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[Despera]

It's shit, unless the game with the cliffhanger ending is followed by another title as part of a duology/trilogy that are planned to be released in quick succession.

Take Digital Devil Saga for example:

DDS1 was released on April 5, 2005.
DDS2 was released on October 3, 2005.

You could say that they could've combined both game releases into one (both games are shorter than your usual Atlus RPG, 25 hours each), but that's another issue entirely.

 

[Mivey]

Since no one has mentioned it so far: Dreamfall. Man, that was absolutely terrible as far as cliffhangers go. It left practially everything out in the open. It felt like on of those ad breaks in old cartoons, except in this case you had to wait for over 10 years (literally, Dreamfall came out in April of 2006 and Chapters in June of 2016). And honestly,

Spoiler

the actual resolution in that game felt totally lackluster, like even if I hadn't waited for years, I would have felt at least bored. With the wait it feels like a punch in the guts.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Yeah, but Psi Ops 2 was so great, being able to pick up right where the first one left off, wasn't it?

...

I always wondered what the hell the Psi Ops team was thinking. Did they get six months cut off their schedule, and were told they had an hour to submit whatever they had? Was there so much hubris that they thought people wouldn't care, and their ip was an instant franchise?

I feel like it was a little bit of both.

 

[humansarehorses]

Oh I definitely agree on this. It's why I thought for instance that Gravity Rush's end was complete garbage, because the only thing it wrapped up was a last minute storyline that was never very interesting in the first place

Nope. The ending actually addressed something that was brought up close to halfway through the game. But it's not something they doted on.

Spoiler

Kat was supposed to die -- near the end of the game, the military freezes her in the exact same position that you see Kat in the Cyanea dream sequence.

edit: see this and this

 

[injurai]

God of War II Ending -> God of War III Opening

Is the greatest game transition of all time.

 

[Necron]

One of the worst examples?

Beyond Good & Evil.

 

[Jawmuncher]

God of War II Ending -> God of War III Opening

Is the greatest game transition of all time.

This is one thing that Halo 2 messed up the most with it's cliffhanger. I never minded it since there was gonna be a third obviously. But for them to basically go "All the stuff in the ship is in a comic and you don't see any of it in the 3rd game" was a bad way to go about it.

 

[Transistor]

This is one thing that Halo 2 messed up the most with it's cliffhanger. I never minded it since there was gonna be a third obviously. But for them to basically go "All the stuff in the ship is in a comic and you don't see any of it in the 3rd game" was a bad way to go about it.

Exactly. I wanted Halo 3 to begin exactly where 2 left off, but nooooooooo.

God of War II Ending -> God of War III Opening

Is the greatest game transition of all time.

Yes it was. Because I started III with the exact feeling of hype that II left me with.

 

[Sillverrr]

Haven't read the thread, but have gotta agree. This isn't like a TV show, where the series contines within a year (usually). If I've gotta wait 2-4 years for a sequel, we're approaching Game of Thrones GRRM territory (and don't even mention Pat Rothfuss)... just wrap your game up with a satisfying conclusion, whilst still leaving the series open to a sequel.

Case in point: The Order 1886, PS4. I would have bought it had they been courteous enough to at least make a proper ending.

 

[TannerDemoz]

Disagree.

TLoU is one of the finest games of the last decade and its ending is phenomenal.

 

[spunodi]

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

How can I live without closure? How!?

More importantly, Shenmue 2's ending has had me over a barrel for years but there's progress on that now

 

[Wensih]

Game creators shouldn't cater to the whims of the consumer. Otherwise we'd live in a Ubisoftian creative dystopia.

That said cliffhangers do need to be handled with tact, and there does need to be a complete thought or statement delivered by the game.

For the most part high budget game narratives are a "Ubisoftian creative dystopia", one that is run by corprate need for franchises rather than creating the monogame.

 

[Briarios]

I agree OP. Anyone who has played Psi-Ops knows why they are so bad.
This is literally the ending

So much pain. It never heals.

I completely agree with the OP ... its one thing to have a hook for future games, it's another thing entirely too end with a cliffhanger.

 

[Wensih]

Disagree.

TLoU is one of the finest games of the last decade and its ending is phenomenal.

I wouldn't really call that a cliffhanger as it's not there to set up a sequel.

 

[TannerDemoz]

I wouldn't really call that a cliffhanger as it's not there to set up a sequel.

I dunno, I'm still pretty open about it. I wouldn't doubt that Druckman could have been thinking about a sequel when he was working on the ending (unless there are quotes out there against this)

OP mentions games that don't have a conclusive ending. I don't think TLoU has a conclusive ending.

 

[Mieu]

Freedom Wars!!!!!!

 

[SimonM7]

Maybe someone said it already. I uncharacteristically only skimmed the thread but...


If you have a franchise like Assassin's Creed that will probably come out long after humans are dead and factories keep making it, then go ahead with the cliffhangers. The AC2 ending was mind boggling, and between that game itself and the meta story revelations it pretty much had me on board for playing AC games forever. Turns out forever was until 3, but that's beside the point.

