The Greatest Video Game Endings of All Time
Mar. 26
God of War
What Made it Great:
Players who completed the original God of War in its entirety were treated to a final cinematic where Kratos impaled the chest of Ares with a massive sword causing the dying God of War to make gurgling noises as blood sprayed out of his punctured torso. And if this gruesome scene wasn't enough to satisfy you, the video then goes on to show Kratos attempting to splatter himself by jumping off a cliff and the finale where the he goes on to become to new God of War. Deicide, suicide, and getting promoted from slave to God, what more could you possibly want from an ending?
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
What Made it Great:
A classic RPG like A Link to the Past couldn't have had anything but a satisfying ending, and that's exactly what this iteration of the Zelda franchise offers up. Basically we're treated to a montage of Hyrule's inhabitants and their various activities after Link dispels Ganon's curse. It's nice to see a lot of the characters you helped throughout the game and also look on the varied environments your quest led you through. Though the ending is in no way flashy or graphically impressive, there's something to be said about its simplicity that makes this ending memorable.
Final Fantasy VIII
What Made it Great:
With its interactive CG sequences and eye-popping pre-rendered environments, Final Fantasy VIII represented cinematic role-playing refined. Though FFVII broke the Final Fantasy series into the mainstream, its successor advanced the way RPGs conveyed their stories. After a trip into the future to battle the evil sorceress Ultimecia, reality begins to crumble around Squall and co. Rinoa finds Squall's body in the barren desert, anguished and heartbroken, but by the end you realize that he survived. The full ending is too great to fully describe (the SeeD celebration sequence depicted via camcorder is amazing), but it goes without saying the Squaresoft is the king of the cinematic RPG experience, and this ending proves it.
Dead or Alive 4 (Lei Fang's Ending)
What Made it Great:
Come on now, who doesn't get a little kick out of watching the overly-endowed DOA girls kick major ass? Quite possibly the best ending in DOA4 is Lei Fang's train ride clip. Watch as the clumsy business man accidentally invades Lei Fang's personal space. Pure Japanese hilarity ensues.
Okami
What Made it Great:
Bleep-bloop dialogue noise aggravation aside, Okami was truly a masterpiece of a game. During the final battle, Amaterasu becomes very close to death, but the following scene depicts everyone you've met in the game praying for Amaterasu to make it through. Okay, so this game got my "touching moment" nerve going, but if that wasn't enough, after the final battle Amaterasu flies off to the Celestial Plain, to watch over the world from the skies above. Believe us, after 60 hours of fine gameplay, you couldn't ask for a more satisfying conclusion.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
What Made it Great:
After going back and revisiting a bazillion video game endings, we've realized that about half of the games ever made end with nothing more than a giant explosion. And while giant explosions alone are cool, nothing beats the Terminator 2-style nuclear obliteration that occurs in the outro to Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Hey, it's better than watching the cardboard characters blab on about some crap that has nothing to do with slaughtering zombies, right?
Metroid
What Made it Great:
While the final message received at the end of Metroid for the NES wasn't even grammatically correct ("pray for a true peace in space"), the revelation that Samus was not only a girl but a busty redhead made for one hell of a historic ending.
System Shock 2
What Made it Great:
What made it great:
SHODAN's final monologue is both frightening and extremely awesome, giving HAL-9000 a run for his money. Unfortunately after destroying her, we're left to wonder... where the hell is System Shock 3?!
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
What Made it Great:
Before you scoff at the inclusion of the ending to this rotten Mortal Kombat sidescroller in our list, understand that it was not great because the conclusion to the game's story was anything special, but because it was so damn funny. If the horrendous acting in this clip doesn't cause you to chuckle, the cheesy outtakes that follow the credits will definitely make you a smile.
Soul Blade
What Made it Great:
What made Soul Blade stand out from endings in other fighters (which were generally one ending per character) was the inclusion of secret timed button commands that, when entered correctly during the ending cinematic, would change the outcome drastically. Now, we realize Soul Blade looks like a dinosaur now, but for its time it was a great fighter, and the alternate ending schematic made the game instantly replayable. Watch the clip to see how Siegfried changes into Nightmare!
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
What Made it Great:
Time bending story plots can be confusing but the people behind Prince of Persia: Sands of Time did an expert job of crafting a narrative that not only made sense but was actually compelling. It introduces a paradox but presents it in a clear and concise manner; it also helped to give a sense of context to the game as a whole. Messing around with the natural flow of time can lead to disaster but as Sands of Time proves, it can also result in an awesome game experience.
F.E.A.R.
What Made it Great:
F.E.A.R.'s ending where the main character infiltrates and destroys the Origin facility's reactor is unforgettable--just ask anyone who has played through the game if you haven't yourself. After the facility is blown to bits and reduced to a mushroom cloud, a Black Hawk helicopter gives you a lift and just when you think that it's a happy ending, a little surprise that has latched onto the chopper rears its ugly head and causes you to lose control of your bowels.
Resident Evil Zero
What Made it Great:
The Resident Evil franchise is widely known for its astonishing cinematics and Resident Evil Zero is certainly no exception. In the end of this zombie prequel, Billy catches a revolver in midair and fires it into the grotesque creature he is fighting, sending its entrails in every direction. At the video's conclusion, Rebecca acknowledges the "old mansion" they are standing in front of which is where Resident Evil takes place.
Tekken 2 (Kazuya's Ending)
What Made it Great:
The video that is shown after you beat Tekken 2 with Kazuya is particularly memorable not because of its mind-blowing CG (which looks about as crusty as an episode of Reboot), but because it is the most striking example of what a heartless bastard Kazuya is. In case you didn't know, the old dude in this clip who tries to save Kazuya only to be used as a human shield, is his dad.
Click here to watch part II of this ending.
Xenogears
What Made it Great:
In our opinion the best non-Final Fantasy PlayStation RPG, Xenogears was one hell of a crazy, epic wild ride. The plot was a bit convoluted at times, but Squaresoft did a great job wrapping up the story of Xenogears with an amazing finale. Interspersed with anime and CG, the close to twenty minute ending depicting Fei's final battle with Urobolus and its aftermath gives the word "epic" new meaning.
Click here to watch part II of this ending.
Final Fantasy VI
What Made it Great:
Final Fantasy VI was the real precursor to the cinematic experience of Final Fantasies to come, having arguably the most epic story arc of the 16-bit era. After crushing Kefka and extinguishing his maniacal laugh for good, we're treated to a great closing sequence showing all the characters escaping from the crumbling tower, and in true FF form the ending truly has as close to a movie-like experience as a Super Nintendo game could have.
Shadow of the Colossus
What Made it Great:
A game about destroying massive behemoth-like colossi better have a damn good ending, because anyone whos played SoTC knows that the "story" as depicted throughout the game was esoteric and confounding. Luckily the ending, while not quite answering all our questions is still extremely satisfying. I mean come on, you get to be an actual colossus for a few minutes! Also, if the whole baby thing confused you, think Ico. Make a judgment call from there.
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