Games with the most satisfying ending

[Dreamcast]

If there is already a thread of this, I am sorry.


One of the most satisfying I ever had was Sonic Adventure 2. It was really cool what happened.

Contra was kind of a bummer. Even though you dont expect a Great ending in a NES game, It was like saying after 10 hours of nonstop playing, all you get is "you win." Wow! Gee thanks! I feel like I used my time wisely. Although that was kind off cool with the helicopter with the explosion. I guess I'm spoiled with todays game endings.

anyways..... what do you think is the most satisfying ending of a game you have played?

(try not to add spoilers)

[carlcarlson]

Morrowind! Ha, that's a joke. There is no ending, not really. I've probably put 200+ hours in it, and haven't gotten to see any credits.

And it took you 10 hours to beat Contra?

[Dreamcast]

Morrowind! Ha, that's a joke. There is no ending, not really. I've probably put 200+ hours in it, and haven't gotten to see any credits.

And it took you 10 hours to beat Contra?

Exaggeration...

[Poofta!]

oblivion... pretty lame.

[Dreamcast]

oblivion... pretty lame.

http://guides.gamepressure.com/theelderscrolls4oblivion/gfx/word/102331468.jpg

May I follow you?

[ooXxXoo]

My best,Sega Master System Shinobi with the famous "GAMEOVER".

[Trevelyan]

the 'bad' ending in Streets of Rage

[theMot]

Final Fantasy (3) 6, the ending goes for over 20 minutes. Pretty good for a SNES game.

[calthaer]

I was personally pretty satisfied with the ending of Deus Ex. All of them. First off, I liked being able to choose; secondly, each one kind of wrapped the story up nicely.

My computer was too old to run Deus Ex 2 that well, so I only saw one of the endings and didn't bother with the rest of them. Maybe when I build my new r0><0r b0><0r I'll go through and see the others.

I kind of liked the ending for Freedom Force 1/2 as well. And System Shock 2...which makes me sad that we'll never see a SS3.

I guess I just don't like the endings of console games. Most of them just have a bunch of credits, and the story-based RPGs...meh. I remember the end of FFIVj, but it still didn't have the amazing plot wrap-up that these other ones I mentioned did.

[ProgrammingAce]

...which makes me sad that we'll never see a SS3.


Are we taking bets on this?

[Snapple]

I was quite satisfied with the end of FF7 and FFX. Very theatric. Really got my money's worth.

[G-Boobie]

I kind of liked the ending for Freedom Force 1/2 as well. And System Shock 2...which makes me sad that we'll never see a SS3.
.

Shit, I HOPE we're taking bets on this.

Also, Calthear: Bioshock. That sort of counts already.

I liked the ending to Metal Slug 3 quite a bit, for some reason: maybe because it actually had a real ending, unlike MS 1 and 2, and it made you WORK to see it. Very satisfying.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has a great ending; FAR better than 2, anyway.

Top honors go to the various endings of Silent Hill 2, though; they remain, in my mind, unmatched to this day.

[MrRoboto19XX]

Although it's not overly cinematic, I always thought the Ending to Link to the Past was very satisfying just in the way it "ended" everything you ran into during the game.

Ocarina was good too, but LttP was just plain great.

[otaku]

shenmue and various final fantasy games. Rpgs in general. Bioshock does have a nice story.

[Gentlegamer]

Super Bowl XLII

[carlcarlson]

Super Bowl XLII

I take mine back, this is the best answer. Second best game I've ever seen.

[NE146]

Contra was kind of a bummer. Even though you dont expect a Great ending in a NES game, It was like saying after 10 hours of nonstop playing, all you get is "you win." Wow! Gee thanks! I feel like I used my time wisely. Although that was kind off cool with the helicopter with the explosion.

Well there was originally a little scene in the jap version where you first ran to the helicopter (at the end of Gryzor on the Famicom) but I guess that aint very much more LOL

To me I like the ending of Super Mario Bros 2 (u.s.). I dunno but I found it very satisfying. Also the end of GB Zelda where he sees that fish/bird flying in the sky :D

[Poofta!]

