Genre Blender

A short editorial from PC Gamer US looks at the way genre blending has influenced the various video game genres.
Most RPGs are played from a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective, but I've found that those portraying the action from the first-person perspective have much more exciting combat. Two games that have done this really well are Deus Ex and Mass Effect, both of which demand that you manually aim when firing weapons, so you're not completely dependent upon character statistics when trying to survive a firefight. You're simultaneously juggling RPG character abilities and feats with accurate sharpshooting, and it makes for more engaging combat.

Similarly, BioShock and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are first-person shooters that benefit from RPG elements. Running and gunning gets more interesting when you have to worry about character advancement, weapon customization, and inventory management, too.