IGN - RPG Cliches That Need to Die

Dhruin

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Not an original idea but it's worth revisiting - IGN (and even they have done this particular thing before) have a humorous article titled RPG Cliches That Need to Die:
Humble Beginnings
Though I am but a simple pig farmer, it appears that I have the potential to become the most powerful hero the world has ever known. Don't let my youth and inexperience fool you; my destiny will carry me to far greater heights than my lowly origins might suggest. At least that's what the mysterious stranger who has only just now dropped into my life is saying. The timing is perfect too; it seems that the world is currently being confronted with a cataclysmic danger that only I can prevent. While it seems odd that I should suddenly be hailed as "The Chosen One," I can only assume that my potential has merely gone unnoticed until now. Perhaps I am suffering from amnesia. Perhaps I have been adopted. That no one seemed to expect much of me will make it all the sweeter when I get to rub my newfound fame in their stupid faces.
Thanks, r3dshift!
More information.
 
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I don't think jRPG's have a monopoly on cliches.

Just to note, its not just been "done before" and "revisiting", IGN has "resurrected this article from the dead" for hallowe'en.

Mwuahahahaha.

*finds out his true father is some sort of deity*
 
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A bit ironic that their article about RPG cliches is a bit of a cliche itself... how often do we see these articles?
 
LOL, funny writing. :D

However, I feel a game with REALLY new ways would likely be too much for about 99% of all gamers. ;)
 
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LOL, funny writing. :D

However, I feel a game with REALLY new ways would likely be too much for about 99% of all gamers. ;)

Hey. Insult me once, shame on you. Insult me again, well uh... shame on you.

Wasteland, Fallout, Planescape Torment, and the original Diablo were not cliche even though they have been made cliche by the sheer number of emulators. The popularity of those games makes me think we gamers can handle something new some of the time.
 
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Now that was funny indeed. Most CRPGs I played served at least two or three of those clichés, some of the more inventive ones just one... hehe. But these clichés aren't just CRPG related, they also apply to a great portion of today's fantasy literature :).
 
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I don't think jRPG's have a monopoly on cliches.

Just to note, its not just been "done before" and "revisiting", IGN has "resurrected this article from the dead" for hallowe'en.

Mwuahahahaha.

*finds out his true father is some sort of deity*

Yup, thought it was dejy vu.

*finds out that despite humble beginnings, he still hasn't saved the world*
 
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A funny article and good reading :) I so hope devs would get rid of atleast that cliched humble begining part. Yawn..its not like there are not other ways to start a decent storyline. Also lack of moral aspects they brought up was a valid major point as well.
 
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Pretty much all jRPG cliches

Really, it looks like a lot of PC game clichés in there, NWN2, Dungeon Siege, Gothic 3, Oblivion you name it all there!

Those cliché while seen before, really proves how poor todays RPG's are it is very seldom we see something new and great, upon playing NWN2 I keep thinking how boring it is to do the same thing as I've done in 100's of RPGS before! Run there fetch that, combat is same, even the story is pretty much the same. In Oblivion I even have to do all the boring killing and generic exploring without being rewarded with any story worth notice! I remmember how happy I was playing the first Gothic... all clichés were gone and something truly fresh and great had finally arrived! I haven't had that feeling on PC games since the Ultima's!
 
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Wasn't that write up the plot to Baldur's Gate?
 
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I've seen most of these genres of cliches in western RPGs, but the writer's description of them is very jRPG-centric: residents not minding you pilfering their homes, food for health, The Inkeeper and His Basement of Rats, which would also make a great title for a short story.
 
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I was pleasantly surprised by this list. It's a heck of a lot more relevant to cRPGs than another list floating around (the one that among other things says all characters have to bee teenagers and anyone age 18 is a grizzled old veteran). And the illustrations are neat:)
 
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I've seen most of these genres of cliches in western RPGs, but the writer's description of them is very jRPG-centric: residents not minding you pilfering their homes, food for health, The Inkeeper and His Basement of Rats, which would also make a great title for a short story.
There are quite a few western RPG:s that feature non-minding residents, food for health as well as the infamous innkeeper with a basement/merchant with warehouse full of rats...
 
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At the time I enjoyed all of these clichés, and if I were to be honest I would have to admit that I would again if they were in a game I loved. The thing is they all work. They're all handy tools that do the job.

RPG makers should try considering plot in terms of craftsmanship and hire people at that level for their writing. Like finished carpenters, sketch artists or surgeons, their tools are finer and capable of a lot more subtlety.
 
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You know, I have a slightly more original "list" I've been working on here: http://comics.saber-scorpion.com/sywbaa_cliche_formula.php It's actually an "Generic Epic Storyline Cliché Formula" so to speak. That is, it takes the basic formula of "Dark Lord was deafeated thousands of years ago, rises again, can only be beaten by hero guy, whose family was killed and he must avenge them, who is led around by a mysterious being, who reveals to the hero that he has some great destiny, and tells him that he must gather certain magical items in order to beat the dark lord" and then applies the formula to a number of stories (mostly video games). Really, IGN missed quite a few... but they got the most obvious ones. The same ones people have been pointing out for decades now but keep getting put in games anyway. *shrug*

Wasn't that write up the plot to Baldur's Gate?
Not really. You weren't a farmboy in Baldur's Gate; you grew up in a huge library-fortress under the care of a powerful wizard. Your neighbors never burned down; Candlekeep was just fine right up past the end. None of the creatures drop weird stuff like in a hack-n-slash; they actually drop quite logical things. You don't heal yourself with food; you use healing potions. Sarevok doesn't come back in a bigger form after you defeat him, nor does he turn out to be your father (well, your brother, but... hehe).

Come to think of it the "heal yourself with food" thing has been in VERY few RPGs that I can think of. Unless it's a JRPG cliché (which I wouldn't know since I don't play them), I'm not sure where IGN got that one from. Most games these days use potions.
 
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I love these lists :) It's funny how some things silly as that can feel natural or even the norm. I don't really mind but some I'd rather not see again for originality's sake.

Anyway with so many rpgs around it's hard not to make a cliche but as long as the storyline is interesting and mostly different the items dropped don't concern me too much.
 
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They left one out..... Your sister has mysteriously vanished/ been kidnapped and you must now try and rescue her... Uh,... let's see: Fable, Two Worlds, Sid Mier's Pirates! (ok, that ones a stretch for the genre, but still)
 
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Yeah, we REALLY NEED an "RPG" that starts with the character as the retired uber hero and chronicles his decline into senility and decrepitness, that's be hellafun! Or even bettah turns into the uber evil dark lord of the sith crushing the world under his pig crap stained boots or something!

NOT, as I enjoy character development as well as the story, both being cornerstones of the RPG genre.

Haven't noticed these cliches picked up from fantasy literature(as far as fantasy based RPGs) going the way of the dinosaur in fantasy literature, although there is definitely a need to make some more mature RPGs with darker story lines, possibly through branched play paths although most companies shy away from branched play through paths as it might take away $$$ from teh shiny grafix department. (I'd like to see more Fafhrd & The Grey Mouser, Elric, and Black Company darker fantasy fiction as well...)
 
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