The various worlds in gaming can touch the hearts of many by captivating individuals with intricate storytelling, gorgeous graphics that immerse the player into the world, and fun gameplay making the player feel as if they are the catalyst for these events playing out on the screen. Essentially, they act like an escape from our bland and ordinary reality. Interestingly enough, despite the common motif that the adventure is more important than the end result, it can be just as important as the latter. Video game endings are like the epilogue of a novel that the reader spends hours and even days reading, unable to put the book down, or a movie that holds true to the promise of an ending that can be left up to the viewer's interpretation.
This feeling is especially prominent in the video game industry. RPGs excel at this, given that the genre is all about weaving together webs of stories, often intertwining into the paths of the characters in it. Even a game that is strictly linear can have the same emotional impact. But then again, there are the select few game endings that leave the whole adventure and effort put into getting there on a sour note. An ending that completely leaves the player confused is one thing, but one that aggravates them is another entirely. This list will count down 10 endings to video games that were worth the effort, and 10 that completely failed to bring the promises of rewards they made. Bring out the strategy guides, ladies and gents, if you want the true ending but be forewarned, these are major spoilers.
20 WORTH IT: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME
This game, along with many on this list, separates itself from others amongst all eras of gaming because of the immersion that the player feels. At the start of Link's quest, the player feels bottom-tier, after all, this is a child's fantasy, up until one braves the dank cellars at the bottom of the well in Kakariko Village, let alone the Shadow Temple itself.
However, as Link confronts Ganondorf head-on in his castle, the final showdown is at hand. The player then realizes their destiny that the game foretold. Immediately after the battle is won, and Ganondorf is sealed away, all of Hyrule's citizens gather to celebrate at Lon Lon Ranch, and Link meets Zelda, one more time.
19 NOT: STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC
Knights of the Old Republic was Bioware's emergence to glory in interactive storytelling within everyone's favorite franchise. Through your custom character, players could have their own motley crew and their own ship, and even train to be a Jedi. Or players could fall for the seduction of the Dark Side.
Upon the surprising plot twist of the main character's identity, the path they take onward will lead to the climactic battle aboard The Star Forge station consisting of a final duel with the Dark Lord while a starfighter battle ensues in the vacuum of space. Victory tastes sweet, but the ending ceremony is short and straight to the point -- no parting farewells to companions, or moments that wrap things up. You just get a pat on the back.
18 WORTH IT: LUIGI'S MANSION
For a Gamecube launch title, the tone of Luigi's Mansion is completely the polar opposite of what one expects from a Mario game. Luigi, at this point, is given more personality than the other Mario characters, let alone Mario himself and this game was his chance in the spotlight, and he did not get there easily.
His brother is trapped in a painting located somewhere deep in an old, dusty, derelict mansion full of spirits that they seemingly won in a contest they didn't even enter. In order to save his brother, Luigi had to endure an entire night of terror full of ghosts to get him back. The tears he shed upon his relief of his brother's safety conveyed more emotion than the all the previous games combined.
17 NOT: MASS EFFECT 3
The same method of build-up applies to the Mass Effect trilogy as it does for Knights of The Old Republic. However, the outcry of disappointment far exceeds that of KoToR, primarily due to the same ending every player receives regardless of their choices throughout the campaign.
Everyone perishes, or at least almost, and nobody was happy about it. Of worthy note, the developers had to create DLC specifically made to counter the controversy by making a plot scenario as if everyone did survive the climax. For a game series where choices matter and offers a different outcome to each game, this left fans with a sour taste in their mouths.
16 WORTH IT: BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT
In the Arkham series' finale, fans gave out mixed reactions over how final game played out. Overuse of the Batmobile aside, the atmosphere and the engaging narrative made Batman fans feel right at home. DC has always used universe out of regular continuity to get away with outlandish stories that often make us view the Caped Crusader in a different way, and the world of the Arkham games is one of the best.
Not surprisingly, Gotham is saved at the end, and (actually surprisingly) the Batman is finally revealed to be Bruce Wayne. Upon activating "The Knightfall Protocol", Batman seemingly ends it all himself, only to sometime later appear as a nightmare to several criminals. The true ending left many gamers with something to think about.
15 NOT: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (2006)
The concept of a dramatic and engaging story for Sonic The Hedgehog is a good one, but what matters is the execution, and Sonic The Hedgehog, or Sonic '06 as its known, did not execute well. From the game's glitches, rushed segments, and overall lacking quality, the game is an effort to get through.
