I generally enjoy metal gear endings. I haven't finished 5 yet. I liked uc2 ending. The one that sticks with me most however is the original gow. I liked how it begun with the ending and brought you back to that point and you end up on the throne.
Spec Ops: The Line
Final Fantasy IX
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Ocarina of Time
Shadow of the Colossus
ICO
Silent Hill 2
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy X
Xenosaga: Episode 3
Xenoblade
Final Fantasy VI
The Last of Us
Alan Wake
Darksiders
Mass Effect 1 and 2
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Parasite Eve
Legend of the Dragoon
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Portal 1 & 2
Metal Gear Solid
Xenogears
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Chrono Cross
Kingdom Hearts
Did anyone mention The World Ends with You? It's not known for its ending like a lot of these games everyone is mentioning, but it's an extremely satisfying cap to the main character's arc, and I thought it wrapped everything up nicely.
The latest game with an ending I particularly liked was Shovel Knight. I know it's been mentioned, but that left me grinning as well as distraught over
I get that its not supposed to have a happy ending.
I mean
It shouldn't have had what I felt to be an unnecessary open ending. Either the firefly's should have done the surgery on Ellie and told him after cause they should have suspected after that long journey together he would not be so up for it. Or just give us a scene of Ellie leaving Joel after he lied to her about what happened. The way it ended made me feel like the final scene was missing.
Its not a bad ending I just didn't enjoy it as much as other things listed in this thread.
Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 and 3. They all nail their respective endings for different reasons. If pressed to choose a favorite, I'd be stuck between either 2 or 3.
Persona 3 and 4, but 3 stuck to me as the far more powerful ending even though I prefer 4's characters and story as a whole.
The Last of Us and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker also always comes to mind whenever I think of memorable videogame endings.
Final Fantasy also has some pretty good ones in VI, IX and X(the last one from what I vaguely remember anyway, it's been a long time since I've seen it).
Lastly, Chrono Trigger's has a lot of emotional value for me, specially when To Far Away Times starts playing.
I kind of hate to say this, but this shot/gif will be one of those things that defines a particular golden age of gaming that we may never see again. We'll be old farts 20 years from now telling young kiddies to get off our lawn and go play MGS3 on a PS2... And it's just that good. Couldn't think of a more perfect ending to such a perfect work of video game art. Inevitably, some will disagree and that's okay. I'm happy to read and investigate what others consider an "actually good ending". But for me, this just takes the cake. Nothing beats that salute.
I get that its not supposed to have a happy ending.
I mean
It shouldn't have had what I felt to be an unnecessary open ending. Either the firefly's should have done the surgery on Ellie and told him after cause they should have suspected after that long journey together he would not be so up for it. Or just give us a scene of Ellie leaving Joel after he lied to her about what happened. The way it ended made me feel like the final scene was missing.
Its not a bad ending I just didn't enjoy it as much as other things listed in this thread.
I just finished Mad Max a couple minutes ago, and while that game is definitely flawed and the story kinda loses direction and steam during the middle part... they pull it together towards the end. I really liked the final couple story beats and they totally nailed the ending.
It might've been cribbed from the movies, but that was a fantastic final shot into the credits roll.
I'd say The Witcher 3, only since I just finished it recently and the ending I got at least was just fantastic.
Baldur's Gate 2 : Throne of Bhaal had a pretty great ending too, or at least I remember it rather fondly.
Brothers was also particularly amazing with how it integrated the gameplay into the story in a way that completely took me by surprise and was quite emotionally affecting.
Uncharted 2's ending is satisfying. The last area was so impressive at the time, although the final boss is lackluster.
Red Dead Redemption's ending is deserved, and unexpected.
The Last Of Us also.
Wind Waker's ending almost makes the whole entire game for me.
Bioshock Infinite is the opposite of the original Bioshock (Infinite's story is kinda meh, but the ending pays off).
Bioshock 2 just for
I really liked MGSV ending, but i can see why so many people hated it. Story was a mess at that point, and it didn't felt like a proper pay off; that said, i still liked the twist, didn't saw it coming at all.
Persona 3 ending still holds up as my favorite one. That final scene, along with the credits song... first time a game made me cry.
