If there is one thing im tired of seeing in fantasy games/movies/books, its the "You are the chosen one to save us from the ancient evil army". Im afraid that TES:V - Skyrim will be the same cliché as every other fantasy game.

Example:

The Lord of the Rings: Frodo is the chosen one who shall save us from the ancient evil army of Orcs.

Dragon Age: Origins: The newest Grey Warden (the player) is the chosen one who shall save us from the ancient evil army of Darkspawn.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion: The prisoner (the player) is the chosen one who shall save us from the ancient evil army of Daedra.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim: Dovahkiin is the chosen one who shall save us from the ancient evil army of Dragons. (either if the Dovahkiin is the player or to help the player, he still is the chosen one)

Why chosen one? Why do the evil always have to be ancient? Why does the evil always have to be an army?

I for once would like to save the lands, not because I was chosen to do so, but because I was fitted by my skills and talents (not you skill level, but roleplay wise). Im concerned that Skyrim will be another of these chiché.

Thoughts?

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1152130-the-story-behind-skyrim-v20

If you weren't able to be a great hero, what would you do in a fantasy game/book/movie? The whole of LotR would have been Frodo walking around the shire occasionally talking to some passing elves. I do see your point, but it will be up to you whether you become the hero or not, its just there to make it more exciting. A lot of people like the her defeats ancient evil thing, but if you don't then there will be other things to do.

Here is a question you have to ask, is the player the chosen one from birth or do they become the chosen one? Is that bum on the side of the road the chosen one? No, could he become the chosen one? Now that's what you gotta ask. If the hero doesnt vanquish an evil then how is there going to be a decent plot? That bum there is going to destroy those dangerous weeds creeping up through the cracks of the city, Huzaah! No it doesn't work. Cliche is good, in fact it works; look at Star Wars; LotR, The Space Trilogy by CS Lewis, good overcomes/ outshines evil/ bentness. I don't think fighting The Swiss is going to get far in a plot.

wasnt it said that you could take any plot break it down and there would only be like 5 different plots

Everything can be broken down to the Hero saving his people. Its an archetype, not a cliche. The execution is what makes it interesting.

1000+ hours over a dozen+ characters, I only went through the Main Quest twice. Very few of my characters were worthy, or cared about saving the world.

I agree with the OP. I'd like to see more moral ambiguity, none of this absolute good and evil stuff. Is Tiber Septim good or evil? Depends on your point of view. If you don't like your province being invaded and taken over by an ambitious emperor telling dragons to burn you if you don't submit, then no, Tiber isn't such a great guy.

The game should have less of this whole "impending disaster that will destroy the world!" I'd like to see stuff that doesn't have quite as serious a global threat, but is nonetheless significant on a local (province) scale.

I don't think there should be any super hero in the TES game. Sure, it is fun once in a while, but it is annoying that my character is the only competent being in the game.

They'd better make me the hero in TES5 instead of seeing Martin steal my moment of glory in TES4.

"I watched Martin Septim defeat Mehrunes Dagon and all I got was this lousy t-shirt armor"

:P

Derp, why no Morrowind? Nerevarine embodies this trope.

That being said, I agree. I don't want to be "Chosen", I want to "Choose". I'd prefer to start as a nobody and inch my way towards the main quest, if possible.

Yeah, why not play the old farmer who lives next door to the hero of skyrim. But you ain't gonna fight because that potatoes ain't picking themselves.

:rofl:

http://www.qwantz.com/comics/comic2-983.png


I just want my politics and intrigue. Oblivion had lots of potential. Regicide ought to be exciting, the ensuing power struggle, the subterfuge, the betrayal. Oblivion somehow managed to ignore all that and made it very, very boring. Morrowind had it with the questionable demise of Nerevar at Red Mountain, but it wasn't so much interactive. Even if you wanted to aid Dagoth Ur in driving out the foreign influences in Morrowind, you never were given the opportunity.

I'd like Skyrim to at the very least shoot for Morrowind, but I'd much rather have an actual hand in the direction events pan out.

I actually like being the big hero, being a sidekick was and is kinda lame, imo.

I agree with Lady Nerevar, its not the hero archetype thats cliche, it's all about how it's presented.

However, it would be interesting to start off as a nobody, and by chance thrusted into the role of 'Hero'. That would be very interesting in my opinion

Because people seem to have developed the erroneous idea that Morrowind is the most perfect game ever.

I honestly wouldn't mind if the game was just one huge cliché, as long as it is a good one. The story can be good even if it's a bit cliché'd, because there's a reason things turn into clichés. They do because they are often used, and they are because they are good, if that makes sense. The series are all about being a hero who beats everyone and becomes champion and all that, which is a cliché, but it's the most entertaining way to do it. So as long as the story is well-written, the mechanics are good and polished, and things are a bit more varied than last time, I'll be very happy.

Beeing the hero would be a little bit mor rewarding if you actually had competion for this job. Oddly and sadly there is an awful lack of heroes in most games besides YOU. Could be interesting to see if you want take all the glory for yourself you would have to dispose the rest of the competitors.

It's pretty much been like that since Beowulf.

Heroes are powerful, and power is enjoyable. Why do you think that power has been the crux of human civilization since the dawn of history? No one would buy a game where you are the abjectly pathetic Lucius the potato-monger.

Wasn't that how Morrowind started? I seem to remember starting as a nameless prisoner with no quest to save the world. There were visions, and soon you discovered that you might be important, but the game didn't tell you from the get go that you were the world's savior (I don't think anyway). I also think with the open-endedness of the character creation system in ES games, they have to purposely make the story about an unknown slave/prisoner who finds out they are kind of a big deal. Remember, we get to choose whatever race, six, background, upbringing, and stats we desire. It would be kind of hard of Bethesda to create a believable back story for a near infinite combination of characters. If I was a farmer with a family somewhere, they would either have to lock the race/six/stats/name/story etc of the character, or make a million different families and back stories, dependent on our character creation choices. I would rather deal with a bit of deja vu early in the game, than sacrifice the ability to actually role play and create the character I want.

Anyway, I have no problem with the old cliches, as long as they keep some interesting twists, and keep the story fresh and intriguing. It definitely wouldn't hurt to throw in some moral ambiguity though. Like choosing between the lesser of two evils. Everything in Oblivion seemed pretty black and white. I really like the thought of having multiple guilds to join, whose intentions are unknown to the player. That way, you might join a guild thinking it is "good" only to find out that they have ulterior motives. You would then have to decide whether to continue, or turn on them, and join a rival faction.

I'm hoping for multiple endings like in Daggerfall to sort this out, so that we can go the "Big Damn Hero" route, or not. However, I want the canon to be a little more... elegantly written than that "Warp in the West"/"Miracle of Peace" business.

Nope. The entire reason for you being sent to Vvardenfell was because Uriel VII knew you fit the Nerevarine prophecies. You were chosen and being tested the moment the game started.

But it was more subtle than Patrick Stewart's The Emperor's "YOU ARE GOING TO SAVE THE WORLD" introduction 3 minutes into the game.

THIS.