But if you're taking a shot at a new IP, then maybe don't rob people of closure if it doesn't work out. Besides, there's a way to finish a story and then give like a Marvel Studios style hook in for a next game that doesn't completely invalidate the whole thing if it doesn't continue.

 

[meerak]

I disagree, games and movies can and should end in all varieties of ways.

Some cliffhangers are satisfying, some are not.

 

[Cave Johnson]

Unless you are in-production of a sequel with the proper resources you shouldn't be banking your chips in hoping the returns will fund the continuation. Create self-contained IPs and then when you find one that very successful, you can either sequalize it or create a new IP built with continuous sequels with a fixed budget. That way, even of the fist game doesn't meet expectations, you can still pursue continuation making design improvements without sacrificing the story.

 

[ScHlAuChi]

XIII ended with on a great cliffhanger twist, where it seemed like the game was over, you got your ending celebration and then the game threw a huge curveball in the last few seconds. Only problem is, the game sold like shit and we never got a sequel.D=

At least for this game there is resolution in the form of the comics its based on

 

[Gradly]

I'm fine with it, I prefer the approach used in TV Shoes where you have a story arc for the current season and a bigger story arc that spanning the entire series, likewise, If the game has a sense of completion that's fine but leaving the door open for exploring more is the best cause otherwise if the story is fully finished, any future sequel or prequel will be just crammed there or just an afterthought that will end up disappointing. For example God of War: Ascension I think the general consensus was that everyone hated the story, it was dull and clearly an afterthought, this is exactly when you finish a game but you just wanna expand the lore a bit more with no planning ahead

 

[paragonpro]

Recently

Spoiler

doom

actually

 

[ArgyleReptile]

I agree OP. Anyone who has played Psi-Ops knows why they are so bad.
This is literally the ending

Game was so good. Goddammit Midway, why didn't you give us a sequel before you kicked the bucket?

 

[w0s]

I don't like a cliffhanger as in you are in the middle of a giant scene. I don't mind it when you learn something at the end that sets up a sequal.

That said I just beat Mafia 2 and damn it did I want that game to go on a little longer.

 

[Fury451]

I think a game series did well at avoiding this was Dead Space.

The first game left a lot of stuff open and unanswered, but the immediate plot was resolved and I felt like if it never continued it would just be a weird mysterious scifi plot thing.

The second game answered many questions of the first and fleshed out the universe more, but ultimately had found a decent stopping point of the story that game was telling as well; but you knew there was still more story to uncover and more left unresolved if they wanted to continue. But if it ended there, and it also would've been functional as an ending.

The third game, for all the plot issues I had with that, also ended well and resolved (with mixed effectiveness) not only the general series escalation, but the plot of that game. If you play The Awakened DLC, I also consider that a really good, if not incredibly

Spoiler

bleak, hopeless, and incredibly dark

finale, but theoretically they could carry the plot on from there.

Admittedly it's been quite a while since I've played through all three games, but I always found the way they handled endings interesting; resolved, but with room for more

 

[King Gilga]

VLR ending.

It soured me on the game and the franchise in general.

Still haven't played ZTD and I just don't care anymore.

 

[RoslindaleOne]

Half Life 2: Episode 2 The Thead

But most of the time I can deal with it and if there is no sequel the explanation is most of the time "it sold bad"

Thanks for reminding me. Even when I see Half Life 3 posts I still forget to remember episode 2. Damnit Valve.

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

Nope

 

[RyougaSaotome]

I don't agree. I don't think it's that black and white.

I have no problems with cliffhangers when the major conflict in the game is resolved, but a separate narrative thread comes to the front.

For example Trails in the Sky. I felt plenty of satisfied by the end, and when the twist and cliffhanger hits, it had me at the edge of my seat in a way other endings simply can't.

 

[Rodney McKay]

I didn't even play the game but even watching a playthrough of FF13-2 made me angry at the end with its bullshit cliffhanger.

I can understand cliffhangers in some types of games, and some games can do them well if they make you excited for the next game (as apposed to feeling ripped off) like Darksiders 1, or if the next game in the series doesn't take that long to come out.

But dozens of hours long RPG's are just not a good fit for ANY kind of cliffhanger. THe closest to a cliffhanger ending I can say I liked in a JRPG was FF7, and that was less of a cliffhanger and more just ambiguous about what happened

 

[Dremark]

My take on it is that cliffhangers generally suck and unless you're absolutely sure a follow up will come they should be avoided.

Most if the people bringing up good cliffhangers are usually talking about sequel hooks which resolve the main story or at least the part of it the game is covering and leaves an opening for the next game. Something like Metal Gear Solid 1 as has been mentioned elsewhere.

 

[Korigama]

VLR ending.

It soured me on the game and the franchise in general.

Still haven't played ZTD and I just don't care anymore.

Just as well, I suppose. Doesn't answer everything, and ultimately winds up raising further questions (I'm fairly certain that having such a low opinion of VLR has much to do with why I wasn't as disappointed with ZTD as I could've been, as my expectations were much lower by then).

