Define ARPG

[Luigi Bombolini]

I see many saying ARPG as if it means Diablo Clone.

I'd like to see how everyone else defines ARPG.

For me, it's a real time action based game with RPG elements. Doesn't matter if it's top down or has loot explosions.

[Giblix]

ARPG is an overall name for everything with action and rpg elements. Which is a sub-genre of RPG's.

Diablo like games are called Isometric Hack and Slash RPG's. Which are a sub-genre of ARPG's.

[Mechanical Poetry]

I only started playing action rpgs at the end of the Playstation 2/xbox/gamecube era. My first action rpg game was BALDUR'S GATE: DARK ALLIANCE from Snowblind studios on my Gamecube. They made Champions of Norrath also, which I played for a long time but stopped when I got my Xbox 360. Don't know if my opinion would be even taken seriously.

Got a PC a couple weeks ago to play TES V: Skyrim with mods. Any ideas for a great action rpg on steam, I'm looking but it's really hard to choose I was looking at Grim ??? forgot already. dang.

[Mechanical Poetry]

I'm an idiot. It's at the top! Grim Dawn! Looks really fun to play. New to this early access stuff.

[Fendelphi]

You could call the old "Zelda: A link to the past" for an ARPG, as it involved plenty of RPG and fighting/puzzle solving. But because it didnt have an XP or level system(I dont think that is part of any Zelda game really), many wont consider it a true ARPG.

Anyway, the term "ARPG" has existed long before Diablo-series. Diablo(Blizzard North) was just the first game(in the western market anyway) who found a formular which attracted many mainstream players, not just traditional ARPG and RPG fans.
Because the formular worked so well, many developers used a similar format for their games in the following years(thus being called clones, though many did not have anything other than the Isometric view in common).

So no. GD is not a Diablo clone. Its skill and attribute system is quite different, and the gameplay philosophy is different as well. The creepy atmosphere is similar to diablo 1 or 2 though, which is a good thing.

[Luigi Bombolini]

A good ARPG I'd recommend is Dark Souls on PC, but be wary, it's a pretty bad port, and a controller is highly recommended (use mods to fix both). Path of Exile is good if you're looking for something more like Diablo.

[Giblix]

Originally posted by Fendelphi:

You could call the old "Zelda: A link to the past" for an ARPG, as it involved plenty of RPG and fighting/puzzle solving. But because it didnt have an XP or level system(I dont think that is part of any Zelda game really), many wont consider it a true ARPG.

Anyway, the term "ARPG" has existed long before Diablo-series. Diablo(Blizzard North) was just the first game(in the western market anyway) who found a formular which attracted many mainstream players, not just traditional ARPG and RPG fans.
Because the formular worked so well, many developers used a similar format for their games in the following years(thus being called clones, though many did not have anything other than the Isometric view in common).

So no. GD is not a Diablo clone. Its skill and attribute system is quite different, and the gameplay philosophy is different as well. The creepy atmosphere is similar to diablo 1 or 2 though, which is a good thing.

Actually ARPG is something of the past 3-4 years. Before that you simply had western rpg and JRPG. Squad based RPG and hack and slash RPG. ARPG didn't exist untill fairly recently when games like Darksouls, Kingdoms of Amalur, Mass Effect, Borderlands and such needed a name as well.

[Fendelphi]

Originally posted by Gibly:

Originally posted by Fendelphi:

You could call the old "Zelda: A link to the past" for an ARPG, as it involved plenty of RPG and fighting/puzzle solving. But because it didnt have an XP or level system(I dont think that is part of any Zelda game really), many wont consider it a true ARPG.

Anyway, the term "ARPG" has existed long before Diablo-series. Diablo(Blizzard North) was just the first game(in the western market anyway) who found a formular which attracted many mainstream players, not just traditional ARPG and RPG fans.
Because the formular worked so well, many developers used a similar format for their games in the following years(thus being called clones, though many did not have anything other than the Isometric view in common).

So no. GD is not a Diablo clone. Its skill and attribute system is quite different, and the gameplay philosophy is different as well. The creepy atmosphere is similar to diablo 1 or 2 though, which is a good thing.

Actually ARPG is something of the past 3-4 years. Before that you simply had western rpg and JRPG. Squad based RPG and hack and slash RPG. ARPG didn't exist untill fairly recently when games like Darksouls, Kingdoms of Amalur, Mass Effect, Borderlands and such needed a name as well.

Well I used the term ARPG back in the first Sacred. So it is definately older than 3-4 years.

Also, check out the wiki on ARPG. It is surprisingly well documented about this subject, and I base most of my arguments on the info given there.

It depends on how you look at it. ARPG used to be RPGs with action elements(instead of turn based or pure RPGs). The games you mention is heavier on the Action(main focus) with RPG attached. You can rightly call them ARPGs, but it is weighted differently than the traditional ARPGs gameplay.
Most shooters today have RPG elements implemented(different classes/abilities, xp and level ups, unlocks), but that does not make them ARPGs, does it?

[Hobo Elf]

Originally posted by Gibly:

Originally posted by Fendelphi:

You could call the old "Zelda: A link to the past" for an ARPG, as it involved plenty of RPG and fighting/puzzle solving. But because it didnt have an XP or level system(I dont think that is part of any Zelda game really), many wont consider it a true ARPG.

Anyway, the term "ARPG" has existed long before Diablo-series. Diablo(Blizzard North) was just the first game(in the western market anyway) who found a formular which attracted many mainstream players, not just traditional ARPG and RPG fans.
Because the formular worked so well, many developers used a similar format for their games in the following years(thus being called clones, though many did not have anything other than the Isometric view in common).

So no. GD is not a Diablo clone. Its skill and attribute system is quite different, and the gameplay philosophy is different as well. The creepy atmosphere is similar to diablo 1 or 2 though, which is a good thing.

Actually ARPG is something of the past 3-4 years. Before that you simply had western rpg and JRPG. Squad based RPG and hack and slash RPG. ARPG didn't exist untill fairly recently when games like Darksouls, Kingdoms of Amalur, Mass Effect, Borderlands and such needed a name as well.

Yeah, I'm quite sure the term was used in the 90's already. Games that are action RPGs but not Diablo-clones? The Gothic series comes to mind. So does Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.

[Valmar]

Originally posted by Gibly:

Actually ARPG is something of the past 3-4 years.

LOL

[Meuh]

To me ARPG means action and weapon lottery. I think the lottery is less present in pure RPGs where you're supposed to get things through experience. Diablo clone is too restrictive because everybody thinks top view and click click click while Borderlands 1 & 2 are totally ARPG in my opinion.

[CyberDown]

ARPG is all about slaughtering sceen fulls of monsters to collect their loot. Its an unhly union between action acrade combat type game and loot whoring. RPG side of it comes in with character building/development and usually some light storyline that you need to repeat several times over per character.

Diablo was really the first game to kind of hone in on this loot woring fast paced action type game...and Diablo 2 is kind of the root ARPG where most other games look to as a basis as to what their game should look like. Kind of like WOW and mmorpgs, there were others before it, but it was the most successful and everyone bases their game off of it.

If you like farming (grinding) for loot, dont mind repeating content, and farming for loot...then ARPG will suit you well.

.

[jacobvandy]

Action RPG is any RPG where the combat is directly controlled. I.e. not D&D or MMO style where you target an enemy and queue up skills to auto-hit every few seconds.

Zelda is more adventure than RPG.