Bioware: Old Republic Interview and Final Fantasy XIII not a RPG?

[Scoobes]

Khuutra said:

Scoobes said:

Khuutra said:

ssj12 said:

LoZ is an RPG, so is FF and anything that Bioware makes. COD and GeOW arent. This is because you can customize your characters with different attacks, clothes, weapons, and armor. You really dont have the depth of customization in a shooter that you do in an RPG.

Oh so Halo is an RPG in multiplayer, then

Not entirely, although they borrow heavily from the RPG genre. Although your character is constant (and levels up with perks etc.) there is no real story or adventure other than a set of rules for each scenario/game and the pretence that your on one side and your at war with the other.

My point is to undermine ssj12's entire thesis. Genres in games are mechanical and have nothingn whatsoever to do with narrative. "As long as I take control of the leading character's role or group of characters role in a story I think I can consider it a Role Playing Game." is based on narrative rathr than mechanics, and is invalid as criteria for defining genre in video games.

Well yes, the RPG genre in particular is getting harder to define as so many other genres and games introduce RPG elements to there games. I remember reading a review of GTA: San Andreas and the reviewer raised the question of whether it should be counted as an RPG or not.