I liked the twist, even though I saw it coming and just brushed it off thinking there's no way it would be that. I just didn't like how it was delivered in a simple prologue replay and how it just came so abruptly for the reasons it did... Xenogears disc 2 flashbacks.
Anyway. I've always loved Final Fantasy VI's ending. Maybe it's not so impressive being a simpler game, from a simpler time that isn't pushing cinematic boundaries and doing a Watchmen/Dark Knight era exploration of the medium... BUT it was such an amazingly done recap that made you love the journey on it's way out, as much as you loved it on the way there. Beautiful way to slowly decelerate something you didn't want to end.
Super Mario RPG's ending has absolutely no dialogue at all, but it wraps up everything in a very satisfying manner and does so with the most heartwarming music, and then it is all followed by a damn parade by the entire cast.
There are a lot of great games endings like FF 6 and Chrono Trigger, but Red Dead Redemption and TLOU had the biggest emotional impact on me. When you get
revenge
in RDR, I think I
pumped every last bullet into that traitor's body.
TLOU just made me cry and realize I would have done the exact same thing.
Shadow of the Colossus makes me cry more every time I finish it. Still counting 4-5 completions later.
Silent Hill 2. I dont think any other game has tackled the same subject. It's so real, so important. Mind blowing.
TLoU is seminal for videogames as well. After a degree in english lit and film it's still one of the greatest endings I've ever seen, in anything. So simple. So agonisingly. bittersweet. So powerful.
Same here. I loved TPP's ending. Well, I can't deny the game had big flaws on the whole, but I was very happy with it when the credits rolled.
I don't think Kojima could have made everyone happy. If he made a super plot heavy ending, MAYBE the hardcore story fans would have been happy, but everyone else (possibly the majority but we'll never know) would have said 'but this is just the same shit again. The same shit as the last games'.
save the person he loves instead of the people that killed his daughter and his friends? The people that tried to kill him? That tried to kill Ellie, the only person he cared by that point? To save this so called "world"? Would you sacrifice your *insert someone you love* for the "greater good"? Seriously? I am sorry but if your answer is "yes" I gotta say I sympathize much more with Joel than with you. Was he selfish? Absolutely. Was he wrong? This is a completely different question, in which I believe the answer is NO, he was not wrong at all. You can have your utilitarian vision though.
Btw, it is for this very reason that I think TLOU ending is the best of the medium. It evokes feelings and questions of all kinds. Not to mention the perfection and geniuse of the final dialogue, the music, the pacing and the use of character control to mirror the intro.
save the person he loves instead of the people that killed his daughter and his friends? The people that tried to kill him? That tried to kill Ellie, the only person he cared by that point? To save this so called "world"? Would you sacrifice your *insert someone you love* for the "greater good"? Seriously? I am sorry but if your answer is "yes" I gotta say I sympathize much more with Joel than with you. Was he selfish? Absolutely. Was he wrong? This is a completely different question, in which I believe the answer is NO, he was not wrong at all. You can have your utilitarian vision though.
Btw, it is for this very reason that I think TLOU ending is the best of the medium. It evokes feelings and questions of all kinds. Not to mention the perfection and geniuse of the final dialogue, the music, the pacing and the use of character control to mirror the intro.
Relax dude, you don't need to take it that seriously. It's a video game; no need for ad hominems.
Joel as an individual was hardly worthy of sympathy since the beginning, and while his descent further was fascinating to watch, it didn't change his status as a nominal hero that abandoned most of his empathy by the end. He was a hypocrite and a few steps away from a sociopath. The way I see it, the only argument that can be made why he wasn't wrong in the end is that the Fireflies were super incompetent and the experiment was bound to fail, which seems quite likely. Even then, it doesn't change the fact you were made to shoot an unarmed doctor. Not Joel in a cutscene, you. Would have been easy to just take Ellie and run, but nope. ND had to drive home how little of a shit Joel cares about human life that isn't Ellie, and not even for the sake of survival.
