Exploding Barrels and Other Video Game Clichés
Clichés in the Video Games Industry, Action, RPG, and Puzzle Genre
Nov 15, 2009
Clichés in any medium often elicit bored yawns and frustrated frowns. Since video games contain so many different aspects to its design - graphics, audio, story, gameplay, etc - they are especially prone to relying on tried and true formulas and clichés. Below is a list of some of the most notorious clichés in the video game industry.
Action Video Games Clichés and FPS Clichés
Exploding Barrels: Just about every action game or any game with a gun will very likely feature some form of exploding barrel at some point in the game. While exploding barrels do provide a good gameplay element, essentially acting as a bullseye target that explodes, at this point it's just lazy game design. Games like Stranglehold and Resident Evil 5 feature different environmental hazards that "glimmer" and can be shot down for a similar "exploding barrel" effect, but offer more gameplay variety.
Weak Points: Similar to the Exploding Barrel, the "Weak Point" offers a crucial video game element - it simply takes more skill to shoot a zombie in the head than it does the chest, so gamers' skill should be rewarded by having the headshot deal more damage.
The House of the Dead series is one most unoriginal by revealing the boss's weak point, while any bullet placed in any other location counts for nothing. Contrast this to Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5 which created a system where each major part of the body is a different target zone with unique reactions, creating a far more elaborate and strategic combat system than the simple "weak point."
Invisible Walls: Perhaps the most irritating video game cliché, invisible walls force players down a predetermined path with little to no freedom for exploration or alternative courses. The most notorious genre is the Devil May Cry / God of War / Ninja Gaiden style of action game, with third person or still camera perspectives.
Some games go so far as to have an environment that looks open-ended but blocks the player off frequently with invisible barriers. Games which help to break the invisible wall cliché include open-ended action games like Grand Theft Auto, or open-ended action RPGs like Mass Effect or Fallout 3, by allowing players the freedom to explore and take alternative pathways.
Adventure Video Games Clichés and Role Playing Games Clichés
Giant Enemy Crabs: True, not every game features Giant Enemy Crabs, but most games have a Giant Enemy Something. Big enemies simply seem more threatening, but only so when the size is taken into account in the design.
A bigger enemy that's a clone of a smaller enemy only with more HP is boring. Contrast this to Shadow of the Collosus, where the player must tople sky-scraper sized monsters by climbing atop them and stabbing at the weak points. Size can create an excellent gameplay element, or it can be just another boring cliche.
Quick-Time Events: Whether it's Resident Evil 4 or God of War, one of the most frequently abused clichés in recent video games is the quick-time event. This method of game design forces players to use quick reactions and press the right button to outrun boulders or stab giant monsters in the eye. When used sparingly, these events offer cinematic experiences without FMVs, but when used too frequently, can result in frustrating deaths and a feeling of detachment from the core game.
Resident Evil 4 actually features some of the best and worst quick time events - the good adds to the suspense and horror of the genre, while the bad happen unexpectedly after long dialogue sequences, resulting in annoying, "gotcha" deaths.
Farmer Boy's Town Gets Burned Down: Far too many RPGs center on a main character who grows up impoverished as a poor farmer boy or peasant, most likely an orphan, when suddenly bad guys attack his town and burn it to the ground. Naturally, he is the only survivor and seeks revenge against the evil-doers who destroyed his life.
Even high-caliber role-playing game series such as Final Fantasy often employ the poor victimized orphan, and oftentimes fire is involved. Contrast this to games with unique "origin stories" such as Dragon Age: Origins and Fable II, and this age-old role-playing cliché gets turned upside-down.
Fighting Video Games Clichés and Puzzle Video Game Clichés
Disproportionate Human Anatomy: This particular video game cliché expands far beyond the fighting game genre, but fighting games are particularly guilty of the ultra sexy female figure and the overtly muscle-bound male. The Dead or Alive series is infamous for sexy females in unnecessarily skimpy outfits, while Street Fighter 4 takes muscle infatuation to an all new level of absurdity, with the supposedly average strength fighters Ryu and Ken with rippling deltoids the size of their own heads. More realistic fighters like UFC 2009 Undisputed feature far more believable human anatomy modeled straight from real UFC fighters.
Single-Solution Puzzles: Most puzzle games offer single-solution, logic-based puzzles, usually more elaborate means than a simple Sudoku or Crossword puzzle, but even still, most force players to use the materials they have to find the single, sometimes incredibly complex, solution. More recent puzzle games offer a more open-ended means of puzzle solving. Valve's Portal gives players the ability to solve puzzles by creating portals to transport themselves around the game's environment, while Scribblenauts allows players to solve puzzles with just about anything they can dream of by writing it down.
Visit the Scribblenauts Overview article for more information on Scribblenauts on Nintendo DS / DSi.
Video Game Clichés Conclusion
Occasional clichés are difficult to avoid and rarely ruin a video game. However, video games riddled with bad clichés can turn a decent game into a more painful than enjoyable experience.
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