"The Good, the bad and the Ugly ending" What do you think about "Endings" in games?

[saltyB]

"The Good, the bad and the Ugly ending" What do you think about "Endings" in games?

We all love and we all hate them! Endings...
Sometimes they can make a great game completely bad or if a ending is really well made, it just pushes the game in the last 10 minutes to complete awesomeness!

Developers treat their endings in many different ways. Some endings leave us players in rage, happiness or complete sadness...or the worst of all...the Devil of all endings...a Cliffhanger!

A Ending can be a intro or a Outro in the same time. It can answer all questions or leave us players alone with many questions. (Perfect to develop fan theories)

Do Real endings even exist especially nowadays where every gaming series get's one continuation after another.

Also what is a Perfect ending? What defines a perfect ending?


Leave your thoughts and opinions....well just say what you want about this Topic! I want to know it!



And my last little question: Which Ending made you feel empty or completely blown away?

 

[Engagerade]

nd my last little question: Which Ending made you feel empty or completely blown away?

Sad endings i consider memorable.
Bioshock 2's ending (including Minerva's Den of course) really got to me.
Silent Hill 2's ending crucified me.
Brothers - A Tale Of Two Sons wrecked me.
"John Marston flashbacks"

 

[Cheylus]

A good ending to me:
- something good had to happen before the ending (a good boss fight, or an interesting event),
- no cliffhanger,
- no sequel bait,
- a bit of poetry,
- sense of closure,
- no unecessary loose ends,
- no unecessary philosophical bullshit about the meaning of life and courage (unlike MGS1 for instance),
- no unecessary piles of texts (actually, less words = better),
- a sense of achievement, I need to feel like I've been through something for a reason,
- not a DLC ending,
- something that would move me a bit,
- a sense of mystery, a feeling that the story told could go on in my mind (and not in a fucking sequel).

That excludes most if not all ending I've seen in the last years. There are some game endings I can't even remember (GTA V, all the AC,... come to my mind). There are endings that are clearly not on par with the rest of the game (that's how I felt with TW3).
As for some ending "controversies", I'm not a fan of ME3 but I think the extended cut is OK, I've seen worse many times.
I think the "bad" ending of TW3 is actually the best out of the 3, it would have crush me if I had it in my first playthrough. Very well done

One of the reason Vagrant Story is my favourite game since 2000 might be the ending, which in my opinion had everything I mentioned above, plus an amazing orchestral score for the credits.
More recently, I think of The Walking Dead (season 1), Life is Strange, which were a bit more satisfying than usual.
I also, strangely, like Dark Souls 1 and 3 endings a lot (although I can recognize those endings are mediocre in many ways), because what you could do resonates with me (not kindling the fire). Dark Souls doesn't give you your actual candy for beating the game.

 

[saltyB]

A good ending to me:
- something good had to happen before the ending (a good boss fight, or an interesting event),
- no cliffhanger,
- no sequel bait,
- a bit of poetry,
- sense of closure,
- no unecessary loose ends,
- no unecessary philosophical bullshit about the meaning of life and courage (unlike MGS1 for instance),
- no unecessary piles of texts (actually, less words = better),
- a sense of achievement, I need to feel like I've been through something for a reason,
- not a DLC ending,
- something that would move me a bit,
- a sense of mystery, a feeling that the story told could go on in my mind (and not in a fucking sequel).

These are some very good points!
I guess a good ending would be the same for me too!

"a bit of poetry" is interesting? What do you exactly mean with that?

"a sense of mystery" well...that's how fan fiction was invented i guess.

That excludes most if not all ending I've seen in the last years. There are some game endings I can't even remember (GTA V, all the AC,... come to my mind).

Yep and that's what is really disappointing in the end! Normally the beginning and the ending should dominate in a Videogame storyline...but that's not the case sadly.

