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[SiegfriedFM]

I'm having some problems defining and contrasting these games, so I would like your opinion on which genres they belong in.

Baldur's Gate (PC)
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Super Metroid
Zelda 2
Zelda 3
Jak & Daxter
Jak 2

My suggestions:
Baldur's Gate - (strategic) RPG
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - action-RPG
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - action-RPG
Super Metroid - action-adventure
Zelda 2 - action-RPG
Zelda 3 - action-adventure
Jak & Daxter - platformer (collectathon style)
Jak 2 - action-adventure

My reasons are simple. An RPG must have levelling, thus SotN is a kind of RPG and Zelda 3 is not. Adventure games must have some kind of persistent items that you collect (not temporary power-ups).

 

[Ranger X]

To me there's 2 main genre here: RPG and Platformers. Now each of those titles (well, almost) have a sub categories. The subs i see here are mainly; Action and Adventure.

My main genre definitions now:
RPG = a game based, revolving AND depending on a story in wich your character is having a major role. The character also need evolution (levelling etc) but it's the story that drives everything and the major changes in the characters.

Platformers = hard to explain lol. It's a game boosted with action but relying on jumping at the basis of it's gamepay instead of killing/guns etc.

Sub genres:
Action: mean the game is mostly fast-paced and using controller moves. The less menus and the less collecting/levelling/storytelling = action type.

Adventure: pretty much the contrary now. Adventure means the exploration, puzzles and evolution of your character through other things than story.

With this extremely small explanation, here's how i would categorize the games you mentionned:


Baldur's Gate (PC) ------------------------ RPG/Action
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance --------------- RPG/Action
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ------ Platformer/Adventure
Super Metroid ------------------------------- Platformer/Adventure
Zelda 2 -------------------------------------- RPG/Adventure
Zelda 3 -------------------------------------- RPG/Adventure
Jak & Daxter -------------------------------- Platformer
Jak 2 ----------------------------------------- Platformer/Adventure


Yet again i could have use other terms to define even more precisely and also, no game is EXACTLY on their genre, there's pretty much always nuances in all that.
And some games (like the Zelda) are so "Adventure" while being an RPG at it's basis that it can also be called and "Adventure game" without mentionning "RPG".

 

[Dragmire]

An RPG must have levelling, thus SotN is a kind of RPG and Zelda 3 is not.

The main point I want to make here that people always overlook is that the Zelda series does have leveling up just like traditional Japanese RPG's. You could easily interchange hearts and HP or the magic meter and MP. And you also mainly aquire them through battling. The real differences are in the action-based gameplay and the focus on controlling a single character. Of course even that changes with Four Swords.

I don't like the term RPG because it has adopted some confusing connotation. I'd prefer terms like action-adventure (or just adventure, as that suggests action) and turn-based adventure (because it's a unique, less action-oriented kind of adventure). The Zelda series has exploration, fighting and puzzles. I think those go hand in hand with 'adventure.' Meanwhile, 'turn-based adventure' suggests multiple characters and the menu-based gameplay that usually comes from that. 'RPG', however, connotates both action games like Baldur's Gate and menu-based games like Final Fantasy, but only if they have number-based statistics. A little silly, IMO.

 

[Xkiko]

This is how I see these two.

Baldur's Gate (PC)--------------------------RPG
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance---------------Action (Hack n Slash)