The Most Cliche of Cliches

[BurntToShreds]

What do you think are the most overused elements in video games??

Here's mine:

Crate Puzzles- It wasn't fun in the last 50 RPG's, why would it be fun now?
Your Character Has Amnesia- Gee, I can't remember how many times I've seen this one.
Crates- Are the level designers just lazy, or do they think that crates should be in every single room of every Goddamn FPS ever?
Save Points- I don't want to have to go through the same level 5 times before I beat the boss.
Health regeneration- Takes the tension out of what should be intense firefights. Is the AI so stupid as to just shoot the wall you're hiding behind instead of running behind it and shooting your ass?
Obvious Weak Point- SHOOT THE GLOWING RED/YELLOW THING IN THE CENTER OF THE ENEMY'S CHEST.

[Guitar Woman]

When people make threads containing clever and humorous complaints about things to show how intelligent they are

[stitchfan626]

i got a couple of them:

*sometimes in a side scrolling brawler, the least likely place where you can find a whole turkey is in either a phone booth or a garbage can

*almost every side scrolling brawler have at least 3 common weapons: a knife, a bat, and a lead pipe

*the final boss in a side scrolling brawler has a method of being unfairly cheap like packing some serious heat.

[liquidstatik]

SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER YEAH

[Tadao]

I hate how you can go left and right in a game. That is so overdone.

[Angryhydralisk]

- How every mapmaker that isn't from Blizzard and every character maker that isn't a WWE wrestling game sucks or at the very least could use a little more space.

- FREE MMOs and their absolute lack of creativity.

Otherwise I'm totally content about video games, because they're cool and all.

[Tadao]

What exactly is you problem with free MMO's. Do you have to download everything you see?

[MetalMilitia]

When you lose all your weapons (in a side scrolling brawler).

[Karmapolice]

a rocket launcher and/or an ubergun in fps.

[Emu]

ಠ_ಠ

[Pentegarn]

Food equaling health recovery. It never made sense, yet we seem to accept it in games like Final Fight, TMNT, and even WoW.

Now if you'll excuse me, I cut my finger and need to go eat a sandwich.

[DeadKennedys]

BARRELS >:

Also, amnesia

[bigtimecow]

Your Character Has Amnesia- Gee, I can't remember how many times I've seen this one.

pun?

i wish i could complain about hating bosses that require patterns of attacking, but i really see nothing wrong with it :(

[Girl Drink Drunk]

Discusion threads about cliches

[darkvare]

invisible walls why they can't add stuff like batlefield and halo 3 in wich you get shot or bombed

[stitchfan626]

in most Area 51-style shooters, barrels and crates will explode if you shoot them. also in these shooters, innocent civilians have a major disregard of their well being by getting in the middle of a gunfight.

[executioneer]

cliche of cliches
overused of overuseds
exploding barrel once again
picked up a food and- here it goes here it goes
my health goes back up twelve percen'

[Roggs]

The Dreaded IIT: Inexplicably Impassable Terrain.

Tell my why neither my veteran space marine nor my medieval warrior can overcome the hazards of climbing over a two-foot fence or walking up some slightly crumbled stone stairs.

The worst is when it's tied into a puzzle, when you have to find some key or do something to open a foot-high gate. It's like the developers actually hate us.

[Pentegarn]

When people make threads containing clever and humorous complaints about things to show how intelligent they are

Discusion threads about cliches

What video game or video games were these in?

[executioneer]

guys i like amnesia because it lets me fill in the blank on the character i'm playing's personality :(

[tbussard]

"Last Minute Savior". Just when all hope is lost, somebody comes in to save the day or your mentor gives you something that REALLY packs some heat, then the boss fight is ridiculously easy.

But the only cliche I can think of that nobody has mentioned is the bottomless pit in the middle of anywhere. I can understand in certain sky stages, but why, in the middle of nowhere, are these ungodly deep bottomless pits of doom?

[Emu]

"Last Minute Savior". Just when all hope is lost, somebody comes in to save the day or your mentor gives you something that REALLY packs some heat, then the boss fight is ridiculously easy.

The proper term for this is deus ex machina.

[Angryhydralisk]

in most Area 51-style shooters, barrels and crates will explode if you shoot them. also in these shooters, innocent civilians have a major disregard of their well being by getting in the middle of a gunfight.

Better yet, GoldenEye with the exploding tables, chairs, computers, chemicals, keyboards, crates, and more!

