What constitutes an RPG?

Yeah I didn't think of that when I wrote it.

...No. Static or not, it doesn't matter. A RPG can be very linear without much randomness.

It is the focus of the game. An adventure game put emphasis on area such as puzzle solving and adventuring. For example, the Silent Hill series. But there is indeed a lot of actions in many adventure games, so personally I don't mind people calling a Adventure game as an Action-Adventure... But Adventure-RPG? No. Not unless it does have RPG elements in it. (Upgrading or finding weapons isn't a RPG element, by the way.)

Just in what games are you NOT playing a role of something? (Pong, Minesweeper, Tetris... you don't have to answer this question.) Well, even in the Gran Turismo series, you are playing a role of someone. Or the Championship Manager series, where you are playing the role of a Soccer Manager. In fighting games, you are controlling the characters you've selected, and play his role during the fight.

Just because we get to play a role of something in a game does not make it a RPG game.

The role of a character... like a hero, someone with a story.

Acer, you play the role of the main character in almost every game ever made.

Mario is a hero, he has a story. Is Super Mario Sunshine an RPG?

Samus is a hero, she has a story. Is Metroid Prime an RPG?

Crash Bandicoot is a hero, he has a story. Is Crash Bandicoot an RPG?

Do you understand what Senesia is saying now? Just because you play the role of a character, that does not make the game an RPG. RPGs use at least one of the three rules I listed earlier. If it doesn't have one of those three things, it's not a damned RPG. Period.

I also agreed there has to be some kind of random item drops, and/or character development.

Raziel, what you are trying to do is clasify every single game into a single category. I'm not saying MGS isn't a FPS, I'm just saying it's also an RPG.

And I'm going by definition. You seem to be pulling "rules" out of your ass, since I've never seen anyone but you set those rules in stone.

Raziel, what you are trying to do is clasify every single game into a single category. I'm not saying MGS isn't a FPS, I'm just saying it's also an RPG.

Okay then, King, by that definition every game ever made is an RPG. You cool with that? Because, if every game is technically an RPG, then the term shouldn't even exist. All games shouldn't be called "RPGs" they should just be called "games". So, why don't we just toss that term out altogether, hm? Why don't we start calling RPGs something more accurate, like "Epics". There's a reason the term RPG exists in regards to console games, and it's not to identify a game where you simply "play the role" of the lead character. Every game in the world does that, King.

And I'm going by definition. You seem to be pulling "rules" out of your ass, since I've never seen anyone but you set those rules in stone.

King, I want you to take a look at every traditional RPG in existence, okay? Examples would be games like Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger. What core gameplay conepts do all of those games employ? Stat building, party management and combat strategy. Look at any other traditional RPG in history, and the same rules apply. I'm not pulling anything out of my ass, the facts are sitting right in front of your eyes. The idea that you're incapable of identifying those facts is more than a little disheartening to me.

Now to be perfectly fair rpg merely means Role Playing Game a game in which you play as another character and make decisions for that character fits a loose definition of an RPG. On another note, we can all agree that dungeons and dragons is an RPG. D&D created the roll playing genre yet that does not require maintainance of a party it can be played by one person with one pc, its just slightly less interesting

YOU "PLAY THE ROLE OF THE LEAD CHARACTER" IN EVERY GAME EVER MADE. IS EVERY GAME EVER MADE AN RPG? NO.

That definition only applies to paper and pencil RPGs. Console RPGs are a completely different type of game, people. Console RPGs refer to a game that focuses on stat building, party management and combat strategy.

Since when do you make the rules on what makes a game what? Look at the name. Role Playing Game. That means a game in which you play the role of a character. role-playing game n. A game in which players assume the roles of characters and act out fantastical adventures, the outcomes of which are partially determined by chance, as by the roll of dice.

First of all, King, that definition you used is in reference to paper and pencil RPGs, in which a player actually plays the role of an original character. We're talking about console RPGs, and in a console RPG, that definition does not apply. It does not apply, because 95% of console RPGs use predetermined characters.

All of the Final Fantasy games are 90% static. You don't create your own character, they have their own pre-written lines, and the actual interactive story elements (i.e. "Do I take Aeris on a date or Tifa?") are few and far between. Therefore, your Webster's definition of a Role Playing game does not work in this situation.

A video game RPG always has one of the three elements I have listed. I did not make these rules up, I'm simply clarifying them. It's the same thing as if I was saying "All platform games contain some form of platforming action and usually some platform-based puzzles." I'm simply stating a fact.

Monsters don't drop the same items every time, so there is some randomness.

By your definition, if Final Fantasy is an RPG (meaning that some of the randomness comes from the items an enemy drops) then Zelda and Metal Gear Solid are RPGs as well. You play the role of Link, and there's no definite answer as to whether a recently killed Moblin will drop rupees, arrows, bombs, magic jars or some other weird artifact like a Joy Pendant. The same goes for MGS. You play the role of Solid Snake, and if you kill an enemy, you can pick them up and shake extra items out of their clothing. It could be SOCOM ammo, FA-MAS ammo, Rations or any number of other items. Zelda and Metal Gear Solid are not RPGs though, therefore, this discredits your Webster's definition even further.

I'm not making this shit up, I'm simply stating a fact. Console RPGs focus on level building, party management and combat strategy. Platformers focus on platforming action and action-based puzzles. Adventure games focus on exploration and puzzles. First Person Shooters focus on shooting from a first-person perspective, utilizing speed and accuracy for stealth and headshots. That's simply the way it is. I'm not making it up, it's plain fact.

IM GONNA USE THAT FOR MY THESIS

Go right ahead. Make sure to tie it in to "turkey sandwiches" somehow, though.

All of the Final Fantasy games are 90% static. You don't create your own character, they have their own pre-written lines, and the actual interactive story elements (i.e. "Do I take Aeris on a date or Tifa?") are few and far between. Therefore, your Webster's definition of a Role Playing game does not work in this situation.

Have you played FF1? It's not really that static .You create your own party and can pretty much explore all you want for most of the game. There isn't nearly as much plot as the later games, though.