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Top 10 Video Game Endings

Top 10 Video Game Endings

Top 10 Video Game Endings

Some games have good endings and others have great ones, but there are a few with conclusions that are absolutely unforgettable. Here are ten such endings. This list could definitely go further, so please feel free to comment below on your personal favorite, how it touched you, or how just plain awesome it was.

SPOILER ALERT! If for some reason you haven’t finished any of these games and want to keep the satisfaction to yourself, then I suggest you get moving, because pretty much all of these picks contain spoilers. Some are even likely to make you shed a tear.

10. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Ocarina of Time may always steal the spotlight when it comes to critical acclaim, but the ending of A Link to the Past is second to none in the series. We’ve seen Dark Worlds in many of the entries, with Hyrule a virtual wasteland, but the task for Link was monumental in the SNES classic. Saving the Seven Sages from a beautiful and deadly assortment of dungeons led us to a final showdown with Ganon in the Pyramid of Power. After destroying the demon, Hyrule was restored to life. The ensuing credits showed all the people in the land, waving to us in gratitude—a great thanks for our hard work in saving the world.

9. Silent Hill 2

In a series like Silent Hill, no single ending would be good enough, considering the many gut-wrenching choices we’d been forced to make. With six possible exits in Silent Hill 2, we had everything from James leaving town with one of the female characters, attempting to resurrect his murdered wife Mary, or even committing suicide. Of course, why stop at the serious when there was also an alien abduction or the discovery that a dog had been the wizard behind the curtain? Silent Hill has always known how to mess with our heads, and the second entry kept it going right to the bitter end.

8. God of War

Forget everything you know about Greek mythology, because it all got rewritten in God of War. Sure, none of it had any shred of commonality with the real ancient tales, and everything from Athena to Pandora’s Box is used purely for theatrics, but it was an Underworld of a good time with Kratos and his chain blades (possibly the coolest weapons ever). He was tricked by Ares into killing his wife and child, is then inundated with nightmares and forced to serve the gods. He ultimately exacted his revenge upon Ares, killing him and taking his place as the god of war. Is there any greater reward than joining the pantheon of Greek gods?

7. Ninja Gaiden

It may be hard to image a game from 1988 having a story and ending worth any merit, but the journey of Ryu Hayabusa as he sought vengeance for the murder of his father had players rushing through the side-scrolling platformer to see how it ended. And it was shocking too; we found out his father was not killed, but possessed by the evil Jaquio. After releasing his father, Ryu was nearly killed himself, but his father jumped in front of the fiery bolt to save him. This tied a nice bow on several relationships of trust and mistrust, and even a love connection between Ryu and a woman who initially kidnapped him. The style may have been simple in this old game, but the execution was epic.

6. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid is another series where it’s hard to decide which game had the best ending. Snake Eater gets the nod, though, mainly because of the state Big Boss was left with at the end. Sure, he had already been shot in the eye during the course of the game, but our battle-hardened Snake never let his emotions overtake his mind until he discovered that the woman he was sent to kill was not a traitor, but only disguised as one in order to clear the U.S. of involvement in a nuclear attack. Politics are as deceiving in MGS as they are in reality, and this one stung Snake good.

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