 

[Garrison72]

I'm one of the few who didn't like RDR ending. Mainly because there's no convincing motivation for the evil sheriff to turn on Marsten, and I've seen the blaze of glory death scene in about a dozen westerns already. It's a rare thing when a game gets a good ending. I see it botched more often than not. Ones that stood out to me:

TW1
TW2
ME1
DA:O
Shadow Warrior reboot - a surprisingly touching ending
Diablo 1
GTA5 - if you go with the option to not kill Trevor or Michael, it has a pretty cool ending
Metroid
Zelda
First Tomb Raider reboot
Doom Reboot

 

[M4xw0lf]

Planescape Torment has one of the best endings - I think its fame is in no small part based on that epic ending.

 

[cyberpunkforever]

in a perfect enddng there are no loose ends, it is cinematic, you see the consquences of your actions,
im not atliking about a bad enidng beeing the "sad ending" an ending can be sad an stll be great
but bad ending is made of images in two colors or slideshows and leave lots of questions unanswered.
an insult-ending is the ending from mass effect 3, nothing makes sense, not much to analyze

 

[Cheylus]

These are some very good points!
I guess a good ending would be the same for me too!

"a bit of poetry" is interesting? What do you exactly mean with that?

"a sense of mystery" well...that's how fan fiction was invented i guess.

Yep and that's what is really disappointing in the end! Normally the beginning and the ending should dominate in a Videogame storyline...but that's not the case sadly.

By poetry I don't mean flowers and waterfalls (...even if I liked the ladybug thing in TW2). I don't know, two people looking at each other without it looking cringy as hell could fit (or Geralt looking at the player...). I would qualify Dark Souls 1 and 3 endings as poetic in a way. The "bad" ending in TW3 is very poetic on top of being very sad, in my opinion.
In fact, I would think of "poetry" as something that would sum up something immense, subtile, delicate, and/or nonprehensile, or hardly understood through words. It doesn't have to be emotional though (I'm usually hermetic to "emotions" in games).

 

[Phinnway]

I'm not sure what makes a "good" ending. But I can tell you that I felt empty when I finished The Witcher 3, and I mean that in a good way. It was the bittersweet feeling you get when you finish a good book and know that your adventure with those particular, lovable characters are over. Maybe it was the life-like characters in TW3 that made the ending bittersweet?

---------- Updated at 04:05 PM ----------

In fact, I would think of "poetry" as something that would sum up something immense, subtile, delicate, and/or nonprehensile, or hardly understood through words.

Indeed. Poetry is nothing more than having something insightful or profound to say, and expressing it in the most poignant way possible.

 

[saltyB]

Maybe it was the life-like characters in TW3 that made the ending bittersweet?

It surely was! As a player you develop some kind with relationship with the Characters and well....in the end no one is there anymore. So on one side it is good that it finally ended and everybody survived and is kinda happy (if you had a good ending of course) but on the other side you know that everyone will be gone now.

---------- Post Merged at 10:10 PM ----------

By poetry I don't mean flowers and waterfalls (...even if I liked the ladybug thing in TW2). I don't know, two people looking at each other without it looking cringy as hell could fit (or Geralt looking at the player...). I would qualify Dark Souls 1 and 3 endings as poetic in a way. The "bad" ending in TW3 is very poetic on top of being very sad, in my opinion.
In fact, I would think of "poetry" as something that would sum up something immense, subtile, delicate, and/or nonprehensile, or hardly understood through words. It doesn't have to be emotional though (I'm usually hermetic to "emotions" in games).

I understand!

---------- Post Merged at 10:14 PM ----------

in a perfect enddng there are no loose ends, it is cinematic, you see the consquences of your actions,
im not atliking about a bad enidng beeing the "sad ending" an ending can be sad an stll be great
but bad ending is made of images in two colors or slideshows and leave lots of questions unanswered.
an insult-ending is the ending from mass effect 3, nothing makes sense, not much to analyze

Yep, i agree!

Yeah sad endings are great too...if they are done right. Best example is Red Dead Redemption.

 

[Pug.]