I'll say the exchange between Ellie and Joel that followed the whole thing was well done, but it was still an unsatisfying climax that sapped away Joel's last bit of sympathy and just made a lot of the game feel like a massive waste of time. Hope spots like what the final arc of the game utilized can absolutely be done well, but IMO it wasn't here.
The end of a story is the hardest part to get right.
From last gen, Deadly Premonition and Spec Ops: The Line both nailed it. Fantastic games with fantastic endings. Sword & Sworcery had an apt ending too.
I'll also say that BG2:ToB, with the epilogue chapters, felt very good. It felt complete and closed. Though it didn't have the emotional impact of something like TWD, it still felt amazing after completing that saga.
To The Moon I'm ambiguous about. (I don't know if it's a spoiler, but gonna tag it anyhow)
On the one hand, it was way too happy and perfect, but then you remember it never actually happened and it turns into a bittersweet ending which I quite liked
Relax dude, you don't need to take it that seriously. It's a video game; no need for ad hominems.
Joel as an individual was hardly worthy of sympathy since the beginning, and while his descent further was fascinating to watch, it didn't change his status as a nominal hero that abandoned most of his empathy by the end. He was a hypocrite and a few steps away from a sociopath. The way I see it, the only argument that can be made why he wasn't wrong in the end is that the Fireflies were super incompetent and the experiment was bound to fail, which seems quite likely. Even then, it doesn't change the fact you were made to shoot an unarmed doctor. Not Joel in a cutscene, you. Would have been easy to just take Ellie and run, but nope. ND had to drive home how little of a shit Joel cares about human life that isn't Ellie, and not even for the sake of survival.
I'll say the exchange between Ellie and Joel that followed the whole thing was well done, but it was still an unsatisfying climax that sapped away Joel's last bit of sympathy and just made a lot of the game feel like a massive waste of time. Hope spots like what the final arc of the game utilized can absolutely be done well, but IMO it wasn't here.
The intent may have been to sap away that feeling you had for Joel being a genuine caring person rather than some asshole who is looking out for himself. In the scene you can tell Ellie doesn't believe his lie, but would rather live with that lie than with the truth in the same way Joel chose to live with the belief that "saving" Ellie was his only choice, as he has with so many other decisions. They both need to do it in order to survive which really drives home the rest of the games points about doing what is necessary to survive above all else, even if it is morally the worst option. It's more about Ellie being brought down than Joel being uplifted. Making the player feel like a scumbag is a great ending, you should after you basically ruined the lives of nearly everyone you've been in-contact with during the game,for both selfish and noble reasons, as both Joel and Ellie.
Relax dude, you don't need to take it that seriously. It's a video game; no need for ad hominems.
Joel as an individual was hardly worthy of sympathy since the beginning, and while his descent further was fascinating to watch, it didn't change his status as a nominal hero that abandoned most of his empathy by the end. He was a hypocrite and a few steps away from a sociopath. The way I see it, the only argument that can be made why he wasn't wrong in the end is that the Fireflies were super incompetent and the experiment was bound to fail, which seems quite likely. Even then, it doesn't change the fact you were made to shoot an unarmed doctor. Not Joel in a cutscene, you. Would have been easy to just take Ellie and run, but nope. ND had to drive home how little of a shit Joel cares about human life that isn't Ellie, and not even for the sake of survival.
I'll say the exchange between Ellie and Joel that followed the whole thing was well done, but it was still an unsatisfying climax that sapped away Joel's last bit of sympathy and just made a lot of the game feel like a massive waste of time. Hope spots like what the final arc of the game utilized can absolutely be done well, but IMO it wasn't here.
Isn't the brilliance of the ending that it can evoke such strong emotional reactions from the both of you for different reasons.
How much you sympathize with Joel could make for an interesting case study, and I am certain a lot of it has to do with the life experience of the player. For example, in the hospital room I shot all three doctors without a moments thought as all I cared about in that moment was protecting Ellie. Was it irrational on my part to not consider my actions and the consequences, sure.The fact that I didn't even think about that says a lot about me as a person and the fact that you actively wanted to fight it says a lot about you. Whether that was the intention of the designer I can not be sure, but that is why I think that scene works so well.
Edit: Another brilliant thing about that scene is that you could not achieve that emotional response in any other medium.
