Question of the Day, Feb. 21, 2010

[Susan Arendt]

Question of the Day, Feb. 21, 2010



We can probably all agree that various entries in the Zelda series are timeless classics, but are they really RPGs?

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[Hiphophippo]

First vote, how special. To note, I believe they're adventure games myself. In my head it cannot be an rpg without some small measure of stat crunching.

But this is perhaps the DnD nerd in me speaking.

 

[oppp7]

RPGs are more of character creators and stats, not playing a premade character.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

No stats or leveling for the one RPG definition.

No choices and "role playing" for the other RPG definition.

Zelda = Not an RPG

 

[Nazrel]

It's an action RPG.

 

[Rararaz]

I would say that they are adventure games personally.

Maybe console gamers catagory parameters have changed over the years?

 

[TheNamlessGuy]

DELETED

 

[Eruanno]

Seeing as you don't get to decide annything for yourself in the Zelda games, they are NOT RPGs by any means.

 

[sramota]

"The variety of role playing games makes it inherently challenging to provide a common definition. However, all forms of role playing games ? be they PnP RPGs, CRPGs, MMORPGs or LARPS - share a group of characteristics, which makes them identifiable from other types of games: storytelling with rules, control of fictional characters, a fictitious reality, usually the presence of a game master (or game engine), and at least one player." - Tychsen

 

[JEBWrench]

Wait, who said they were RPGs in the first place?

 

[Buffoon]

Role-playing game is such an open concept that it could literally apply to any game, or to very, very few. In my system of semantics (which in a case like this is what I understand to be the most commonly shared definition), no, Zelda games are not RPGs.

 

[MrPop]

I've never heard anyone ever call Zelda an RPG. It's most definately an action/adventure game.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Depends on how you define RPG.
If you were to say: an RPG is a game in which you play the role of a character, then it woud e an RPG
because you play the role of Link.
But by that definition you could call Call of Duty an RPG as well,
because you play the role of a soldier.

 

[WrongSprite]

It lacks stats and choices, therefore no.

 

[10BIT]

Zelda is definitely an action/adventure [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action-adventure_game] game series (except Adventure of Link which is an action RPG due to experience points and the ability to decide which stats to upgrade).

No moral choices and branching conversations for the other RPG definition.

I've never heard either Fahrenheit or Heavy Rain being referred to as an RPG.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

No moral choices and branching conversations for the other RPG definition.

I've never heard either Fahrenheit or Heavy Rain being referred to as an RPG.

I was talking about the new "Bioware" RPG definition that so popular these days.

 

[ravensshade]

zelda is an action adventure

 

[Kajt]

No, it's not what we gamers call an RPG. It lacks stats, choices, character creation and so on. I'd say it's more of an action/adventure game.