1. Save the World Plots
It seems that nearly every RPG, particularly the JRPGs, revolves around a central group of characters striving to save the world from a heinous villain, hell bent on total world annihilation or enslavement. Sometimes, even, the antagonist wishes to rebirth his/her vile planet. As much as I thoroughly enjoy just about any RPG, I cringe when the protagonists find themselves in a battle for the planet. Nearly every popular RPG franchise boasts at least one world saving entry, though the majority of titles are repeat offenders. For example, any Tales of… game almost always finds itself pitting the main characters against a world ending foe. Final Fantasy VII, arguably one of the greatest and most influential RPGs of all time, does not stray from this beaten plot line. But hey, I suppose writers will stop beating this dead horse as soon as it stops spitting out money.
-Evan