What was your very first RPG?

[Cheesebob]

Pokemon Yellow.

My first proper RPG was...Morrowind

 

[joalics]

The elder scrolls 3 or 4
Morrowind and its still one of the best ones i played ^-^

 

[VaioStreams]

the original legend of zelda. though it's hard to really call that an RPG. more of an adventure game. so the 2nd final fantasy to release in the US. yes, i'm that old

 

[MetalBride]

It was either Shining Force Or Lufia II rise of the Sinistrals... i donno what was first i played them around the same time

 

[Dragonearl]

I won't argue until I'm blue in the face but by your logic does that mean Starwing is a roleplaying game or Halo or even F-Zero? It's not so much the mere act of playing a role that makes an RPG an RPG, it's usually the emphasis on building up and customising your characters stats and abilities. Adventure games don't offer these gameplay mechanics because they rely on progression through puzzles which aren't solved by character ability as opposed to say, Oblivion where stats determine success in given situations.

I think it has been said before that the term RPG is just the top of the pyramid. It is not a standalone defintion, it consist of many elements and many sub genres. I for one think Halo is an action RPG, like MGS (which coincidentally is labeled as a stealth action game. Or Fallout 3 even, which is part RPG part shooter).

As for game play, hell there are so many shooters out there with weapon customisation and modifications available to improve ones character, do you call them RPGs too?. They clearly are FPS's but by your examples, because I can upgrade my class and stats in Unreal Fortress does it make the game an RPG?. No!

 

[More Fun To Compute]

It has the elements so why not?. The point is, "genres" are loosely cobbled up terms the developers use to give a summarized view about the main elements in the game. In no way does it truly represent what the came totally is about. You buy an RPG and it is, for all intents and purposes an RPG, but never 100%, you'll find it an Action RPG, or adventure RPGs or horror/action/survival RPG and god knows what else.

So coming back to my point, Monkey Island has a lot more to it than what the "adventure" tag says. Just because a game has a genre to it, doesn't mean that it's permanently fixed in that setting. No, most games now are multi-genre games, with sub genres and any game if you look at close enough is never really made up of one element.

I suppose that Monopoly and Football are both RPGs as well. The term RPG is a trap for people who want to talk about games. It's really best not think too much about it as it barely describes anything properly.

 

[lwm3398]

when i was about 8,it was runescape. at ten there was this sucky game called holy war. then at about 12 maplestory. i'm not much an rpg gamer,as all the good ones you pay for,and i just don't see the point.

 

[geggis]

Oh for crying out loud, not another one!!!

People will keep on correcting you because they are using the commonly accepted meaning and you are using your own private interpretation.

Au contraire good sir, some people chose to define the genre based on gameplay and not what is stuck on the box!

In that case Monkey Island is a puzzle game, no?

It has the elements so why not?. The point is, "genres" are loosely cobbled up terms the developers use to give a summarized view about the main elements in the game. In no way does it truly represent what the came totally is about. You buy an RPG and it is, for all intents and purposes an RPG, but never 100%, you'll find it an Action RPG, or adventure RPGs or horror/action/survival RPG and god knows what else.

So coming back to my point, Monkey Island has a lot more to it than what the "adventure" tag says. Just because a game has a genre to it, doesn't mean that it's permanently fixed in that setting. No, most games now are multi-genre games, with sub genres and any game if you look at close enough is never really made up of one element.

Genres are loose but they serve a purpose in illustrating the gameplay elements which should be well understood by the developers who designed them and hopefully the marketing department. Monkey Island is a root to the fruit point and click adventure game, it is fixed in that genre from start to finish - there are no gimmicky action sections (not even in the 'combat'). Games like Full Throttle or Sam and Max (that serve your point better than Monkey Island does) featured action sections but they are both primarily adventure games and labelling them anything but would be misleading.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

*snip*

Interesting!. Rather oddly though Monkey island seems to fall into the CRPG category, given its definition. Then again the game is made available through the 360 now.

*snip*

Yes, because all games that allow character development are RPG's. Of course mate!. Why would labeling a game that has a clear RPG element be misleading?. Because they are telling the consumer that the game is not a constituent of a single element?. You don't need combat to classify something as an RPG just like adventure games have a root in RPG. Consider Fable 2, it is an RPG, im sure you won't disagree, but do you not go about on quests, on adventures?. Is it wrong to call it an adventure RPG?. Would that shatter the consumers opinions of the game?.

As was said before, there is no true 100% RPG. Everything is a mix, saying Sam and Max is not an RPG because its primarily an adventure game is like saying Fallout 3 is an FPS because it primarily involves shooting things.

Also consider the game DOTA (defense of the ancients). It is where you select a group of heroes and attack the enemy base while killing everything in your way. Wikipedia classifies a Role playing game as so:
"Role-playing game, in which players assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create narratives". Rest assured, DOTA does satisfy this criteria

but​

Wikipedia also classifies a Real time Stratergy game as: "In computer gaming, real-time strategy (often abbreviated as RTS) is a genre of wargames which take place in real time".

