Support NeoGAF

[Excess]

So I just completed Cyberpunk 2077, and don't worry, this thread is not about the game itself. Rather, this a thread about games with multiple endings and why I don't really enjoy them. For me, I'm generally always trying to pick the "right" ending, like a puzzle to be solved, but I often find that many of the choices given are either incredibly arbitrary or just so rudimentary that they add no value to the game itself. In other words, the latter acts more like a recent fad of game development, rather than an actual progression of character development.

Maybe this has to do with my personality? I'm generally the type of person who likes to take things slowly and analyze what I'm doing. I don't generally make decisions on "gut" or enjoy being pressured to do so, which especially frustrates me when I'm given a dialogue choice on a timer. Deep down, I know that the choices being made trigger a specific action, but I often feel like I'm getting hustled to call a bluff. If(X), Then(Y)? And the worst part is that sometimes a single line of dialogue in a game can determine the entire outcome (Assassin's Creed Odyssey).

Granted, if done right, it can be rewarding through the sum of your actions. For example, RDR's Honor System, or Resident Evil's actionable choices.

And as for Cyberpunk, I truly enjoyed the game (been lucky enough to have a PC that can run it without issue), and I plan to go back and play the other endings. But now the problem is: What is the "right" ending? What is canon? And this, too, often leaves me frustrated. For this scenario, I feel like Indy having to choose the the Holy Grail.

Anyone else have the same frustrations with games that have multiple endings?

 

[intbal]

No, I don't like the Plinko-ending style of game design.
I like games with composite endings. Fallout 2, for example. Those not only make you feel like you impacted the world by your choices in a unique way, but they provide you with incentive to play again. It's less common these days, but I'm sure there are still some games that do it.

 

[nerdface]

I like multiple endings when there’s a bitch-ass ending, and a you-got-gud ending.

multiple endings for dredging through boring story-trees, or busy-work non-gaming like fetch quests is omg shoot-me-now

 

[German Hops]

the GOAT :

 

[ThatStupidLion]

for as much shit as Phantasy Star 3 gets, I thought it did branching paths really well

 

[baphomet]

Stories in games being as fucking by the books as they are, I couldn't care any less at all about the ending let alone multiple endings.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

I prefer single ending games mainly because almost 99% I never go back to play the game again in a different way, especially if its some long ass RPG. I just accept what I was given. But since its been years...decade...the remastered Mass Effect ill play as a Renegade (bad guy) this time because I never tried that in my original run.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I don't like to work on unlocking special endings by doing multiple playthroughs, but I do like when there are unusual or 'grey' endings instead of the usual good/bad combo. They can make you think about the game even after you've done with it.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

I like it when it's just not overwhelming, like on AC Odyssey and Valhalla, also The Witcher 3.

 

[Danjin44]

I actually like multiple endings if done right.

 

[NahaNago]

I prefer just the one ending myself and I hate the which one is the true ending. Then again I did like going through all of the characters to see what the ending would be in fighting games. I just don't have the patience to got though a whole rpg story over and over again to experience a different ending. I guess it comes down to how long to get a different ending for me.

 

[FranXico]

Sometimes having multiple endings doesn't matter.

Mass Effect 3 The Thread

 

[sunnysideup]

I dont like multiple endings. I just one a high quality one.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

It’s funny how the decision making manifests itself to me.

For example I’m playing Detroit at the minute, and I’ve accidentally chosen a couple “bad” decisions for Markus. But as I could see the path that decision had started to take me down, instead of trying to undo it with subsequent choices to get me somewhere back to where I intended, I took the “in for a penny, in for a pound” approach and just went all in and started a full on revolution.

Fuck it.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[Jigsaah]

So I just completed Cyberpunk 2077, and don't worry, this thread is not about the game itself. Rather, this a thread about games with multiple endings and why I don't really enjoy them. For me, I'm generally always trying to pick the "right" ending, like a puzzle to be solved, but I often find that many of the choices given are either incredibly arbitrary or just so rudimentary that they add no value to the game itself. In other words, the latter acts more like a recent fad of game development, rather than an actual progression of character development.

