Quote Originally Posted by Aussie2B View Post
Pretty much, yes. I've never encountered a game that I couldn't describe more clearly with different terminology. I also don't like "Action RPG" because to me it's an oxymoron. Action games are at one end of the spectrum, while RPGs are at the opposite end. A game can't be both at the same time.
What makes you say that? This doesn't make sense to me. Take any regular RPG, swap out the battle system for real-time action combat, and you have an action-RPG. Nothing else has to change, so there's no spectrum.

A so-called "Action RPG" is neither an action game nor an RPG.
It's both. You have action, and you have role-playing.

If one is aiming to describe a game in the middle of the spectrum, that's what "Adventure" is for. Anyway, I'd have to play those games first to describe them. But I imagine I'd call Ys III a side-scrolling adventure game, just as I would with Zelda II, Faxanadu, Battle of Olympus, etc. etc.
I thought you wanted clear terminology. That's not clear at all. None of those games are adventure games, and it doesn't even make sense that you would call them that.