But, I LIKE this Cliché!

[hittite]

1: Treasure chests- seriously, the chest makers in RPGs must be rich. And closely connected
1.5: chests that are worth more than their contents

2: "Oh, hello Mr. Hero. I know that you're the only son of some god or other and you just got back from slaying 5 doom dragons at the same time, and after consuming their essence, you're the most powerful being in existence. But before I'll give you the key to the villain's fortress, you must prove your worth." Why?

 

[Booze Zombie]

As long as you enjoy yourself a good cliche and don't ***** about it, man, it's all good.

 

[Fists]

"The Pitt" DLC for fallout3 did a terrible job of the imprisoned scenario, I played it with my endgame character on stock difficulty, walked up to the gates obliterating everyone, then I walk through a door and I'm downed by like three lackeys with shiny sticks. That kinda ruined the area for me, combined with the fact that I spec'd energy weps and they made me use small guns almost the whole time.

 

[Shamus Young]

there was an arena in dragon age? did i miss out on something? a little reminder would be appreciated.
edit: did you mean the short arena fights at the beginning of the commoner dwarf origin?, does any of the other origins even do that? (only played as commoner dwarf and 6 hours in on

There is a series of arena fights when you come back to Orzmaar (sp?) as part of the main quest. At least, I had to do it to get in to see Harrowmont. (sp?)

 

[Fists]

there was an arena in dragon age? did i miss out on something? a little reminder would be appreciated.
edit: did you mean the short arena fights at the beginning of the commoner dwarf origin?, does any of the other origins even do that? (only played as commoner dwarf and 6 hours in on

There is a series of arena fights when you come back to Orzmaar (sp?) as part of the main quest. At least, I had to do it to get in to see Harrowmont. (sp?)

yeah, if you choose to support Harrowmont when getting help from the Dwarves then you fight in the arena, I dont believe you do if you help Bhelen. It's not a true arena though because it isnt a side quest like usual, its just dwarves punching on.
Also, the arena isnt confined to RPGs, the arenas have usually been my favourite parts of ratchet and clank games.

 

[BlueInkAlchemist]

there was an arena in dragon age? did i miss out on something? a little reminder would be appreciated.
edit: did you mean the short arena fights at the beginning of the commoner dwarf origin?, does any of the other origins even do that? (only played as commoner dwarf and 6 hours in on

There is a series of arena fights when you come back to Orzmaar (sp?) as part of the main quest. At least, I had to do it to get in to see Harrowmont. (sp?)

Totally missed this with my arcane warrior. Supported Bhelen because Harrowmont sounded like a cheating jerk.

 

[cainx10a]

there was an arena in dragon age? did i miss out on something? a little reminder would be appreciated.
edit: did you mean the short arena fights at the beginning of the commoner dwarf origin?, does any of the other origins even do that? (only played as commoner dwarf and 6 hours in on

There is a series of arena fights when you come back to Orzmaar (sp?) as part of the main quest. At least, I had to do it to get in to see Harrowmont. (sp?)

Totally missed this with my arcane warrior. Supported Bhelen because Harrowmont sounded like a cheating jerk.

It was hard to support Bhelen after playing the Dwarven Origin and find out what kind of bastard he was. Actually, it was a bad idea playing all of origins before moving past to ostagar.

 

[franklinbadge]

i supported harrowmont first time around. sadly im going for al the trophies so ill have to support bhelen this time.

 

[Jason Danger Keyes]

1: Treasure chests- seriously, the chest makers in RPGs must be rich. And closely connected
1.5: chests that are worth more than their contents

2: "Oh, hello Mr. Hero. I know that you're the only son of some god or other and you just got back from slaying 5 doom dragons at the same time, and after consuming their essence, you're the most powerful being in existence. But before I'll give you the key to the villain's fortress, you must prove your worth." Why?

Treasure chests, but for a different reason. They lie all over the place, in people's houses, in the streets, in the wilderness, on rooftops. However, only the PC ever seems to open them. I'm sure with all the bandits that seem to be wandering around, at least a couple of the chests would have been pillaged by the time good ol' hero finds them.

The fact that the vast majority of the chests are unlocked amplifies this. Not complaining, just saying it's kind of funny to think about.

 

[Silk_Sk]

You forgot "Oh and the WHOLE TOWN IS ON FUCKING FIRE!"

 

[j0z]

I find it interesting that all the wildlife in RPGs are out to kill you. Oblivion had 1 non-aggressive specie, Morrowind, KOTOR I&2, and most others, EVERYTHING isout to get you.

 

[Ericb]

It's the difference between a cliche and a trope. Trope are reused story devices for a reason: because they work, because they provide entertainment. Cliches are the same when they're done wrong/shallowly/repeated without good intention.

I would have agreed with Shamus article had he had the care to use the proper term, which truly is "trope", in the context he was referring to.

Even so, tropes super re-used (then a cliche) like the "only you can save the world" one are really exhausted by now, in a point where there should be more game writing focused toward subverting and exploring what has being well established over two freaking decades ago.

