Modern RPG definition

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I forgot to mention "class-based" as a qualifier for traditional RPGs. Going classless is probably my favorite way of giving control of the character's development over to the player. Fallout was the first game that I experienced that did us all a favor by taking the class out of RPGs.

 

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I agree, only noting that the genre I have in mind here is jRPG as opposed to western RPGs.

 

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It my disgusting cheater days when I was much younger, and after I had installed Brood Wars, I always used an immortal Dark Archon to take over a Terran SCV and a Zerg Drone - allowing me to play all three races at once. There's nothing quite like demolishing an enemy with the combined force of Dark Templars, Ultralisks and Battlecruisers.

 

I agree with Muro. Hard and soft RPG categorisation is the simplest and most effective approach for a brief description.
I think it's a bit of a slider-bar style ratio between:
A- "role playing game, with action themed content", and
B - "action game, with role playing themed content"

That way, you could roughly plot out where a game sits for you on the little scale/bar.
I think that the middle is sometimes, personally for me, the 'best' style of game.
Despite loving RP, I do want a nice amount of action to come into the gameplay, otherwise I may as well read a choose your own adventure book.
But that's just me.

EDIT: (I wouldn't play Arcanum if I didn't get to kill stuff however I wanted, as an example)

 

I thought 'Warlords: Battlecry' was an excellent synthesis of rpg and rts elements.

 

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The Heroes of Might and Magic-series would also fit the definition quite well, especially the later games.