These Games Were Great Until The Ending Ruined Everything
Ideally, when you're playing a great game, you want it to naturally reach a satisfying conclusion. You want characters to come to the ends of their arcs and major plotlines to finish in exciting ways. Sadly, that doesn't always happen. Even the best games can't always have good endings.
Annoyingly, an uninspired finish can sour the whole experience since it's the last thing you remember from the game after completing it. Here are some examples of games that are let down by poor conclusions.
Far Cry 5
Far Cry 5
10.0/10 Released March 27, 2018WHERE TO PLAY
SUBSCRIPTIONIn Far Cry 5, you attempt to bring down a dangerous cult. To do this, you eliminate most of its main members, leaving only the leader, Joseph Seed. When you defeat him in battle, you arrest the villain and attempt to take him away. However, bombs then begin going off, like Joseph predicted they would, as a new World War begins. Your allies die, and Joseph drags you to a bunker.
So, it's a game where you lose in the end. While this sort of conclusion can work, it makes everything feel like a waste of time in Far Cry 5. After all, there isn't much character development or personal subplots in the narrative, so the only thing you really do is bring down the cult. Yet, the leader remains alive when the credits roll.
Army Of Two: The 40th Day
Army of Two: The 40th Day
Third-Person Shooter Systems Released January 8, 2010WHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALArmy of Two: The 40th Day is an underrated co-op game that follows a pair of soldiers named Salem and Rios. Together, they must attempt to stop a terrorist attack that's taking place in Shanghai. At the end of the game, they're able to corner the leader of the terrorists, Jonah Wade. He has a detonator in his hand and says that if they shoot him, it will go off, killing seven million people. He claims that he will deactivate it if one of the protagonist duo shoots the other.
Therefore, you have a choice of endings, but none of them are good. The bomb does turn out to be a dud, but you only find that out after making the choice. So, you either kill the main villain, thinking that you're going to doom millions of people, or shoot your own partner for no reason. The whole thing feels forced.
Ghosts ‘N Goblins
The story of Ghosts 'n Goblins isn't too complex. You control a knight who must defeat all sorts of different monsters to save a Princess. This means going up against her kidnapper, Astaroth, who is the King of the Demon World.
Once you beat him, a screen comes up telling you that what happened is just an illusion, and you must replay the entire game on a higher difficulty to get the 'real' ending. So, it's basically the game telling you that you've wasted your time playing it.
Halo 2
Halo 2
Shooter Systems Released September 4, 2004WHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALHalo 2 is an exceptional FPS title, but it contains an infamously bad ending. During the game, the forces of Earth are battling against the evil Covenant. Leading the charge for the honorable side is Master Chief, and he's helped by the Arbiter. The key to stopping the Convenant is eliminating their leaders, who are a group of Prophets.
By the end of the game, The Prophet of Truth is the last one left alive, and he's making his way to Earth to cause some severe damage. Don't worry, though, as Master Chief is on his tail, informing Admiral Hood that he's "finishing this fight." Yet, he doesn't finish the fight since the game ends after he says that, leaving the game on an awkward and unsatisfying cliffhanger.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Action RPG Systems Released August 23, 2016WHERE TO PLAY
SUBSCRIPTIONDeus Ex: Mankind Divided is set in a futuristic world where some people have fancy augmentations in their bodies. Not everyone has those augmentations, and there is a bit of a divide between the two groups. This is mainly influenced by the Illuminati, who serve as the villains of the tale.
You get involved in their attempt to pass the Human Restoration Act, which is a bill that would officially segregate augmented people. You can disrupt their plan, but then the game just ends. It feels more like the end of the first act, as there are plenty of plotlines that haven't yet concluded. For example, you still don't really know who the Illuminati is, and you haven't stopped their plans. It all just feels unfinished, and the conclusion is abrupt.
Borderlands
Borderlands
Action RPG FPS Systems Released October 20, 2009WHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALIn Borderlands, you play as a group of Vault Hunters. So, naturally, the game revolves around finding and opening a special vault. The entire game builds to this, as you begin to ponder what untold riches will be inside the said Vault.
At the end of the game, when it's opened up, a giant monster wanders out and starts killing people. This results in a pretty generic boss battle without much meaning behind it. As a result, it feels like an unwhelming conclusion to the story.
Assassin's Creed 3
Assassin's Creed III
Action Open-World Systems Released October 30, 2012WHERE TO PLAY
SUBSCRIPTIONAssassin's Creed 3 is a game that includes both a past and present-day storyline. The present-day one stars Desmond Miles, who is using a machine called the Animus to re-live the memories of his ancestor from the 18th Century. When he's not in the machine, he's trying to activate the Temple that he and his allies are in.
Once he does, he's able to enter the Temple's inner chambers, where he meets a god-like figure called Juno. She reveals that Desmond can sacrifice himself to save the world from a future catastrophe. Yet, a being named Minerva also appears and warns Desmond that if he does that, he will release the very dangerous Juno. It feels like it's building up to a choice you have to make. That isn't the case, though, as Desmond simply chooses to sacrifice himself. The whole situation is a bit contrived and doesn't have the emotional impact it should.
Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect 3
Action Adventure Systems Released March 6, 2012WHERE TO PLAY
SUBSCRIPTIONMass Effect 3 serves as a culmination of a story that began in the original Mass Effect title. The tale is about the synthetic creatures known as the Reapers attacking the Milky Way Galaxy. Over the course of the game, you have to figure out how to stop them. Along the way, you make all sorts of decisions regarding different races and characters.
However, none of that means much in the final moments. After all, when you're in a position to deal with the Reapers, you get a few choices: destroy them, control them, merge all synthetic and organic DNA, or refuse to do anything. There isn't much variation in the endings besides the refusal one. And it's hard not to have at least three of them unlocked. So, your decisions in the Mass Effect games have barely any impact on how this trilogy ends, which is a big shame considering these are supposed to be games where choices matter.
