Satisfying ending

[Zing]

I cheated to beat Zelda II, and im kinda glad i did, the ending was poop.

This quote from the board gaming world fits games like Zelda II perfectly:

“When playing a game, the goal is to win, but it is the goal that is important, not the winning.”
― Reiner Knizia

[Hobie-wan]

I don't think having an ending in a game you enjoy is really possible.

I was very satisfied after finishing Portal.









And then I went and played it again.

[Cronozilla]

Did I say there are no satisfying endings in any game ever? No. No I did not.

Though, I would argue against Portal having a satisfying ending in and of itself. The entire end of the game is good. But the actual ending is just alright. It's only enjoyable when linking it up with Portal 2.

[RCBH928]

i kind of like when you get involved in the ending , I am not where I did this but sometimes instead of showing you a 3d sequence or text of what happened they let you play it, lie doing a final run to the spaceship or making a journey back to your home village

[deathsled]

I was pretty let down with the ending of Enslaved.

[Pulsar_t]

Snatcher and the MGS series. Kojima knows how to end his games (just not conclude them).

Red Dead Redemption and Chrono Trigger also deserve a mention.

Also,

deja vu

[Luke]

Just generously tip your masseuse. Always works.

[Jrecee]

I've found endings to be less and less interesting as the industry has progressed. Back in the day it was impressive to see any sort of cut scene. Sonic for example was typically just a title screen, then level after level. Then you get to that awesome point in wing fortress for he jumps onto his plane which chases after robotnik's jet, and he jumps and grabs onto it as it flies into space and docks with the death egg. That was awesome (not technically the ending but anyway. . .)

But now that games are packed with cut scenes, the appeal has sort of been lost. So really the only way to deliver a great ending is to have an amazing story that the player wants to see resolved. It basically becomes the task of ending a movie.

The problem is, people don't go to movies to see the ending. They go to see the awesome action sequence leading up to the ending. Which in games. . . would be gameplay.

So really I think providing a satisfying ending is a pretty rare task.

[Key-Glyph]

I found the ending to Sonic 2 incredibly satisfying. It was so classy, and that song was in my head for years.

I also never get tired of Bubble Bobble's True Ending and staff roll, but that game has a lot going for it. The final boss is wicked fun, and you've put so much effort into the silly antics all along the way -- most likely with a good friend -- so you're just in a good mood the whole time. The overall effect is that you feel like celebrating with ice cream and confetti and a dance party afterwards. At least I do.

I will admit that I do get bummed when I've been sticking with a game that I only have so-so feelings for and get a lame ending, though. Sonic 3D Blast, for instance. Its music was awesome and I enjoyed it for what it was, but I found the gameplay too repetitive. I slogged through the last bit and was hoping the ending would help justify my obstinance. It didn't.

Oh, and I was kinda hoping to have my ego stroked for beating Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine on hardest difficulty. I played through each setting, and at the end of the credits for each it egged you on for the next level, saying "let's try normal difficulty!", "let's play hard difficulty!", etcetera. After completing the hardest setting I thought I'd get an extra little cutscene or something.

Nope. Just a standard "thanks for playing!" or "congratulations!" Oh well.

[Jrecee]

Holy crap you beat Dr. Robotnik's mean bean machine?

On hard?

My brain does not even operate at that speed.