User blog comment:Martolives/Losing the Plot/@comment-4237253-20121018033251/@comment-4237253-20121018211805

I think I know what you mean. Games like Grand Theft Auto IV, Just Cause 2, and EVE give us the tools to forge our own adventures; these games may or may not have a well-written narrative, but all the different variables that differ for each player, that is what makes video games so unique in the storytelling medium. These games are great because our imagination does most of the work.

As you said, the Mass Effect trilogy certainly lies on the other end of the spectrum, along with The Walking Dead and Heavy Rain. An end might be defined, but how we get there varies. In a way, we share space with the protagonist. In the first example I gave, The Walking Dead, Lee Everett isn't me, but I project myself onto him, and I often put myself in the different situations of the plot. What makes that game so great is that Lee and I have the same motivation. We want to protect Clementine. He acts in accordance with my goals and feelings, but it was the game itself that made me feel those things. Lee wants to protect Clementine, and so do I; this is because the writer(s) made her endearing enough that the game solicits actual emotional response from me. When the player and character act in unison, you know you have a good character, and by extension, a great story.