[Girl Drink Drunk]

HAY GUYS WHATS THE DEAL WITH ENEMIES THAT EXPLODE WHEN YOU KILL THEM? SRSLY

[Tadao]

Guns in FPS. God Damit! There is a gun in every single one! Can't they think of anything original, I know I can't so I'll just pretend I'm smart by complaining about it.

[executioneer]

i'm not sure but i think Thief is a fps that doesn't have guns?

[liquidstatik]

served

[HickMan]

Pressing forward to more forward. Seriously come one guys lets make it a little more interesting

[executioneer]

though i guess its sort of a stealth/fps hybrid :/

[Tadao]

No no... you're right. You're always right. That's why I voted for you... twice...

I have been served and now must eat it.

[Fat_Hippo]

Pressing forward to more forward. Seriously come one guys lets make it a little more interesting

If you have a problem with that, just switch your controls around. I'm sure it will make for a very interesting experience. I totally dare you to play through Doom+Expansion in Nightmare like that!

[Guitar Woman]

Hickman, you could play Glover

[Girl Drink Drunk]

http://www.i-mockery.com/forum/image.php?u=2400&dateline=1200950581 (http://www.i-mockery.com/forum/member.php?u=2400)

[Dr. Octogonopus]

Overuse of bottomless pits and/or lava. I'm looking at you, mario.

[Guitar Woman]

well it's not like mario's supposed to be realistic or anything

[executioneer]

man i wish they WOULD make a realistic mario game :eek

[Roggs]

Wouldn't a realistic Mario game just be a plumbing simulator?

Like, instead of jumping on Goombas, you'd just overcharge them for fixing leaks?

[Zomboid]

OH FUCK :lol

[liquidstatik]

:lol KCUF HO

[executioneer]

he could always bash them with a pipe wrench

oh wait i guess half-life is a realistic mario game then :lol

[Guitar Woman]

that would explain all the retarded platforming

[eliz.lanier]

In a lot of older RPGs they always had the same types of characters who were good at the same exact things.
For example, in the Wild ARMS series there were always two guys, the main one average, sort of strong, pretty fast. Then a super strong but slow guy. Then there was a fast girl who does magic. Or the girls steals stuff. Way overdone. Seen this in FF a lot too.

Food equaling health recovery. It never made sense, yet we seem to accept it in games like Final Fight, TMNT, and even WoW.

Now if you'll excuse me, I cut my finger and need to go eat a sandwich.
:lol It is really weird. But I wish I could get my hands on some "heal berries"

When people make threads containing clever and humorous complaints about things to show how intelligent they are
Haha, you sound so petty, get over yourself

[Pub Lover]

eliz.lanier, you misspelled pretty.

[Guitar Woman]

;D

[Hangie]

I hate fighting games that have only 1 black guy in it. Seriously wtf.

[Esuohlim]

Seriously not enough sexy black men I'm with you Hangie

[stitchfan626]

another side scrolling brawler cliche: when there are three selectable characters, there's a quick guy who's weak, and average joe/joan (an all around character), and a strong but slow guy.

[Girl Drink Drunk]

ITS CALLED A BEAT EM UP.

[Zomboid]

ANOTHER SIDE SCROLLING BRAWLER CLICHE: WHAT IS UP WITH SPECIAL MOVES? I'VE NEVER SEEN A REAL PERSON SPIN AROUND AND KNOCK EVERYONE OUT! LOL!!!

[Girl Drink Drunk]

AND WHAT IS UP WITH LOSING HIT POINTS WHEN YOU DO THEM?

[Dr. Octogonopus]

Also: Zombies with handguns. Kinda nullifies the zombie scare tactics. It just isn't as scary getting shot as it is getting eaten alive.

[Pub Lover]

Zombies with handguns should totally aim for your legs.

[theaccidentalmimo]

What is the point of making a zombie with a gun? Install the gun in the zombie, maybe. But if zombies are brainless, how can they aim and shoot the gun? (Only fps I've ever played and beaten is Dirge of Cerberus, if that gives you a clue.)

Maybe they should aim for the heart, as they can kill you and then eat the brains. Would that be easier, or does the person have to be alive to be eaten by a zombie?

Anyways, here's my list.

