Best game endings

riffmongous

I originally was planning to do a 'most disappointing ending' thread, but then after thinking about it for a little bit, I realised that most game endings are fairly disappointing, so often it's a massive final boss fight and then just a few seconds of cutscene and maybe a couple of lines of text, where you see that your choices and all the twisting detailed story that you got invested in didn't really matter and it's just all tied up in a neat little package. It's usually just deflating after the final fight.

So instead, what are the best endings to games? The ones that really do the game justice in terms of story/scope, or leave you wanting more?

For me:
Metal Gear Solid -

Considering all the other cutscenes in the game it's no surprise the ending is a bit meatier than most but it really pays off, you get to see the heroes walking off together with Naomi nicely summing up a large part of the focus of the game while Liquid's body lies there. Otacon/Meryl and Snake get some closure and talk about their new outlook on life. Then you get the credits with a decent song, and a nice teaser Codec call at the end

Sands of Time -

A great twist, a little close to 'and then he woke up and it was all a dream' but it makes sense, especially when he kisses Farah but has to go for the rewind

Not really sure if these old games need to be spoilered, will ask a mod

gimli2112

Loved the ending of Borderlands 2, possibly for the tune. Probably my favourite was TLOU just for the relief that they both

survived

.
Getting out of the mansion in RE1 was great as I had been stuck and got past it one night while drinking a few cans. It was some shock when Brad dropped the

rocket launcher

from the

chopper

which reminds me the ending of RE2, B play through is the greatest ending ever.

lol spoilers

hellsing101

MGS 3 probably one of my favorites.

Mr. CooL ICE

It may have just been a cutscene, but the end of World In Conflict brings fond memories of an effective use of Tears For Fears

Cina

Bioshock's

Would you kindly

moment sticks out as a great twist, for me, right at the end, too.

The Last of Us also had a beautiful but bittersweet ending.

chalkitdown1

Not sure this can be beaten.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNkRvcUn6VM

BloodBath

Final fantasy 7 of course. For it's time the level of cut scene cinematics and storytelling was unsurpassed.

We get a good 10 minute ending sequence that wraps the game up nicely. Can not wait for the remake.

riffmongous

BloodBath wrote: »

Final fantasy 7 of course. For it's time the level of cut scene cinematics and storytelling was unsurpassed.

We get a good 10 minute ending sequence that wraps the game up nicely. Can not wait for the remake.

Ah that's an interesting one, because 11 year old me had almost no clue what was going on, and I was wondering what happened to Cloud

Mark Hamill

Outer Wilds /thread

/Universe

. Best game I ever played, best ending too, just beautiful.

nix

One ill throw in the mix that comes to mind is The last of us, its just such an emotional break into clap moment, terrific ride from start to finish.

johnny_ultimate

Mark Hamill wrote: »

Outer Wilds /thread

/Universe

. Best game I ever played, best ending too, just beautiful.

It really is next level good. Such a blast of images, sounds and ideas - intimate and grand all at once. I tend to think a lot of games sort of eventually fall over the finish line, given how hard it is to wrap up after often dozens of hours. But Outer Wilds soars over the line.

The other one that stands out is INSIDE which has an ending so magnificent I daren’t even embed a video for fear someone will watch it instead of having played it.

TheValeyard

The ending of the first Mass Effect game.

Potential-Monke

If you can call it an ending, but the ending to Legacy of Kain: Defiance.

You've just played 4 games, and you find out that it didn't matter, it's all a loop which can't be broken.

Mind 'splosion! Well, we might get another at some stage, but

History abhors a paradox

.

Ten of Swords

Spec Ops

dreamers75

Ten of Swords wrote: »

Spec Ops

Also Spec ops no game has come close to the "storyline" of that game.

Potential-Monke

dreamers75 wrote: »

Also Spec ops no game has come close to the "storyline" of that game.

Think I'm gonna have to Google that one, the game just didn't hold my attention and I gave up a couple of hours after starting.

ERG89

Red Dead Redemption

John's death after the journey was unexpected by me at the time. Getting revenge wasn't as satisfying as I wished which showed how memorable it was to me.

God of War (2018)

Finding out Atreus is Loki, the end boss fight with Baldur & teasing Thor. Can't wait for the sequel.

Tales from the Borderlands

The final boss was just a loud of fun, which I wasn't expecting & wouldn't expect it to work in that archaic engine.