The plot itself was also convoluted, complete with a time travelling hero and a Demon-God trapped in a girl. All of this while Sonic continues being the cheesy, free-spirited type he always is, making the game a slog to get through. The ending features Sonic and the Princess blowing out a candle that'll erase all the events that happened, negating their romance. This should be in Final Fantasy, no?
14 WORTH IT: FIRE EMBLEM AWAKENING
Awakening was meant to be the last installment of the Fire Emblem series, and ended up being its savior due to the immense love and passion put into it by the creators and fans alike who played it. With a wide array of diverse, quirky, and eccentric characters that felt human, this RPG/tactical game turned into a true journey that made the player go through emotions with certain character cutscenes.
There is also the added anguish of "permadeath" for characters if you play the game on the non-casual mode. The end credits that showcased all of your character's lives following the climax is truly satisfying, and the added feeling when finding out that your main character lives is very welcome.
13 NOT: METROID: OTHER M
The Metroid franchise is one that should have an endless amount of storytelling aspects that should be easy to translate to a video game. However, when Nintendo tried to make a Metroid game focusing on the narrative, it wasn't well executed. Samus' voice seemed too detached, however, at random intervals, she would display an exaggerated amount of emotion.
The gameplay was excellent, but the ending result didn't make sense. Samus' mentor, Adam perishes, and in his honor she would carry his helmet with her wherever she goes and officially joins the military. Keep in mind, Adam wouldn't let her equip her weapons unless he said so -- at her own detriment.
12 WORTH IT: PORTAL 2
While many fans tend to debate whether Wheatley should have been punished the way he was, what's known for sure is the relief we all had shared with Chell when we were told by GLaDoS herself that were to be set free. Aperture, especially at this point in the series, has shown what kind of horrors they can produce, all the while the player is trapped in a defunct, dank and derelict science center, being forced to solve dangerous puzzles.
Regardless, upon GLaDoS' acceptance and suprisingly nice demeanor of the whole situation, the player is greeted at the end with a choir of turrets as they make their way to the exit. Simply delightful.
11 NOT: BATMAN ARKHAM ASYLUM
Batman: Arkham Asylum was the best way to translate Batman or any superhero into a video game format. The game redefined combat to the point where gamers were saying of other games that "the combat is like Batman", and with the addition of Riddler puzzles, it was the perfect Batman game.
Packed with lore taken directly from the comics, this game not only serves as a nod to the fans, but provides the perfect entry way for newcomers into Batman's world. However, the final boss even made the freshmen of DC's fanbase uncertain. Joker's final battle wasn't a good interpretation of the Clown Prince of Crime, due to the fact that he acted as a brute as opposed to a genius, constantly one step ahead of Batman.
10 WORTH IT: SONIC UNLEASHED
Sonic, whether we like it or not, hasn't been very well looked upon due to the various ever-changing nature of the games. However, Sonic fans know for sure that the game that best showcases Sonic's true free spirit, is Sonic Unleashed.
Putting aside The Werehog segments, the game reveals the grand scope of things with its cinematic cutscenes straight out of something from Pixar, the different countries reminiscent of the real world, and the brilliant voice work of Jason Griffith. The ending farewell to Sonic's companion, makes the game feel like a film's ending rather than a game.
9 NOT: STAR FOX ADVENTURES
Star Fox is a game about anthropomorphic animals who act as pilots in an on-the-rails sci-fi space shooter. Star Fox Adventures took a more modern approach like The Legend of Zelda did with Ocarina of Time. However, as fun as that game is, it doesn't match the excitment and gameplay Star Fox is known for.
Fox McCloud is sent to a dinosaur planet where he meets his future fiance, and uses a magical staff instead of a blaster to thwart enemies. As it turns out, the game's villain wanted to resurrect Andross, whom was promptly defeated at the end of Star Fox 64. Oh, and Falco surprisingly shows up at the last minute, after he supposedly "quit" the team prior to the start of the game's main narrative.
8 WORTH IT: METROID (NES)
Metroid is a game about atmosphere. The theme of isolation in a hostile alien environment, as the player gradually gains more experience and item power-ups to help them traverse the foreboding planet is felt throughout the length of the game (most likely taking inspiration from the Alien series of movies).
