Games don't need stories.

[richardhutnik]

Pyro as Bill said:
The humour in Portal definitely added to the game. GLADOS was hilarious as is every character in Team Fortress 2. Still doesn't need a story though.

I've only played a couple of hours of Braid but I can't say I've even noticed a story, just some dinosaur who tells me the princess is in another castle. Awesome music though, nice artstyle too.

Story might make a good game great but I've yet to see it happen. I see cutscenes and dialogue hurt games more often than help them.

What kind of story does Portal have?  I see a series of puzzles, and GLADOS taunting you in very humorous ways.  The game has a goal of completing multiple puzzles.  I don't see a story.  I do see how the game could be used to generate a story, but the game itself doesn't really have a plot.  It does have some interesting stuff regarding the background though.