 

[sgtshock]

The poor groups of raiders and bandits with cardboard armor and flimsy weapons who decide that it's a good idea to attack the heavily armored, high-level rogue carrying a giant magical mace/miniature nuclear missile launcher.

 

[Dorian6]

The traditional classes (Mage, warrior, rogue) with subtle variations thereupon are something worth keeping.

 

[Therumancer]

Mages wearing dresses...i mean robes...

I truely feel this pain. My character in WoW is a mage, and this is our song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kOIZkUD1Lo&feature=related




-

That said, I don't think there is such a thing as a good OR bad clique when it comes to fantasy, it all comes down to the writing and presentation. Anything can be made to seem cool, or incredibly stupid depending on how well it's done.

The absolute best writers can even take the extremely corny (never mind stuff that is used well) and make it seem cool at the same time.

Speaking of which this has sort of make me realize that Naughty Dog *REALLY* need to remake "Keef The Thief".

 

[DeadlyYellow]

The Ancient, Well-Lit Tomb With Traps That Still Work

Yes, it's stupid. If I left my car sitting exposed to the elements for just ten years I don't expect it would start up on the first try afterward. Yes, traps with wooden moving parts that remain functional for hundreds of years at the bottom of a damp cave are ludicrous, as are the monsters that live there without setting them off. The fact that traps of stone and wood so often seem to have optical or light-based mechanisms is more than a little goofy. And the ever-burning torches on the walls and the glowing crystals that light the place are kind of messed up too.

But screw you. Tombs and ruins are fun.

Possibly justified in Morrowind's Dwemer ruins. The robots were used to maintain the place long after their masters' disappearance.

Although now I'm thinking. Is there a game that actually makes the player carry a torch/lantern/magic doodad for be shrouded in completed darkness? I could see it adding a bit of tension, but more likely serve as an annoyance. I remember playing Oblivion and needing to crank up the gamma because it was too dark to see otherwise.

 

[Soet Poet]

the 'love interest' sub plots, Final Fantasy has gotten really bad about it lately (EI since 7) , while yea, can see it happening, but dose it need to be in every 'epic world saving quest'

.... and why do i always need to 'save' it all the time .... i've only played ONE rpg where i actualy ended the world ( SMT Nocturne fyi) >.> might reflect poorly on me, but i'd atleast like the option to end the world

In Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen you can choose weather to save the world or ruin it. The sequels build upon the assumption that you chose the latter too.

 

[Lunar Templar]

the 'love interest' sub plots, Final Fantasy has gotten really bad about it lately (EI since 7) , while yea, can see it happening, but dose it need to be in every 'epic world saving quest'

.... and why do i always need to 'save' it all the time .... i've only played ONE rpg where i actualy ended the world ( SMT Nocturne fyi) >.> might reflect poorly on me, but i'd atleast like the option to end the world

In Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen you can choose weather to save the world or ruin it. The sequels build upon the assumption that you chose the latter too.

o.0 oh yeah, forgot about those, thanks for reminding me :3 sad thing is i've played that seires >.>;;

 

[Therumancer]

The traditional classes (Mage, warrior, rogue) with subtle variations thereupon are something worth keeping.

Hmmm, well I tend to think they are (I am guessing you are disagreeing?). Like it or not those are the stereotypes coming from vintage fantasy and that is what people are trying to emulate in RPGs and such. New twists on those ideas are okay to an extent, but I think the basics need to be retained to have something to compare them to.

I see it as being like comic books, people occasionally whine about "white knight heroes" and how awesome all of these "new Dark Heroes" are so cool (even if they aren't all that new). I feel the whole idea misses something when you don't have any traditional heroes very active in a comic universe to form a counterpoint to. Plus as time goes on I find myself cheering more and more for the "White Knight" guys because oddly I find a lot of the nasty Dark Hero stuff has actually made them even cooler when they manage to stick to their guns like that.

In a sword and sorcery genere more and more frequently involving all of these convuluted concepts (both in novels and RPGs and such) I ironically find myself increasingly cheering for (and thinking fondly of) relatively simplistic and straightforward characters. Like oh, say Conan. In one "PnP" game I played via message boards a few years ago (albeit by message board) I made a very simplistic fighter type based on Conan who was so classic nobody seemed to get it (but I was older than everyone involved). I sort of freaked out the players when we wound up being involved in a botched robbery where a murder occured and I pretty much acted like Conan did in "The God In The Bowl" and just flat out said "I'm here because I came to rob the place, I didn't kill the guy because I had no reason to" and strongly implied that if the guy HAD caught me I probably would have done so and they never would have found the body. The reaction was kind of priceless to be honest the set up was so perfect from what is probably one of the all time famous fantasy short stories. The Conan movie (the first one) even having combined the gimmicks from "The God In The Bowl" and "Tower Of The Elephant" in the tower sequence as a sort of a nod to fans because of those stories.

 

[Supp]

Inventory packs that can hold 99 diamond mail but only 50 different items.

Infinite sack has end.