When Endings Go Bad
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
I can think of one game that has a downer ending: Yume Nikki. Then again, it's a freeware game, so making a profit off of it obviously wasn't an issue. Oh, and then there's Metal Gear Solid 3. My god, MGS3.
Really, you mostly see downer endings alongside bittersweet or even happy ones; being able to go back and "fix" the mistake(s) you may have made in a bad ending can let you have said bad ending without leaving players disappointed for too long (unless they have trouble getting a good/the best ending, anyway). [/apologizes if that didn't make sense]
Really, you mostly see downer endings alongside bittersweet or even happy ones; being able to go back and "fix" the mistake(s) you may have made in a bad ending can let you have said bad ending without leaving players disappointed for too long (unless they have trouble getting a good/the best ending, anyway). [/apologizes if that didn't make sense]
I know Wing Commander has already been brought up, but it is an excellent example of appropriate sad endings. Each game had both a happy and a sad ending. The sad ending did not just occur because you died. Instead it was the punishment for failing too many missions, either by running from the enemy or ejecting and getting rescued by friendly forces. In Wing Commander getting the sad ending was in part a choice. You could choose to refly the mission 100 times until you got it right, or you could choose to fail a mission just to see what would happen. Forcing a sad ending on a player robs them of their choice and pulls gaming closer to the non interactive entertainment mediums.
What about the first Tenchu. It ended with one of the two main characters(Rikimaru)getting crushed by a boulder.
It's a book but Star Wars: Republic Commando: Order 66, has a bad ending in both senses. It was just unnessecary tragedy. I have nothing against tragedy as long as it makes sense though but it just didn't in this case.
And as a previous poster stated, Far Cry 2 had a sad ending.
Most games though don't, because most people don't want some soul crushing ending. They want to see the good guy come out on top. In several cases is it just stupid and corny but I'm sure some would consider it a cop out if in the end the main character just died or something.
And as a previous poster stated, Far Cry 2 had a sad ending.
Most games though don't, because most people don't want some soul crushing ending. They want to see the good guy come out on top. In several cases is it just stupid and corny but I'm sure some would consider it a cop out if in the end the main character just died or something.
C'mon Andy, Diablo 1?
FF7 isn't exactly nice after all you go through. Beast Busters or Space Gun in the arcade.
In fact a number of games (FAKK 2 etc.) lead you having taking out the first boss only to find out there's an even bigger boss, IN THE SEQUEL!
Possibly not a downer ending, but the original Unreal had a similar "You've won, now you drift in space".
For the ultimate in bad endings though, my personal fave, I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream
It depends on how you look at things, even Left 4 Dead isn't exactly upbeat.
When as you drive your weapon through the chest of the big bad and take out the power crystal, it takes control of your mind and turns you into the big bad
FF7 isn't exactly nice after all you go through. Beast Busters or Space Gun in the arcade.
You've beaten the ship, and it's only a scout ship...You shoot the controls, and the controls explode stranding you
In fact a number of games (FAKK 2 etc.) lead you having taking out the first boss only to find out there's an even bigger boss, IN THE SEQUEL!
Possibly not a downer ending, but the original Unreal had a similar "You've won, now you drift in space".
For the ultimate in bad endings though, my personal fave, I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream
Normal Ending: You die, get resurrected and made to do it all again.
Happy Ending: You die
Sad Ending: You get trapped in a form where you can't move, breathe or die.
Happy Ending: You die
Sad Ending: You get trapped in a form where you can't move, breathe or die.
It depends on how you look at things, even Left 4 Dead isn't exactly upbeat.
spot on.. i went around for ages trying to shoot that bloody helicopter down.. damn them!scnj said:
If I spent a lot of time on a game only to find that my character is just killed off and everything goes to hell, that's annoying. It's like in KOTOR, where I spent a lot of time running around the galaxy fixing things, and got the good ending, and then played KOTOR 2 and found that everything went to hell anyway. That was kind of annoying.
I actually like "downer endings"
Not to the degree where I prefer them to happy ones. I dunno I just like both and don't see the problems or why everyone lashes out when a game ends on a "downer." Especially when that could always happen in a realistic situation
Although I will admit, my idea of a "downer ending" isn't the character just dying. That usually comes off as a cheap move to create some sense of emotion which doesn't always work. Except Fallout 3, I think that was the only character death ending I actually liked.