Although it's not overly cinematic, I always thought the Ending to Link to the Past was very satisfying just in the way it "ended" everything you ran into during the game.

Ocarina was good too, but LttP was just plain great.


im pretty sure youre talking about Link's Awakening for the gameboy right? thats the one with the touchy ending that shows everything/everyone youve met.

and yes, it was a wonderful ending, hands down the best of all zeldas... made you feel sorrow inside.

[HYB]

I second Sonic Adventure 2. I always liked the bad ending in Aria of Sorrow too because face it, dracula Soma is badass.

[sirhansirhan]

My vote goes to Earthbound.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I fully agree with the ending being satisfying for MGS 3. I would also add to the list:
MGS - Still love the ending, especially after the credits roll....

The LUNAR series (the best being Eternal Blue on the Sega CD and the expanded ending in SSSC. EBC and the original TSS are also great too),

SNATCHER (some call it a loose ending, but I dont. Its the "A guys gotta do what a guys gotta do" ending.)

SMT: Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2

Actraiser

That's it for now. I'm pretty sure I will think of more as soon as i get offline lol

[calthaer]

Shit, I HOPE we're taking bets on this.

Also, Calthear: Bioshock. That sort of counts already.

No, I know Bioshock is made by Irrational Games and all and is the "spiritual successor" to System Shock, but I'm talking about the actual continuation of the storyline (we're talking about the endings, right?). That last FMV, with the chick's hair...promised lots more craziness in a potential sequel.

And Irrational will not be involved in any SS3 efforts.

The only slim glimmer of hope is the fact that Doug Church seems to be working at EA now, having signed his pact with Satan. I don't think even he can keep the EA "Wal-Mart / Deer Hunter" method of shovelware development from making SS3 suck it up, though.

[Aussie2B]

Wonder Project J2 has one of the best endings I've ever seen, what with it being a 45-minute epic monster of a conclusion. It can even be considered longer than that because that's just from the last save point and when any form of gameplay ceases; the ending sequences begin probably another hour before that, but there is a slight bit of gameplay during that portion. It's all immensely satisfying, but it also leaves me feeling kind of depressed because it's such an emotional rollercoaster ride of plot twists and just the fact that it's all over is so sad to me.

But for a game that people here have actually heard of, hehe, I think StarTropics strangely has one of the most satisfying endings on NES. It's such a long, challenging game, and to sit back after having conquered it and watch the exceptionally well-drawn sprite portraits showing off all the key events of the game during the credits just feels awesome.

[k8track]

BURP!


CLOSED

[Icarus Moonsight]

A second for Snatcher. I'm not accustomed to actually finishing many games (I'd say 2:5 is my ratio), but this one was mandatory and worth every minute.

The ending music track for Streets of Rage 2 made it feel like an 80's vigilante movie (that had an upbeat/good) ending. Big bonus for tagging the mood and atmosphere of those films.

Bionic Commando (unedited version)
Who could forget Hitler's head exploding and the eating of communism? LOL

[smokehouse]

Final Fantasy II (SNES) was a good one as well as FFIII...

Another than comes to mind was Super Mario World...figuring how lame the endings were form SMB 1,2 and 3, World was a nicely wrapped up package...

There have been better since but these stand out to me as being one of the first I really thought was worth the time I invested.

[diskoboy]

Ninja Gaiden 2004/Black/Sigma.

Even getting to the ending is a monumental feat in itself - which makes the actual ending all the more rewarding.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[Leo_A]

The ending to the original Star Fox on the Super Nintendo.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'll throw my vote in for Metal Gear Solid 3 ... long and very satisfying cinematic resolution.

Resident Evil 4 was also equally satisfying in it's resolution and had some really creepy etchings/depictions during the credit roll of the rural Spanish villagers being injected with the parasites and slowly mutating during their daily lives ... with one particularly disturbing image of a dead child in a high-chair that looks to have been ignored/starved (or beaten?) to death.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/RE4DeadBaby.jpg

Creeeeeeeepy!

