I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy a little bit of story from time to time. Some of my favorite games like Ocarina of time, Link to the past, Metroid Prime, Metal Arms Glitch in the system, Resident evil 4&5, and Halo combat evolved had a small amount of story that did not detract from the gameplay. Without knowing the slight backdrop in Halo, the setting, gameplay, and levels would seem dry and not tied together.
HOWEVER for me a key distinction has to be made. If a story exists it must set the stage for the gameplay. Gameplay must not set the stage for the story. It's a fine line, but for me it makes all the difference in the world. If a game commands me to move from point a to point b without enticing, challenging, fun gameplay for the key intent of watching a cutscene...I might aswell read a book or watch a movie. I'll let C.S. Lewis or Bruce Willis tell me the story. Keep the medias seperate.
Perhaps that would place me in the 'games are meant to be played' pool. For me a game in it's entirety must highlight the gameplay. Would I say this is a universal rule for gaming? I'm undecided. Truly this is what gaming should be about, buuuut if someone believes on the contrary...I guess that's cool.
