Top 10 Video Game Clichés
#10: One line villagers “Hello Stranger, Hello Stranger, Hello Stranger”
Starting things off are all the times we visited towns where the citizens had a one track mind. You know if this was reality you would most likely be high tail it out of the town since that would almost seem like everyone that lived there was either insane or part of some sort of satanic cult. Not helping the case are the other villagers who pretty much just stand around and do nothing.
#9: Only YOU are competent. “Ramirez do everything”
In videogames it seems that the whole world revolves around you. In First Person Shooters apparently only you can make a difference in battle and in the event of an Adventure game, it seems that you seem to be the only person able to solve anyone problems. Bonus points if you’re a child, … because … You know sending a child to save the world is totally the best plan ever.
#8: Fetch Quests “Can you get that fruit on the tree behind me”
Just as bad as being the only competent person it seems that you’re the only one that’s actually able to do anything. Take Animal Crossing for example, where the villagers there are so lazy they won’t even give a package to someone right next to them. Or you could take the more creepy approach in Mass Effect 3 where you pick up quests by eavesdropping. … Oh right, so it you just happened to be speaking about that in the presence of the defender of the Galaxy, riiight..
#7: The Silent Protagonist “Huuuuppp Yarrhhhh Seiiippp”
Basically the easiest way for a developer to get the player to relate to the main character is for that character to have no character at all. Try saying that 3 times fast. Even though you can’t say a word apparently every single NPC around you seems to understand what you need, like your freaking Lassie or Flipper. What’s that Gordon? You have the calculations for a dangerous experiment figured out? Care to tell me so nothing goes wrong?
#6: Quick Time Events “Press X to not die”
Best described as a developers lazy day button. Because apparently trying to create some sort of dramatic action scene is not as engaging as one button press, It wasn’t revolutionary when Dragon’s Lair did it and it sure as hell hasn’t changed. And by the way Ryse? Taking out the actual on screen button and changing it to a highlighted colour doesn’t make it any more the less a QTE, you’re not fooling anyone.
#5: Random animals have wallets “Gimme your lunch money Rabbit”
Now … think about this one carefully, why is it that some random wolf is carrying around some spare money and a suit of armor it can’t wear? Is it because he is trying to make ends meat for his newborn cubs in a mystical world? Or Simply taking a rite of passage by earning an apprenticeship with a blacksmith? One popular explanation is that they ate the contents of a previous adventurer’s coin purse, but nobody’s really buying that are they?
#4: Regenerative Health “Walls: The most important medical discovery in history”
So, since when did everyone become Wolverine? In 2001 the health pack industry, preposterous though it was, slowly started to become obsolete when it was discovered that the best practice for healing a sniper rifle round to the chest was to just sit next to a wall for a few seconds. Just a tip: if you suffer catastrophic trauma, hiding in a corner is probably not the best solutions. That might not end well. Granted, a box of gauze and Band-Aids shouldn’t technically repair broken bones either, but there’s crazy and then there’s lazy.
#3: Invisible Walls “Curses! Foiled by thin air”
Oh the shock of walking off your path of destiny, only to find that you can’t move past … errr … something. Whether you’re trying to desert your fellow soldiers on the battlefield or simply trying to take a shortcut off the racetrack, invisible barriers are always there to literally halt the illusion of freedom dead in its tracks. Even more frustrating are chest high barriers that can’t be climbed over, cause an alien invasion is no problem, but a wall that’s higher than my nipples? That’s no dice bro.
#2: Exploding Barrels “Now available in Red”
You know, if I was to ever start a business in the video game world I’d probably be a wholesaler of explosive barrels. I mean come on, although they’re incredibly delicate and explode at a moments notice, there seems to be a huge demand for them as they are littered throughout the virtual world. They must be pretty cheap too, in order to offset the health insurance costs of the hundreds of hapless guards and bad guys that get torched next to these things when they go off. That being said, there’s never a moment where you really have to ask “I wonder if that red barrel will blow up if I shoot it”.
#1: Attack its Weak Point for Massive Damage “You might want to get that glowing spot looked at”
Hitting the top spot is a cliche that makes boss battles seem pretty simple and reveal their giant size to be a ludicrous façade, often made even worse if that weak spot is big bright and glowing. If for whatever reason you still can’t figure out where you supposed to hit the guy … oh boy.
So that’s our list for the top 10 Video Game cliches now we want to hear what your favorites are! Don’t forget to subscribe for more videos published every day, and head over to Watchmojo.com/suggest to submit a list of your own!