[Rob2600]

Ocarina was good too

I agree. I can't believe Princess Zelda returned Link to the past. Even worse, Link meets Zelda in the garden again and the whole thing starts all over. It's sad and eerie, as if all that hard work meant nothing and the future really can't be changed.


Wonder Project J2 has one of the best endings I've ever seen

That was the only Nintendo 64 game I've ever imported. I don't read or speak Japanese, so I never got very far, but from what I played years ago, I was very impressed.

How did you manage to beat the whole game? Is there a translated ROM available?

[Aussie2B]

There's been a patch out for about a month now, but I've had the game for several years. I got through the game with a little trial and error, a little bit of my extremely limited knowledge of Japanese, but mostly with the help of the walkthrough on this site:

http://membres.lycos.fr/wonderproject/

Well worth the effort to experience such a wonderful game.

[alexkidd2000]

My best,Sega Master System Shinobi with the famous "GAMEOVER".


haha i was soooo going to put this. that game was so hard when i was a kid i remember feeling really ripped off when i finally beat it.

[chrisbid]

Phantasy Star II

[Ruudos]

StarTropics

I also liked Lufia II's ending

[Sotenga]

Ninja Gaiden 2004/Black/Sigma.

Even getting to the ending is a monumental feat in itself - which makes the actual ending all the more rewarding.

I'll have to disagree on you there; I felt the ending was a bit hollow meself. Then again, I did only play the original version with the ridiculously easy finale, so maybe I should play through Black and get back to you on that. Come to think of it, I haven't played NG in a really long time. I should get NGB and get stoked for NG2.

Anyhoo, I'd like to say that every Ace Attorney game so far has had an extremely awesome ending, with Trials and Tribulations actually making me cry. Oh, and after beating No More Heroes, I must say that the ending is really satisfying in a hilarious way. Suda 51 deliberately screws with you, and that's what makes it awesome. Oh, and the music. Masafumi Takada is quickly becoming one of the awesomest names among game composers. :D

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, I'll agree with Phantasy Star II and Lufia II. The ending was probably the best part about Phantasy Star II. I really disliked the game itself, but the ending was slick.

Lufia II, man, what a gut-wrencher. I'm so glad I played the sequel prior to the original and didn't have the ending spoiled for me. It definitely came as a huge shock. I don't think they would've ever done that if the previous game hadn't already laid it out, and the only reason they did it there was as a little history lesson, since you weren't able to grow any real attachment to the characters.

[Rob2600]

Ninja Gaiden 2004/Black/Sigma

I say the original Ninja Gaiden for the NES. The cinema scenes were great.

[Gentlegamer]

I say the original Ninja Gaiden for the NES. The cinema scenes were great.
You just violated someone's pet peeve!

[Rob2600]

You just violated someone's pet peeve!

I know, but what else could they be called?

[Aussie2B]

I've always been a fan of using "cinematic sequences", but maybe I just like to make things overly complicated. :P

[exit]

I'll have to second Earthbound, the ending was very satisfying and being able to go everywhere just made the ending even more sweet.

[kainemaxwell]

Lufia II, man, what a gut-wrencher. I'm so glad I played the sequel prior to the original and didn't have the ending spoiled for me. It definitely came as a huge shock. I don't think they would've ever done that if the previous game hadn't already laid it out, and the only reason they did it there was as a little history lesson, since you weren't able to grow any real attachment to the characters.

I'll 2nd that one. I have played and finished the first one, so I knew what to expect...but didn't. In the 1st one there's emotion about it, but not a lot because you really don't know the characters from 100 prior and their trials up to the point. When the event finally hits you at the end of the 2nd one...it's all downhill emotion-wise. After fighting with them for so long and going through the battles, the wedding, the fight at the 3 towers and smashing through the Sinistrals, you feel your hear breaking- especially since Guy and (what's the elf dude's name again) expect to see them again, same with the secondary cast of Tia, etc. One the few endings I really felt like crying through.

