"you play as fox mcloud, so it's role"
In MGS, you play as Snake, but that's not a role playing game...
in Soul Reaver you play as Raziel... but it's not a role playing game...
When I think RPG, I think like... Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, etc etc...
When I think of SFA I think of... zelda... which isn't a role playing game...
well, some people consider Zelda an RPG, although I don't see why they do...
I think it's just because N64 had like no RPGs... so Nintendo fans needed something to call an RPG
