ill read this later, as its like 3 am, but ive always been interested in developing an actual criteria for whats an rpg and what is not.

daria and i are probably the biggest RPG collectors on this forum, i cannot speak for her collection, but i am sure it is vast, even may be larger than my own (over 300 easy, yet unnacounted).

so id like to say thanks. ill read and see what, if anything, i can add on.


for the record, i consider Zelda an action/adventure rpg... with no specific guidelines as to how i came to that conclusion. it just "feels" like an action adventure game with so many rpg elements that its closer to rpg than pure action/adventure.

castlevania games, to me are side scrollers action/adventure games with some rpg sprinkles...

a huge criteria for what can even be considered an rpg to me, was always the viewpoint. rpg *must* be isometric/bird's eye style... however i do leave room for FPRPGs (first person rpg)... although lately the line has been difficult to see with games like hellgate: london and even oblivion which seem and play more like shooters...
anyway, to me, a side scroller can never be an rpg... it can only have rpg elements.