They're great "moments" - but "story" is too strong a word. They don't impact on the plot in any way. It'd be nice to see a game that does that - but I'd imagine freeform plots are a nightmare to even start addressing! In a sense, something like The Last Express does it, but they're specifically written moments that play to entertain or stress the emotions. It's not quite the same thing.
"Emergent storytelling" sounds to me more like a buzzword to describe non-scripted events. They play well, they can be repeated to someone as a very basic story, but they don't contain any true semblance of plot. Emotion is a very specific thing to deal with.
In Planetside one of my best memories was staging a tower defensive, being swooped by various flying craft - "Reavers" - and taking them out one by one with my squad, pushing them back towards their base. I leapt out of the building, went down into a ridge and nearly had my head knocked off by an enemy tank which flew over my head at speed. A fantastic moment. But not really a true story!
Then again, Lucas once said something like strangling a cat can engage an audience (can't remember the quote, might even have been Spielberg!) - so what do I know?
edit - Lucas!
Quote:
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...emotionally involving the audience is easy. Anybody can do it blindfolded. Get a little kitten and have some guy wring its neck.”
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