Honestly, I have to wonder whenever the gaming press brings up those games as example of storytelling. None of them does that (storytelling) very well. Psychonauts would be a far better example of good storytelling, but that's because Psychonauts understood it was a game far more.

Stupid game plots don't bother me because that's what games are: stupid. And I say this with all the love in my heart for the medium. MGS or DMC isn't more stupid than your average manga or anime, or even your average comic book. And there's the crux of it; games, even the ones you mention, have not typically been smarter than your average comic book. And I'm not talking Watchmen -- we haven't had our Watchmen yet -- I'm talking your average regular-run comic book.

And really, that's part of what's appealing about these games: they're stupid, and they know they're stupid. They embrace it; they don't try to edify, they don't attempt to teach. They know video games are based solely on vicarious fun and wish-fulfillment and run with it.

Of the games you mention, just Call of Duty really fits the bill. CoD4 is stupid; damned stupid. As stupid as a Bruckheimer movie. Which is a good thing, because honestly, that's what it's trying to be. It's no secret that ever since CoD1 Infinity Ward's been cribbing ideas from other media, and they do it really, really well. And that's why it's such a great game. But storytelling isn't where it's strong because there's thankfully very little exposition, very little plot as you go from incredible set-piece to incredible set-piece.

Oblivion, I have no idea what you mean. It's a good game, no doubt, but where is the storytelling, exactly? The plot is your standard fantasy-fare (or, more accurately, your standard JRPG fantasy-fare). The plot, though, is mostly forgettable, and indeed often forgotten, other than when annoying Oblivion gates make your romps through the countryside more troublesome.

Which is why I like those games, MGS or DMC. I believe they know that games are stupid, or maybe it's just a long tradition of having really stupid stuff in mainstream media because they don't seem to take themselves quite so seriously. MGS is trying to give you the Phoenix Saga (or any other overblown comic 'event'), with all the ridiculousness that entails. They're not really trying to teach you about the horrors of the military-industrial complex.

This overanalysis though, is just tiresome; Portal, a funny game, thanks to impressive pedigree, but it's been overanalyzed to death. Did OMM's Erik Wolpaw really intend the game to have layer after layer of subtext? Somehow I doubt it. In all honesty, it seems more likely that the gaming press is desperate to find legitimacy in their medium and so they have to cling to what they have, like they do to Bioshock. Which is also a good game, and a few interesting plot twists, but also never really departs from comic book material. Albeit maybe it's more like an overwrought work from Vertigo than mainstream DC.

Maybe I'm wrong, though: maybe Kojima et al really meant the game to teach people that war is bad, in which case they're really just as silly as everyone else.

The unique parts of the game were the missions and bosses, and they were uniformly awful. The entire reason the game is fondly remembered is swinging around the city doing random missions.

Superhero games are about the powers because that's the primary draw of superheroes. And since the powers are almost always combat-related, the games focus on combat, too. Sure, you could make Preacher: The Game, but I fail to see how it could work outside of a straightforward adventure game (which is, of course, the kiss of death in today's market).

However, there's at least one instance where I share Jaffe's desire for less of an emphasis on combat. I long for a Batman title where detective work comprises at least 50% of the gameplay. Dark Knight + Marvel Ultimate Alliance + Spycraft: The Great Game = teh awesome