by hunter5024
With an endless deluge of sequels in franchises that seemingly refuse to end, cliffhangers are the order of the day. Few games offer us closure on their story, and so I'm making this list to honor the special few that do. Story is the criteria by which the games will be judged, and so awesome last levels and bosses are irrelevant unless they compliment the narrative in an interesting way (such as in entry number 12.) Spoilers obviously, though they will be contained to each individual entry.
Showing 1-10 of 17 items
When Wander walks into the temple at the beginning of this game there is only one thing he wants, and he will do whatever it takes to make it happen. He kills these beautiful creatures one by one to fuel this dark desire. Every single breath of narrative in this game is building up to its grim conclusion. Having a singular wish as the entire premise for the story really got me wrapped up in it, and I wanted to see that wish fulfilled. To have all of that ripped away from me and Wander was heart wrenching. If only I could have held onto the steps for a second longer... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VtmwqkJJgA
I know the story in this game is admittedly a tad immature, but the characters motivations and relationships were developed enough that Kingdom Hearts convinced me to care about Kairi, Riku, and Sora despite what I expected from this game. So when the game ended and I found that all of the main characters were stuck separated from each other after working the whole game to be reunited, I felt pretty terrible for them. But this ending wasn’t just dreary for the sake of depressing you, while it could be viewed as a cliffhanger because they knew they were sitting on something pretty special with this franchise, they still managed to put a ton of heart into the final moments of this game. Kairi finding Sora’s drawing on the wall only to start crying before she can finish it is a really touching scene, and seeing it for the first time is one of my favorite video game memories. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ6VmDCZW68
What do you expect would happen if the entire world learned that the apocalypse was coming on the next full moon and it was inevitable? Anarchy? Fellowship? What if everyone simply decided to embrace it, to look forward to it? The ending of this game is about the people who refuse to take it lying down. This whole game is about relationships, and in the final moments of the world when the main character realizes that all of the people who he built these relationships with are spending their last moments with thoughts of him, he refuses to let the world end. And so it does not. Normally I hate endings where everything works out for no reason, but after all is said and done and the protagonist spends his final moments on the rooftop after keeping his promise I found there is no better way this story could have ended. This is my all time favorite ending. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrGP9ssc_TE
You know it's pretty obvious that Rockstar wrote themselves into a pickle with this one. Most of the major plot threads in Red Dead wrap up a few hours before the actual end of the game. They know where their story is going to go after that, and any rule of writing dictates that it should happen as soon as possible. However they know that it won't mean as much to you unless they convince you to care about his family. But they can't include them earlier in the game because that diminishes the player and Marston's motivation... So instead of rushing the ending, they give you some pretty menial missions towards the end to help his wife and kid grow on you. And even though he's a little snot, and she's pretty obnoxious, by the time those missions were over, I DID care about them. Which makes the government's betrayal of Marston all that much more effective, which makes his son's quest for vengeance that much more motivated, which makes his lawless turn that much more tragic. Each of these elements working in unison with each other builds up to a very satisfying end to the tale, and for that I forgive its unconventional final act. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKafS8zn5TI
I know that it’s pretty easy to award a games ending when it basically lets you have it however you want, but there are few games that delivered an ending that gave me such an emotional reaction. When my warden made the ultimate sacrifice, it tied together all of the threads of the narrative in a perfect cohesive way that it’s hard to believe this wasn’t a linear narrative. And then it delved into the consequences of each and every decision I made, no matter how inconsequential they seemed at the time, and explored in detail just how I left my mark on the world throughout my adventure. It doesn’t matter to me how badly the series gets mistreated after this game, or how the studios games have decreased in quality since the release of this game, because I know I will always have my wardens story to thank them for. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6CL4Zv-ZBg
Through most of the game Infamous' story was hit or miss for me. It had its high points, but other times it just felt trivial to the experience. Between that, and the comic book style cut scenes that (while slick) obviously didn't require much budget or effort, I was ready to write this off as a really great action game with an underwhelming story. However when Kessler reveals that he and Cole are one in the same my mind was blown. It tied together all of the events very nicely in a way that not only gave me new found respect for all of the fiction I’d just experienced, but also got me super excited for the prospect of a sequel. In that way, it made for the perfect ending to the first game in a franchise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQnyxRa9vIg
Okay it's pretty obvious for a story about time travel to end with the main character traveling back to before the time travely stuff began to fix everything, but that's fine. This story is so simple, and that's what’s genius about it, it plays to a ton of familiar tropes and that gives the story a very timeless, story book feel. It ends with everything back to normal, except the main character is wiser for his journey, because he learned from his mistakes. A simple tale that leaves you feeling satisfied with the adventure you’ve had. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8Hqb9cZlvs
I was surprised during the final hours of 13-2 when I found myself caring about Noel, Caius, and Yeul. They jam pack the latter parts of this game with a ton of interesting revelations which manage to justify a seemingly unjustifiable villain, and answer almost all of the lingering questions I’d had dangled in front of me throughout the whole game. I didn’t like the story very much leading up to the climax, and as it seemed everything was going to work out for the best (even negating what little sacrifice was made at the end of 13) I felt satisfied with that neat conclusion. And then shit goes south real fast. Serah drops fucking dead, and the world is seemingly destroyed, and it is All. Your. Fault. With the announcement of a third game in the universe it seems this was simply a cliff hanger designed to drum up excitement for the sequel, but I still feel like having the rug pulled out from under me and seeing the world that I’d just finally begun to care about destroyed before my eyes was about as satisfying an ending as Fabula Nova Crystallis could have possibly delivered. Like a big middle finger from Square sent personally to me. I felt so special. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V94d4jidVag
To me everything after the last boss in this game just oozes charm. Most endings have trouble leaving you wanting more without including some obvious cliffhanger. Other games have trouble giving you closure without going all out, such as with the death of a character, or the happiest possible scenario. Uncharted manages to feel like a complete contained story, by perfectly wrapping up all the loose threads, but giving you just enough information to ponder the future adventures of Drake, Elena and Sully, as they sail away into the sunset with smiles on their faces. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLyAElvMHVk
The crazy, occasionally nonsensical, often badass, usually hilarious endings to each fighters arcade mode in this franchise deserve some recognition. They use endings like a reward to propel you through the game, and even if you had to put up with using a fighter you aren’t particularly fond of, it’s usually worth it. I could dissect any of a dozen ending videos throughout the franchise and tell you all of the reasons why I think it’s amazing, but instead I think I will just leave you with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXrjo2U2onI&feature=fvst