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Best Videogame Endings Discussed
Thanks to InsertCredit.com for their lengthy, semi-gonzo, spoiler-containing feature on the evolving nature of game end sequences. They ask "Why should an ending be a time to 'relax'? Why should an ending be something long, and complicated? Why should an action game, really, even have a final 'boss'? Do we need these conventions anymore?", while charting classic game endings from Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. through Metroid Prime. They finish things up with the top 11 game endings of all-time, from "an alcoholic cartoon squirrel" to "the collapsing Death Egg."
Everyone knows that crono trigger has the best endings, being one the first RPGs to experiment with multiple endings depending on how you played and finished the game.
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Death wish, n.:
The only wish that always comes true, whether or not one wishes it t
Ahhh yes, Slashdot's a place where the whole family can gather around the computer to read the latest about SCO, Linux, computer games and anime.
Fuck you, you shithead prude.
My favourite game ending is that of Monkey Island 2, where everything that has gone on before (including the first adventure) is put in a new light.
I have always despised the concept of end bosses. Why, for example, did a beautifully balanced game like The New Zealand Story have such monstrous bosses? They were so hard to beat that you were bound to lose that wonderful, rela-axed feeling playing that game gave you when faced with that floating walrus.
In RPGs I find the concept of end bosses even more despicable. Worst example? The last third or so of Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Baal, where the designers have obiously run out of ideas (and the overly combat-oriented rule system has been taken to its limits) and the game just ends up throwing countless nearly-unbeatable, often regenerating enemies at you. Where's the roleplaying in that?
(And speaking of disappointing endings: the 'good' ending is identical to the 'evil' one, only with a different voice-over!)
Planescape: Torment got all of that just right: here was a game you could finish without fighting the end boss at all, if that didn't fit your character. I wish they'd make a sequel to that one...
Sentimentality is merely the Bank Holiday of cynicism.
- Oscar Wilde
What makes a good ending? Is it a surprise twist on the storyline? Is it a rewarding sequence after a hard game?
My personal best (In no particular order):
-Starfox (SNES) - Very underrated, great ending sequence, especially when they show the specs for each boss... the music is great too!
-Final Fantasy II/III (SNES) - I personally think that SQUARE used to make better endings with less resources than now... Anyone agrees?
-Ninja Gaiden (NES) - This is a classic!
-MegaMan III - Here comes Protoman.. it opened the mistery of this new character
-Earthbound - Masterpiece!
-Bionic Commando - The bad guy is... Hitler!!!!
Other great endings: Metroid, Super Metroid, A link to the Past, Link's awakening.
What makes a bad ending? Is it a hard game with a disappointing/unrewarding final sequence? or is it a highly hyped game with a great story where the developers ran out of gas at the end? I've noticed that arcade conversions make very bad endings.
The worst (In no particular order)
-TMNT (NES) -You get just GAME OVER in colored letters
-Axelay (SNES) - Axelay II never came... damn Konami
-SFII (All) - I personally never liked the endings. The gameplay makes it up.
Hard games with unrewarding endings:
Jackal (hard mode), Battletoads (All), Ultima Quest for Avatar, Solar Jetman, Dragon Warrior, POW, Batman (NES), Blaster Master
It is a very, very sad list. No mention of Ultima IV, Planescape, Wing Commander III, Baldur's Gate, Planetfall, Zork, or any of the myriad of games with *REAL* endings.
Hint: If you want to make a "all-time" list, do yourself and your readers a favor. Spend a lot of time doing research. That means interviewing and polling friends, people on the street, reading reviews and visiting a library. Then write your article.