People in RPGs with huge freakin' weapons that no person could possibly wield. Seriously, it's like they're screaming "look at me, I have a big, huge freudian phallic symbol." (They never give huge honkin' weapons to females, anyone else notice this?)
White people in RPGS. There are hardly people of color in RPGs.
Female characters who are obviously put in for sex appeal. Ever since Lara Croft, it's been busty here and busty there. Sonic even has an overly sexual busty character now. (Anyone else find that disturbing..)
Bishonen (or overly feminized males) Do not provoke the yaoi fans. Please. They scare me.
male heroes- 'nuff said

[Tadao]

People in RPGs with huge freakin' weapons that no person could possibly wield. Seriously, it's like they're screaming "look at me, I have a big, huge freudian phallic symbol." (They never give huge honkin' weapons to females, anyone else notice this?)
:wah

White people in RPGS. There are hardly people of color in RPGs.
:wah

Female characters who are obviously put in for sex appeal. Ever since Lara Croft, it's been busty here and busty there. Sonic even has an overly sexual busty character now. (Anyone else find that disturbing..)
:wah

Bishonen (or overly feminized males) Do not provoke the yaoi fans. Please. They scare me.
male heroes- 'nuff said
:wah

[Pub Lover]

You know what is a game cliché? Player control. Far too many games allow the player of the game to have some sort of control over some element in the game.

Also, cutscenes that undo everything you have just accomplished only to move the story on.

They should either not have any cutscenes at all, or better yet make the game one long nonstop cutscene. Has that game ever been made?

[executioneer]

does dragons lair 1 & 2 and space ace count

i mean there's SOME player control but most versions have an autoplay cheat

[Chojin]

also, I think the Bouncer fits that description

[executioneer]

metal gear solid 2, too haha

[Roggs]

Also, cutscenes that undo everything you have just accomplished only to move the story on.

They should either not have any cutscenes at all, or better yet make the game one long nonstop cutscene. Has that game ever been made?

Very true. The worst ones are where you win a boss fight, then all of the sudden the same boss kicks the crap out of your character in a cutscene. It's a complete slap in the face.

[Tadao]

Spoiler to make games more realistic

GO OUTSIDE

[Dr. Octogonopus]

Does anyone else remember a game by the lines of the Crystal or something? It was like pokemon, but cooler, because you had monsters, could fuse them, and gave them weapons like freaking KNIVES. It was for the PS2.

[Pentegarn]

They should either not have any cutscenes at all, or better yet make the game one long nonstop cutscene. Has that game ever been made?

I think it was, they called it Xenosaga :P

[Fat_Hippo]

Does anyone else remember a game by the lines of the Crystal or something? It was like pokemon, but cooler, because you had monsters, could fuse them, and gave them weapons like freaking KNIVES. It was for the PS2.

It's possible I played it in a store once. Did you play as some sort of tribal boy and start off catching monster bugs?

[theaccidentalmimo]

Sounds like Fable?...?

Pentegarne, Kingdom Hearts comes to mind. Only played that for about 1 night before becoming extremely bored. It was kinda like, when do these cutscenes stop and the game actually begins?

[Dr. Octogonopus]

It's possible I played it in a store once. Did you play as some sort of tribal boy and start off catching monster bugs?

YES, yes you did. And it was pretty awesome when I played it. It was right after the ps2 came out, I think, because Bouncer came out right alongside it.

[ElPila666]

Was it Monster Rancher EVO?

[Dr. Octogonopus]

No, it was significantly cooler. I freaking hate that eye thing. And mochi. They damn near ruined the show. The only cool ones were the wolves!

[Emu]

Sounds like Monster Rancher. You sure?

[executioneer]

was it "jade cocoon 2"?

http://www.mobygames.com/game/jade-cocoon-2

http://ps2.ign.com/dor/ps2/16350/images/jc2_3.html

[Dr. Octogonopus]

YES, that was it. I loved that game. It was like pokemon, crossed with monster rancher, and filled with AWESOME.

[Angryhydralisk]

No, it was significantly cooler. I freaking hate that eye thing. And mochi. They damn near ruined the show. The only cool ones were the wolves!

The only thing I remember about Monster Rancher is the cd option and all the kids channels showing the exact same episode 37 times in a row. Because the golem connects with the kids.

[Roggs]

Here's one cliche that's basically gone and I definitely won't miss: taking damage from merely coming in physical contact with an enemy.

[theaccidentalmimo]

That is irritating. Save points are one cliche I won't miss. Gee, you're half-way through the dungeon, but the outside world is calling. Either, turn the system off and lose your progress or, in the case of my PS2, let it overheat by leaving it on and hope it doesn't burn your home down.

[Girl Drink Drunk]

No, it was significantly cooler. I freaking hate that eye thing. And mochi. They damn near ruined the show. The only cool ones were the wolves!
I liked that show when I was a kid :(

[EisigerBiskuit]

i am going to show up for this gunfight, be the best character in this game, and die 3 minutes in

[Girl Drink Drunk]

Found most commonly in survival horror games, gaps or areas that blocked off and can't be accessed simply because theres a little clutter in the way or would require leaping over.

