So you''re saying you''d rather have a story where you can predict exactly what''s going to happen next with no surprises whatsoever. That would be a fun one. I say write what you want the way you want it. The best writing I do is when I say to myself "F*** what other people will think of my story, this is my ride."

About the plottwists becoming cliche:

Might wanna read my story when I finished the update (I''m rephrasing most of it while I''m putting it one the net. If anyone''s interested go to http://www.endoentertainment.tk and click on ''The Dark Lands'' and then on ''Story'', or just go to http://members.lycos.co.uk/endoentertainment/tdl_story.html), At first the player thinks he enters a world like many others, then slowly he realizes that nothing is as it seemed. After that some things happen that don''t seem to have to do anything with what''s going on. And when the pieces fall in place, the original thought wasn''t as far from the truth as anticipated.

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I rule, you drool!

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"If the whole world was out to get you... they would have gotten you by now."

It depends on how well your cliche or archetype is done. I''ve played a lot of games with engaging stories or settings that were quite cliched.

Chrono Trigger - save the princess and save the world.
Lunar 1 & 2 - save the girl and save the world.
Fallout 1 & 2 - post-nuclear world.
Arc the Lad 1, 2, and 3 - stop bad guys from reviving ''the dark one'' - fail - then beat up ''the dark one''
Final Fantasy - take your pick of cliches

Now having said that a cliche is ok as long as it is well done, I would like to see stories on a smaller, more personal scale than ''save the world''. Perhaps finding / rescueing a lost relative or friend. Or avenging a fallen friend.

Jack