorites, it would have to be the wooden box (...so many memories...)

 

[HardRockSamurai]

Escort Missions
Sexy Female Sidekicks
Faceless, Nameless Heroes
Ice, Fire, Grass, Water and any other Damn Elemental Levels
Enemy Midgets (cause' there's always some sort of midget...)
Invisible Walls
Invincible Trees
Enemies Wearing Gas Masks
World War II Games
Driving Sections

That's just a few off the top of my head....

 

[The Franco]

Pretty much just read this wiki:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VideogameTropes

That and the grand list of console RPG cliches, which is an easy search away on the site, sums up the matter pretty nicely in my opinion.

 

[the monopoly guy]

the black guys are always heavy weapon guys
crates. Always crates.

 

[Mstrswrd]

Pretty much just read this wiki:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VideogameTropes

That and the grand list of console RPG cliches, which is an easy search away on the site, sums up the matter pretty nicely in my opinion.

That'sa great list. I don't even need to say anything now. I could touch upon Anime Rules/Cliches, but that's not what this is about.

 

[Rob Sharona]

If games didn't have cliches they would be rubbish.

 

[x434343]

the black guys are always heavy weapon guys
crates. Always crates.

I am heavy weapons guy... I am Russian.

Crates, yeah.

Useless guns. I'm looking at you, large-clip low-caliber pistol.

 

[TheIceface]

Explosive barrels FTW!

Walking over medipacks to use them, although this annoying new regenerating-health thing in recent games is becoming an irritating new cliche'.

 

[shatnershaman]

Heres a cliche: your guy either talks to himself("Scratch one grub!"),only talks when the "special" cutscenes moments arrive ("Finishing the fight.", or is a fucking mute.(...)

How about mixing them? Or doing something different.

 

[Kinichie]

I agree on the main character being mute. Countless games have done it and its all to do with "You are him and therefore we arn't gonna put words in your mouth".

Well, you put a giant 4 legged robot before us why not just put the damn words in our mouth?

Tell you what is annoying me recently is the lack of health bars in FPS and 3rd Person Shooters. Since Gears of War everyone seems to have this magic idea that when the outside of the screen turns red, if we stand behind an obsticle and not get shot for 3 seconds all our wounds are magically healed and we can go on fighting as if nothing happened.

 

[iamnotincompliance]

That's a great list. I don't even need to say anything now. I could touch upon Anime Rules/Cliches, but that's not what this is about.

[a href="http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_Anime_Physics"]Well, now you don't even have to to that.[/a] Hey, that's two things out of the way now. Lunchtime!

 

[Gitsnik]

Heres a cliche: your guy either talks to himself("Scratch one grub!"),only talks when the "special" cutscenes moments arrive ("Finishing the fight.", or is a fucking mute.(...)

How about mixing them? Or doing something different.

I talk to myself when I drive or when I'm paint-balling, so I'd say at least that is accurate.

What about "kill spots". I'm thinking those orange squares on the back of the hunters in the original halo - I can empty four weapons at these guys before they die, but a single pistol whip to a key location kills them outright.

Edit: Also the "melee, pistol, machine gun, rocket launcher, obscure-weapon-you-never-have-ammunition-for" combination of weapon choices.

Oh and not being able to have big guns immediately. Why can't I start a game with a rocket launcher and a machine gun damnit.

 

[Sethran]

Super powered main character, damsel in distress, space marine, alien, aged mentor that either dies or turns evil to serve as a plot device to drive the main character on in a neverending struggle against evil...

Saying a video game has cliches is like saying your cheeseburger has cheese.

Life in and of itself is a cliche, so all we can do is roll with the punches and try to find them enjoyable until we can no longer organize our thoughts.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

My favorite quote from a "top cliches..." list:

"Every problem in the universe can be solved by finding the right long-haired prettyboy and kicking his ass"

 

[BigCat91]

The hero is always white....i'm white btw so don't start jumping on me because of that. But yeah the main character is always white (unless he's an animal but those games always suck so i don't buy them). I have yet to see a game when the protagonist is of a diffrent race. Yeah sure they have sidekicks that might be of diffrent races but none of them are the central protagonist.

Oh and nobody has noticed this yet (possibly) but the word fuck and shit are much more coommon now. it used to be Damn and Crap.

 

[Sethran]

The hero is always white....i'm white btw so don't start jumping on me because of that. But yeah the main character is always white (unless he's an animal but those games always suck so i don't buy them). I have yet to see a game when the protagonist is of a diffrent race. Yeah sure they have sidekicks that might be of diffrent races but none of them are the central protagonist.

Oh and nobody has noticed this yet (possibly) but the word fuck and shit are much more coommon now. it used to be Damn and Crap.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto IV

All JRPGs [The main characters are Asian / Oriental, which apparantly counts as a different race]

Mass Effect and the KOTOR Games [You get to make your own character, thus choosing your own race]

The Neverwinter Nights games [Same as above]

The Baldur's Gates games [Same as above]

I'm sure there are a good handful more.

 

[ScreamingCrab]

Life in and of itself is a cliche, so all we can do is roll with the punches and try to find them enjoyable until we can no longer organize our thoughts.

YOUR life might be a cliche perhaps. Mine's not. I breathe lead and I'm not actually sentient.

Problem is, sometimes you end up being cliche just by trying to avoid 'em, but that's no excuse for not making a bloody effort. If the main character of a game was a convicted serial rapist, I'm fairly sure that wouldn't be cliche. Not yet.

I, personally, hate those cocky, sarcastic loud mouthed female characters, although I loathe the blushing quiet ones as well. I like my women emotionally dead. The pretty boy hate comes as standard it seems, but Generic Black Guy annoys me as well. How about an Asian bloke who's not part of some evil terrorist plot? (British here, Asian meaning South/Middle Asia). A game of where your activities are of no worldy importance would be a change as well.

Swords somehow doing more damage than bullets. It shouldn't be allowed!

Crap Keanau Reeves type main character voices. And more!

 

[shatnershaman]

The hero is always white....i'm white btw so don't start jumping on me because of that. But yeah the main character is always white (unless he's an animal but those games always suck so i don't buy them). I have yet to see a game when the protagonist is of a diffrent race. Yeah sure they have sidekicks that might be of diffrent races but none of them are the central protagonist.

Oh and nobody has noticed this yet (possibly) but the word fuck and shit are much more coommon now. it used to be Damn and Crap.

Like Halo 1-3
Gears of war
ALL mario games
ALL zelda games ALL metroid games
Killzone
Half-life
Doom
Duke nukem
Bioshock
GTA 3 vice and 4
Call of duty 1-4
Company of heroes
starcraft

All white