On another note, now you got me intrested in Wonder project J, thanks alot!

[JSoup]

I agree. I can't believe Princess Zelda returned Link to the past. Even worse, Link meets Zelda in the garden again and the whole thing starts all over. It's sad and eerie, as if all that hard work meant nothing and the future really can't be changed.

I can't help it, I have to nerd out:

The concept is, there are now two time lines. One where Link beat the snot out of Ganon and then vanished (which is the one where most of the games take place, or so it is believed) and one where the darkness was just completely gone (shortly followed by the whole Majora's Mask thing).

EDIT: Wait, no, this is the classic gaming board. Therefore:

I like the ending(s) for Harvest Moon (SNES). It's comprised of your character taking a long hard look at what he has accomplished, possibly thinking of whats next.

[Rob2600]

I can't believe Princess Zelda returned Link to the past. Even worse, Link meets Zelda in the garden again and the whole thing starts all over. It's sad and eerie, as if all that hard work meant nothing and the future really can't be changed.

I can't help it, I have to nerd out:

The concept is, there are now two time lines. One where Link beat the snot out of Ganon and then vanished (which is the one where most of the games take place, or so it is believed) and one where the darkness was just completely gone (shortly followed by the whole Majora's Mask thing).

I guess I'm more pessimistic than you. :)

[JSoup]

I guess I'm more pessimistic than you. :)

XD First time I saw it, I was thinking the same as you. I only really found out about what it really meant a little over a year ago.

[Classicgamesdepot]

I Also give my vote to Earthbound, best ending ever.

Also, kudos to the special ending in Chrono Trigger where you get to talk to the developers of the game and have freedom to walk around like Earthbound's ending.

[SamuraiSmurfette]

I'm infamously bad for never finishing games.
So anything I beat, I REALLY REALLY liked.

One of the most satisfying endings I've seen was Shadow of Destiny for PS2. I was trying to figure things out the whole way through, and thought I had it down. "It'll be this guy for sure, but if not, then maybe this guy". I was TOTALLY wrong. And it blew me away. The revalation of how everything conspired and was wound together was ingenious.

Good stuff. Play it if you havn't :)

[SamuraiSmurfette]

Ooh! I thought of another.

Seaman for DC....yup.
You spend weeks making small talk with a fish,
which the 'game' is remembering and secretly analysing.
On the final day, your seaman comes up to you and says
"Here's what I've learned about you.."
It was uncanny.
How an AI creature had so much insight about my personality.
Quite the experience

[Jorpho]

I'll throw in Sanitarium for the PC. Suddenly what has really been going on is cleverly revealed, and there's a nice bit of voiceover narration over the credits that wraps things up. And then the most ridiculous parody song featuring voice clips from the rest of the game starts up! It left me with the warm impression that the developers really cared about what they had put together.

[Daltone]

I'm infamously bad for never finishing games.
So anything I beat, I REALLY REALLY liked.

One of the most satisfying endings I've seen was Shadow of Destiny for PS2. I was trying to figure things out the whole way through, and thought I had it down. "It'll be this guy for sure, but if not, then maybe this guy". I was TOTALLY wrong. And it blew me away. The revalation of how everything conspired and was wound together was ingenious.

Good stuff. Play it if you havn't :)


I'll throw in Sanitarium for the PC. Suddenly what has really been going on is cleverly revealed, and there's a nice bit of voiceover narration over the credits that wraps things up. And then the most ridiculous parody song featuring voice clips from the rest of the game starts up! It left me with the warm impression that the developers really cared about what they had put together.

Both of these are great games. Shadow of Destiny has a couple of good endings. I found Blade Runner's endings all pretty good too, as well as The Pandora Directive's.

