I originally wrote this blog post for  Comic Vine, but it may be useful to some Giant Bomb wiki editors too.  So, just what is a plot summary? I googled "what is a plot summary" and found some great answers.  According to Answers.com here is what a plot summary is:

A plot summary is a description of the story in a novel, film or other piece of storytelling. It is not a review and should not contain the opinions of the author. It should contain all the necessary information about the main characters and the unfolding drama to give a complete impression of the twists and turns in the plot, but without confusing the reader with unnecessary detail. 

A plot summary is not a recap. It should not cover every scene and every moment of a story.... Not only should a summary avoid a scene by scene recap, there's no reason why a plot summary has to cover the events of the story in the order they appear (though it is often useful). The point of a summary is not to reproduce the experience—it's to explain the story. If the original is non-linear or experimental in its structure, the article should state that fact in prose, not through regurgitation of the plot.  In fact, for a confusing story, we should assume that some of our readers will look the story up because they didn't understand it. Just repeating what they saw isn't going to help them!   

While longer descriptions may appear to provide more data to the reader, a more concise summary may in fact be more informative as it highlights the most important elements. By focusing the reader's attention on the larger structures of a plot, without drowning it in trivial detail, a shorter summary can often help the reader to understand a work much better than an overlong one. Excessively detailed plot summaries may also infringe on copyright and fair-use concerns     

• Plot summaries should be in the present tense.     
• Avoid trivial details.
• Plot summaries should summarize; explaining only the most important elements of the story.
• Read what you write out loud -- read it word-for-word like a robot -- before you save it.  
• Write well.

A miserable little pile of secrets!
 
*reads article* *remembers Samurai Shodown II wiki* Crap.

@ethan: This seems a bit long, could you summarize it for me?

@cinemandrew

@ethan: This seems a bit long, could you summarize it for me?

In the thread "What is a plot summary", Red_Lamp Prov

So to summarise this blog, a successful plot summary would contain only a vague synopsis of events as oppose to a painstaking recount of the entire episode. 
 
Sort of like what I just did there. Do I win?

Writing about a game's plot sort of necessitates a plot summary because you don't want to explain your interaction between the plot points. 
 
Although, I do tend to do scene by scene moments in a movie. That's why I don't label those sections as summaries anymore.

I wish people would just make plot summaries instead of detailing the entire freaking plot. I can usually tell that people do this just because it's an easy way to earn wiki points. (See Deadly Premonition)

This is a great thread. I have seen so many 'plot summaries' that are rubbish.

You guys are funny.  Funny Funny Funny!

Very useful thread. Is this sticky'd? It should be, because everyone should read it before they head into the wiki.

For the Toonstruck wiki I basically wrote a synopsis of the opening, a setup for the over-arching "quest", but not going into any plot twists or the ending. Is that acceptable or should there be more/less?
 
I don't mean to bump an older post, but this has been on my mind since submitting to the wiki. 
 
@benjaebe said:

" Very useful thread. Is this sticky'd? It should be, because everyone should read it before they head into the wiki. "