Maybe this has to do with my personality? I'm generally the type of person who likes to take things slowly and analyze what I'm doing. I don't generally make decisions on "gut" or enjoy being pressured to do so, which especially frustrates me when I'm given a dialogue choice on a timer. Deep down, I know that the choices being made trigger a specific action, but I often feel like I'm getting hustled to call a bluff. If(X), Then(Y)? And the worst part is that sometimes a single line of dialogue in a game can determine the entire outcome (Assassin's Creed Odyssey).

Granted, if done right, it can be rewarding through the sum of your actions. For example, RDR's Honor System, or Resident Evil's actionable choices.

And as for Cyberpunk, I truly enjoyed the game (been lucky enough to have a PC that can run it without issue), and I plan to go back and play the other endings. But now the problem is: What is the "right" ending? What is canon? And this, too, often leaves me frustrated. For this scenario, I feel like Indy having to choose the the Holy Grail.

Anyone else have the same frustrations with games that have multiple endings?

The Souls series does it well. Like in order to get different endings multiple event have to be done in a specific way, but they kinda lead into one another so it gives you some idea of where this might go. I'm not too keen on figuring the shit out myself, but I enjoy just looking up the tasks and completing them. Fextralife is a godsend.

 

[rofif]

I don't like multiple ending.
The story should be either THAT or THAT.... what is the story otherwise?

 

[Alright]

Dragon's Dogma did this best, because one of the paths ends the game before you get the ending

 

[ZywyPL]

It depends on the game and the platform - on PC with multiple manual saves you can always go back to whatever deciding moment you want, so experiencing different endings usually takes waaay less time than on consoles with their automatic saves, where you'd have to replay the entire game.

As for the games themselves, I find myself not actually wanting to see the other endings to be honest, for example I never replayed Heavy Rain despite absolutely loving it, because I felt that the first playthrough was complete, that this was MY story, that's how everything should have happened, and I never wanted to experience it in any different way. And that's how I feel pretty much about every game with multiple choices/endings, very rarely I'm picking different options when replaying games, it's always the same reflection of what I'd personally do it this was a real situation.

With all that being said, my favorite games with multiple endings are Fallout 1 & 2, where after you finish the game you get to see how all of your actions during the entire playtime influenced/shaped the world, every town, every quest has its long-term consequences, the games are absolutely brilliant when it comes to that.

 

[Redefine07]

NiER Automata !

 

[Shut0wen]

Im the same as op but i did enjoy deus ex humankind revolutions multiple ending especially how it comes down to if you can be araed doing the side missions on the last level and plus only one was canon since they made a sequel

 

[Soodanim]

But now the problem is: What is the "right" ending? What is canon? And this, too, often leaves me frustrated. For this scenario, I feel like Indy having to choose the the Holy Grail.

Anyone else have the same frustrations with games that have multiple endings?

This stood out to me, because I’ve seen it a few times in similar discussions. But I always go back to classic Mortal Kombat as an example. Any of the arcade endings could be canon until it’s decided as told by the next game, and until then you get to talk about the possibilities. There’s no right or wrong.

I think the same applies to other games that have a system that isn’t too dissimilar. You get whatever one you get.

Don’t get me wrong, I have been there with everyone else looking up a way to get a particular ending, but I also recognise that we’re circumventing the intent of the developer by doing so. I think the idea is that we play the game how we want and it ends based on that, for a semi-personalised experience.

Of course not all games are made well enough to really justify something like that though. Also, the individualisation intent doesn’t work so well with instant mass communication, and there’s the idea that you can miss out on gameplay if you don’t do everything right. In that regard, older games that gave you an idea what to do differently got it right.

I’m personally fine with multiple endings, although it’s largely dependent on how they’re implemented. For Deus Ex: Human Revolution, despite how good the game itself is I was not about to play the game X times to see all endings. So I saved in front of the row of buttons where you literally choose your ending, then reloaded to watch them all. That wasn’t a good system. Fallout 3/NV/4 had a good system, compiling a summary of your story and character based on actions and/or karma throughout the game. You don’t get much more individualised than that.

 

[Cyborg]

It always a risk that as a gamer you wont experience all the endings if you dont know the game has it.

I was done with Nier Automota after Route A till a lot of users screamed at me to finsih Route B and C. And oh my god, C was EPIC. But if I wasnt active on the boards I would have stopped after Route A.

