RPGs defined

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

I wholeheartedly disagree. I define an RPG as a game in which you play a role. That sounds stupid, I know, but bear with me. A game where you play as a character whose experience you shape through your choices and interactions with other characters is an RPG. It doesn't matter whether or not there are levels or experience points or stats. I would actually present Mass Effect as one of the best examples of what I'd consider an RPG. It goes against my definition somewhat in that the plot isn't completely altered based on your decisions, but you can create a unique individual character.

I'm with you on this. It always seems to me that people ignore the Role part of RPG and just go for the whole stat building thing like you used to get like Fallout 1&2. For some reason they don't think the part that let you walk around and do essentially what you wanted. This is what made it an RPG, the stat system was just the way they facilitated gameplay.
I may have preferred it like that, but i sure as hell am not about start current claiming RPGs aren't RPGs because they aren't as reliant on the stat system.

 

[JEBWrench]

I define RPG as a Really Proud Gnome.

Seriously though, your definition? It works well enough for you, go for it.

 

[Rewold]

I think a RPG is a combination of role-playing a character and stats/abilities. Every RPG should have these both. And role-playing a character means a story. I don't see the need for story changing choices.

 

[spinFX]

I define role playing game as a game where you play a role you want. Where you can make the choices. I think a degree of "stats" need to be in there too.

PS: Mass Effect most certainly is an RPG.

 

[Abedeus]

Where is the Lex Luthor saying WROOOONG when you need him.

By that definition, any game where player has to think more than "press..uhm... TRIANGLE!!... to attack!!" or just press A button over and over to skip boring NPC dialogs is NOT an RPG.

Also, "roleplaying games" are BY DEFINITION games where you play a role. You play a role of Commander Shepard and you decide if he's evil or good. You play the role of a Vault Dweller, who has to survive in the outside world thanks to your decisions.

IMO how you differentiated NetHack and Mass Effect apart from eah other was by their gameplay, not the genre.

That's what defines a game genre. It's why shooters, platformers, and fighting games are considered different genres.

I thought it was because there are different points and reasons to play the game in every one of them...

Shooters - you go around shooting things, that's the most important thing.
Platformers - you go around, jump from platforms and defeat enemies, story is only a minor thing here.
RPGs - story and assuming the skin of another character is the most important.

One of the reasons I don't consider Diablo a pure RPG. Story is, while very good, linear as hell and every character has the same quest - kill everything that moves and doesn't appear as a green/blue dot on the map. But hey, that's what the "Hack and Slash" genre is for - games where you mainly just slash and hack things around, story is on the... 3rd place, right after gameplay. God of War, Diablo, Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry. They all fit one pattern - LITERS OF BLOOD WITH SWORDS AND AXES!! and magic.

 

[Valiance]

Roguelikes are different than most RPGs...

That said most RPGs have the distinction which you mentioned.

Roguelikes which I have played (Nethack, Moria, ADoM, ToME, Angband, MAngband(!), and DCSS) all have that distinction.

However, they still have player skill, just it isn't personal moving and dodging, etc. It requires strategy, planning, ie: different kind of skill.

 

[Iron Lightning]

I challenge the internet to show me a statistic-lacking game that is unarguably an RPG. If someone can find this, well then I suppose I'd have to disagree with the OP.

I'd like to see a game without statistics. Show me that and you'll have divided by 0.

Quite true sir, I ought to have said "visible statistic lacking." Thank you for bringing my error to light, I will now fix my original post.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

to me rpg's are all about customization, playing the game i in the way i want to play it... in other words role playing, so yeah choices come into it but so does number crunching if i want to play as a badass evil wizard then im gonna put all my experiance into magic skills and also do evil things in the game. The more skills/levels etc which are available the better...it really annoys me that most mainstream rpg's are taking to action game with rpg bits road (for example mass effect and fable)

 

[Volafortis]

RPGs are not determined by stats. They are not determined by combat systems. They are determined by creating a character, and playing the role of that character, Which is why two seemingly opposite games can both be classified as RPGs.

In Mass Effect, you do that. Mass Effect is an RPG. In Dragon Age, you do that, Dragon Age is an RPG. In Demon's Souls, you do that. Demon's Souls is an RPG.

