I think that the element of story these days are dwindling. Now before you label me a heretic, story hasn't been wiped out completely. I think in today's gaming atmosphere that there are plenty of good stories out there. For example, Bio shock Infinite in my opinion was a strong and polarizing story, as was Mass Effect. To the crux of the matter story has been around in games since we were kids. I remember traveling with Mario for the first time and being annoyed that Bowser would pull the same trick on me in different levels. I mean really kidnapping toad after all his nefarious traps. How about playing Final Fantasy III/6 for the first time and trying to learn more about Shadow, or the death of Cyan's family. Those are moments that will be forever placed into my mind. Back then graphics weren't the selling point it was story, specifically for the role playing genre. Sequels can provide their own story as well. For instance let's take the beloved mascot of Nintendo. Mario has been saving the Princess for decades. How is this story original? It's not, and I'll grant you that. However for me personally after the first game it wasn't this part of the story that intrigued me, it was what wacky plan is Bowser going to try next. Skipping past two for pretty obvious reasons, let's go to part three. Bowser decides that he's going to start sending his children after you and get this ridiculous battle vehicles. Really Bowser? A flying airship to take out on portly italian man? So that fails and you go off to the age of dinosaurs, which should give him the advantage, he's clearly some prehistoric lizard monster man. Wrong it doesn't but he has his nifty castles and his cloud machine of doom. Then we get into the 3d age and bowser decides to lock out out while he does whatever the heck he does with the princess. Perhaps they put on pretty dresses? In any event he places stars in pictures and you go into those pictures and fight for stars so that you can face him. Now is this a perfect formula for story? No it's not but for mario games, it works fine. Sequels can be more of how you get to that final showdown, rather than the save a princess deal. Same goes for the Legend of Zelda, really its about the world you live in and what zany monsters you're fighting. What has Ganon done this time, well he's taken the triforce and made a light world and dark world. Shooters have stories as well. While they tend to be centered on the multiplayer aspect, they too can have stories. Call of duty for me was one and two. As I played these games on PC the single player mode was fun and it had one of the most revisited stories that as gamers we've seen. WWII, as a concept has at this day and age been done to death. However those two games and their single player modes got me to love those games, which lead to the multiplayer modes. First person shooters have had stories, look at Halo or Goldeneye. These are games that have wonderful stories, and it leads you wanting to play more. Now to the actual complaint that I have. In the push of what technology can do, I believe that in some semblance the story is lost. Sometimes a story goes on to long with no real antagonist. Sometimes a story has just reached an ending with no need to revisit it. Resident Evil is a pretty great franchise I think most fans would agree, however the story evolved. The outbreak was finite and small just one house really. It grew from a house to the actual city, now thats not big enough. Let's see what happens to this south american country. Not big enough, lets go to africa to spread the disease...Not big enough now its all over the world. When you are telling a story that is supposed to be about horror, when the area becomes too large you lose the horror. Now that isn't always true you could point out left for dead, but honestly their are safe zones and you're rushing to the safe zone for that sense of well for lack of a better word, safety. Resident Evil was about mystery and surviving, like what happened to that poor mutated girl in the first game, or running for your life from Nemisis in the third game. However resident Evil set the tone that all of this is connected and thus with every game it has to be slightly different and ever expanding. So why is this trend appearing? Several reasons, one being the online factor. The push for every game wanting online capabilities or multiplayer of some sort tends to take time away from the story. Staying with a success is another reason, its expensive to make a game more so than in the past. So when Dead space was a winner you ring out all the juice its got, and when you think there is no juice to be had you change it up a bit. Graphics, in this day and age this is a big part of gaming. So for instance, we all know Square Enix can and has made some beautiful looking graphics, but how much is needed? Really think about your last Final Fantasy, how much cutscene was in before you actually started playing...Ok you got to play a little for what three minutes and then another cutscene right? These are just some random musing and a collection of my thoughts. I apologize to anyone that read it. I shall have a more coherent thought process in my next entry.