On Endings
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
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As long as games want to be a storytelling medium, this will be an issue. Fortunately, with more focus on Multiplayer, it may not be an issue long.
Thinking about it, though, the producers really don't need to care about satisfying us, which is annoying. Yahtzee's right, and I was totally going to argue that they need decent ending to help sell more titles, but the fact is, the intro is going to be the focus of their next game (whether it's a sequel or not), and the mediocre ending will be forgotten, ignored, or forgiven.
So we're really screwed.
Another part really resonated with me. I've been chopping down a novel to make it more publishable. I've been through this thing four times; first write, second write/first edit, second edit, third edit. Every time, I start off with some energy, then the middle sort of becomes a slog. Even in fiction, there are things you MUST do. Then I get towards the end, and I'm suddenly very, very motivated again. Energetic, excited, whatever.
Not to compare myself to game designers or established storytellers. I am neither. Still, I identify with that sentiment.
Thinking about it, though, the producers really don't need to care about satisfying us, which is annoying. Yahtzee's right, and I was totally going to argue that they need decent ending to help sell more titles, but the fact is, the intro is going to be the focus of their next game (whether it's a sequel or not), and the mediocre ending will be forgotten, ignored, or forgiven.
So we're really screwed.
Another part really resonated with me. I've been chopping down a novel to make it more publishable. I've been through this thing four times; first write, second write/first edit, second edit, third edit. Every time, I start off with some energy, then the middle sort of becomes a slog. Even in fiction, there are things you MUST do. Then I get towards the end, and I'm suddenly very, very motivated again. Energetic, excited, whatever.
Not to compare myself to game designers or established storytellers. I am neither. Still, I identify with that sentiment.
That's a load of crap. The difference is that it's impossible for some games to work a decent story into the framework. If you were going to "break down" movies into sub-mediums, (which I only did to games because they are the combination of every entertainment form ever created) the story would be the most important and good visuals and sound would be the "added bonus." Yes it is true that some stories are better suited for video games, some for movies, and some for novels- but a movie or novel without a story can't be redeemed, while video games without a story can still be life changing experiences. Are you saying that Picross for DS isn't worth playing because it doesn't have a story? What about Tetris? Limbo? Super Mario Bros.? Imagine trying to build a logical narrative around Super Mario Galaxy- one of the best games of this generation. What about Portal? If there were a movie that showed nothing more than the events of the game, it would be a physics lesson, the shortest story ever told, leave out a shitload of information on the setting, and would have little impact on it's audience. It would make them say "wow I wish I had a gun like that." Well you can't....UNLESS YOU PLAY THE GAME!!!!! I don't know how anyone can disagree with what I said in my previous post. Stories in games are great. You'd be a fool to deny it. But you'd also be a fool to say that all great games have stories. This is the nature of our medium- it's not all about literary value- get over it.Axeli said:
I absolutely love the ending of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge. It's one of those 'love or hate' kind of situations.
Mass Effect 2 also had a great ending.
Mass Effect 2 also had a great ending.
The entire time you think Harbinger is the collector general and then you see a Reaper and hear the words RELEASING CONTROL! This plot twist wasn't completely unexpected but the way they presented it was really clever.
Thinking briefly of endings, one in particular comes to mind. For a series with relatively strong endings, I was considerably upset when the ending of Silent Hill 4 had a single in-game cutscene with text overlay. Especially for the game with the greatest concentration of escort time. I'm not exactly asking for a J-Bishoujo scenario, but I'd like a little gratitude.
Also, to add to Yahtzee's, venting of seemless infinte anger, of reality, on video game stories. Most stories are woven around the gameplay itself. As in, halfway through the making of the game, the creators seem to hire a B grade movie writer, that he/she never attempted to make a plot for a videogame! Metal gear Solid, however did the opposite. Minus the anti war bullshit and David Hayter's crokey voice acting, the story itself is... tolerable none the less, good for 'video game mediums'. Now 11 years later Hideo fucked that all up from, homosexual ninjas, to villians that have a arm attached to them because... Oh just wikipedia the fuck'n plot.
