Ah, that's a good point, and a good way at looking at it. I actually have a friend who tries to define "Action/RPGs" and "Adventure/RPGs" as being two different subgenres, though those two names aren't good descriptions of what he uses to define each subgenre. Zelda isn't any different from most other adventure games, aside from the fact that there is actually a system of increasing your stats, something not many pre-modern adventures games featured.Originally Posted by DJZen
Ocarina of Time has somehow gradually eased it's way into being considered an RPG over time, and I think it has something to do with exploration, which is a major defining point of the RPG genre, and in the way that the world is designed, and how nearly the entirety of it is open for you to investigate from the very beginning. It just feels like an RPG, but that's not a good argument.
And about the command argument. In Ocarina of Time's case, to be subjective, the various items/equipment Link has equipped to the C buttons are representative of menu items. Though they don't appear as your stereotypical option menu like that found in Kingdom Hearts, both serve the same purpose (though, admittedly, the menu system in KH is more in depth, and you won't find me disagreeing with the argument that KH is more fitting of being considered an RPG). Furthermore, the various menu items Link can equip to the C buttons range from bows and boomerangs, which can be a form of special attack, to magic crystals (ie. Naryu's Love, Din's Fire, etc.), which are magic attacks in the truest form, being that they reduce MP (in the form of the magic meter) when cast/used.
I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you either way, just adding to the argument. It's all up to individual interpretation, anyway.
Oh yeah. Zelda II is sort of the black sheep of the series, but I have fond memories of running back and forth in dungeons while my HP was low, and trying to kill enemies without getting hit so I could get a level up. That, and wandering around the world map, waiting for an enemy to drop an experience boost. Fun times.Zelda II had more RPG elements; while in the overworld you would encounter monsters and then enter a "fight", you got experience from fighting that led to level ups which could increase your attributes, and magic was actually used via a menu. However, dungeons were done in the style of a side-scroller, and jumping around and using various moves (upper thrust, downward thrust, etc.) were a big part of winning fights. You really couldn't call it an RPG in the purest sense of the word.
Bah, that argument has been made a million times, and it kind of negates itself, given the loose definition of "role playing" applied to games. The two opposing arguments already made in this thread address this.
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