Bad games are redeemed by good stories all the time though. Look at something like FF6 and tell me it has objectively good gameplay. You can't. At it's core it's just "press x every few seconds to continue the grind". It's carried by engaging characters and plot.
Obviously there's a spectrum here. If your game's mechanic is good enough, you don't need a story to support it. Just like a good enough story can make players push through bad gameplay.