@bdbdbd
Comparing games to books is a rather unfair comparison, especially with respect to the Mario franchise. In that franchise, there's virtually no storytelling whatsoever. Just a setting. The plot hasn't really changed since the NES days; Mario Galaxy is the same as 64 is the same as Mario World is the same as Mario 3. The games are fun and all, but come on. Sooner or later the plumber has to start wondering if she's just getting captured on purpose. I'm not looking for a soap opera plot, but some evidence that there's a continuation of the story or that the previous games even happened at all would be nice. Zelda's a bit better, but it's not like they can't do a little more with things. There's a lot of unexplored potential with some of their franchises.
Yes, bad storytelling can ruin a game from the get-go but good storytelling can make a great game even better. Metal Gear Solid probably wouldn't be remembered so fondly if each and every game was composed of nothing more than find and destroy Metal Gear. Personally, I think that Nintendo holds back on this because their games sell 6 million units pretty much every time and they don't want to risk alienating their existing fan base.
Their games are still really fun and that's what really matters, but there's still room for growth and it's rather disappointing that they're so hesitant to address this fact.