 

[Roni]

Multiple endings are something only games can deliver fully integrated into the experience, so of course they should deliver them. As for which ending is right: they're all right. That's the point... If you got the ending, then it is the right ending for that run. Game experiences run on instances, not a unified timeline.

 

[engstra]

Personally not a huge fan of it as it's used as a way of creating replay-ability but why would I want to play through the game again and make all the "wrong" choices? The ending I get is the reflection of my personality and the choices I would make in the hypothetical situation I'm put in. If I then have to play as a character where I go against those instincts it immediately becomes unrelatable to me.

 

[AJUMP23]

I really only want to see the best ending. But I have no problem with a game being designed to have multiple outcomes based upon the players actions. If I saved someone let me see that person showing some gratitude at the end. I want to see the results of my choices in the ending.

 

[Kuranghi]

I'm generally a logical guy but imo you have to go with your gut sometimes because the choices are equal or both bad.

Having said that I don't like this "guessing the ending bullshit" either, I just want to experience/be told a story, I want to see their vision, not mine.

 

[Excess]

Multiple endings are something only games can deliver fully integrated into the experience, so of course they should deliver them. As for which ending is right: they're all right. That's the point... If you got the ending, then it is the right ending for that run. Game experiences run on instances, not a unified timeline.

I agree with that to some degree, but I guess it was Cyberpunk that made me feel deceived or conflicted, and maybe this was the intention of CDPR, but here it goes:

Spoiler

As the story progressed, I started to connect with Johnny and grew more fond of him. I even completed all the side quests that included Johnny's old band. The concert "mission" is pretty badass: grin across my face the entire time. So when faced with the ultimate decision to let Johnny take over in the last mission, I felt two emotions: Trust and redemption for Johnny. Knowing that Johnny was going to return to the very place that sent him there, alongside Rogue and her apparent years of planning, one day expecting Johnny to show up, it was the most poetic ending, in my opinion. Johnny was going to save V. I was also secretly hoping Alt would reveal that some part of her was still Alt and her and Johnny could live in cyberspace forever while V got her body back. Wishful thinking..

That all goes well and fine, except for having to watch Rogue die (I killed Smasher with Rogue's gun, btw), and then the big twist came. Alt tells me V will die anyway. Maybe I interpreted this literally, or I wasn't exactly listening because it was happening all too fast, but I was given two choices that seemed terrible: 1. Return to cyberspace forever; 2. Return to V's body as Johnny. I was under the impression that I could not return to V's body (I could). I decided that there was no way I could "fix" this if I returned to cyberspace forever, but that there may be a possibility of doing so by returning to V's body, so I sadly chose the latter.

Afterwards, that's where the story pretty much ends. And then voicemails, fucking gut wrenching. But then I learn that I could have chosen V. What?! That choice was never explicitly said? What I learned is that Alt meant that if Johnny returned to cyberspace, V would return home with and face her death anyway. So this is the ending I was most intending to have, and it's not even the "good" or "best" ending, yet I feel deceived out of it: Die a Legend.

I'm doing the Panam path now, which is considered the "best" ending. I judged it as a selfish ending to put all the nomads at risk. Not only that, this choice is probably much easier to make when you're male V and you romance her.

/rant

 

[Krappadizzle]

Fallout fans can look forward to over 200 different endings with the upcoming Fallout 3, according to Executive Producer Todd Howard. Speaking on the OXM podcast (interview starts at 37-minute mark) Howard said, "Being that we are Bethesda, everything gets a bit big. So as of last week, we're over 200 endings. That is not an exaggeration, but it deserves some descriptions."

Check and mate.

 

[Arachnid]

Yeah, I prefer set narratives myself. Most games are pretty shit when it comes to multiple endings. You make nice choice, you get nice ending. If you're a dick, you get an evil ending. Did you give that injured traveler one of your 20 stockpiled health items? You're such a saint! You are now king and everyone prospered. Boring. Also, most of the time, there's one ending that's objectively better than all the others. When I get the good ending in these kinds of games, I feel like the devs are patting me on the head. Half the time, I just go out of my way to make the bad choice just to stave off the (narrative) boredom.

The only game to ever do multiple endings right (that immediately comes to mind) with every ending actually being good is Silent Hill 2, and even with that one, there is one ending that's obviously superior to the others (In Water crew, rise up).