Given that DOTA is primarily played via a LAN or in an equivalent layout setting, (i.e in real-time) does it stop being a RPG?. It clearly doesn't, it become a hybrid game. Much like any other game you have mentioned.

 

[IamQ]

Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance 2.

 

[Woem]

*snip*

Interesting!. Rather oddly though Monkey island seems to fall into the CRPG category, given its definition. Then again the game is made available through the 360 now.

You are correct. This is a great way to confuse the older gamers (my brethren!):
- "Space Quest IV was the best Console RPG I ever played!"
- "Aaah yes... Wait, what?".

He he he.

 

[Mad Maniac with axe-firing chainsaw]

Diablo numero uno.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

*snip*

Interesting!. Rather oddly though Monkey island seems to fall into the CRPG category, given its definition. Then again the game is made available through the 360 now.

You are correct. This is a great way to confuse the older gamers (my brethren!):
- "Space Quest IV was the best Console RPG I ever played!"
- "Aaah yes... Wait, what?".

He he he.

Lol!. Indeed, Kings Quest VI..now out on the PS3

 

[wanabeswordsman]

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest for the SNES. Still one of my favorites in the FF series, despite the fact that many FF fans have disowned it as one... >.>

My FAVORITE RPG of all time though has to be Secret of Evermore. I don't know why everyone hates it, it's a fantastic SNES game!

EDIT: Secret of Evermore also has a phenomenal soundtrack, I have a lot of the chiptunes on my main playlist.

 

[Xbowhyena]

Probably Paper Mario for me.

 

[The Great JT]

Dragon Warrior on the NES.

You see a Drakee!

 

[Thimblefoot]

Pokemon Blue, back when i was a young whippersnapper.

 

[Frankydee]

FFVII, I was young and played pretty much everything my brother told me to try out. Was also the only FF game I ever finished.

 

[geggis]

I won't argue until I'm blue in the face but by your logic does that mean Starwing is a roleplaying game or Halo or even F-Zero? It's not so much the mere act of playing a role that makes an RPG an RPG, it's usually the emphasis on building up and customising your characters stats and abilities. Adventure games don't offer these gameplay mechanics because they rely on progression through puzzles which aren't solved by character ability as opposed to say, Oblivion where stats determine success in given situations.

I think it has been said before that the term RPG is just the top of the pyramid. It is not a standalone defintion, it consist of many elements and many sub genres. I for one think Halo is an action RPG, like MGS (which coincidentally is labeled as a stealth action game. Or Fallout 3 even, which is part RPG part shooter).

As for game play, hell there are so many shooters out there with weapon customisation and modifications available to improve ones character, do you call them RPGs too?. They clearly are FPS's but by your examples, because I can upgrade my class and stats in Unreal Fortress does it make the game an RPG?. No!

I agree to a point. Of course gameplay mechanics that are typically associated with core genres are going be diluted as they are integrated into other genres but I think it's strange to consider something like Crysis an action RPG because it allows a modicum of customisation. Bioshock and Dark Messiah both have strong RPG elements that allow players to tailor their experience somewhat, but both are primarily first person action games. The former was firmly established as a FPS by Ken Levine/2K and the latter was considered by many before release to be more like Oblivion which needless to say disappointed some expecting a more core RPG experience akin to Morrowind. This is important because the genre 'label' frames the experience before a gamer jumps in.

Yes, because all games that allow character development are RPG's. Of course mate!.

If that's what I said quote me.

Why would labeling a game that has a clear RPG element be misleading?. Because they are telling the consumer that the game is not a constituent of a single element?. You don't need combat to classify something as an RPG just like adventure games have a root in RPG. Consider Fable 2, it is an RPG, im sure you won't disagree, but do you not go about on quests, on adventures?. Is it wrong to call it an adventure RPG?. Would that shatter the consumers opinions of the game?.

As was said before, there is no true 100% RPG. Everything is a mix, saying Sam and Max is not an RPG because its primarily an adventure game is like saying Fallout 3 is an FPS because it primarily involves shooting things.

Given that DOTA is primarily played via a LAN or in an equivalent layout setting, (i.e in real-time) does it stop being a RPG?. It clearly doesn't, it become a hybrid game. Much like any other game you have mentioned.

In addition to what I've said above, labeling a game due to a minor point is of course misleading. It seems that from what you're saying, all games should be classified with all the core genres that it has things in common with regardless of prominence. So GTA IV would be... well, everything. Which is obviously a useless description. There are games out there that merge genres that can be conveniently described using core genre names (like puzzle platformer) but naming an RPG an adventure RPG because it features adventuring is to misunderstand the elements that make an adventure game an adventure game. Don't get me wrong I know what you're trying to say but there are certain qualities that are associated with adventure games that don't align with what an RPG typically is.

Interesting article [http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,977] that popped up over the weekend.