Stats are a vital part to an RPG, but a game can have them, and still not be an RPG. For example, in Final Fantasy 13, you do not create a character and assume the role of the character. You are pushed into a pre-made character, which is fine, if you can choose the paths you can take for progression of the character, but in FFXIII, each path you can take to progress your character is strictly linear, you do not specialize beyond pre-assigned roles, and while you can choose between 3 roles, you'll need all 3 of them at some point, no none of the three roles they are given will be their "defining" role, unless the character was designed as such.

tl;dr: Role-playing defines an RPG, nothing else. In ME2, Deus Ex, Demon's Souls, etc... you do exactly that. In games like FFXIII, there is no role to fill, so it is not an RPG. It is only considered one by people who are too blinded by long standing opinions of the series to see why it isn't.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

I wholeheartedly disagree. I define an RPG as a game in which you play a role. That sounds stupid, I know, but bear with me. A game where you play as a character whose experience you shape through your choices and interactions with other characters is an RPG. It doesn't matter whether or not there are levels or experience points or stats. I would actually present Mass Effect as one of the best examples of what I'd consider an RPG. It goes against my definition somewhat in that the plot isn't completely altered based on your decisions, but you can create a unique individual character.

I agree with pretty much that. Though in all games you play a role of some sort, some are more flexible than others.

So whilst in both inFamous and Fallout you play a role, inFamous is a pre-fixed role and Fallout is one in which you define the role you play. Yes a key element of RPGs is definitely stats and abilities... essentially a ROLE PLAYING game is about... playing a role...

 

[Penguinness]

I played a DnD style game (something about warcraft 40k?) and it was aboout choosing your character, stats, skills then starting the story in which it was your choice what to do. In video games like Mass Effect, they take away the stats pretty much and implement choice in a different way. They're still very much related.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

To be fair almost every game except RTS's are rpg's because you play the main role in a game and the those who say that games are not rpg's because you don't have the ability to do whatever you want you are referring to sandbox games.

Edit: just pointing that out, my belief is that the only real rpg's are sandbox games anyway because they have a stat system and allow you to shape you own universe

 

[kingcom]

I wholeheartedly disagree. I define an RPG as a game in which you play a role. That sounds stupid, I know, but bear with me. A game where you play as a character whose experience you shape through your choices and interactions with other characters is an RPG. It doesn't matter whether or not there are levels or experience points or stats. I would actually present Mass Effect as one of the best examples of what I'd consider an RPG. It goes against my definition somewhat in that the plot isn't completely altered based on your decisions, but you can create a unique individual character.

Precisely my thoughts. A lot of people seem to hold the view that RPGs are defined by lots of lots of numbers. I disagree. An RPG is, or should be, a game in which you create and shape a character, with emphasis on characters and story, choices and consequences. it would be quite possible to take away all of the levels, stats etc from Mass Effect and it would still be an excellent RPG, because it offers choices and interactions.

Exactly. Turn Based RPGs are alot less RPG in my opinion, as you have less control over your character.

What about Fallout?

 

[kingcom]

I played a DnD style game (something about warcraft 40k?) and it was aboout choosing your character, stats, skills then starting the story in which it was your choice what to do. In video games like Mass Effect, they take away the stats pretty much and implement choice in a different way. They're still very much related.

Do you mean Warhammer 40,000? The Table Top RPG for that is called Dark Heresy (and Rogue Trader too i suppose).

 

[Penguinness]

Do you mean Warhammer 40,000? The Table Top RPG for that is called Dark Heresy (and Rogue Trader too i suppose).

Yeah Dark Heresy was the name.

 

[Axolotl]

Exactly. Turn Based RPGs are alot less RPG in my opinion, as you have less control over your character.

Personally I'm of the exact opposite opinion for the reason.

 

[Lazarus Long]

Nothing on a computer or console qualifies as a real RPG to this old fart. A roleplaying game involves two or more people at a table with some books and dice. "RPGs" on the computer are just using the name as shorthand for "This game has some math in it, and you can dress up your dudes." Nothing wrong with that, mind you, and I'm not really sure why anyone would get worked up over semantics and nomenclature.
CRPG, JRPG, Hack n' slash, action strategy shooter with inventory management and a side of fries? All that matters is whether or not you enjoy it.