Back in the spekky and commy days all that happened if you managed to complete a title was (if you were lucky) you’d get a screen saying congratulations and then you be put right back to the start of the game (level 1 or whatever). After all that hard gaming the anticlimax was unparalleled!

Anyhoo, the other weekend I decided I hadn’t been gaming much recently and so decided to rent Splinter Cell for the weekend. Cracking title – really got into it (apart from the bits where you couldn’t kill anybody – boooooooooo!!!). After giving the main elusive bad guy a 5.56mm headache and saving the globe from WWIII (hoorah!) the ending FMV was probably the shortest and most disappointing of the entire game

Ah well, at least given the class of the game there should be some new goodies available – maybe some cheat options like infinite ammo, so I could play again, but this time go on a Rambo killing spree, Gid thinks – WRONG

To add insult to injury from the crappy ending, there was bugger all extras – WTF? Major downer.


All this brings me to the point of this thread. I’ve got several questions of which you can comment on any and all if you so wish:

1 – What do you consider ‘good’ in terms of extras that are unlocked after completing a game?

2 – What games have you played which have made you sit there and go “WTF – is that it?”, (both in terms of end sequences and extras)?

3 – What games have you played with sweet end sequences and / or a bucket load of extras?


Let’s hear it…………………………………

Well here are my answers:

1. What i consider "good" is like new cheats and/or sidequests unlocked(or new weapons)

2. GoDia Elemental Forces, the first ZOE, and ONI(all on PS2) all had sucky endings to me

3. FF1-X, Kingdom Hearts, Shinobi, Dot Hack Infention, and XenoSaga all had very sweet endings, hidden sidequests, and hidden weapons eace:

I think my all time favorite extra was TR III, if you completed the game finding every secret you were rewarded with an entire bonus level.

I enjoy mini-games also such as Tekken bowling, etc..
Metal gear with the badana, stealth suit are nice also. eace:

ah, i remember the days before video games had "endings"

pac-man? space invaders? asteroids? no end in sight, ever. you could "max" a game or "roll it over", based on a score limit of 999,999 or something, but it wouldn't end.

i think the first game i ever "finished" was an 80s coin-op called "Heavy Weapon" (about the same time-frame as the first Contra). i found a few other games that i could finish, but for a long time i used to think if *i* can finish a game, it's too easy. i think games have gotten more forgiving, if not easier. plus, our own expectations have changed. now people expect to be able to finish a game -- all gamers, not just the dedicated or elite ones

okay, i've drifted off topic. here are the features i think should be "unlocked" by beating a game:

level/stage select
play as other characters/enemies/boss
more or different weapons/vehicles
bonus missions
cooperative mission-based multiplayer
competative mission-based multiplayer
minigames
alternative text/dialogue
some sort of cinema mode, not just an end movie

remember Perfect Dark for N64? that had more replay-enhancing features than you could shake a stick at. i wish more games were like that. ZOE2 is another excellent example.

on the other side of the equation, i'm going to put Enter the Matrix (PS2 version) because it's fresh in my mind. finishing the game didn't really give you anything new. you get to see a promo for the next movie. yay. on the other hand, i was sick of the game and ready for it to be over, so hey, i got my wish!

What i think are good extras at the end of a game is replaying the game with all previous item like Vagrant Story, .Hack//infection/Mutation, Front Mission 3, and Crono Triger.

The worse ending ive encountered was on Gradia 2, the game was great but the ending sucked. It sucked so bad that now i dont even remember why it sucked or even what happened. :doh:

1. What I would consider good is a good movie at the end to show what happened, or a lot of stuff getting unlocked like cheats and more stages.

2. I don't quite remember if it was Dino Crises 1, or 2. But I think it was 2. When you win the game, you get awarded a bunch of points. The only thing unlocked was a 2 player battledome place. You could only spend the points on that buying more people(dinosaurs) to fight with. It sucked big time! The video at the end of it was also really short. All that happened was she...... I don't want to tell you incase you play it. I heard there is a 3rd one coming out, si I will probably see how that is.

On the Tony Hawk games, when you beat them, you usually get nothing except better stats and a board for the character you used. To get cheats, you have to get everything with many characters which takes a very long time. The gaps(one place to another) alone take a very long time to get.

