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.

Does anyone else find it hilariously ironic that this is being said after the release of Mass Effect 2, which hugely downplayed or removed a lot of the RPG elements from the first game?

Mass Effect 2 was barely an RPG. It was an amazing game, no doubt, but barely an RPG.

So I guess inFamous is an RPG then, right?

I think he's just upset FFXIII beat ME2 in sales.

i completely disagree with his statement, bioware's games are good and all. but they arent true rpg's for me, more towards the action side of games then a pure rpg game. and ff13 is more rpg than their games, at least too me.

Some of my favorite memories playing video games has been the amazing cut scenes from final fantasy games.  They can do these cut scenes because there telling a story. Which i'm not sure why thats considered bad. Having choices in the game is nice but not necessary. I don't think i would take any moment playing a bioware game to some moments in final fantasy 7 and final fantasy 10. Those games had some really cool and epic scenes. Would Sepiroth or Sin be as interesting if you never saw some of those cut scenes. Thats what drove the game.  

Final Fantasy 13's genre was listed action rpg. Which i find suiting.  Bioware is just jealous,  Trying to find flaws. They don't like being second. Too bad they couldn't design half the stuff Square enix does.

Seriously guys, some of you are taking this way too far.

This is one guy giving his opinion based on his own definition of what constitutes an RPG. In some ways what he said was actually somewhat true as WRPGs are probably closer to old school Pen and Paper RPGs than JRPGs. However, the RPG genre on video games diverged into different sub-genres. JRPGs concentrate on telling you a story and you get to fiddle with stats and development of your character in the battle system. WRPGs are more like old school RPGs in that you can control some quest and plot development and you decide what happens with your character.

Do I agree with him? No
Did he say FFXIII was a bad game? No
If FFXIII was clasified as an adventure game, would it make it any less fun? No

Halo is no longer a FPS! It is officially an RPG! And so is Street Fighter!!  OMG!

I was JUST going to say this.

Good point.