Story is automatically a good thing?

[Bodhesatva]

Okay, glad to see that some people agree with me (And that others do disagree, as well).

The point I'm trying to make here is rather simple: not having a story isn't a bad thing if it's intentional. Many people do not story driven, cinematic experiences in their games. Criticizing a game for choosing not to be cinematic in style is very much like criticizing a RTS for being too fast paced or a turn based strategy game for being too slow, or criticizing a cupcake for being smaller than a cake and having sprinkles on top. These aren't faults so much as deliberate design choices that some people prefer. Here, in a nutshell, is what I'm talking about:

 

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/09/05