Quote Originally Posted by Aylis View Post
Who says it can't be both? RPG just means Role Playing Game. Basically a persona living in an imaginary world starting out as whatever, and facing all sorts of trials and tribulations. Peaks of high moments, peaks of low moments. Friends and enemies you make along your way. All leading up to an end goal in the games world. There's no written rule that says RPG must mean poking bad things with a stick once every couple minutes and going to make a snack while waiting for your next stick poking turn is the right way to RPG vs a world where that same character can move as greased lightning. The world, the setup, the story, the situations are what make an RPG an RPG, not the combat. Hence the genre "Action RPG" was born.
Just to play devil's advocate though, I'd also point out that FFXIV can barely be called an RPG (most FF games are what I'd term 'adventure games' rather than 'role-playing games'). There's no meaningful dialogue options; no meaningful character growth choice; no skill trees or specialties.

That's not to say that the games aren't fun - they are - but it's a far cry from the role-playing options available in true RPGs like Divinity, Deus Ex, or going back further, titles like Baldur's Gate.