Least/Most Cliched Protagonists

[sheic99]

Most cliched - Duke Nukem
He was basically a walking cliche from the drawing board... Still wish Duke Nukem : forever was finished...

Least cliched - Vault Dweller (the main protagonist on fallout 3)
I only say this one because really it's not a heavily worked field and the character is based off what you want them to be rather than a cliche.

To be fair, the Duke is a parody of 1980's action movies. So, the cliche is there for a reason.

 

[EBHughsThe1st]

Most Cliche: Mario. Yep. I said it. Little portly Italian plumber who likes pizza, pasta and had one of the most ridiculous cartoons on old school tv.

Least Cliche: Raz from Psychonauts.

For Mario, that's more stereotyped than it is cliched.

As for Raz, he's a wise-cracking, tragic-pasted (if that's even a word), psychic who has that "something special". He's not the most cliched, and I think his game is what makes him so original.

OT:I think that Kirby is the least cliched. Just look at the little guy. He's a cute pink alien who talks in "poyo"s.

 

[Pearwood]

Most clichéd - Guybrush Threepwood if you count parodies, Am Shaegar from Arx Fatalis if not
Least clichéd - I'd second Manny Calavera, Bucket from FEAR 2 is an interesting one too, being stalked by a killing machine who's obsessed with you is hardly original but from a male perspective a bit more so.

 

[sephiroth1991]

Like some people said

I find the Silent Hill cast rarely cliched but for most cliched i have to say Nathan Drake.

 

[Dexiro]

Well, Chell is just a pretty face (literally).

For all we know she could be carrying on a stream of interior monologue that is completely cliched.

More than that.

Chell is an empty shell. She says nothing, she's no different a character from the moment she wakes up to when glados is defeated, and she has no past. If we hadn't been told her name, she would be called the Portal Girl now I wouldn't be surprised if it's revealed in Portal 2 that she was a machine the entire time.

I thought it was already confirmed that she's an android.

 

[Vraeyda]

Most Cliche: Mario. Yep. I said it. Little portly Italian plumber who likes pizza, pasta and had one of the most ridiculous cartoons on old school tv.

Least Cliche: Raz from Psychonauts.

For Mario, that's more stereotyped than it is cliched.

As for Raz, he's a wise-cracking, tragic-pasted (if that's even a word), psychic who has that "something special". He's not the most cliched, and I think his game is what makes him so original.

OT:I think that Kirby is the least cliched. Just look at the little guy. He's a cute pink alien who talks in "poyo"s.

I guess I confused the definitions then.

Psychonauts definitely IS one of those games that defies pretty much every and anything. You're bang on.

Thanks, dude.