[Xian042]

The ending to Phantasy Star II

[sidnotcrazy]

Some of my favorite endings are found in the following games:

Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy II
Y's III
Trace Memory
Metal Gear Solid
Zelda: A Link to the Past

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

For the amount of pre-internet (on the one's that apply) brain-bending puzzles involved in all of the Lucasart's point & click / SCUMM system games, I think nearly every single one has a satisfying, fun, and in most cases funny ending ... My vote(s) for personal favorites go to the Monkey Island games.

Tim Shcafer FTW!!!

[Aussie2B]

I completely forgot to mention Chrono Trigger. I guess people mention it so darn much for "best this" and "best that" that subconsciously I don't bother to give it praise since it already gets so much from the teeming masses, but you gotta give credit where credit is due and Chrono Trigger definitely has some of the best endings I've seen. They're all very satisfying and enjoyable in their own ways, even the silly bonus endings, but I like the normal endings best, since they're just so heartwarming and touching and wrap everything up perfectly (yet leaving a few loose ends how they should be; screw you Chrono Cross for trying to give a stupid explanation to Schala's disappearance). It's hard to decide which, but I lean towards the one in which you have to fight through the Black Omen to get because it makes me sad to destroy Epoch. On the other hand, I really, really love the ending with Crono and Marle riding the balloons.

[RyoGeo]

Super Metroid

Man, when I first finished that, back when it was the new hawtness, it was probably the most satisfying video game ending I had experienced to date.

I even went back to my save game and got the "buddy" creatures to their ship before the planet blew. What was so satisfying upon my first completion was even more so when I saw that little 1x1 pixel departing the planet signifying my "friends" getting away as well.

[Three-P]

Mortal Kombat 4. All endings.

One of my personal favorites is Scorpion's.

[Pantechnicon]

Final Fantasy Legend - This was my 1st exposure to RPG's, so the idea of defeating the creator of the universe in combat was so insanely over the top I couldn't help but love it.

GTA III - I remember beating it, sitting back to watch the credits roll, listening to Maria's incessant nagging and thinking how it so wasn't worth the effort to save her. Then I heard the gunshot and just fell on the floor LMAO.

Zelda LTTP - Or any RPG that takes you through a recap of all the places you visited along the way.

[kainemaxwell]

Ending for lttP and Ocarina are the best for the Zelda series. Link's Awakening i always thought of as a bittersweet ending- sure link gets off the island, but he's stranded and the island disappears along with everyone he met. Kinda sad.

Super Metroid's ending was epic, yet a bit sad also.

[shinobimusashi]

ive got to agree with mgs 1 and 3 the way the last hour and a half of those games wrapped everything up and climaxed to a certain point just left me about as satisfied as one could get with beating a vid game, gives you that feeling you get after watching a really good movie for the first time, you find yourself thinking about it time after time the ending for mgs 2 was ok but it didnt really leave you with that satisfied feeling, and as for mgs 4 the ending has one of the greatest omg wtf!!! moments in video game history especially if youre up to date on the story of the franchise, buuuuut the whole corny wedding scene dropped that game a few spots on my fav mgs games list

another game that deserves to be mentioned is tecmo super bowl for the nes, i love how you get a screen congradulating you for clinching youre division immediately after you do so also the special half time show in the super bowl and the nice little screen for winning the super bowl all little things that other football games lack, and after trudging through a full 16 game season it should be a crime for the super bowl to be just another game, the same could be said for madden 94 on the genesis you get treated to a little parade scene as youre team parades through a celebrating city.

[vivaeljason]

Link to the Past -- love the recap.

Earthbound -- just an awesome finish.

Knights of the Old Republic -- I've mentioned before how much I love everything associated with this game, I just love the 'light side' ending.

[NayusDante]

The game ending that always stuck out to me was Mega Man 3. It's touching, and it expanded the story.

Chrono Trigger's ending, while I love the music, was pretty meh for me. Chrono Cross, however, really succeeded at doing something creative.