[Samfucius]

Any RPG where you have the magical ability to eat an entire chicken/steak/whatever in .5 seconds, while wielding a sword and a shield and casting spells and being attacked by an ogre.

[Fat_Hippo]

Any RPG where you have the magical ability to eat an entire chicken/steak/whatever in .5 seconds, while wielding a sword and a shield and casting spells and being attacked by an ogre.

And this food then immediately restoring your health.

[Pub Lover]

Boring game background music. There is far too much of it. In the old days where they only had a few bytes so they had a looped midi, it was fine, it was the best they could do, & some of the stuff they managed was actually good, but in modern times there is no need to have some generic filler music on every damn level.

Found most commonly in survival horror games, gaps or areas that blocked off and can't be accessed simply because theres a little clutter in the way or would require leaping over.

That has always annoyed me. Blocking obstacles that should be easy to navigate. It is turning up less often in games though.

[MetalMilitia]

I don't think any game will best Red Alert 2's background music... ever.

[Fat_Hippo]

What a coincidence: I was downloading it's soundtrack while you wrote that post.:eek

[Dr. Octogonopus]

Wow. Hive mind?
The blocking rubble was always a bitch in FPS games. You can easily jump over them, but even if you do that, there's an invisible wall. I think all games should get invisible walls banished forever.

[EisigerBiskuit]

Please refrain from blowing up the wooden door and find the key to open the lock in the other side of the house.

[Guitar Woman]

I liked how Deus Ex let you bust down doors with the GEP gun and whatnot.

[EisigerBiskuit]

What couldn't you do with that thing? It was everything but the swimming skill.

[Roggs]

That has always annoyed me. Blocking obstacles that should be easy to navigate. It is turning up less often in games though.

No, if anything it's getting worse. Better graphics means the IIT problems are only more obvious and absurd.

I think it's equally bad in survival horror and RPGs. For example, I've been playing Lost Odyssey and Condemned 2, and it's pretty ridiculous in both.

[Dr. Octogonopus]

Slowly leveling up. I hate it when you start out, and everything can kill you in like four hits. You should have the same health and take the same damage throughout the game, on a sensible scale.

[Karmapolice]

Slowly leveling up. I hate it when you start out, and everything can kill you in like four hits. You should have the same health and take the same damage throughout the game, on a sensible scale.

And then everything gets boring when you reach a certain level because you can kill everything in one hit.

[executioneer]

I DISAGREE >:

[Fat_Hippo]

I thought leveling up is the whole point of rpgs...

[executioneer]

yeah no kidding if you want a constant difficulty curve go play a NON rpg

or final fantasy 8, which i suppose is the same thing :lol

[Girl Drink Drunk]

Oblivion is kind of like that too:\

[Hangie]

I wish RPGs actually had role playing in them nowadays.

I hate it when patches get delayed.

[executioneer]

Oblivion is kind of like that too:\

not if you patch it :(

[Dr. Octogonopus]

And why don't most characters change their appearance when you give them different armors/weapons? i hate it when you give your character fancy new full metal armor and a entirely different sword, and they look EXACTLY THE SAME.

[Fat_Hippo]

I wouldnt exactly call that a cliche. Its really more a case of lazy game design. But yes, that IS annoying.

[Karmapolice]

bump

Dying while standing next to barbed wires. I know you do when it comes to fire but barbed wires? You can survive multiple gunshot wounds from calibers ranging from .22-7.62mm but you die from mutiple barb cuts. How is that even possible?

[Fat_Hippo]

Okay, what the hell game did that happen in, because that is something I have NEVER seen before. All games I've played completely ignored the barbs on any barbed wire.

[executioneer]

yeah i'm not 100% sure you understand what a cliche is

[BurntToShreds]

Please refrain from blowing up the wooden door and find the key to open the lock in the other side of the house.


That's why I loved Red Faction's Geo-Mod engine. You could just blow through the wall and get the key.

[LordSappington]

I hate those shooter games that have the same anonymous cannon fodder grunts everywhere. Like they don't even TRY to make each person look anywhere near unique.

[Emu]

Because it would be a huge waste of resources and time to make a bunch of unique enemies?

[Phoenix Gamma]

It would be nice knowing I was killing millions of different individuals and not millions of clones of some dude.

[Pentegarn]

It would be nice knowing I was killing millions of different individuals and not millions of clones of some dude.

If it was good enough for the droid army and sith, it should be good anough for you :lol