To role-playing purists, the term "video game RPG" is a bit of a misnomer. The original pencil-and-paper RPGs, like Dungeons and Dragons, encouraged players to build their characters? stats, amass riches and magical weapons, and explore all the possibilities of the open-ended environment they presented. Playing an RPG in video game form still lets you assume the role of a character and build up his or her strengths as a fighter, but in terms of movement and behavior, you?re constrained to the clearly defined path the developer has laid out for you. Completing your next objective and advancing the plot is a matter of going from A to B, and if you talk to anyone along the way, your character will spout out exactly what he or she is scripted to say. Video game RPGs are fun, sure, but their inherent lack of freedom runs contrary to the true spirit of role-playing.

From Gamespot