I love sandbox games. It's the ability to make your own story that draws me. The Elder Scrolls, Mount&Blade, Far Cry 2, GTA, all great games.

Now, though, things are getting out of hand. I hear gamers everywhere screaming "non-linear" and "innovation". Sometimes all I want is a good story. I just started playing the original Fallout for the first time. Oddly enough, I'm finding it nearly impossible to go back to Far Cry 2, as fun as I find it. Yeah, I like making my own story, but I like hearing other peoples stories as well. I'm beginning to miss it. Many developers are forgetting how to tell a good story. It feels like spoken dialog and realistic graphics are the new "good stories" and they simply don't hold up. Where are the Planescape Torments, where are the Baldur's Gates, the Freespaces? They still exist, sure, but they are getting more and more rare.


Note:
I'm a PC gamer, so this may not reflect the state of the console industry.