I've been thinking about this a lot lately: How much does the TALE behind the action serve to make a game considered "award winning" or "high sales worthy?"

What brought this up was the fact that I finally got a hold of the game Life is Strange. And after the first episode, I was feeling a touch of sadness, mixed with intrigue. I was blown away with how the characters were thinking, what they were going through - and it made me realize, it was the story line and the way it's portrayed that make me feel this way. Another prime example of this was Heavy Rain. It might've been filled with quick-time events, but the story telling was so well written that it engaged me - brought me deep into what was going on.

Now, I hear some people say, "So what? Call of Duty has a story. Halo has a story. Even your favorite game, Mass Effect - that has a character driven story!". This is all true, but I think it's the mechanics build almost STRICTLY on a story that gets me. In most games, the story is there to guide the player through the main game mechanics. Call of Duty's stories just guide you as you play your typical FPS. Halo has gorgeous cut-scenes, but they are there to sit and watch so you know what your next objective is. Even Mass Effect, which brilliantly integrates your characters choices in speech - still takes a back seat when your next huge battle unfolds.

Although, with titles like Life is Strange, Heavy Rain - and even awesome indie titles such as Always Sometimes Monsters - there almost is no mechanic BUT to tell their story. The game only progresses when YOU make choices, which determine the outcome of the story - like those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books from awhile ago.

So the question I pose today is - why are these games so far and in-between, and why do only smaller companies seem to want to do them? Life is Strangle, Always Sometimes Monsters and Heavy Rain are all amazing looking games with the story setup. However, those are all the titles I can think of. Meanwhile, I could list hundreds of other games that I love because they are racing games, or action titles and platformers. These are all produced by big name developers who have been doing this for years. I don't think I've ever heard of a major developer devote time and money into producing a strictly story-based title.

As gamers, do we WANT a lot more than just a story? Do we need/want more to do than just make choices? Even if that story shows the creativity of that development company?

I want to know your thoughts! Let me know! :)