Best ending in recent memory: Uncharted 4

Worst ending in recent memory: Bioshock Infinite Burial at Sea Part 2

I'm not a big fan of sad endings.

 

[saltyB]

Best ending in recent memory: Uncharted 4

Worst ending in recent memory: Bioshock Infinite Burial at Sea Part 2

I'm not a big fan of sad endings.

Well no one is a fan of sad endings i guess...

 

[Rawls]

ME1 and The Last of Us are my two modern-ish favorites. I love TW3 epilogues. If you consider them the "endings" they are up there as well. The climax is not as ideal though ... so that's why it's not included with the other two for me.

The best endings are bittersweet IMO. Victory with some loss. The biggest thing is they must be thematically appropriate and be a natural conclusion to the story that has been told. They also should include consequences from the protagonist's decisions (whether the decision is made by the writers or the player). Agree that the ending should not be DLC dependent.

 

[saltyB]

ME1 and The Last of Us are my two modern-ish favorites.

For me ME2 had the best ending in the Mass Effect series. I sadly have no Playstation, but i would love to play The Last of Us, especially because of the story and the ending.

I love TW3 epilogues. If you consider them the "endings" they are up there as well.

Hm...yeah, the ending of The Witcher 3 isn't really a ending in that case. I would even say that, it is more a mix of a Cliffhanger and a DLC ending to be honest? Regarding to Blood and Wine!
But yeah The Witcher 3 is a fantastic game, but the ending is a real problem for me.

The best endings are bittersweet IMO. Victory with some loss.

Yep, i kinda agree! It makes you more emotional attached to a ending. Take Red Dead Redemption or even Max Payne for example. Both heroes achieved a victory somehow...but in the end...it didn't changed anything really. This kind of a ending is also probably more "realistic" if you want. Because every Victory comes with some loss, as you correctly said!

The biggest thing is they must be thematically appropriate and be a natural conclusion to the story that has been told. They also should include consequences from the protagonist's decisions (whether the decision is made by the writers or the player).

That is a very important point, if not the most important for a good ending. I think many games fail because of that sadly.

That's why i liked the ending of Mass Effect 2 so much. Your decisions and how you interact with characters in the whole game can change the outcome of the ending, which makes is really understandable and good.

Agree that the ending should not be DLC dependent.

Of course! This is by far the worst thing...together with Cliffhanger endings...>.>

 

[KingHochmeister]

A good ending to me:
- something good had to happen before the ending (a good boss fight, or an interesting event),
- no cliffhanger,
- no sequel bait,
- a bit of poetry,
- sense of closure,
- no unecessary loose ends,
- no unecessary philosophical bullshit about the meaning of life and courage (unlike MGS1 for instance),
- no unecessary piles of texts (actually, less words = better),
- a sense of achievement, I need to feel like I've been through something for a reason,
- not a DLC ending,
- something that would move me a bit,
- a sense of mystery, a feeling that the story told could go on in my mind (and not in a fucking sequel).

Pretty much this, and I do emphasize the "not a DLC ending" part, I have no idea why gamers endure this crap and let game developers get away with it for so long.

As for me, I do think Red Dead Redemption has the "perfect" ending for me, it has closure, and a "bossfight" that has a lot more satisfaction than I ever had in a videogame so far, and a sense of poetry.

As for the Witcher games, Witcher 1's ending was really poetic, I loved it, Witcher 2's ending was pretty much exposition done with good writing, Witcher 3's endings vary in terms of quality for me, the "good" ending has the least quality, the "bad" ending has more quality and feels the most "right" and the nonsensical "bittersweet" one is more akin to the books in terms of tone and has the best "quality" put into it even though it is nonsensical if you count the books into the equation and Ciri as a character.

I personally expected only Ciri to come out alive in the Witcher 3 conflict between the Aen Elle/Ciri's friends and that would have been in my mind the "perfect" ending, but alas it did not come to be.