Serious Sam which belongs to a deceased genre of games, since Doom 3 turned all horror on my nostalgic ass. And Wolfenstein(2009) decided to remake itself because the original was too good. Serious Sam had no story, in the end he goes into the mothership, rings up the universes parking warden and orders pizza or something?
Serious Sam which belongs to a deceased genre of games, since Doom 3 turned all horror on my nostalgic ass. And Wolfenstein(2009) decided to remake itself because the original was too good. Serious Sam had no story, in the end he goes into the mothership, rings up the universes parking warden and orders pizza or something?
Yes, the games industry is thoroughly shitty, or maybe not. But hey, cheer up; nothing is perfect... or even good really. Our salvation is our refusal to see the imperfections in the system or maybe we like it like that. The point is, were the games industry better structured, you wouldn't be any more grateful for it. Think about it.Grand_Marquis said:
This was a really good article. As someone who has been a writer for six years i can see where Yahtzee is coming from and say that i agree with him entirely. The beginning of the story is, perhaps, the most fun for me because i like the feeling it gives me to realize i'm on the threshold of a new idea filled with unlimited potential. The middle of a story, however, is where the most content is being presented and, sadly, for the one creating the story finding the best way to present that content can take a tedious amount of time and patience that most people these days don't seem to have. The ending, by far, is the most important but often times hardest part for me for; despite how much work the writing process was and how many "writer's blocks" i had to smash down with a sledge or someone else's head; its always sad to see a good story come to an end.
I'm really sorry, but I have to completely ruin the 'good' ending to Bioshock for you and everyone else.Scyla said:
*Spoiler!*
The protagonist had to be big-daddified to reach the end of the game, and it was said that the process was irreversible. This means the long happy life the protagonist gets in the end is as a (possibly mutated) mute. But the absolutely dreadful thing that must be realized is this- The only reason the 8 or so strange young girls live with and dote upon the main character in the good ending is because the big daddy pheromones he had to incorporate into himself near the end of the game. They're chemically compelled to be his surrogate daughters. It really takes all the sweetness out of that final scene.
Well...I'd be more grateful for the less complaining my friends do. But I suppose the consumer-side benefits would be harder to perceive.EvilYoshi said:
While it was predictable as all hell, Bayonetta had a surpringly good endning I thought. While it had a good story, it never claimed to be particularly deep, and the ending fit the style to a tee, essentially giving the audience one final tongue in cheek hoodwink. That they managed a satisfying ending after you just punched a greater deity into the sun is quite a feat.
THE best ending iv'e ever gotten in a video game; Vampire the Masquerade. I let the villain keep the treasure, and the following ending gave both me, my character and Jack a good laugh. 
The second best ending iv'e ever experienced was Dragon Age, where my character and Alistair had to sacrifice their love to give the city the king it needed. Incredible romantic to be a game, and i usually hate everything naming itself "romantic". Ive even avoided all of bioware's and black isle's romance plots entirely, just because i would never expect a video game to be able to do "romance".
In short; the best endings are the one where you have a REAL choice, and not a good/evil split some random place in the game. The worst endings are the one going against everything the player-controlled character would have done. GTA San Andreas is a good example of this.
The second best ending iv'e ever experienced was Dragon Age, where my character and Alistair had to sacrifice their love to give the city the king it needed. Incredible romantic to be a game, and i usually hate everything naming itself "romantic". Ive even avoided all of bioware's and black isle's romance plots entirely, just because i would never expect a video game to be able to do "romance".
In short; the best endings are the one where you have a REAL choice, and not a good/evil split some random place in the game. The worst endings are the one going against everything the player-controlled character would have done. GTA San Andreas is a good example of this.
