You haven't played Max Payne 1 or 2 or Alan Wake then, as you would understand that for Remedy's games, narrative is as important, if not more so, than gameplay for them.The movie comparison further illustrates that a lot of people place a disproportionate amount of importance on story in video games. The gameplay is so often an afterthought in threads about this series, which is pretty crazy.
Every game is different. I wouldn't ask for story in Splinter Cell, because it's all about mechanics, while I demand it in MGS games because they are narrative games about stealth, with mechanics that support the themes they want to portray.
I don't think MP3 is as bad as Godfather 3. Let's be fair now.
Relative to the quality drop it is, but purely based on their merits, of course not. MP3 is one of the best TPS ever built. I was stunned to play GTAV and feel the steps back they took, how is that possible? The mechanics are great, and really add to the whole package. It's just a bad Max Payne game.