Video Game Cliches

[Bu†cH]

Inspired by Biggest Cliches on Television.
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I can think of two cliches so far.
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Number one cliche that I can think of: Many, many sequels having lower scores than the first. I see that all the ****ing time! To prove I'm right, go to Ign.com, find the search thing on the top left side of the page, and the rest is history.
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Second cliche: World War II games. I mean there are more WW2 games than any other past war games combined.

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
BIA: Earned in Blood
Heroes of the Pacific
Medal of Honor: Frontline
MOH: Rising Sun
MOH: European Assult
MOH: Pacific Assault
Secret Weapons over Normandy.
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Any cliches you wanna share?

 

[Controller of Flames]

Many rip-offs of certain games, Crash Nitro Kart seems to be much like Mario Kart double dash.

Useless coin collecting is another, and in some games it's use has no reason whatsoever (the original mario kart didn't really need it)

 

[Ridley-X4]

SWON is awesome, IMO.

Anyway, games based off of movies/shows, which most of the time suck. A Lizzie Migure game for GBA? Puh-leez.

 

[Bu†cH]

Many rip-offs of certain games, Crash Nitro Kart seems to be much like Mario Kart double dash.

You know what's more like MK: DD? *grins*
Crash Tag Team Racing. I played the demo and I hated it!

 

[DJ-Will]

http://project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html

Racing games have a special final track that not only looks better than the other tracks, but is also the longest/hardest track in the game.

RTS games will have your side losing even after multiple victories, and sometimes an ultimate defeat at the end of the game.

 

[Paradox]

The Ice/Fire levels in just about every platformer

 

[Controller of Flames]

You know what's more like MK: DD? *grins*
Crash Tag Team Racing. I played the demo and I hated it!

NO! YOU SAID THE NAME IN IT'S FULL HORROR!!!!! *runs*
yeah, I forgot what it was named

Another one is the old "aliens come and you blow em up" as seen in many different games, I believe Halo had it (I'm not sure since I hardly played it), Shadow the Hedghog has it, Paper Mario 2 have them, Advance Wars had Sturm who was thought to be from outer space, now Mario and Luigi 2 has some

 

[Gravy]

Paper Mario 2

I was always under the impression that the X-Nauts were mearley some sort of freakish cult, as oppossed to Aliens.

 

[dog247]

alien games are a dime a dozen

 

[Haunter Hunter Sohrab]

Rayman 3 for GBA also had a couple of levels in them which were similar to Bowsers Castle from Mario Kart.

 

[ShiningClefairy]

Going room after room shooting at zombies with a shotgun. Off the top of my head:

House of the Dead 3
2 levels in Timesplitters 3
Most Resident Evils

Collecting quest item after quest item to prevent a being, which will cause the apocolypse, to be summoned, only to have those quest items stolen from you and the monster being summoned anyways. Off the top of my head, Paper Mario 2 and Baten Kaitos.

 

[dog247]

there are to many games were you try to kill evrey thing

 

[Nintendoelite]

Exploiding barrels every shoot-em-up has them its an accident waiting to happen

 

[Paradox]

Exploiding barrels every shoot-em-up has them its an accident waiting to happen

I discovered when playing Rainbow Six 3 they don't make particularily good cover

 

[Glowstick_cult]

I discovered when playing Rainbow Six 3 they don't make particularily good cover

So did I.
...

VIETNAM. There are waaaay too many games where you have to go to 'Nam and blow everything up. It's a genre that was fun at first, but now it is repetitive and unessecary. What's this fixation on this one event?

 

[Bu†cH]

Not to mention some of your games don't have a character that swims.

 

[Swifty]

Crates. Dear Lord. Crates have got to be the BIGGEST cliche ever in video games. It's a staple of level design. If your level designer can't find anything to populate his level with, then send in the crates! They're non-descript enough to fit into any level which explains their popularity. I mean, they're elements of storage. Who wouldn't have some sort of storage readily available? Crates seem to be prevalent in platformers, first person shooters, and third person action games. They're indiscriminantly used in both 2D and 3D games.

The crate cliche can also be extended to barrels. Though, may I add that Half-Life 2 was the most fun I've ever had with barrels in a first person shooter.

<3 gravity gun.

 

[MugenKeiji]

Eh, usually people who point out cliches are either tired of what works or trying to defend their crappy work.

But some are funny.

I'll go with the...

Bite Off A Piece Of The Big Cheese Cliché (aka the cheap store brand knockoff cliché):

If a company has been successful with a certain genre (Mario games and their spinoffs, Final Fantasy, Smash Bros, Zelda) then make a game designed around their elements and spend a lot of resources on level/model design only that the game isn't as fun as what its (un)inspired by.

Case in point: Crash Tag Team Racing (Mario Kart: Double Dash), Muppets Party and Sonic Shuffle (Mario Party), Byte Hell 2000 (Wario Ware).

Exception: Shigesato Itoi's "Mother" as it was inspired by Dragon Quest.

and

The Super Kawaii Pazuru Desu-cliche:

A Japanese developed puzzle game often features cutesy super-deformed characters, mostly loli-material young girls either with magical powers being witches, sprites, goddesses or whatever.

Case in point: Puyo Puyo, Panel De Pon, Twinkle Star Sprites.

Exception: Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move.

 

[skiboydoggy]

Save The World
'Nuff said.

Another popular one is the ever present: You are the only one that can do it despite the fact that the US Army/Faction in Question has thousands of similar fighters.

 

[Swifty]

Another popular one is the ever present: You are the only one that can do it despite the fact that the US Army/Faction in Question has thousands of similar fighters.

That one is my favorite. Though, developers usually rectify that error by using a plot device to ensure your character is special, whether he may be of some elite fighting force, special forces, or just simply... special.