 

[The Silver]

sequel hooks are fine with me, a good tease or revelation after the main story has gotten its closure.

the type of cliffhangers where the main conflict just "cuts to black" before getting resolved should never be done unless you're 100% sure you can make a sequel.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Nah. Good cliffhangers are great.

Yeah.

Shitty writing is shitty writing, not the other way around.

 

[dark10x]

I agree OP. Anyone who has played Psi-Ops knows why they are so bad.
This is literally the ending

:-(

...and it never was.

 

[Reset]

Vanquish is like 3 hours long and the game ends in a cliff hanger. On the bright side, the game's story is ass so you don't really care about it.

 

[bobawesome]

VLR ending.

It soured me on the game and the franchise in general.

Still haven't played ZTD and I just don't care anymore.

Boy, if you hated the way VLR ended...

It's for the best, anyway. The story in ZTD was absolutely garbage.

 

[Sad Affleck]

I agree. I also agree with the rule that many creative people have mentioned before: the ending should be the first thing you create, not the last. There are so many games out there with unsatisfying endings because they were cobbled together at the last minute due to time or budget constraints. Even if the game is great, if the ending is shit it's going to leave a shitty aftertaste. Mass Effect 3 is a good example of that.

 

[SoundPulse]

It's acceptable as long as the story told in-game feels complete. Metal Gear Solid tells its own complete story, and leaves a hook for the sequel. Halo 2, on the other hand, has the feeling like a game that bit off way more than it could chew. The game just ends abruptly with a sequel hook. Not a whole hell of a lot gets resolved in Halo 2. Instead, it starts a lot of threads that are ultimately resolved in Halo 3. That is why Halo 2's ending got so much heat.

It's not wrong to set up a sequel, by any means, but that should not be the sole purpose of the story you're telling.

I agree. I also agree with the rule that many creative people have mentioned before: the ending should be the first thing you create, not the last. There are so many games out there with unsatisfying endings because they were cobbled together at the last minute due to time or budget constraints. Even if the game is great, if the ending is shit it's going to leave a shitty aftertaste. Mass Effect 3 is a good example of that.

Unfortunately, battle plans never survive contact with the enemy. You'll certainly come up with what you want to see happen, but things get cut for various reasons, things get added, and plans change. You might even (hopefully!) dream up something that works better than your initial plans. Anything you write needs to be flexible enough to adapt. The ending might end up being the most volatile pieces of the script.

 

[Deckard Chapel]

I despise cliffhanger endings in games.

Case in point - VANQUISH

.

 

[Bliddo]

It's fine when you are using an episodic approach to narration, pushing new chapters at a faster pace, keeping the audience enticed.
Let's take as example Half L.... Fuck

 

[Cyborg]

I'm cool with it.

I get all your complaints OP, and I think they're valid, but I also really love the sense of "WHAT THE HELL" and anticipation that can come with a good cliffhanger.

I agree but only if they plan to make a sequal. I hate it when a serie ends with cliffhanger

 

[Astral Dog]

Who the fuck finishes games?

This is one of the weirdest posts i have seen around here

 

[Astral Dog]

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

How can I live without closure? How!?

More importantly, Shenmue 2's ending has had me over a barrel for years but there's progress on that now

By knowing they wont ever make a sequel to that shitty game, the twist was fun though

 

[Jingo]

By knowing they wont ever make a sequel to that shitty game, the twist was fun though

They are doing it only after 17 years so i guess this proves my point end the story and do just a little tease if you want

 

[Zunnoab]

Several people brought up Anachronox. What I find puzzling is if I recall Tom Hall expressed interest in making a sequel if only he could get the rights. Did he ever find out about this, with Square Enix opening some of its IPs up for other developers, including Anachronox?

I am surprised (just the game name)

Spoiler

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

didn't get mentioned in this topic. The worst part about it is there are no known plans to finish the story. They may even abandon it and do the (dreaded for me) reboot treatment.

It's not like it was a "well this is a little ambiguous" ending either. It was full fledged "part one is over, come back for the continuing story" level stuff there. It's sad if the market for that series is seriously that dried up to the point there is only fringe interest.

 

[Plasma]

Nope

See Mass Effect 2 didn't bother me because the story concentrates mainly on the collectors and you deal with them over the game and it was always billed as a trilogy so of course at the end of there would be something about the reapers coming.

It only ever really bothers me when the ending comes out of no where and the game feels incomplete because of it. A good example of that would be Halo 2 and the whole sir finishing this fight.

 

[UltimaPooh]

This is one thing that Halo 2 messed up the most with it's cliffhanger. I never minded it since there was gonna be a third obviously. But for them to basically go "All the stuff in the ship is in a comic and you don't see any of it in the 3rd game" was a bad way to go about it.

Kinda... but we know it's mostly un important because he falls to Earth and the game starts.

Tho Halo 2's ending was a pretty big let down... because you're gonna finish the fight. Three years from now.

 

[Kamina]

Nope

I didnt think that was so bad of a cliffhanger.
We knew from the start that the reapers where coming and that it wouldn't be happening in ME2.