Not to the degree where I prefer them to happy ones. I dunno I just like both and don't see the problems or why everyone lashes out when a game ends on a "downer." Especially when that could always happen in a realistic situation
Although I will admit, my idea of a "downer ending" isn't the character just dying. That usually comes off as a cheap move to create some sense of emotion which doesn't always work. Except Fallout 3, I think that was the only character death ending I actually liked.
The reason is because after spending x amount of hours playing, you want the game to end well, or in most cases tie in the next sequel
The ending of the Doom shareware version (episode 1) was a big downer. I was a kid, I had no idea what shareware was and my english wasn't that good yet. I thought I had finished the game and was pretty astounded of it actually killing me off so mercilessly after having gone through all that pain and hordes of demons.
You know, what most of the games with great tragic endings have already been brought up.
The Darkness being the prime example of a tragic ending that you know is coming a mile away and you still just accept it.
The Darkness being the prime example of a tragic ending that you know is coming a mile away and you still just accept it.
I personally would love to see a game with a perfect story which ends in a perfect but downer way. I mean, a game where you really root for your hero, where you really want him to succeed. And where you really hate the enemy. As you slay the enemy demon-king you snap out of a spell that has held you the entire game. You just killed your king, and you have laid your land in ruins. The goblin warlords you killed one by one was your family, the tower of hellfire you toppled was the good Wizards tower. And you killed them all. Seeing your character fall to his knees, with a unbelieving stare at the burning countryside, you see a tear fall down his cheek. Then he is stabbed in the back by the wizard who helped you through the game, who is really the enemy warlock behind it all...
Yeah, that is what I want in a game.
>_>
Heck, just make George R.R. Martin write a game. You will get a downer start, middle and ending then.
As for why very few games are like this... people are lame. A lot of people want their hero to be the best since sliced bread, and if he is not they will be very vocal about their disapproval. Look at Halo. I love Halo, the games as games, but the story from the books are excellent. But the end of the games should be different imo.
Yeah, that is what I want in a game.
>_>
Heck, just make George R.R. Martin write a game. You will get a downer start, middle and ending then.
As for why very few games are like this... people are lame. A lot of people want their hero to be the best since sliced bread, and if he is not they will be very vocal about their disapproval. Look at Halo. I love Halo, the games as games, but the story from the books are excellent. But the end of the games should be different imo.
So, John doesn't die, but instead he is adrift in space. Why? Why couldn't he die? It would be such a fitting end. They could have made that end som damn emotional, at least for us who like the books. Instead they kept him alive. But that might be the real tragic end... he is practically the last one of his kind, so to speak. He would probably welcome death. Perhaps there are more sad endings out there than we know, but we just have to think about it a bit before we realize they aren't that positive
Resistance 2 had quite a downer ending
It ends after you nuke all the Chimera battleships, you fall to the ground in a stolen ship. Hale and the other dude (can't remember the name) come out of the ship, and Hale has finally fully turned, then BAM, the guy shoots Hale in the face, just like he said he would.
Jaqen Hghar said:
That ending pissed me off. What they should have done is have him severely wounded, on the half of the ship that didn't go through the portal to earth, hanging onto life by a thread, slowely dying while Cortana tried to comfort him as he passed away, leaving Cortana all by herself. That would be a great ending, if they did that, I would have shed tears.
Sparrow Tag said:
Dammit, Josef, I saved your life! This is how you repay me?!
And then, of course, after THAT, you have the choice to either:
- Detonate a cache of explosives (to trap the militias in the country) with a car battery, ensuring that you get a front-seat view of the blast, or
- Bring that case of diamonds to the border guards to make sure that the refugees get through without delay, and then put a bullet in your brain
What's worse is that, unless you collect all the Jackal tapes and turn them in to Reuben during the few times he's available, it ends up all being for nothing.
And then, of course, after THAT, you have the choice to either:
- Detonate a cache of explosives (to trap the militias in the country) with a car battery, ensuring that you get a front-seat view of the blast, or
- Bring that case of diamonds to the border guards to make sure that the refugees get through without delay, and then put a bullet in your brain
What's worse is that, unless you collect all the Jackal tapes and turn them in to Reuben during the few times he's available, it ends up all being for nothing.