I am ok with multiple endings in games like Fallout and Skyrim though. In those games, choice is the entire point. No one gives a shit about the narrative or ending since it's mostly cookie cutter anyway. It's just a distilled power fantasy with great exploration through and through.

 

[Spukc]

pokemon red had 3442951 diffrent endings

 

[fart town usa]

I can only think of a few examples overall but I think one of the best examples of branching paths/multiple endings is the original 1996 release of Resident Evil. Just simply exploring areas can trigger a completely different scenario within the game. For instance, Barry says he's going back to the dining room, Jill says she'll check the door on the opposite side. If you don't go that route, you'll run into Barry in the area where Forest was killed by Crows, which then sends Barry in a different area of the Mansion, so if you try to get the shotgun without replacing it with the broken shotgun, Barry won't come and save you. There's also decisions you make that will cause Barry to die at the end but you can still save Chris, etc. With Chris, if you avoid the basement safe room where Rebecca sprays you with bug spray, you'll meet her for the first time while she's aiding Richard who has been bitten by a giant snake. In this scenario, Rebecca comes off as more confident and self-reliant. It's so awesome, nothing in the game notifies you of these potential changes. It's just through playing it and going different routes that these different scenarios crop up. It's one of the main reasons why 1996 Resident Evil is legit one of the greatest games of all time.

The original Nemesis implemented similar optional scenarios with Carlos depending on which location you visit, etc. Also with the nemesis encounters because it gives you 2 options each time for how you'll deal with him. Really extends the replay value and rewards experimentation. There's also the awesome optional addition of the girl screaming and running through the city, if you go back to the back entrance of where Darrio Russo locks himself in the tractor trailer, you'll find that the girl who was screaming and running through town was killed by a group of zombies. Her body is just lying there on the ground. It's something that most people miss but little things like that add so much to the overall experience.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Memorable endings > multiple endings

 

[Great Hair]

multiple endings = bad story narrative = weak design = hot doodoo

 

[Arimer]

I'm not a fan of branching storylines. They never feel as solid to me as a typical game. There are some exceptions to that. And yes when i play branching storylines I'm always like did i make the right choice.

Actually taking that one step further I don't like games that give me choice in character skills either. I love games where its like here's your character, here's what they do. Like in Final fantasy give me white mage I know what a white mage does, i know how to play it. But then give me something like Skyrim or fallout and I'm continually second guessing did i make my character right, should i have done this, I feel underpowered, Probably because i chose wrong.
It's why I've never been able to get into those games really.

 

[Fbh]

I like multiple endings when they are based on my choices and actions in the game and when they are not done in the boring binary "good ending or bad ending" kinda way. I liked how it was in the Witcher 3 even though some of the choices were a bit weird. I also liked how it was in SMTIV where you are basically choosing between 2 arguably valid mindsets instead of just "good and bad" (the neutral path is annoying though since IMO it's nearly impossible to get without a guide)

What I don't like is when games have some set of arbitrary rules I need to follow to unlock a "good ending". When you have stuff like Metro Exodus with tons of nice weapons but I have to play in a non lethal way to get the "good" ending.

What I usually hate is these "true endings" you get in a lot of JRPG's which are often tied to boring grindy shit. It's like "Oh cool you finished this 60 hours RPG but now if you want to see the real true final ending you need to play it again in super duper hard, and you need to find all 867 hidden golden apples, and you need a 5 star friendship rating with all 80 NPC's, and then once you are done with the main story again you need to grind for 20 more hours to beat these super high level optional bosses and THEN you can see the proper ending"

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Revenge of Shinobi.

She dies. She lives. Simple.

 

[Andodalf]

Check and mate.

I gotta say I really love the where are they now slideshow endings in fallout, especially new vegas.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I'm indifferent with multiple endings. Sometimes I'm a fan, other times I don't care enough to play through the game again to get them.

Last couple of later games I've played that had multiple endings, I got the one I got, and just watched the others on YouTube and call it a day.

I think Binding of Isaac: Repentance is the latest game in a LONG while where I just wanted to unlock every ending/boss myself. But it was really easy to do because the replay value is so high for me.

 

[JLB]

Its great. I like the multiple ending concept in games like Wasteland 3, Witcher or Prisoner of Ice. It all comes down to great narrative and not being forced.

