Is ME-A a RPG or action/shooter?

Well, I mean, if we're honest here, haven't we been asking this about every game since the original? I remember when I bought Mass Effect 2 in particular, no one seemed to agree if it was a shooter or an RPG. I mean, I guess I figured you could have an action/shooter RPG. Both of them together.

Not to troll, but why is it so weird to say a shooter can be an RPG? Is it because we just assume it's not an RPG without someone shooting fireballs? Because... incinerate...

Having participated in many old "Just what IS a RPG?" threads, there is a group of people who believe RPGs are required to have the dice rolling mechanics of D&D that ties everything to character stats even if it's behind the scenes. Since Mass Effect 2 didn't do that, those people don't consider it a RPG.

The term RPG is just one of those terms that any of us could probably look at a game and go "Yep, that's a RPG", but we'd be hard pressed to write an actual definition that fit everything we called a RPG without including the things we said weren't a RPG.

As a result, it's not a terribly useful label in most situations.

I didn't say they couldn't make a shooter either. I said that they were very poor at designing one, and as a result, people do not consider ME1 one. People use labels for three games that apply to the same category differently because one game does something worse than the other two.

I'm literally agreeing with you, and you keep trying to argue. What?

Like many have said, it is both. Wiki's definition, which I think is apt: Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. Strictly speaking, you don't even need to have a CC, dialogue options, or choices in a game to fulfill this definition. Those things just make it a more personalized experience and provide more agency. With all said, I think the ultimate definition is up to the individual player. MEA is an action RPG imo.

Yes, I'm agreeing with you, too.  Just pointing out how the attempts at labeling trip up the sort of language we all use to try to describe it.  The disk jacket I have for the original ME1 actually doesn't mention any of the terms like "RPG, " "ARPG," "action-shooter"; or even "third-person shooter"  It describes itself as "an epic adventure in an immersive open-ended story line."  It also mentions having "interplanetary exploration," "real-time character interaction," and "thrilling tactical combat." - and, for the era in which is was made, I think it very much delivered on all those statements.

Fast forward to now... where this whole thread is about worrying over what labels Bioware still isn't using to describe ME:A.

That is a fact.  I don't have many criticisms of the game but the dialogue options were generally lacking.

This