Most hated videogame cliches

Originally Posted by Average Gamer

The powers are feared; there is no sign that the mask itself is alive. The Ocarina of Time was in the title of the previous game, yet it wasn't alive. Furthermore, throughout the game, there is evidence that Skull Kid was always a jerk and would have used something like Majora's Mask to create chaos if he ever could get it.

No, it was out of nowhere.

Skull Kid, though I was afraid that Nintendo would take the easy way out by bringing the mask to life.

It was pretty obvious that Majora's Mask was going to be the main boss.

Originally Posted by Jeff

Actually, the plot progression in TP was what gave Ganondorf a more god-esque character. The game definitely set out to make it feel as if he was a dark entity rather than just a powerful human, as OoT and WW did, and the complete lack of direct contact with him (as Link and Midna) was what further drove that presentation in. You know he's the one behind everything, and he has the power to simply sit back and let his puppetry do the work; all the while you never have the chance to get to know him personally, thus giving off that feeling that he's no normal being.

They also deleted any sort of depth to his character and made him one of the worst characters in Nintendo's history.

That may be true, to some extent, but I felt it better suited him being an other-worldly force that you weren't familiar with. Maybe his character wasn't better, but I'd say his role was.

Villians who say lines like "curses!"

Originally Posted by heroman

Villians who say lines like "curses!"

That's not a cliche, it's just bad writing.

When the hero wins.

When the bad guy is actually... a bad guy. I like the idea of the Villian being a good guy, but just really going about things all wrong.

Actually that might be or will become a cliche in itself. But it makes the story much more interesting in my opinion.

As long as a writer can use a cliche and make it fit and seem original I could careless if they use it. As long as they try and make it original.

Originally Posted by Tonchiki

I'm not talking about other games, I'm talking about TP.

Yet he still has a personality in TP. I just brought up the other games to point out that he's already appeared and has had character development.

Originally Posted by Tonchiki

He is shown in a cutscene, true, but you don't even see him or hear from him during the game until you fight him at the end.

But you are indeed aware that he exists. Even then, he holds more speaking lines than Majora's Mask.

Originally Posted by Tonchiki

No, the cutscene doesn't count; that doesn't specifically indicate that he would be the main boss.

The other games had already shown players that if Ganon's involved (other than AOL), he'll be the final boss. Besides, not only do the Sages say that Zant got his power from Ganondorf, but the Lanayru's Shrine cutscene beforehand combined with the AG one basically tells players that Zant sees Ganondorf as a god and follows him.

Originally Posted by Tonchiki

What's the difference? Is it really that much of a stretch for the dark powers to manifest itself in a physical form?

In the case of MM, yes. Furthermore, if that is going to happen, revealing it at the very end with no hints or foreshadowing at all and stating that it was behind everything is rather anticlimactic.

Originally Posted by Tonchiki

The powers are corrupting Skull Kid. It's referenced throughout the game that he was not evil.

In the tale of the Four Giants, Skull Kid goes on a country-wide rampage that threatens the lives of every Terminian, leading to the Four Giants themselves threatening Skull Kid with death. That is not the same as a lonely child. Skull Kid's reason for this? The Four Giants basically want to help people and go to sleep.

When Link comes across the drawing of Skull Kid on the log, Tatl mentions that nobody wanted to hang around Skull Kid because he was mean and played tricks on people.

The Skull Kid robbed the Happy Mask Salesman, and possibly attacked him beforehand.

Finally, in OOT, approach the Skull Kid as an adult. No matter what you do, his first instinct is to jump down from his stump and try to murder you. That's not the behavior of a nice guy, is it? It doesn't matter how you approach him; he always tries to kill Link.

Originally Posted by Tonchiki

The two fairies are alarmed by his change in behavior, and you even befriend him in OoT's Lost Woods.

Only because you're a kid, and (to him, anyway) a Kokiri one to boot. Also, I don't recall the two fairies being alarmed by his behavior. In fact, I'm pretty sure that they happily went along with it, right down to killing the Deku Butler's Son.

Originally Posted by Tonchiki

It is confirmed that the Skull Kid's insecurities and apparent loss of his friends (the Giants) led to his high vulnerability to the mask.

Yet that is only in retrospect, and we have no idea if the mask corrupted him at all when he wasn't wearing it. Furthermore, things such as Skull Kid trying to kill adults, being mean and playing tricks on people, and going on a massive, threatening rampage for a pathetic reason still stand. Also, his behavior and dialect give us no reason to think that something is wrong with his mind. Tatl and Tael haven't known him for very long to boot.

