What is the purpose of a game? What is the job it is made to fulfill? On the most basic level, the job of a game is to provide entertainment in an interactive format. Story is a non-element of this, a side benefit if you will. If a game is not fun to play, then it doesn't matter how good its story is (or its graphics, or its music, or any other feature). A game that is not fun has failed at the job it is meant to do by definition of being a game.
Nintendo games tend to have excellent gameplay, and that "forgives" a lot of their perceived "shortcomings". The situation in reality, however, is that many games are forgiven for having poor gameplay because they have ancillary features like good graphics, excellent audio, and compelling stories to "make up" for their lack of fun. I believe that no game should be forgiven for poor gameplay, however; a game with poor gameplay has failed, and no matter how much you hide this with eye, ear, and mind candy, a game with poor gameplay is still a failure.
Sky Render - Sanity is for the weak.
