Play SMT: Lucifer's Call and tell me RPGs are repeditive.

Again, because I can't resist, all games are repetitive, and only personal preference makes you feel otherwise.

Story, good cut scenes, etc. are not gameplay.

Gameplay is the mechanics of the game when you're interacting with it, not when you're watching a cut scene, reading text, absorbing story, etc.

By necessity of design all gameplay mechanics repeat (and a lot) so you can get better at them and the game can increase in difficulty delivering a sense of challenge and reward.

This could be in a shooter where levels/foes become more challenging as you learn the particularly 'tweaks' of the title, be it cover, run and gun, how best to use different weapons, etc.

It could be an RPG where you learn how to use attacks/skills the best, how to combat certain foes the best, etc.

It could be RTS where you learn how to handle units, which work best when, etc.

When a game doesn't feel repetitive it's because its approach appeals to you and it has been well designed such that the learning process that goes with the repetition feels rewarding and you want to keep playing. Many times the developers will have varied the core mechanics in their application to give you 'breaks' from certain elements of the gameplay - mixing up mission types and challenges a little.

When a game does feel repetitive its because the design and approach haven't worked for you, and you're feeling the raw gameplay in a more exposed manner, seeing it for the repetitive task it actually is.

So if you find the realtime speed and combat challenge of FPS rewarding you'll feel reward vs irritation that in fact, despite some changing textures, character models, etc. you're essentially doing the same thing again and again. I remember a Bungie developer stating one time that Halo was about having the same 30 seconds of fun over and over again. I'd say he was spot on and that level of understanding of the mechanic goes a long way to explaining why Bungie are so good at what they do.

On the other hand if you really like how FPS works and are rewarded by using reflexes, rapid reaction and the immediate reward of victory over the foe or foes in combat, you might find the gameplay mechanics of a RPG a turn off. How you achieve success in the game is quite different, it's not appealling to you - so all you see is the repetition of the gameplay elements.

Of course this reverses if you like RGP and not FPS.

Personally, I enjoy most game genres, but I'm very aware that whether driving around looking for another big jump in Burnout, trying to learn the line perfectly in GT5:P, getting into the best position for the next battle in Killzone, carefully considering my unit deployment in Valkyeria Chronicles, or trying to decide which way an online oponent is going to weave in CoD4, I'm essentially doing the same thing over and over again.

If its fun and well designed I'm hardly aware of it, having a good time and I call the game well made. I might even fondly remember that Bungie developer and his 30 seconds of fun quote.

If its not fun and I'm very aware of the 'bones' of the gameplay poking through the 'skin' of its presentation, then I ponder that either this particular title just isn't for me, or it may not have been well made.

For RTS I felt like Medieval: Total War was less repetitive than Rome: Total War. The main reason being was that in Rome: Total War, you only had 2 potential Super Powers, the Egyptians, and then the Romans, while all the other factions predictably get swallowed by the two.

Whereas in Medieval: Total War, everytime I start a new game, any country could become the dominant Super Power, and each experience is unique and unpredictable.

So in short, I think a game is less repetitive if it's unpredictable. If Splinter Cell changed the patrol patterns and locations of its guards each time you replay a level for example, then the game becomes less repetitive (you rely less on just brute memorization, but on pure skill, which I think is the ultimate test of stealth).

Do I like random level generators? No. But they do spice up your replay.

aren't all games repetitive? Look at fighters- nothing but fighting and using the same combos. sports games- same plays. Shooters- you shoot. RPG- you grind.

In the end, it depends on what the person likes to spend the most time on :p

I don't think we should look at the base action only. That's almost like saying Mirror's Edge, or real life free running, is just running. The main gameplay isn't running, but WHERE you run.

Bad repetitive games are games where you do the base action, in the same way possible. You face the same enemies, in the same fashion, mindlesssly shooting.

Whereas in a better game like Killzone 2 (although it gets repetitive in replays), you deal with enemies that dynamicly take cover, try to flank you, etc.

Baisicly it's all about non-predictability.

People say both shooters and RPGs are repetative all the time.  It just depends on who you are talking to and what they're trying to argue for/against.

Any genre or game can be 'repetative' if you try to just break it down to its basic components down.  Final Fantasy is just dialogue, random battles, boss fight, repeat.  Halo are just shooting a gun with a scripted cutscene breaking up the action.  Tetris is just blocks falling from the celing until you mess up.

But we all know this isn't really how the games are.

RPG has better story

FPS has better gameplay

nuff said