FUCK OPEN WORLD NON LINEAR GAMES

I failed to see where in that post  he is saying that Uncharted is not about the gameplay. What I see him saying is that Mario is not about the plot and for that reason it has nothing to do with this topic. 

I know, I wasn't saying no one plays UC for gameplay.

You're right (and he says himself so). Sorry, I got that post wrong.

If it's going to be as terrible as Uncharted, no thanks.

And yes, I've played Uncharted, deal with it.

Finished reading the topic. Came to a few startling conclusions.

1. Some people have severe reading comprehension problems. My assumption is that it's due to a severe lack of reading as a whole, something more than messages on forums. Please start reading more books, it really helps to ameliorate symptoms of the "idiot" variety.

2. The "idiot plot" is something we should give a lot of thought to. Some people advocate for non-linear, open choice games but I disagree on that, and I'll use the Mass Effect series as a reference point. Not the best point of reference, but it'll have to do.
In Mass Effect you have the choice of deciding who Commander Sheppard actually is. And I've talked to a lot of people that have played the game, I know some that are extremely passionate about it and I've also seen some very strange character developments in said game. There are few games this generation that have garnered the amount of attention that Mass Effect has and such a loyal fanbase as there are few games that allow for the level of immersion it allows. But a lot of the problems the games have had stem from the open choices that they allowed players.
Gamers are a weird bunch. We embody characters yet rarely actually connect with them. We make them do things that they usually wouldn't do because at times it looks cool or because we want the perks of some high charisma or what not. That's where the weird things come in. I've seen people play all three games as the highest of saints, yet at the end chose the most demonic of options. From an outside perspective, it doesn't make sense for the character to do the things it's done in the manner it's done them. But the player has open choice and may end the story in whichever way he pleases, but at a disconnect from the core of his/her character. And that, in my opinion, dilutes both character and story, because the variety of player mindsets must be taken into account and it just cannot be fully predicted. I believe there would have been no reasonable way of concluding Mass Effect 3 without someone in the fan base going ape.
In a way, giving the player complete control over your character is, in itself, the way of instituting the "idiot plot" (as I've seen some on you are fast to lash out: no, I am not calling gamers idiots). You cannot account for what every player will decide. Give most players too much freedom and some will find the experience too scattered for them. I've met people that couldn't get into Morrowind because they felt abandoned and without direction on that island, good as the story may have been.

So yes, we should really think about how we are to make a game character that is player driven, engaging, harboring his/her own personality, and yet still offer a degree of freedom to the player that would not contradict the core of the character or the whole story of the game. I think the main character from the Walking Dead games is PERFECT in this regard, same as with the father from Heavy Rain -I'm sorry, I'm really bad with names sometimes-. Both of them are completely player driven, put into extreme situations and, despite any input from the player, nothing they would do would seem to go against their core personality. And that's why we have gotten attached to them and we cared so much for them, because our decisions made them move along their stories and we have shaped them and their relationships with others, without compromising who theyactually, without actually breaking the game's immersion - and please don't bring up the Shaun glitch...it happens, it's humorous, but it's not relevant-.
The crutch is that both games had to sacrifice gameplay to be able to implement such characters.
As a fanbase, we should think about how such characters and such decisions can be translated from that genre of games into a more action oriented one, without seeming as silly as saintly Commander Shepard, diplomat and her of the galaxy, punching a reporter in the face. It's something Naughty Dog seems to have on their minds and we should hope they'll succeed in this.

3. The story of the Uncharted games...
What's there to say. Just found a book in the bookshop completely copying the main outline of Uncharted 3 and the cover was exactly the plane crash scene from the game. So even writers seem to have taken notice. Not that I believe that book would have been worth the money to get it, but I'm just saying.
Also, I've read quite a few books a lot worse than the Uncharted stories, both in terms of pacing, as in characters or plot devices instituted. Need an example? Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller. Read better one. Seen better films. Seen worse films. You can't really say that it's a whole lot worse than some medium or another because honestly all mediums of entertainment are mostly comprised of crap.
Give the story props for what it does and what it wishes to be. It tries at least, which is a bit more than other games do.

I've personally enjoyed the Uncharted games on just about any level. I like the characters and their interactions, I liked the settings, I like the sound work, I like the graphics and the set pieces. Uncharted is what it is and it's one of those cases where it's good as it is.
Let's hope The last of us is another step in another right direction.

I'm still a bit groggy from a bad night's sleep so I hope I've been at least coherent.
Tl;dr: Blah!

Not every game developer can say that and have the games to back it up. ND is just boss, they're always raising the bar for storytelling, and visual effects.

1st: I liked your post very much, but had to cut it down to the parts I like to comment on.

On. #1. LOL, So true.

#2. I saw it the same way, and I must confess that I didn't like Morrowind because it was way too open for me. It felt like I was in an empty MMO devoid of people for the 15 hours I played it. I couldn't find any real connection with any of the NPCs, no real plot that grabbed my attention, so I stopped playing it, and never looked back on that series (neither Oblivion or Skyrim got my attention)

 #3. I've played Uncharted 1 & 2. I own 3, but have little interest to start it. For some reason, I don't find some of the mechanics all that fun. I'm talking about the Jumping from ledge to ledge, its not exciting for me. I do like some of the dialoge, but am not in love with the characters enough. There were some nice parts I rememberd fighting some creatures in this abandoned naval base. That was really interesting, but I still found the story a bit bland. I need to play 3 before I really make my mind up on this series. I just want to say, that I want to like it, but something doesn't really click for me yet, but thats just my opinion & taste, and we each have our own.

To sum it up, I too hope the best for Naughty Dog; I hope they can deliever on their dream & hard work. And it is not because they are a Sony exclusive developer, but  because any company that can pull an oscar worthy story in today's 3d HD video games environment will truely change the way everyone sees video games.

I agree with the last sentence. And you compare Uncharted with bad books - sure, there is bad stuff out there. But Uncharted has one of the best stories in gaming. So you really should compare it to the best books and movies regarding story. Think yourself: you take a video of a playthrough. Not edited, because it is the experience of the story as you will have it while playing. Now showing this video in a cinema and then a showing of say the first Indiana Jones (similar genre, action and so on, so it could be comparable). Would anyone claim the Uncharted-video has a better story? That's what I mean: games - even the best ones in this regard - are far behind movies and even more behind books in terms of the story. And yes, it is a good thing that Naughty Dog tries to become better at that.

Joke right? Theres been dozens of games with excellent writing and storytelling like since early 90s
Pretentious.