Awesome Video Game Endings: A Retrospective

My picks:

Satisfying endings:

Braid

FF7: Crisis Core (even though I knew how it would end, it was still well done)

Mafia

Second Sight

Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Xenoblade Chronicles

Disappointing endings (in games where I expected better):

Anachronox

Dishonored

Dreamfall

Half Life

Myst

After getting used to her on Gamespot News every day, Jess sounds REALLY weird in this video. Like she has the flu or something.

lol

Best endings on my list are Fable 1 and 2, Halo (1 and 3), (Metal Gear Solid), (Mass Effect), Half life 2 and episode 2, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, (Fallout 3), Skyrim, Ocarina of Time and Portal 1 and 2. My top 5 are in parentheticals.

Final Fantasy VIII, FF Tactics, Walking Dead, Broken Sword engings, Clock Tower, Diablo 3 (despite the fact the game itself is shit), Skyrim main quest endings, Suikoden 2, Tenchu game series endings, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Persona 2: EP, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (endings and pre-ending events), Valkyrie Profile, Witcher, Tenchu.

I really liked ff7's crisis core ending too

ff8

Fallout 3 and Spec Ops: The Line made me shed a tear or two.

why donnt i see the videos anymore on gamespot.com!!!!! all i get is sound.

I know this is weird but The Legend of Zela: Twilight Princess and The Legend of Zelda; Skyward Sword Tons of you might say "Twilight princess sucks! Get a life man!' But i dont care those games are gold for my family also Sonic Colors also sonic Unleashed (explains my username) and the last: Sonic and the Black Knight tats so epic thats all and If you hate this comment dont read it

To the moon was SOO GOOD!!!

In my opinion, there are three things that make a game truly epic. First and foremost is the story. Without an engaging story, games are just special effects and mindless motion. Second is the gameplay itself. A great story is awesome but without tight, responsive controls and good pacing, the story may be too frustrating to finish. The third is the ending. Every epic game deserves an ending that leaves you watching the credits saying, "Man, that was awesome!" or "Wow did that really just happen?!"

With that being said, my top three epic endings are:

1. Red Dead Redemption. I literally sat through the credits on this one with a feeling of awe (yes after Marston is avenged by his son). Marston's character is so well developed that losing him in the end is gut wrenching and yet somehow appropriate. What really makes the ending incredible is that you should have seen it coming but when it actually happens it is unexpected.

2. Gears of War 3. After years of following Marcus Phenix on his bloody journey to save humanity from the locust hoard, Gears delivers a satisfying ending to what will be remembered as one of the very best shooters ever developed.

3. InFamous. This game gets my #3 spot simply based on shock factor. If there is one thing you don't expect from an open world game based predominantly on the choices you make as you venture through the story, it is that in the end, the villain you have grown to hate is actually the future version of yourself come back in time to make you ready for what happens next. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.

How is it possible that none of these epic endings made the list?

C'MON, GAMESPOT!!

WHERE THE HELL IS JOHN MARSTON AND HIS EPIC ENDING FROM RED DEAD REDEMPTION?!?!?!?

Btw, here are some of the best game endings I've played (not in relevance order):

- Red Dead Redemption (already mentioned);

- Final Fantasy X (FF VII ending sucks, btw)

- Shadow of the Colossus;

- Mass Effect 2 and 3 (yeah, no jokes here: ME3 included, because even knowing all about "the indoctrination theory" - which I'm 100% certain it would be the REAL ENDING, far better - the presented ending of the game carried out too much emotional weight, about "self-sacrifice for a greater good", and your companions. Still, it's a shame that EA crapped over the indoctrination theory though - it would be something very special and unique);

- Star Wars: KotOR II (yeah, no jokes again: KotOR II. If you fixed the game with restoration mods and played it, you know what I mean: it's better that KotOR);

- MGS: Snake Eater;

- Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

My favorite sad ending games:- Mafia The City of Lost Heaven, Red Dead Redemption, and God of War III.

I have to say Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic. This is my personal best game ending. I still remember the feeling I had when I first saw both of the endings. Awesome game that was.

Okami's ending had me tearing up pretty good.

I still get pretty emotional even today with the ending of Ocarina of Time - truly one of the best. I love the endings of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI a hell of a lot also.

Of all the games I've played these last 25 years, the one's ending that still comes to mind, ahead of the rest is Planescape: Torment

The "good" ending to BioShock put a tear in my eye.

Lost Odyssey, Halo 3, Final Fantasy X & VII and Xenosaga Episode III

Alan Wake, MGS 4, Halo 3, Cod 4, Far Cry 3 and the Witcher 2

This is a poorly written review. The meta-critic & user scores clearly show this article has no credibility.

This is a very poorly written article. The user score indicates fans do not agree and the meta-critic score indicates critics do not agree. There is obvious bias here. This writer should consider resigning if they have played so many video-games that they can not review a new one fairly.

talking about awesome game endings without FFX ending?

