Endings you love & hate *Spoilers within*

[Pious the chosen]

Even 10/10 games don't have the greatest endings(EG Uncharted's, Mario's) while some lesser recognised games can have a well executed and satisfying finale (Medievel, Oddworld, Jersey Devil etc) So heres to celebrate the highs and lows of most games' closing...

[Triggerhappytel]

I think I mentioned this on the plot twist topic, but I love Ico's ending - such a wonderful, tear-jerking, heart-in-mouth moment. Can't wait for the re-release. SotC's was powerful too, and I love how it all makes sense at the end and the two games link together.

As for endings I hate; any game that doesn't give a satisfying ending and/or a decent boss battle. BioShock had a great plot and a great plot twist, but a shitty boss and poor ending. Both Soul Reaver games have very anticlimactic finales (first game needed a proper boss or at least a decent showdown with Kane and the second just had a terrible prolonged boss battle it was impossible to lose) which annoyed me as neither provided closure or the satisfaction of beating up a big enemy. Some games don't need boss battles, i.e. Halo: CE, but that would have been out of context with the rest of the game, and the ending was satisfying anyway.

[Rotek]

A couple of games last year had phenomenal endings. Mass Effect 2, Halo Reach and Red Dead Redemption (the latter especially) were pretty powerful, I thought. The post-credits level of Reach was a really great touch. I seem to think that Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood had a good climax as well, but I could be mis-remembering. Maybe in order to have a good ending you have to make either a Western or a Western in space

The two Portal games - although especially Portal 2 - had fabulous endings as well. I've lost count of how many times I've played through the last chapter of Portal 2 just to hear a couple of great speeches from Wheatley ("Oh, those were the crap turrets, weren't they?", "Your death would be entirely optional. And much appreciated!" and "Holmes versus Moriarty...Aristotle versus MASHY SPIKE PLATE!!!" being favourites of mine) and, of course, wind up in spaaaaaaaaaace.

As for bad, I can't see past the two games that really should have had the best endings: Heavy Rain and LA Noire. The twist ending of Heavy Rain was just fucking silly, despite it being a great game otherwise. The actual, 'depends on how you played it' ending was alright, though, I guess. LA Noire's was just farcical, frankly, despite, again, being pretty good overall in the story department.

[Bob Syko]

In recent years as game tech has become more and more powerful endings have meant a lot less to me. It used to be that you would want to finish the game so that you got treated to that amazing FMV full of explosions and your character doing crazy heroic shit. Now you just play that and I think that is why we see a lot of games with big epic finales and then just an incredibly short cutscene at the end to wrap it up. I do definitely still enjoy a good explosive ending but generally I don't mind as long as the last level had a lot of action.

Now onto an example of a great ending...

Red Dead Redemption - A great example of a modern ending where the gameplay and cinematics combine to create a very powerful experience. The way the pace of the game drops right down for the last hour or two and then you pick up the game as John's son. I also really liked the way the game didn't give you a big in your face marker to go kill that dude either. The first thing I did was head into town and ask about him but I still liked that the game didn't force it on you. Then when you find him and kill you just get a brief strut and then BOOM! Credits roll. Wonderful.

Couple of bad endings since we all know it's easier to complain.

Kane and Lynch 2 - You get on a plane. Game ends. Like I said in my first paragraph, this doesn't matter if the last level is great but it isn't. It's very run of the mill and although it's not terrible, the game feels like there is no finale or closure.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 - It's safe to say no one plays Rainbow Six for the story but after playing Vegas 2 until the end and having no idea what was going on I am told I have won after I kill someone that i think betrayed me and the American way. Thanks to playing the game on hard the firt time through I unlocked that achievement which was called freedom. So I saved America from this guy that may or may not have betrayed me (although definitely betrayed America I would imagine) and as the credits roll "FREEDOM SHALL PREVAIL!" pops up on screen. Hecka lame.

[Snaggletooth]

Agree with Bob, with a mix of tech and big budget games sometimes the endings do go from being what once would have been epic to run of the mill, Though recently despite not being overly epic I feel the uncharted games finished well given the story all the way through was explosive and the end just calms down. and finishes off nicely really the last boss battles being the finale.

Though a couple that really stick out in my memory Are the recent FF games well from 7 to 10 any way, FFX being quite moving. Similarly MGS 2,3,4 also were quite memorable.