Telltale The Walking Dead season 1

Once Lee was bitten you knew his fate but having to rescue Clementine & then be the one decide how he dies is rough

Life is Strange

Love the song choice of Spanish Sahara if you choose to save Arcadia Bay. I never save Chloe as it just didnt feel right.

Penn

MGS3 has to take the top spot for me.

Aside from other games mentioned by others, I loved the ending of God Of War 2 as well. I mean, poorly acted and extremely OTT and whatnot, but the general concept of the story really excited me.

Assassins Creed 2 was an amazing ending too, a total mindwarp. The endings to Brotherhood and Revelations were great too but that was when they really started stretching it all out.

The Wolf Among Us was incredibly well done too. Of all the Telltale properties its the one I was most sad about losing when they went under as they'd only just announced a sequel to it. Hopefully it gets picked up again elsewhere.

Kiith

Freespace 2 - Always one of my favourites, especially that they mention you staying behind to get the last few transports through the portal (different if you don't stay behind).

Homeworld - poignant for me, because of how much i loved the game. Also, that music :eek:

K.O.Kiki

NieR:Automata

In the end, it's all just a game. To sacrifice oneself to help a fellow android is nothing more than a few bits of code, right?

GLORY TO MANKIND!

recyclops

silent hill 2

the fact that you had killed your terminally ill wife all along and then made up all the demons etc in your head to come to terms with it was far too much for my teenage mind

still one of the greatest games of all time

Ravenholm

I thought the ending of Jedi: Fallen order was excellent

Wrapped up the story very well. Some epic moments.

SomeSayKos

Red Dead Redemption 2 : I think it's the most emotionally invested in a game i've ever been and the ending and prologue stayed in a mind for a long time after finishing it.

The Last of Us: I loved this ending because it really makes you think about Joels actions, and the reasons he had for doing what he did. It's a really bittersweet ending that's both happy and very grim.

Metal Gear Solid 3 : My favourite game in the series and the ending is just perfect.

Thumper : This is probably my favourite games ever made and although it has virtually no story, the way the gameplay mechanics change drastically for the epilogue was brilliant.

Inside was already mentioned and I completely agree. That game is fantastic. I found the ending to be hilarious, terrifying and thought provoking all at once.

Temptamperu

Ravenholm wrote: »

I thought the ending of Jedi: Fallen order was excellent

Wrapped up the story very well. Some epic moments.

Having to fight the man himself gave me such a nerd hard on.

Zero-Cool

Death Stranding. Mouth was wide open for the ending, absolutely epic.

Ryse: Son Of Rome. Not the greatest ever but certainly a great end to a baddie !!!!

mrm

Inside, definitely how stories should be delivered in this medium. Coherent madness. Rekindled my interest in gaming at a point it was waning

Journey,

an ending that is the beginning, really liked that as the closing credits rolled; loved then seeing the names of those I had met on my journey- a similar heavy impact for me as seeing the real names at the end of Schindlers List

Valiant Hearts, sadness and hope in equal quantities, and those visuals and the music!

Darksiders, if there are intentions for a second game, that's how to announce it!

I also kinda liked the ending to Bioshock Infinite but, unlike the others, it was a slog to get to that ending.

I also liked the endings of Skyrim and Witcher 2 because it meant I was finally finished with those boring slogfests. Borderlands 3 probably the same if only I could have gotten there - thankfully I didn't.

I would loved to have gotten to see/ play the ending to Alundra. Great game.

blockfighter

Someone mentioned assassin's creed 2. That was a mental ending, but absolutely brilliant.
Gears of War 3 was an action packed ending which wrapped that story up nicely.
This probably doesn't count as an ending but the end of the New Donk City level in Mario Odyssey is one of the coolest things I've ever seen in a video game. Epic.

TheValeyard

The ending of Portal and Portal 2


Also,


The Soviet ending for Command & Conquer Red Alert. Mental.

The Phantom Pain

Final Fantasy 15. Loved it. It was my first FF and I went from not caring about the story at first to being invested. It was really unexpected.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey. The family ending..I was clenching my butt at the climax.
MGSV has a very clever ending but it's hard to get towards the end.
Fallout 4. Every ending but the Brotherhood one. It's sad and epic all at the same time.

Icaras

Prey had a pretty good ending.

As above I enjoyed Bioshock infinite, it was good at the time but then made no sense when I thought back about it.