Final Fantasy VIII's ending was a bit cliche in the end, but it did manage to present a very interesting conclusion. Once I saw that Squall was wandering alone, I realized what the entire game was up to that point: his memories of reality from his flawed perspective. That might just be my interpretation, but I thought it was really neat.

Everyone seems to agree on MGS endings, but I always thought the endings took second priority to the overall stories. I will say that MGS4's ending was EXTREMELY emotional, and I felt really bewildered after watching it. Bewildered, but satisfied.

The ending for Zelda: Twilight Princess left a pretty strong impression on me. It was really depressing to see the portal close, but it did close the story nicely.

I'd like to give special mention to the Zeon ending of Gundam Crossfire... The ending is just text, but it really rubs it in your face that you were later captured as a prisoner of war and the Federation wins.

[Baloo]

I really liked the last level and ending of NiGHTS into Dreams (the one when you beat it with both Claris and Elliot, not the individual endings for each of them, those are pretty plain.) I remember when I first played the last level and I jumped off the island, thinking (Well, that was a fast end, time to restart) and then they popped out of the ground and started flying, that really astonished me.

[Zoltor]

Dragon Warrior 7 has one of the best, if not thee best ending ever.

PS. Also although short, I liked the good ending to Disgaea 2.

As for the Zelda games, It's amazing Link hasn't killed himself off yet, I don't give a crap about rating, but Isn't it about time Link actually gets some. All the trouble that tease of a princess puts him through, and she basically says ty- game over lol.

[thom_m]

I love Toejam & Earl`s ending, it's really cool to get to play on Funkotron a little and get compliments from you fellow aliens. I remember liking the ending of TMNT 3 (NES) too back in the day.

EDIT: Like some of you guys mentioned, Super Metroid's ending is awesome!!

[StoneAgeGamer]

I love Toejam & Earl`s ending, it's really cool to get to play on Funkotron a little and get compliments from you fellow aliens. I remember liking the ending of TMNT 3 (NES) too back in the day.

EDIT: Like some of you guys mentioned, Super Metroid's ending is awesome!!


Lol I read this whole post looking for TJ&E and the last one was it. Yes this ending was really neat.

[buzz_n64]

I love the ending on SMW2: Yoshi's Island, the music is awesome. Super Mario 64 had a fantastic ending, flying, showing you the stages, getting kissed by Peach....

Sparkster for snes had great end music, and if you beat it on very hard you get a better ending.

[scooterb23]

Portal.

This is a triumph.

[RetroYoungen]

My vote goes to the ending of Klonoa (I played through the Wii version). So insanely touching, it just made me shudder a little. ^_^

[Baloo]

OK, just beat Burning Rangers with Shou today, that was a great ending. The suspense, the anime cutscenes! The credits made me feel like I was watching a movie as well. Also liked how the pictures told the epilogue. So it turns out the Doctor mutated the plant all for his wife...

Time to beat the last level with Tillis now!

[Eternal Tune]

Portal.

This is a triumph.

I'm making a note here...huge success.

The end of Lunar Silver Star Story, because I love sappy endings.

[mobiusclimber]

Really loved the ending to Crystalis on the NES.

As has been mentioned, the Silent Hill 2 endings are all pretty ace, tho my favorite has to be the "water" ending. Even if that's considered a "bad" ending, it's still the one that, to me, makes the most sense.

I actually really liked Final Fantasy X's ending, so much so that it bumped the game up a notch or two in my esteem.

Also I love the bad ending to Breath of Fire II, the one you get if you refuse to go into the last dungeon. When I found that ending I was pretty shocked by it.

[NayusDante]

I actually disliked FFX's ending. I understand that he was going to disappear, but that scene should have ended about ten seconds before it did, for sensibility's sake. I also couldn't help but hear the Jaws theme during that final scene. Creepy...

[Ravenswood]

Lufia and the Fortress of Doom.

[garagesaleking!!]

I cant exactly remember what happens in the end of toejam and earl, but I do remember that it was memorable lol. Also earthworm jim for genesis had a great ending.