However, the game wasn't easy and presented an immense challenge to gamers. The enemies' attack patterns were hard to predict, and engaging with them often depleted Samus' energy and ammo reserves. The game also did not come with a map (like most modern gamers are used to), making players feel like a rat in a maze. However, if they were able to beat the game in record time, they would unlock the true ending, and thus Samus was revealed to be a woman the whole time. Truly a poor sign of the times.
7 NOT: HALO 2
The Halo franchise is often compared to Star Wars for the sci-fi gaming community. With Master Chief's first instinct is to find a weapon for any situation, fans knew that they were in for a real treat when they were playing as the Spartan super soldier who tackles hordes of Covenant aliens head on.
However, Halo 2 prominently features the Arbiter, and most fans wish the game featured Master Chief alone instead. However, the ending was nothing more than a major cliffhanger, leaving many Halo fans upset since they put an incredible amount of time into it, only to realize that there wouldn't be any explanation to what they just witnessed.
6 WORTH IT: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA'S MASK
The mirroring world of Hyrule, known as Termina, in Majora's Mask is a very depressing place to be. With the moon's haunting presence over the world, threatening to engulf the world in flames, as well as the individual NPCs that players get to know along the way, it truly encapsulates the feeling of hopelessness at the end of the world.
This is especially rough because players spend most of the game travelling back in time to hopefully prevent the bleak fate of the world. However, the end credits shows all of their fears were abated and Link prevented the worst form happening. Skull Kid, the supposed villain, even pays tribute to the friendship he had with Link at the end. Simply sweet.
5 NOT: SONIC FORCES
Sonic Forces was supposed to be the return of modern Sonic gameplay, after the disappointment among fans from Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric. However, with the hype building around Sonic Mania on the horizon, Sonic fans were feeling hopeful once again.
With villains such as Chaos, Shadow, and Metal Sonic returning, Sonic Forces was shaping to be the worthy successor to Sonic Mania. However, things started to go downhill after the custom character trailer's reveal. Once the game came out, the game was very brisk, easy, and had the unsatisfying ending of watching Sonic and player-created character running off into the sunset.
4 WORTH IT: SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV
Super Castlevania IV is a remake (of sorts) of the original Castlevania on the NES. The original had the infamous ending screen that featured credits full of pun names for actors who supposedly played the roles of the bosses, and the text saying that the player was the most important role in this game.
However, Super Castlevania IV's ending had a much more emotional connection to the player thanks to a mix of the musical choice mixed with the gameplay footage of Simon Belmont encountering bosses from the game. The cherry on top of the ending was the satisfaction players got for beating a true 16-bit masterpiece.
3 NOT: GHOSTS 'N GOBLINS
Games in the '80s, colloquially known as the NES era, were extremely tough to beat on their own. Kids and teens often needed to subscribe to Nintendo Power just so then they would have maps to know where they were going in games like Metroid or The Legend of Zelda.
However, even with the best tips and tricks at hand, it could not make up for the extreme difficulty of some of the earlier games. Ghost 'n Goblins often leaves friends to dare one another to try and get to the second level. With a game that difficult, it felt really insulting when the ending screen just gave the player a pat on the head to try again but with an increase in the difficulty level.
2 WORTH IT: STAR FOX 64
Star Fox 64 was known for the introduction of the rumble pack, a feature that is still used in almost every controller today. Also, it's known for its gameplay, interesting story and the quirky and extremely quotable characters . The start of the game, it's revealed that Fox McCloud's father was killed by Andross, who turns out to be the game's final boss.
The player, or in this case Fox, engages Andross on his own at the end. If the player is victorious, and went down the correct flight path to the Planet Venom, the spirit of Fox's father guides him back home from an oncoming explosion, complete with a flight toward the sunset and a hefty paycheck.
1 NOT: PAPER MARIO STICKER STAR
Paper Mario Sticker Star was a disappointment among fans of the series. Removing what made the originals great such as the XP system, companion characters, the overworld, and most importantly, a good story. Sticker Star was devoid of any engaging story, other than the typical Mario synopsis of saving the Princess.
The central theme around stickers for battle options is an interesting idea, since the paper-like aesthetic the world has is brilliantly represented in the game's visuals. However, the ending felt as if it were treated as another Mario game, and not a unique ending made specifically for this game. It basically has all the characters in the end laughing off the game's hardships as if they were in a cartoon show.