Originally Posted by DrZaius1

It was pretty obvious that Majora's Mask was going to be the main boss.

I admit that was rather clear to me, though I was hoping that Nintendo wouldn't have such a copout in such a game. I was also relatively new to Nintendo at the time.

So that this thread will not be derailed, let's drop the subject.

Any and every item you pick up will be useful at some point, no matter what it is.

And when the bad guy dies as a result of his own greed/evil/mistakes

I don't really mind clichés. Clichés are only clichés because they are the most common thing or have worked well in the past. For instance, if no one ever used a character with amnesia, it would probably be well received.

Originally Posted by Zelda-Hime

I don't really mind clichés. Clichés are only clichés because they are the most common thing or have worked well in the past. For instance, if no one ever used a character with amnesia, it would probably be well received.

Yeah but no wants the main charecter to have amensia in every RPG they play.

Originally Posted by Average Gamer

When Link comes across the drawing of Skull Kid on the log, Tatl mentions that nobody wanted to hang around Skull Kid because he was mean and played tricks on people.

The Skull Kid robbed the Happy Mask Salesman, and possibly attacked him beforehand.

That's not the behavior of a nice guy, is it? It doesn't matter how you approach him; he always tries to kill Link.

Ah, right, you got me on the trick-playing. But I can't help but assume there's a REASON he doesn't like adults.

Also, I don't recall the two fairies being alarmed by his behavior. In fact, I'm pretty sure that they happily went along with it, right down to killing the Deku Butler's Son.

Even Tatl had limits. I vaguely recall some sort of dialogue that indicated that she and Tael kinda hesitantly followed Skull Kid during his Majora escapades, though I don't remember and can't back that up. She was most definately alarmed by his destroy-the-world mission. Not to mention the mistreatment of her brother.

So that this thread will not be derailed, let's drop the subject.

Alright, fine by me; it wasn't going anywhere important to begin with. XD

Lemme say something on-topic and mention that anything involving a main character's mysterious past/amnesia and someone being their long-lost father is cliche garbage. If they do the past thing interestingly and not blatant "I have a mysterious past"-like, then it'd be better... But anything involving "I am your father" is lame.

I do admit, though, cliches only become cliches because they were once great ideas (in most cases...) ... But by now, everyone's sick of them.
However, it does get to a point where you can only do so much that hasn't been done before...

My favorite genre is pretty much an endless sea of cliches...but I loves my RPGs. x33

The main villian ends up actullay destroying the world in the middle of the game and you have to restore it.

Always the thing about you being the chosen one.

Originally Posted by heroman

RPGs are the genre most known for cliches. In fact, theres an entire list of them:

The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches

That list is awesome

Originally Posted by Super Luigi 64

Save the princess, save the world.

But seriously, I hate it when the final boss's of games are a bait and switch, and you have to fight ANOTHER boss after the supposed "Ultimate Evil".

It's like drinking a glass of Coke oly to have someone tell you it was a Diet Coke. An evil Diet Coke.

You Die, And We All Move Up In Rank
During that fake ending, the true villain of the story will kill the guy you'd thought was the villain, just to demonstrate what a badass he (the true villain) really is. You never get to kill the fake villain yourself.

i'm not a big fan of amnesiacs (at least not for the main character, lol)

The whole light versus darkness in RPGs. You are light, the bad guy is darkness. You must make darkness go away. Light is the only good thing in the world. Darkness needs to be cured from the world through elimination. Racists.

That, and wielding a juggernaut in a FPS. What's the point in having a huge buff guy wield a gun? Let him fist fight those aliens/zombies. It was cool to see Freeman, a somewhat nerdy looking guy, fight against aliens/zombies.

My most hated cliches:

The hero is captured and the main boss follows the Evil Overlords Handbook to the letter ie. he gloats, tells the hero his evil plans, his evil laugh only to fail miserably because he took too long to get rid of his enemies.

An enemy keeps on coming back and runs off after each bout (thinking of Seymour from FFX in this regard, he is such a pain and he just keeps on coming back not necessarily any stronger).

The hero/es are captured by the big bad dude, are imprisoned only to escape from prison.

I probably have more but I cannot think of them atm.

Originally Posted by Auron

The hero is captured and the main boss follows the Evil Overlords Handbook to the letter ie. he gloats, tells the hero his evil plans, his evil laugh only to fail miserably because he took too long to get rid of his enemies.

Known as monolouging.

At one point in the game, you are bound to be imprisoned by the bad guys and thrown into there base, where you run into the main bad guy and have to escape.