8. Revenge
The revenge genre is a video game type in particular that has been pulled straight from the movies; how can you not play Max Payne, diving through the air with both guns blazing, without imagining both The Matrix and the classic John Woo films of years gone by? Though the Max Payne games are the exception to this rule, in that they craft an emotionally engaging, superbly written and atmospheric experience, too many games have copied its influential style, making just about any game where a wife/daughter/brother/father/family member/friend/pet dog has been killed and the owner/spouse/relative seeks bloody vengeance seem awfully trite, and often just pale by comparison. It's a rudimentary genre in films, and it's a rudimentary genre in games, most often providing the bare minimum in plot while allowing the maximum in heroic bloodshed and over-the-top thrills. Is this genre fun? Absolutely. Is it ever because of the plot? Not a chance (except with Max Payne, of course).