The Simpsons Skateboarding, I didn't expect much of that game, and I was right.

Same goes to "The Simpsons Road Rage". ^

Most if the Syphon Filter games didn't have a very good "ending", but the story line made sense, and also the endings. In-plus those games were wonderful. No extras unless you beat stages fast and efficiant.

Harvest Moon Back To Nature, though it is a good game, there is no ending. You just keep on working on your farm.....for ever.....ever...ever... Unless you just quit on the 3rd year.

Harry Potter and the Philosephers Stone, this game is an embarrassment to the author. They changed the story around a lot anyway! I shouldn't say that because this game is good for little kids. The ending was just plain cr@p!

Twisted Metal games! I played most of them, but the only thing that happened to them was stupid stuff, then your brought back to the "start" screen. If you want codes you have to insert them yourself durring gameplay.

Fighting Force, when I won that game, I was kind of exited. Lets just say the ending on that game ruined it.

Dragon Ball Z Budaki doesn't really have an ending. It has a little video between each fight. But they still suck.

Sports games never have good endings.... I wonder why......J/K

There is so many more, but.... meh, I think I showed my point.

3. Metal Gear Solid, 1 and 2 had good endings. Plus you got some items after beating it.

Resident Evil, almost all of them. After you beat it, there is usually a mini game where you can earn points to get certain weapons at the beginning of a new game, or unlimited ammo. The ending isn't that bad either on most of them.

Harvest Moon Save The Homeland, this game is extremely fun. Plus there is alternate endings. They are all good too! No codes at the end though.

I can't think of any right now, but I know that there is more.

Longest post! :birthday:

Note that the "ending" was made with a sequel in mind and not as an actual ending.

1.Im quite happy if I get a grade so I can play the game through again and possibly getting a better grade in the process.

2.Since JunkHead was kind enough to inform me that there is a sequel in the works for Syberia I will change the bad ending game to....Escape from monkey Island (Or monkey island 3, whichever you prefer), the ending puzzles were way too easy in my opinion which took some fun out of the ending.

3:Final Fantasy 7,Battle Engine Aquila and Arcanum all had nice endings if you ask me.

Gabriel .. by Syberia if you mean the one on PC where the girl goes to the place with all the mechanicals toys and such.. then yes theres a sequel.. shouldnt be too long before its out

A great ending to me is just the satisfaction of winning. Yaknow with all the different endings and extras you get nowadays it almost doesn't give you the gratification of winning but rather the acceptance that now you must go back and win again using the extras you have earned.

So what should an ending be composed of, well you should be left on the preverbial mountain hangin, it shouldn't be an ending but a begining, also you should have some sort of great thing that happens, you get the girl, you save the world, you beat the bad guy, that kinda thing, I guess it should end up more like a movie.

Sounds to me like a true gamer speaking :2cool:

Unfortunately I’m still childish and petty, thus i want some acknowledgement when I’ve put X amount of hours into completing a title.

I guess i'm still traumatised by Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy. Don’t even get me started on the Tomb Raider series


[SIZE=2](the doctors told me I could perhaps get better, but I don’t believe them)[/SIZE]

If it's a good game, no matter how spectacular an ending it has, the ending is a bad thing. It's more of a punishment than a reward, it just says "congratulations, you've successfully taken the first major step in making this game annoyingly repetitive".

IMO, the best games are the ones that don't really end, the ones that can be different every time you play it, especially the ones that allow you to install free third party addons.

In Ace Combat 4 once you finished the game you could replay the mission mode with all the planes you had at the end of your first game.

I like the unlockable features (e.g.: The bandana in MGS) it gives you more of a reason to play again.

But then again with GTA: Vice City you don't really get any extra features. (I don't know exactly what you get, yet ) But with that game you don't need a lot of extra stuff to replay the game, everything is basically given to you at the beginning.

I don't think that I have finished a game that the ending did not satisfy me. Much like Sniper Viper I like to think of all the satisfaction of winning the game as my reward more than a FMV of the main character walking into the sunset, that is not as satisfying as knowing that all your hard work has paid off.

yes yes Ace Combat 4 that was a great ending you came out the victor and you were hailed as a God almost that is a great ending but getting the planes to use in the previous mission just makes it easier and downgrades the lastablility. Too easy= shorter playing time! :shy: