I disagree. I believe, and indeed know, that video games are a fascinating story telling medium. And I think it's critically important that the writing in games continue to improve. And I think it generally is, but it is still a growing area. In the industry itself, we are just starting to see dedicating writing teams that simply work on the story only, as opposed to earlier days when a story was simply "tacked on."
Gears of War's dialogue was silly. That doesn't mean it isn't a great game, because it is. But the dialogue was almost leetspeak, and it seemed absurd that characters like that would talk in that way. And no, I'm not talking about swearing. It's fine for characters to swear in a mature game. It was the type of swearing; it make me feel like I was in a college dormitory. These guys all looked pretty battle hardened. They didn't look like raw recruits.
It is perfectly OK that some people don't care about this, or disagree, but the dialogue hurt my sense of immersion in the game.
I should also point out that there has been a tradition (as I'm sure most of you know) of story based gaming since text adventures in the early 80's (and earlier!). BioWare has completely built themselves upon fantastic story based gaming, with complex dialogue trees and interesting moral choices.
However, I will also argue that an interesting story can't fix a broken game, and a game with awesome gameplay and a mediocre story is probably still quite fun. I would also argue that a story needn't be weird to be a good and interesting addition to a game. Twilight Princess' story is better than Contact's "weird, subversive" story, even though TP has a pretty standard "save the world" plot. I like saving the world. I have *no* problem with that.
I like to read novels, but I think games can tell a story in a different and fascinating way. The interaction with the tale itself, plus the often fascinating art direction influence the experience in a new, different manner than the novel could.
Happily, we are seeing the resurgence of the story based game right now on the DS, with Phoenix Wright's success as well as Hotel Dusk. Hotel Dusk, by the way, is a suberb example of what a "game" can do with great writing. The dialogue is incredible, and the art direction is fantastic. Everything comes together to create a new level of immersion. I think m0zart called it a great point and click adventure experience. I would agree 100%.
To sum things up (the bored among us can just skip to this part, just like hitting the A button during a boring cutscene): I feel that great narrative in games can enhance a game, sometimes tremendously. And I also appreciate games where story is the primary element (adventure games, certain RPG styles, etc.). But there is room for the marketplace for a simple shooter like Gears of War. Gears and Hotel Dusk were both excellent recent purchases.
Just my take, anyhow. This is one of my favorite subjects in the gaming industry.
-Rob
www.rumblepak.net