@ above poster who i can pronounce his username.
I don't think that is what hardcore has to mean. Take madden for example, that game is sorta hardcore. Anything that is played in Fraternity dorms is hardcore for the sheer Bro'ness of it.
I don't believe in labels though. I find that I enjoy games a lot more if I don't think of them as shooters or RPG's. I think of games as final fantasy or halo.