First impressions are incredibly important, but the last few minutes of a game—whether right before the credits roll or in some cases after—often make or break an entire experience for the player. How does the story end? Are we left with some incredibly cruel cliffhanger? Does everyone live happily ever after? To pay tribute to some excellent storytelling, we've decided to highlight eleven games that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression.
Obviously, there are way too many games to possibly include all that are worthy of recognition, and some just have too many different endings that properly discussing them would be a headache and a half (I'm looking at you, Chrono Trigger) so please bear that in mind before you decide to chew me out. Okay? Thanks.
Oh yeah… SPOILERS are obviously bound to follow. If you weren't astute enough to figure that out for yourself, perhaps you deserve to have eleven of the best endings ruined for you. Alright, that may have been a bit harsh.
For a game that at first glance appears to be nothing more than a shallow third-person shooter set in Dubai, Spec Ops: The Line is incredibly deep, and it's all thanks to the ending. To come to the end of the journey and realize that everything you've been doing isn't quite what you thought it was is not only shocking, but completely horrifying, providing a look into the tragedy of war like no other game has before. If it weren't for the game's stellar ending, there would be little reason to give Spec Ops a second glance, which speaks volumes to its final moments.
10. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII is heralded by many as the greatest role-playing game of all time. Gamers love Cloud and Aerith, going so far as to dress up like them at gaming conventions. Crisis Core is special in that it serves as a prequel to the legendary RPG, providing the epic and emotional lead up to the events of FFVII. As such, the very last moments of this PSP classic not only tug on your heartstrings but fill you with a warm sense of nostalgia as you are lead to the opening moments of Square's PSone masterpiece.
9. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
When the Prince of Persia franchise got rebooted last generation by Ubisoft, it took the gaming world by storm. With incredibly fluid gameplay—which has gone on to serve as the inspirational foundation for Assassin's Creed—The Sands of Time was revolutionary when it first launched. But that isn't why the game will be forever etched into my mind. No, it's the time-bending ending that not only gives context to the storytelling structure of the entire game, but also serves up a satisfying and completely charming conclusion.
This collaboration between Square and Disney will forever go down in history as one of my favorite games of all time. Not because of the incredible meshing of Final Fantasy and Disney characters (although that was totally awesome) but rather the heart-filled conclusion that made my eyes well up with tears. To some it may sound ridiculous, but that final moment with Kairi in the cave touched an emotional nerve within me like few games manage to do. Ah young love, how cheesy, yet so very touching you may be. And that closing song Simple and Clean… yeah…
Bungie's conclusion to Master Chief's story just had to be included on this list. Sure, I may be a bit of a franchise fanboy, but it's hard to deny how totally awesome Halo 3's ending is. Why is it so amazing you ask? Well for one, Bungie manages to provide an ending that can hardly be classified as happily ever after, yet still serves as a satisfying conclusion while still keeping it open to future installments. That in and of itself is an achievement. Just watch it, you'll see what I mean.
Talk about a cliffhanger. You want to know why Half-Life fans are pleading for Half-Life 3? It is all thanks to the killer ending of Episode 2. I won't spell out exactly what happens at the conclusion of the game because watching it in the video to refresh your memory is far better, so please just give it a look. The complete sense of dread, confusion and hopelessness that you are left with when the screen goes black is shocking, emotional and downright painful. It's incredible.
5. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Many fans of Kojima's work will argue until they're blue in the face that Metal Gear Solid 3 is the best game in Konami's super-popular stealth-action series. From double-crosses, to Snake's emotional battle against his beloved mentor, the ending of Snake Eater is loaded with emotion. And then there's the epic finale in which Snake is given the title of Big Boss. This is a prequel done right. A story that not only stands incredibly well on its own, but does a great job in brining everything full circle. Ah, just thinking about it makes me want to go back and play it again… for a fifth time.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The conclusion of Rockstar's open-world western comes in two parts. First is the tragic death of the main character, who in his final act, lays down his life to protect his family. This is particularly heart-breaking in light of the fact that as John, you've spent the entire game striving to reunite with your family, just to have them taken away from you in an instant. Then there's the epilogue which centers around John Marston's son and quest for revenge against the man who killed his father. That final showdown is incredible.
Criticize Halo: Reach all you want, but you can't deny that the title's final moments are some of the best in all of gaming. Those who know the story are well aware of the impending doom that faces our protagonist and the entire planet. Attempting to hold back endless waves of Covenant as Noble Six while your life dwindles and the screen begins to crack, was an incredible use of the first-person perspective. There's hardly a more emotional way to end a game than with the death of a main character, and experiencing that through the eyes of the heroic Spartan was downright amazing. Honestly, how many interactive endings provide such a punch?
Metal Gear Solid will likely forever go down in my book as the greatest game of all time. After an intense battle with his brother, Snake manages to make a narrow escape from the Shadow Moses plant with Liquid hot on his heels. Your blonde-haired nemesis manages to survive the chase, only to collapse to his death moments later due to Foxdie (a whole other can of worms I won't get into for the sake of brevity).
But what gets me more than anything is the big reveal after the credits roll. It was at this moment that I was forever sold on the Metal Gear universe and Kojima's style of storytelling. Sure, it jumps feet-first into convoluted territory, but that's part of its charm. The ending alone is reason enough to play this game… Mr. President.
So, what did we leave out? I'm sure there are loads of amazing endings that you believe are worthy of a mention. As such, let your voice be heard in the comments below.