 

[SinDelta]

I feel Chrono Trigger is still the pinnacle of multiple endings and has yet to be surpassed (if ever). Even golden age Bioware with Kotor, Mass Effect, Jade Empire and Dragon Age Origins did not come close.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Sometimes there great:

Disgaea 1
Guardian Heroes
Sekiro
Bloodborne
Life is strange
Fire Emblem 3 houses
Ghost of Tsushima
Tactics Ogre
Detroit
Until dawn
Inside

Sometimes not. Just depends on the game and story. It gives alot of longetivity to some games

 

[Reality Czar]

Souls games all have alt endings from what I can tell. One of the cool things about NG+ and replay.

 

[sunnysideup]

How many of these endings are actually choices. Few if any. Its bollocks. Most of the time they are not even pretending its a choice, its just a result of vauge trigger point. which you have to check a gamefaq to know how to trigger them.

Its hard to write a good ending of any story. Writing multiple great one almost impossible.

 

[Zeroing]

What I hate about games with multiple endings is that when there’s a sequel usually only 1 ending is used for the narrative of the game so it just seems it’s redundant to have multiple endings if only 1 is used as “the right one”

 

[GreyHorace]

Before, I always disliked the thought of multiple endings, because it implies the existence of a bad ending in conjunction with a good ending. Why will I choose to watch a bad ending where all of my effort in completing a game's narrative results in a shitty conclusion? I'd almost always go for a good ending in that case.

But CDProjektRed with their Witcher games showed me how great a concept multiple endings can work if executed right. None of them fall under the purview of good or bad, but more like the end result of the choices you made. The fact that you could have different endings with distinct scenes and elements really makes replaying their games a treat. They did great with the branching paths with The Witcher 2, and The Witcher 3 has some great endings that conclude the story.








These are for me the gold standard of multiple endings in videogames. Unlike say, well... this monstrosity:

 

[Esca]

Not a fan on them. Far as I'm concerned whatever i get when playing a game is the right ending because I'm not going out of my way to make sure I trigger events to get what the dev feels is the right ending. Just give the right ending at the start. Some games want you to play through a decent size game multiple times too get it, get fucked

 

[Roni]

I agree with that to some degree, but I guess it was Cyberpunk that made me feel deceived or conflicted, and maybe this was the intention of CDPR, but here it goes:

Spoiler

As the story progressed, I started to connect with Johnny and grew more fond of him. I even completed all the side quests that included Johnny's old band. The concert "mission" is pretty badass: grin across my face the entire time. So when faced with the ultimate decision to let Johnny take over in the last mission, I felt two emotions: Trust and redemption for Johnny. Knowing that Johnny was going to return to the very place that sent him there, alongside Rogue and her apparent years of planning, one day expecting Johnny to show up, it was the most poetic ending, in my opinion. Johnny was going to save V. I was also secretly hoping Alt would reveal that some part of her was still Alt and her and Johnny could live in cyberspace forever while V got her body back. Wishful thinking..

That all goes well and fine, except for having to watch Rogue die (I killed Smasher with Rogue's gun, btw), and then the big twist came. Alt tells me V will die anyway. Maybe I interpreted this literally, or I wasn't exactly listening because it was happening all too fast, but I was given two choices that seemed terrible: 1. Return to cyberspace forever; 2. Return to V's body as Johnny. I was under the impression that I could not return to V's body (I could). I decided that there was no way I could "fix" this if I returned to cyberspace forever, but that there may be a possibility of doing so by returning to V's body, so I sadly chose the latter.

Afterwards, that's where the story pretty much ends. And then voicemails, fucking gut wrenching. But then I learn that I could have chosen V. What?! That choice was never explicitly said? What I learned is that Alt meant that if Johnny returned to cyberspace, V would return home with and face her death anyway. So this is the ending I was most intending to have, and it's not even the "good" or "best" ending, yet I feel deceived out of it: Die a Legend.

I'm doing the Panam path now, which is considered the "best" ending. I judged it as a selfish ending to put all the nomads at risk. Not only that, this choice is probably much easier to make when you're male V and you romance her.

/rant

But how has this anything to do with multiple endings? It seems you misunderstood the game and thought a particular ending wasn't at all possible when it was. How's that a problem with mulitple endings?