I'm one of the few who didn't like RDR ending. Mainly because there's no convincing motivation for the evil sheriff to turn on Marsten, and I've seen the blaze of glory death scene in about a dozen westerns already. It's a rare thing when a game gets a good ending. I see it botched more often than not.

While I do get what you mean and the fact that they made the FBI agent irredeemable as a human being, it fitted the context of the game, the old "America" was being killed off slowly but surely and replaced with the modern one.

 

[saltyB]

and I do emphasize the "not a DLC ending" part, I have no idea why gamers endure this crap and lets game developers get away with it for so long.

People are dumb. That's why!

As for me, I do think Red Dead Redemption has the "perfect" ending for me, it has closure, and a "bossfight" that has a lot more satisfaction than I ever had in a videogame so far, and a sense of poetry.

Yep! I also love how we can finally take revenge with Jack Marston. It is the PERFECT ending for the best Western game ever released. in my opinion!

As for the Witcher games, Witcher 1's ending was really poetic,

Please explain to me, why the witcher 1 ending was poetic for you?

I personally expected only Ciri to come out alive in the Witcher 3 conflict between the Aen Elle/Ciri's friends and that would have been in my mind the "perfect" ending, but alas it did not come to be.

Wow. never thought about that to be honest. Now where you mentioned it, it would have been a bittersweet ending...but a ending that would have fit The Witcher pretty well i guess.

 

[KingHochmeister]

Yep! I also love how we can finally take revenge with Jack Marston. It is the PERFECT ending for the best Western game ever released. in my opinion!

Yeah, that was the bossfight I meant, had a mauser pistol, that says enough

Please explain to me, why the witcher 1 ending was poetic for you?

"That sword ... Is for monsters" said by the same man that Geralt raised, Geralt's own words of advice to a small child were twisted over time and created a monster, a monster hunter creating a monster then killing him with a silver sword, you can't get any better than that in terms of poetry, Dandelion pretty much had a field day with that one.

Wow. never thought about that to be honest. Now where you mentioned it, it would have been a bittersweet ending...but a ending that would have fit The Witcher pretty well i guess.

It was really surprising that it wasn't in the game, because that would lead her to fully become the "Lady of Space and Time" as she always was destined to be in the first place, but at least the "bad ending" is somewhat like that though not really, even if Blood and Wine pretty much destroyed that ending and made it completely worthless.

 

[figulus01]

Endings in these senses are stepping stones to beginnings and the MQ is now set for any number of new beginnings imo..can't wait.

 

[saltyB]

"That sword ... Is for monsters" said by the same man that Geralt raised, Geralt's own words of advice to a small child were twisted over time and created a monster, a monster hunter creating a monster then killing him with a silver sword, you can't get any better than that in terms of poetry, Dandelion pretty much had a field day with that one.

Ah, i understand now!
And yeah, i like these kind of poetry's in games...it adds always a nice touch to it!

It was really surprising that it wasn't in the game, because that would lead her to fully become the "Lady of Space and Time" as she always was destined to be in the first place, but at least the "bad ending" is somewhat like that though not really, even if Blood and Wine pretty much destroyed that ending and made it completely worthless.

After thinking about it, i am surprised too. Guess they really didn't wanted to kill off Geralt and everyone else. But yeah...would have also been a good bittersweet ending...Ciri's friends mostly death, but she did what she had to do and after that she is finally really free...

That would have been a Sapkowski ending if you ask me. Killing off Geralt and everyone else and Ciri being alone again.


But yeah...CDPR made many mistakes...>.>

 

[figulus01]

But yeah...CDPR made many mistakes...>.>

I think we have to be careful here...CDPR is the FUTURE for the WITCHER world.
T'aint wise to slavishly follow the words of the books as if they were devine...smells of angels..
Indeed,it could be said,CDPR chose to make their own decisions on the plot..rather than 'made mistakes.'

When the last Sap tome has been coughed up,are the avid readers going to turn their backs on the games?
I don't think so.So,lets agree..for the moment.. there are two distinct entities here, the books and the games..
enjoy each as you may.