I absolutely love story in my games, which is usually why I am saddened when a bunch of new games that come out that just don’t hold up storywise. Personally, a *edited* good story can make up for subpar gameplay any day.
But story on a Metal Gear Solid level I only really tolerate in Metal Gear Solid, because I adore it so. I’m not sure how I’d handle it if some other game maker attempted the same thing, and maybe that would just be because they wouldnt have the skill to pull it off.
Also, story can be seamlessly integrated into the game just fine. Bioshock did that handily.
As for the topic, yeah. I imagine the database is probably a real nice way to clear things up. My only issue with it is that I’ve picked the story so far apart on my own already that I know a lot of it! 