FAIL

and FF7 ending was just another generic ending. nothing special.

Pacman. The ending is so intense that it CRASHES YOUR GAME.

Tetris.

That Street Fighter game with Mario in it.

My simple votes go with Red Dead Redemption and KOTOR.

But I also gotta plug the Metal Gear games- b/c those long, drawn out, confusing endings were gifts that kept the games in your mind weeks after finishing them.

Also I have to vote for Mass Effect 3... thats right... for real... I have never been as emotionally affect by the end of a game as that one (and not just b/c I didn't like the way it ended). As I was making that last choice I felt the emotional impact on all those characters that I spent time bonding with and the heartbreak they would have b/c of my death(especially as the last cut scene ran). It was heart breaking knowing that my "love interest" was going on alone, that her and Shepherd weren't going to live 'happily ever after.' It put a whole new spin on the 'self-sacrifical hero' thing... to me, that makes a great ending. I wanted a 'happily ever after' ending and didn't get it BUT I really get and appreciate the Mass Effect 3 ending regardless.

Why wasn't Prince of Persia: Sands of Time included? I loved the ending, it's circular nature as it wraps up from where it began. It was fantastic!

Now I know it was Clichéd but I just love Mafia's ending. I really felt for the central character there.

Disagree with Heavy Rain. I rules him out as the killer early on as the dev cheated and used a different character model for the scenes where you see him with his face covered, felt that was unfair.

You wont see quality endings to games anymore. It's all about milking franchises and shoving it out the door to make money. Thats it. Period. Quality is dead in gaming now.

The spoke dialog during the parts of the video where the narrator is on screen sounds muffled and a little dead in comparison to the rest of the video.

I guess awesome is a relative term but how is Nier not on that list, its even more brutal than SoTC.

I don't know OOT and To The Moon really got to me. I think it was the sad music. lol

Vagrant Story had an ambiguous ending, but a brilliant credits music score.

Final Fantasy 4 and 6 had better endings than 7.

MGS4 had a massive ending. However the groundwork was laid with MGS and its endings depending on if you saved Meryl.

How about faux endings? Castlevania SOTN - You get to the top of the castle, then realise you have to play the upside down version.

Mine have been mentioned but: KOTOR, Longest Journey, and of course Leather Goddesses of Phobos

Two games come immediately to mind when it comes to best endings:

Planescape Torment and Cryostasis. Both endings leave you wondering and you keep thinking about it for a while. That's what makes a great ending.

My favorite ending, now thats a hard one, mines has to be Mass effect 3, that game wowed me I mean that ending was so good, na just joking:D But seriously there's so many good games with out standing endings, but if I had to pick one of the top of my head I would pick Halo CE. (SPOILER ALERT)U can't beat driving through an exploding cruiser avoiding metal beams falling of the ceilings, driving through hordes of Covenant and flood while their to busy fighting each other to stop u. only to finally get to the LZ and your only hope of escape is shot down, u quickly panic and u soon learn there's still a Long sword fighter left in the hanger, so u get back in your Warthog and race for the hanger jumping huge distances and avoiding more enemy and explosions. And when u finally get to the hanger u have about 30 seconds left to get to the fighter, so u make a mad dash as if your life really did depend on it, when u finally get into the fighter u see about 50 flood almost reaching the door as u just press the button. and as your speeding away from the beautiful ring world u watch it explode and u immediately think of all the amazing times u had playing the game, I know i went into alot of detail there lol but Halo CE in my opinion is the best ending ive seen in a game yet. :D

Maybe list the games that you're about to spoil in the beginning of the video.

From the ones in the video, I'd agree with Shadow of the Colossus. Brilliant game and brilliant ending in terms of minimalistic storytelling. I'm still playing To the Moon, so I skipped that part of the video :P

As for games not mentioned here, The Longest Journey comes to mind. That game had a really fun story and a rather unusual ending.

No one mentioned Unreal 2. That was a good game and the sad ending was a huge gamble that for me paid off, i cried during that cutscene man.

My fave game endings (off the top of my head): FFVII & VIII, Star Wars: KOTOR, Mass Effect 1 & 2, Heavy Rain, Starcraft 1 & 2, MGS3, Star Wars: Force Unleashed, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, God Of War 2, Uncharted 2. MOST DISAPPOINTING: Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect 3 & Mass Effect 3.

The best video game ending would personally would be MGS4.

Heavy Rain and Mafia.

Is Bioshock Infinite's end spoiled in this video? I'm holding of because of possible BI spoiler.

gotta go with either Red Dead Redemption, or Max Payne 3, those endings just put big cherries on already amazing games!

KOTOR I - surprising, Bioshock - emotional, The Curse of Monkey Island 3 - hilarious, Gears of War 2 - pure awesomeness

Chrono trigger was a great ending as well, also one of the best games ever...they should do emulators for xbox :)

Xenoblade Chronicles had an awesome ending IMO.

Ghost and Goblins, great ending...after having to complete the game fucking twice!!!