I don't want to start this argument again, but just quickly...
wot. Did you mean representations of a player? Because, then you're completely wrong. Just because you don't choose the appearance doesn't mean you won't connect with that character. The character represents you within 2D/3D space. If you play games based on character's appearance, it says a lot about the kind of person you really are.
If you enjoy the gameplay, you will suspend your disbelief as the character (and controller by extension) become and extension of your body. The same happens with a car. You of course don't physically believe you are the car, but when you're driving you believe that you're one and the same since you have direct control and the car has become an extension of your body. This is basic game design theory.
Are you so shallow that you won't play a game that doesn't think story is the be-all-and-end-all? Is this what has become of AAA gaming? The main character doesn't need an in-depth story if the player's own story (player experience, the most important thing to a good game) can become more important than that. Story is just icing on the cake.
Because if you seriously go into a game thinking that every character needs to have some huge book-series of tales written for them, you're crazy. Yes, characters, objects and worlds should be placed carefully with at least some idea of why they're there and who/what they are, but at the end of the day the characterisation is less important if the gameplay itself stands up.
IMO, if you can't enjoy a game without the story, that means you don't like the gameplay and should try play something else.
So basically you like to denote the entire storyboarding part of a series?
They're paying people big cash to write up stories for these titles.
In order to connect with a character like you said, they have to not be two-dimensional boring forgets.
You know what adds on to a game even more after good gameplay? A story that wasn't written by a ten year old or an angsty teen.
I also never said I didn't play AAA titles with stuff stories. Nor did I say the story just had to be amazing enough for me to play. You sure do love to jump to conclusions based off of someone giving a slight forget about what he sits down for hours to read/listen to. Story is not an "icing on the cake" it's an integral part of a game and contributes to the enjoyability of it. No, I can't enjoy sitting through 10+ hours of a boring cast of characters and terrible settings and plot direction.
I also love these loving character attacks. "it says a lot about the kind of person you are"
Piss off. All I'm doing is critiquing a part of a video game's enjoyability, which game reviewers always seem to target also.
EDIT: Do you know what a cake without icing tastes like anyways? Bland as stuff.