So I was talking to a gamer friend earlier about Brutal Legend, and how it had thrown a few people, myself included, for a loop: players were expecting a hacky slashy actioner and they got a sorta-kinda RTS. And then we moved on to upcoming games, including Final Fantasy XIII, and, long story short, we came to the conclusion that the FF games could be making the same mistake by advertising themselves as RPGs. I mean, they're not like, say, Mass Effect, in which the story changes depending on your decisions--in which you actually play a role. (It seems like Heavy Rain could also qualify as an RPG in that respect, now that I think of it.) Your job in the typical FF game, on the other hand, is to manage the characters' potion collection and get them through fights, but otherwise to simply steer them towards the next cutscene and then put the controller down while they drive the plot along on their own.
So I guess I'm wondering what people think about this: should FF really be considered an RPG? If not, what do we call it instead?
So I guess I'm wondering what people think about this: should FF really be considered an RPG? If not, what do we call it instead?