I`m actually surprised that Yahtzee didn`t mention another game which he does seem to have finished that has a really interesting ending. Well OK, I`ll qualify that in a second. FARCRY 2.
I don`t want to ruin the ending, but the game is probably too long to really bother finishing it anyway. This is the conversation that I imagine the game designers having:
Lead designer:Ok, we have everything locked up, only 3 weeks to release. The thing is, we forgot to write an ending. I need ideas now people.
Pillock: I know, we kill the antagonist!
Lead designer: Well no, firstly that is the same ending of every game ever, secondly it would just consist of two heavily armed young men shooting each other and thirdly stevee in quality control says that the our playtester (singular) is actually finding the Jackal to be an ok bloke, so the player might not actually want to kill him.
Pillock: Why don`t we make the game so long and tedious that nobody will ever finish it!
Lead designer: World of Warcraft based studies have proven that this is impossible.
An intern who has been quietly plotting Pillocks death since the meeting where Pillock suggested that they have the player be attacked by a gun-jeep after every 30 seconds of travel: Hey, I had this idea that I have been working on for months in which we end it really dramatically by having the Jackal tell the player that both of them are too violent to live and are going to have the commit suicide to help refugees, and that the player can either blow up a bridge while standing on it, or blow their own head off after bribing a guard to open the gate to a neighboring country.
Lead designer: Hmm, that almost caused me to have a human emotion. I don`t like it. But nobody has any better ideas. Pillock, what do you think.
Pillock: Ok, but only if we unnecessarily and inexplicably force the player to fight enemies on the way to completing both objectives, show a short cut scene of the bridge blowing up even though the player is supposed to be dead, and no take out the actual sequence where you have to blow you`re head off, replacing it with a short line of dialogue about how the guard `Hopes you have more to you`re plan than that.`
Lead Designer: Yes, we wouldn`t want the ending seeming deeper than the rest of the game. I`m glad somebody was here to shallow it up for us. You should learn from us Intern who is now attempting to pull off his own ears.
So yeah, good ending, dreadful execution. umm...yes, relevant.
I don`t want to ruin the ending, but the game is probably too long to really bother finishing it anyway. This is the conversation that I imagine the game designers having:
Lead designer:Ok, we have everything locked up, only 3 weeks to release. The thing is, we forgot to write an ending. I need ideas now people.
Pillock: I know, we kill the antagonist!
Lead designer: Well no, firstly that is the same ending of every game ever, secondly it would just consist of two heavily armed young men shooting each other and thirdly stevee in quality control says that the our playtester (singular) is actually finding the Jackal to be an ok bloke, so the player might not actually want to kill him.
Pillock: Why don`t we make the game so long and tedious that nobody will ever finish it!
Lead designer: World of Warcraft based studies have proven that this is impossible.
An intern who has been quietly plotting Pillocks death since the meeting where Pillock suggested that they have the player be attacked by a gun-jeep after every 30 seconds of travel: Hey, I had this idea that I have been working on for months in which we end it really dramatically by having the Jackal tell the player that both of them are too violent to live and are going to have the commit suicide to help refugees, and that the player can either blow up a bridge while standing on it, or blow their own head off after bribing a guard to open the gate to a neighboring country.
Lead designer: Hmm, that almost caused me to have a human emotion. I don`t like it. But nobody has any better ideas. Pillock, what do you think.
Pillock: Ok, but only if we unnecessarily and inexplicably force the player to fight enemies on the way to completing both objectives, show a short cut scene of the bridge blowing up even though the player is supposed to be dead, and no take out the actual sequence where you have to blow you`re head off, replacing it with a short line of dialogue about how the guard `Hopes you have more to you`re plan than that.`
Lead Designer: Yes, we wouldn`t want the ending seeming deeper than the rest of the game. I`m glad somebody was here to shallow it up for us. You should learn from us Intern who is now attempting to pull off his own ears.
So yeah, good ending, dreadful execution. umm...yes, relevant.