Oh and the Yakuza games tend have pretty good endings.

[richhoyle24]

Endings I love

Final Fantasy VII, Holy

Heavy Rain. A great ending which was made by me!. I was tense during the final 3rd after screwing up Ethan's challenges and Madison not finding out the location is what up to Jayden to save they day. piecing together who and where the Origami killer was and then the fight with Shelby knowing if I fucked up Sean and me were dead.

Fallout New Vegas. Just finished this yesterday, I had I feeling the end would be a bit of a let down like Fallout 3's was. But when it played out it broke down decisions I had made during the game and how it effected the Mojave. Makes me want to play through again and side with the Legion.

Red Dead Redemption. Nuff Said. Reminds me I have Undead Nightmare to play.

Halo Reach. The post credits scene.

Endings I hate

LA Noire. Totally utterly pointless crap. Was it shoe horned in last minute so Bondi could get rid of the La Noire ip and any connection to Rockstar after a difficult development

MGS4. I was sat with a tear in my eye as Snake knelt at the grave and got the gun out and this would of been the greatest end to a character/game ever but you know what happened after.......

Final Fantasy XIII. Still baffles me now but like an idiot im sure I will day one FFXIII-2

[Kingcrimsonprog]

What rich said about MGS4. I agree.


Also an ending I really liked was Killzone 2.

[TurnupMidget]

Ico and both Portal games have amazing endings, for sure. I liked Bioshock's ending, too; it was admittedly a slight anti-climax after the build up, but after that build up pretty much anything would be.

Last gen, I thought the ending of Prince Of Persia: Sands of Time on PS2 was well done. The plot isn't much to speak of, but I like the way the relationship between the prince and the princess changes over the course of the game, as he slowly learns to stop being a total dick and she learns to trust him. By the end of the game, he's travelled back in time to before she knew him and before he earned her trust, but the ending still has a couple of nice surprises in it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blFVK1u0 ... age#t=222s

Awesome game. Why did the sequels suck so hard?

Honorable mentions: Half Life (G-Man revealing himself after cropping up in the background all through the game) and System Shock 2 (amazing final levels and satisfying finale).

[mrmarvelxiii]

Endings I love:

Super Mario World, it's got an awesome theme and a heart shaped firework what's not to love... best Mario ending the others all suck a bit.
Ocarina of Time=Best ending ever, it's just so gorgeous I won't say anything, though there's not much to give away, but it still makes me reach for the kleenex
Final Fantasy X had an incredible ending that puts games up there with films for their power to evoke serious emotion... I am a sensitive gamer

Endings I hate:

Twilight Princess, call that an ending? I invest 50 something hours of my life into this thing and you call that an ending?
Can't really think of any other endings that bother me to the point of hatred

[bellow]

The separation of issun and ameratsu at the end of Okami nearly broke me up. I've never felt that type of emotional tug with games that actually go for the old heartstrings on purpose - like ICo and SOTC, although I love those games.

As for a bad ending - Alan Wake. I defy anyone to explain what the hell was supposed to be going on at the end of that. Good game though, otherwise.

[Pious the chosen]

Recent bad ending that sticks in my head is God of War 3.. mostly for the tacked on bit at the end, which wasn't needed. Or wanted.

[tresdoss]

Two endings i love are Final Fantasy VIII, i was in awe of that game when it was first released.... so deserves a remake and Gears of war 2, epic in everyway.

[Bilge Rat]

Not exactly the intended ending, but for me a special mention has to go to the first Baldur's Gate game. I spent 100+ hours playing and then the game invariably crashed a few seconds into the final boss battle. No matter how many times I tried it I always got the same result

[Bob Syko]

As for a bad ending - Alan Wake. I defy anyone to explain what the hell was supposed to be going on at the end of that. Good game though, otherwise.

I thought it was really clear what happened personally. Then the first DLC came out and I was like, "wait, that didn't happen! He's where? Wait what?" So I guess I was wrong.

[bellow]

As for a bad ending - Alan Wake. I defy anyone to explain what the hell was supposed to be going on at the end of that. Good game though, otherwise.

I thought it was really clear what happened personally. Then the first DLC came out and I was like, "wait, that didn't happen! He's where? Wait what?" So I guess I was wrong.

It was the writer who got it wrong, Bob. The wrong medication, i reckon.