Yknow, I'll say that Grand Theft Auto does a fantastic job of storytelling. When you strip the games down from the ridiculousness and the going on constant rampages, they really do have some solid stories to them, especially San Andreas and IV.

I would say that Liberty City is a story in itself, much as any city really tells millions of stories. Yes, that's a cliche, but hear me out. All of the characters you meet have their own motivations, and can get along just as well with or without Niko, yet he can't really do anything without them. But he's an immigrant in search of a certain person, and needs all the help he can get to tracking them down.

The overall story itself is quite an amazing commentary on the American dream, both for how real it can be, as well as how ridiculous it is made out to be. The New York lifestyle is also shown, and how downright insane some of it can be. The scary thing is how well the city is portrayed, both good and bad.

The thing that really sells it for me though is how the story unfolds, and how things don't necessarily work out for you. Your decisions can backfire and when you try to hedge your bets, they can both bite you in the ass big time. It just seems like it's realistic in that sense, and for me, the flow continuity and plausibility of things happening makes a good story. When I say plausibility, I mean in the scope of the story's plot and world, and not something along the lines of "Resident Evil sucks because zombies don't exist"