What do you mean by "Mecha Cliche"?

I still don''t get the idea behind the mecha cliche, I have seen few mecha shows that it is just one guy in a giant robot and without him the world would see to be, save maybe Escaflowne, but that is not to say that mecha shows are not cliche in other ways. If you want to avoid the cliche that the anonymous poster said though, along with his suggestions, there are many things you can do. You could completely change the idea of what a mecha is. For example, traditionally mecha''s are robotic. Make them organic living creatures that have been bred in such a way that they can be implanted with electronics that allow humans to pilot them. Evangelion did this, as the Eva''s were really synthetic angels that have plugs that can be inserted into them in order to be piloted, and since they are living creatures, they did have a mind of their own, which is what caused them to go bezerker at times throughout the series. You could also make mecha common place, like a car is today. Everyone has mechs, but few have the know how to convert their mech into a fighting machine, and those that do have gone rogue and tried forming their own gangs. Also, remember that following a cliche is not always a bad thing, as it creates a sense of familiarity with the person playing the game, just make sure you add different twists to it in order to make it unlike other games and shows.

NGE ruled. And what type of game are you desiderating? Is it an RPG (Action RPG no doubt), Action-adventure, or possibly Simulation? I have yet to see a great Mecha Action RPG (am playing Xenosaga now...not even close...but still a great game), and thus your game would be welcome, not cliche. And I would agree that the robot should be made in a better image than a human.

DON''T COPY THAT FLOPPY!

I''ve always been fond of a police force made up of humans and imposing (enh, 12-15 feet) mechanical suits. The story line has been beaten, but not to death (Appleseed and Jin-Roh). The story could perhaps be based on what you think police might typically be handline.. giving tickets, stopping criminals from robbing a 7-11, or beating back rioters while in a gunfight with a drug cartel. The story itself doesn''t have to revolve around the robots.. it could instead revolve around the members of the police force and their personal problems? If for a game, this could be difficult to pull off.. being more suited to a book or movie.. but could be done..

falkones got the right idea, the robots need not be the focus of the story just part of the gameplay. a game to take a look at (if youve got an xbox) is phantom crash, not much of a story but the robots you fought in really had little to do with it. PatLabour is also something to look at. great storyline. also gasaraki is another anime worthy of mention, particularly if you like lots of political intrigue. you could look at Full Metal Panic, but i find it very generic.
another idea, why not do a parody of mecha story lines? something that takes itself as seriously as mecha is just crying out to have a send up
i personally always enjoyed the Heavy Gear universe. lots of political factions plus earth always trying to screw things up.
there are plenty of options open to you.

Get busy livin'' or get busy dyin''... - Shawshank Redemption
Altered Vision

I think you can directly avoid the cliche giant fighting robot story real easy if you just keep the mindset that these robots are mass-produced tools and the pilot has no connection to them onces he''s left the cockpit. Right there you totally step around the problem. I''m making the suposition that this story would go hand in hand with a game, I''d make the mecha a type of volitile equipment. You can limit the number of course, but allow the player to mix and match Units and Pilots. The thinking is that if a pilot and a mecha can''t become considered a distinct inseperable pair, then you can''t associate any mysticism to the machines.