10 Video Game Cliches That Need To Die

3. Mentors Betraying Students

A lot of the entries on this list so far have been about gameplay elements, but there are narrative conventions that game stories return to too frequently as well. One is giving the player character a mentor figure to look up to, who teaches them the basics and inspires them to embark on a quest.

Of course, these characters almost always betray you by the the end of the story.

Sometimes heel turns are obvious from the beginning - after all, it doesn't matter whether you're his secret apprentice or not, you probably shouldn't put your faith in Darth Vader - but other times you can guess how the relationship is going to change purely because of how games have handled the dynamic in the past.

Like all cliches, games can do this well, and Metal Gear Solid 3 is probably the be all and end all when it comes to maximising the dramatic potential of this trope, but for every MGS 3 there's ten releases that absolutely half-ass it.