Games improve - what hasn't improved in a material way is the writing.
Some of this has gone backwards. To me, gaming is a story-telling medium, and the best stories are those that I've read again and again, like a good book. I'd say the most recent game that falls into the 'classic' bucket is BioShock: Infinite.
Having said that, there's been a few recent masterpieces, like Uncharted 4 which had it all - story, pacing, gameplay.
Then there's other titles that just have the gameplay nailed, and fall slightly flat in other areas, like Cities: Skylines, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, XCOM2, to name a few.
I like story the most, but solid gameplay is also important. A balance of the two is the dream.
A game also needs to have that page turning mechanic that so many books have "just one more chapter".
TLDR: Story, Story, Story.
Well said! The great thing about games is that there can be all types of players. Obviously, for you story is king, but there are others who keep skipping cutscenes and just want the gameplay! As I mentioned, story is something that is timeless, and it's not something that'll get better with new technology. Sure, new tech does allow for more complex forms of storytelling.