All I can say is, you need to play more RPGs.

Perhaps the best games of both genres are ones that lack repetition, and that it's equally possible for an FPS and RPG to be repetitive, or unique and dynamic throughout the entire game?

I like a good shooter AND a good RPG, and they are both repetitive to some extent. Shooters are usually just run, shoot, run, shoot, cover, shoot, run, open door, cover, shoot. But you can shoot different people in different places at different times, you need to aim, to time your shot correctly, to choose your weapon, to know whether to use cover, to move, and FINALLY to shoot. You shoot different numbers of different enemies in different environments.

At least, that's what you do in a good shooter.

You usually go quite a while without seeing any enemies in an RPG. When you do see the enemy, however, you definitely have more options. Looking at Oblivion, you can use a dagger, sword (one or two handed), hammer (one or two handed), axe or bow, any of which can be enchanted with anything. You can also use staves with different powers, and different magic attacks, both preset and custom. You can use health potions, mana potions, fatigue potions, intelligence potions, strength potions, and many other kinds, paralysis poisons, health poisons, speed poisons...you get the idea. You ALSO have to decide which enemy to attack and how to move, as well as what armour you are wearing, and what accessories.

So overall, I would say shooters are "more repetitive", but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Shooters are stuck in a rut. JRPGs are stuck in a rut. Non-BioWare WRPGs usually fail at the thing I play rpgs for: story and characters.

Both of them could easily get out. Someone could try to tell a decent story in a shooter, but the best we can get is Sci-Fi Channel Original. Once every blue moon you get a Deus Ex but I don't understand why it's so hard for these guys to tell a good story in a game. Golden Eye pulled it off and it's like we've only gotten worse since then.

Turn based JRPGs are like romantic comedies, there are conventions that will always be there. I don't think that will change. You either like them or you don't. I enjoy them because they usually have a good story. Every other genre usually considers story a worthless part of a game and they treat it as such.

Realtime JRPGs shouldn't have crap combat. The goal should be an action game that involves more strategy. Realtime in a JRPG usually just means button mashing, which is horrible. You pop in an old game like Phantom Dust and you see how they could make the combat MORE strategic but it plays as good as an action game. They should just blatantly copy that and throw in a cover system. You can still do all of your crazy over the top meteor launching spells, there are destructible enviroments and you totally control everything (movement, spells, blocking). That like the only game where you can do something like... Jump off of a highway overpass, shoot 3 fireballs as you're falling, land and send tree roots through the ground to attack your opponent... all in real time. Meanwhile, you're opponent dodges the first two fireballs, does a spell to cancel out the last one, then does a reversal spell on your tree root to send it crawling back at you . You dodge that by jumping 50 ft in the air and launching out 8 lasers from your body and at the same time your opponent cast a spell where it rains fire on you and you fall to the ground.

I have no clue why people choose brainless button mashing over something like that.

Whoa! down boy! See, I am making this comparison because  Iam sick of people saying that FPS are more repatitive than RPGs.  Icontend they are both just as "repatitive" and use a different set of skills. I was not criticizing RPGs, just asking how people can say that they are not as repetitive as FPS. I know this will shock you, but people do play FPS for the story line as well as the shooting. Bottom line is, if it so so unfair to compair the two, why are people always doing it?

If the story isn't deep and meaningful in the game you can't count it as a plus for the game.  That's like saying the story for Dante's Inferno will be deep and meaninful because there's a book on that.

Honestly, how many RPGs from this generation have there been with the same combat system? There haven't been enough traditional RPGs (for consoles) this generation, let alone too many. FPS games, on the other hand, constantly get complaints about being just more of the same.

Oh wait, if you're talking about repetetive within the game itself - as in, the gameplay tends to get old for one game while you're playing it, I agree, RPGs are more in danger of this than shooters, unless they pull off a very well-designed combat system with balanced challenges.

Yeah thats because there are a larger number of RPG fans on this site than FPS fans. I contend that FPS games are not "more of the same" any more than RPGs are.

WRPG's are more non linear therefore they are less repetitive, you have impact on the world and characters around you and your choices make a difference , plus the characters are shaped by you therefore it is a truly role playing experience.

JRPG's do follow many schemes, but what i enjoy in them is characters and storytelling they just have so much charm about them, i do hate grinding for me necessity of it in some games just kills the atmosphere.

For me most of FPS's are too heavily multiplayer oriented (i dont play online) which makes single player crappy, also stories tend to be average at best. The shooters that are enjoyed are games like Operation Flashpoint or Ghost Recon, i like tactical games , not mindless shooting like CoD (i know its not mindless but i kinda see it this way)

My biggest grudge with excellent RPG games like Fallout 3 or Mass Effect (which i completed today!) is that they turned fighting into shooters. RPG's are my favourite genre, while shooters are kinda games that i only play once in a long while

Depends on the RPG. Most JRPGs are for people who can stand repetitive gameplay for a good story and presentation.

So I'll go with FPS games. Anyone who still thinks they are repetitive needs to actually play one. Still, personal preference of the games matches Half-Life with Tales of Vesperia for me. Though comparatively speaking, like most JRPGs Tales is far, far more repetitive. Personally I wouldn't have it any other way.