Compare this to the tidal wave of games about a funny-haired kid with a sword most bodybuilders couldn't use, beating up giant robots. So many RPGs flop because there's just no personality, no attachment to your character, your role.

Interestingly enough, I was very much attached to Chrono in Chrono Trigger, despite the fact this is the exact depiction you could make of that game. Chrono is awesome because he has, yes, only a single line of text in the entire game. He's meant to be a reflexion of your inner self onto the game and to some degree it helps. Rather than break the fourth wall, characters speak to someone that is there, an extent of who you are. He is not a conventional character by any stretch, but his hair style can be forgiven by his awesomeness to kill alien super-baddies with LIGHT alone...

Generally, there are two types of RPGs. There's the JRPG and the Western RPG. JRPGs are (traditionally) defined with a good narrative, and Western RPGs are known for expressionism. However, what they share in common is abnegation, which essentially means that you can play it to progress when you aren't feeling like doing something that takes adrenaline or difficult tactics, even if you're encouraged to do so. You can always just go grind on something, which is unique as most games don't reward you for doing the same thing over and over again. As such, an RPG should give the player the option to strongly express who they want to be, give an interesting narrative with interesting characters, and let the player make improvements by doing relatively simple tasks.

Hey, I've read that exact post somewhere else...
Was it wikipedia or some other article? It was a nice read, but you should say its a quote out of professionnal humility...

[quote name='Densoro' timestamp='1345249396' post='4970709']
Compare this to the tidal wave of games about a funny-haired kid with a sword most bodybuilders couldn't use, beating up giant robots. So many RPGs flop because there's just no personality, no attachment to your character, your role.

Interestingly enough, I was very much attached to Chrono in Chrono Trigger, despite the fact this is the exact depiction you could make of that game. Chrono is awesome because he has, yes, only a single line of text in the entire game. He's meant to be a reflexion of your inner self onto the game and to some degree it helps. Rather than break the fourth wall, characters speak to someone that is there, an extent of who you are. He is not a conventional character by any stretch, but his hair style can be forgiven by his awesomeness to kill alien super-baddies with LIGHT alone...

Generally, there are two types of RPGs. There's the JRPG and the Western RPG. JRPGs are (traditionally) defined with a good narrative, and Western RPGs are known for expressionism. However, what they share in common is abnegation, which essentially means that you can play it to progress when you aren't feeling like doing something that takes adrenaline or difficult tactics, even if you're encouraged to do so. You can always just go grind on something, which is unique as most games don't reward you for doing the same thing over and over again. As such, an RPG should give the player the option to strongly express who they want to be, give an interesting narrative with interesting characters, and let the player make improvements by doing relatively simple tasks.

Hey, I've read that exact post somewhere else...
Was it wikipedia or some other article? It was a nice read, but you should say its a quote out of professionnal humility...
[/quote]

It isn't an actual quote, although I can give some credit to http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/western-japanese-rpgs-part-1.

What I think makes an RPG good is when it provides meaningful choices. Although this can be argued for all types of games.

I get bored very quickly once I realize that the characters are leveling up in a fashion I have little control over, its just one long script where I just progress from one point to the next with lots of grinding in between. I usually don't care much for the Final Fantasy games for this reason, however I did take an interest to FF5 for it's job system.

The ability to make your own choices in character progression and exploration are key to me. If there is no room for experimentation I don't see much of a point.

There is an interesting exception though, sometimes I am playing a game that has a storyline so gripping I must continue playing just to see what comes next. However at that point it is no longer primarily a game then a book.

Taking a look at my Good Old Games Account I have all of the Ultima Games from 1 to 8, including Underworld 1 and 2, The Black Isle RPGs (Baldur's Gate, Planescape torment, etc) and Fallout 1, 2. So I suppose this is what I consider good RPGs.