This week, we’re diving headfirst into one of gaming’s broadest — and most confusing — genres. We break down the difference between Action, Action-Adventure, Action RPGs, and RPGs with action elements, and ask the simplest question we can: Does what YOU do matter more, or does what YOUR CHARACTER can do matter more? From Mortal Kombat, Doom, Sonic, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, GoldenEye, Metal Gear Solid, and Ocarina of Time in the '90s to GTA III, Halo, Devil May Cry, God of War, Resident Evil 4, Gears of War, and Batman: Arkham Asylum in the 2000s, we trace how the action genre evolved. Then things get REALLY blurry. Dark Souls, The Last of Us, GTA V, Doom, God of War, Sekiro, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, Elden Ring, Sifu, Stellar Blade, Astro Bot, Ghost of Yotei, and Crimson Desert all fit somewhere under the enormous “action” umbrella — but how much do they actually have in common? Plus, we break down where games like Elden Ring, Kingdom Hearts, Diablo, The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Mass Effect, Fallout, Starfield, and Dragon Age fit on the spectrum. And, of course, we're bringing back the usual side quests: 🎮 Loadout: Build your ultimate action hero with a melee weapon, ranged weapon, special ability, vehicle, and action-game ally. 🕹️ Split Screen: Then vs. now — comparing action games of the '90s to the games we play today. So grab your controller, sharpen your reflexes, and prepare for a genre classification crisis. Because some memories are worth lining up for.
