The Best Game Endings (spoilers) - aka gush about awesome games

[twattycake]

Since there's a thread for worst game endings, I thought we should also have one for best game endings to go along with the protagonists and villains lists.

My personal favorite: Final Fantasy I

Spoiler: FFI ending

After a whole game of loosely connected quests in service of a vague prophecy, you finally learn the truth-that the whole thing was part of a time loop orchestrated and created by the tutorial boss from the start of the game, and everything you were doing was fitting into his master plan. And even though you fight and defeat said tutorial boss, nobody will remember or celebrate what you did, because breaking the time loop means it never happened. A clever (by mid-80s) and very bittersweet ending that ties everything together well.

 

[RG 448]

Undertale had a hell of a good ending. Say what you will about the rest of it, but Toby Fox knows how to conclude a narrative.

New Vegas had a killer finale too, where any effort you put into bulking up your army for the final battle is visible.

 

[Asperchewy]

I could go on for days on this subject, but to start:

Metal Gear Solid 2

Bioshock 1 and Bioshock Infinite

Silent Hill 1 (True ending)

Alan Wake

Max Payne 2

Star Wars: KOTOR

Mass Effect series

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

 

[Raging Capybara]

Sonic 2.

 

[Overcast]

Shadow of the Colossus... well, any of Fumito Ueda’s games had emotional endings.

Final Fantasy IX had a beautiful ending as well.

MGS3 was melancholy in the best way.

Klonoa 1 and 2’s endings were both bittersweet as hell.

Fallout 1 had a great ending ending as well. Especially if you had the Bloody Mess perk.

And of course another mention for New Vegas. So many different ways for things to end. It’s amazing.

 

[Bob Page]

Spoiler: Homeworld 1

After your foster home planet of Kharak gets incinerated by an empire due to a forgotten hyperspace ban, getting revenge on said fleet, having to (possibly) exterminate your racial cousins over a misunderstanding, and indirectly sparking a galaxy wide revolt and killing said empire's emperor, you at long last return home after a fight for survival. Cue Adagio For Strings.

Spoiler: Starcraft: Brood War

It may not be a happy ending, but I liked it for how dark it was.

-Kerrigan, the Queen Bitch of The Universe, becomes a dominant power in the sector.
-The Nerazim's(Dark Templar) beloved matriarch is dead and their greatest champion had to do it.
-Duran begins carrying out Amon's plans, seeding protoss/zerg hybrids all over the place, spooking Zeratul.
-Fenix and General Duke are dead.
-Aiur is claimed by the feral zerg.
-The UED Expedition Fleet is destroyed.
-DuGalle An Heroes.

 

[Graffiti canvas]

For the story that it was? Portal 2. You didn't feel like anything was left to mystery, you got closure with the antagonists... and your god damn companion cube.

 

[Sun Shihong]

Big Rigs.

 

[the autist of dojima]

No more heroes
Killer7
The red dead series
Gta 4
Zack and wiki
Dmc3
Most of the mainline smt series (fuck you 4 and apocalypse, pieces of shit made by the incompetent nu persona team, im still mad)
Digital devil saga 1
Sonic adventure 2

 

[Mammal Pod]

The Metal Gear Solid games. All of them.
Dead Rising 1
Persona 3 (and 5 for that sweet credits music)
Witcher 3 if

Spoiler

Ciri survives. Empress Ciri is my favorite ending though.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Not gonna lie, what happens right after beating the final boss in .hack//QUARANTINE still sticks in my mind to this day. After beating the last A.I. virus thing that’s been knocking people into comas, it lets out a last desperate attack as it’s dting, which is essentially a super-version of your own strongest special, immediately taking out all your party members(including the ones that weren’t in the in-game fight), insta-coma-Big them all. Another party member that abandoned you appears and takes the hit for you, and your character guessed pissed and starts tearing ass toward the final boss, dodging and ducking the attacks as they continue to chase him.

Essentially it’s like that Smash Ultimate’s World of Light trailer, only if instead of running, Kirby turned around and went full tilt toward that boss thing, aiming to blow a hole straight through it.

 

[Martys_not_smarty]

Bittersweet as it is, for me it's Terranigma.

Spoiler: Basic rundown from someone who played it years ago

Similar to the game that came before it Illusion of Gaia where you have to restore the world to it's original appearance by stopping some evil meteor thingy, in Terranigma you essentially shape the world after leaving your underground village that's supposedly hell but you don't know that. In the end after killing the baddy you go home to find out you and everyone you know will cease to be so the world you helped create can continue existing so you live your last day in the village where it all started with the end credits being you dreaming of being a bird flying across the world you helped create.

 

[Tanti-Fanti]

Honestly Pokemon Sun and Moon had a nice bittersweet ending that wrapped up the story nicely.

Undertale also had a really good ending. One of the few games I played in which everything felt complete at the end (no stupid sequel baiting bullshit).

Surprisingly any mario game that isn't mainline (the rpgs) usually has a good ending. I think the best one has to be after Bower's Inside Story

Spoiler: A little spoiler for it

After all the hijinks you pull being inside Bowser's body and helping him, you kind of grow to like the guy. Of course the status quo comes into play and once everything is done and over with, you have to go back to everything and Bowser is as grumpy as ever. However, instead of it being a typical funny ending, Peach actually acknowledges him helping save the Mushroom Kingdom and gives him a cake. It's a really sweet ending to a surprisingly funny game.

 

[IV 445]

Fatal Frame 2 had an ending that really punched you in the gut, like they were trying their best to make you feel as bad as possible.

Basically, to the best of your possible efforts, both protagonist and player, you don’t win.

It’s a good ending for a horror game, and one that has stuck with me for years and years after finishing.

 

[Keystone]

In addition to most of the other games listed already, I really liked Hitman Blood Money's ending.

 

[Duncan Hills Coffee]

Obligatory Spec Ops post. Not only does it completely recontextualize everything you done up to that point, it also ties up the game's overall themes in a nice little bow. No other game has had me feel as tense as I was during Spec Ops' final moments. And the incredible thing is even though I've played the game at least several times, that ending still retains its power.

 

[Desire Lines]

Fucking Ghost Trick, won't spoil it because it's too good, but people who have played it will know what I am talking about.

 

[R.A.E.L.]

Fatal Frame 2 had an ending that really punched you in the gut, like they were trying their best to make you feel as bad as possible.

Basically, to the best of your possible efforts, both protagonist and player, you don’t win.

It’s a good ending for a horror game, and one that has stuck with me for years and years after finishing.

Spoiler

As tragic as the canon ending is, it actually didn't make me feel bad. I think it's a good ending because, even though you end up having to kill your sister, the ritual is finally completed and all the tormented souls can rest. You can even see some of the priests cheering afterwards; it made me feel happy for them.

 

[Telomayonnaise]

Spoiler: RE4

"Hey Hunnigan, no glasses."

 

[Mammal Pod]

Fucking Ghost Trick, won't spoil it because it's too good, but people who have played it will know what I am talking about.

Goddamn I am ashamed at myself for forgetting about Ghost Trick.