I know how the Philosophers were formed, and I know that the Patriots stole a bunch of money from the Russians and Chinese… somehow. Now, how we got from that to dead people with presidential names kidnapping Olga (long-russian-name)’s daughter and hiding a big aircraft under an oil rig, I’m not so sure.
Now, I don’t think the games are bad; just terribly overrated. Here’s what I think the series does well: they have an excellent sense of presentation and atmosphere. Even if the story is unforgivably aweful, it is still presented in such a dramatic way that I usually don’t care and enjoy myself. I’m just not a fan of having to work really hard to understand a game’s plot. That’s probably why I’ve never completed a Final Fantasy. Also, I think the stealth is cool, when it works.