Best Ending ever...

Let's face it, most game endings are pretty much after thoughts. It usually involves some cryptic cut scene. Or a cliffhanger. Or just "thanks for playing". Some games though, have pretty amazing conclusions. Of all the games you've played which one stands out in your mind as a truly satisfying?

My pick would be Final Fantasy 6. It about 30 mins long and really showcases what made that game so great, the characters.

Honestly don't have one that sticks out but a couple recent ones. Mass Effect 1 - the ending made me want to play the game again, Portal 2.

Bayonetta ends extremely awesomely.

...

...

I guess the whole final boss fake credits battle thing was also decent.

Mass Effect 3 ending seeing all the people talking about it, it must be good.

I didnt play it

I really liked Halo 3's ending it's what i wanted out of Mass Effect 3 ending. Master Chief saved the universe and they acknowledge that during his funeral scene, thats all i wanted for Shepard in Mass Effect 3, some appreciation for what he did.

Modern Warfare 1 and 2 had great endings too.

I thought Mafia had a really poetic-justice ending.

Both Saint's Row the Third ending. MARS! NOT MARS!!! BOTH AWESOME!!!!

Red Dead:R was pretty good ending.

No too many endings are memberable/recent enough for me to remember.

@Cloneslayer said:

Both Saint's Row the Third ending. MARS! NOT MARS!!! BOTH AWESOME!!!!

Yeah they're both great for different reasons...I think i prefer the "bad" ending though... attacking that hellicarrier, that phone call from Pierce...pretty great.

Bayonetta, conceptually, understands what an ending means and how to do it. Ignore the fact that it's insane, and you get a great intellectual point on how to do an ending: The tone of the game, but more so. No twists, no deep random insights, just something that makes sense and is satisfying, and takes things to the next level.

Bayonetta was fucking amazing. Thanks for reminding me of it!

First ones that jumps to mind for me are the endings to the Phoenix Wright games. Especially the first one, where all the characters reminisce about Phoenix.

Red Dead Redemption had the best ending of any game IMO. There are other good ones for sure but the surprise double ending, use of John's son, tragic nature of it all, player choice, late title card... all SO well done by Rockstar. The game did drag in Mexico but it is so worth playing through. Can't say enough about it.

(Max Payne 1 and 2 are probably next for me, both great)

Probably MGS4 since it gave some good closure to it all. I think maybe Dead Space though, including the final enemy, and Dead Space 2 had a funny ending that hearkened back to the original.

Don't watch this is you still haven't played Dead Space and plan to.

Don't watch this if you haven't played Dead Space 2. I enjoyed everything about the ending except for the final boss. Especially how they poke fine at the ending of the original.

I'm not sure if these are my favorite endings, but I just love Dead Space, so it's probably the reason why I mentioned this. Also, go play Dead Space if you haven't!

the helios and dark age endings in Deus Ex are awesome. Half-life has an awesome ending too. a real wtf moment, errr, rather, conversation. alan wake has a great ending too. i like dragon age 2's ending, but that's probably just because of Leliana and the Warden. Uncharted 2 had a great feel good ending. Red dead redemption's 3rd and last ending is fantastic.

@Moncole said:

Mass Effect 3 ending seeing all the people talking about it, it must be good.

Assassin's Creed 2 has my favorite ending of recent memory, probably the generation. I did a blog post about what I loved about it here after finishing the game.

Reading some of the titles above I agree with Phoenix Wright (1 and 3, at least) and the coda to Red Dead Redemption. Memorable and satisfying.

"Let's go ride the Madly Rotating Buccaneer!"

See, I really like ambiguity in my endings. I love a good cryptic cutscene, and I don't necessarily want things tied up in a little bow. And Monkey Island 2 has one of the great "What the hell just happened?" endings of all time. It was the Mass Effect 3 of its day.

I just remembered Darksiders! Fuck i was so hyped after i played that game.

@Cloneslayer said:

Red Dead:R was pretty good ending.

Have to agree with Red Dead Redemption. The true ending I mean, where you have to actually willingly seek it out, travel around hunting it down and get revenge. Do the deed, turn around and boom title card, felt so awesome and the story actually drove me to want to do it. Also RDR legitimately solved the open world problem of how is it possible I can keep exploring the world once I've finished the game.

Definitely Darksiders. I was so fucking pumped for the next one after that.

Nier has the best ending

Mass Effect 3.

Planescape Torment

KEITH COURAGE, NUFF SAID

Persona 3 has an amazing ending if you're into being sad, which I definitely am. In recent memory, that's the one that stuck with me the most, but RD:R has a pretty amazing ending in and of itself.

@azrailx said:

Planescape Torment

I remember ruining this for myself a while back. I remember thinking that it sounded like absolute genius. What don't I remember? The details! So I guess if I ever do get 'round to playing it, I'll still be surprised.

For me it would have to be red dead.

Seeing the Hitman thread reminded me, Blood Money also had an amazing ending. I love that some people never even saw it because they didn't figure out the mechanics that allowed it to come about. I played the whole game stealthily, so gunning everyone down was super rewarding. I will always recall slowly walking toward the guy in the wheelchair as he slammed on the locked gate and couldn't escape.

Red Dead Redemption. It's kind of a long ending. I was completely expecting the way it began, that needed to happen in that story, and at the same time incredibly bummed out about it. The way it wraps up completely surprised me and made it very satisfying.

Red Dead Redemption. Greatest use of a late title card.

The first thing that comes to mind is Metal Gear Solid 4. Every story thread is wrapped up and it has a great final revelation. Yeah, it's an hour long cutscene and I loved every minute of it.

+1 for Red Dead Redemption. I'm replaying that game right now and I'm close to the end, and I'm so pumped to see that ending again. An incredibly satisfying yet tragic way to end a video game. Simply stunning.

RDR, MGS4 or Darksiders.

Dead Space 2 and Red Dead Redemption

Its been some time but I remember liking the end of the first God of War game.

Red Dead Redemption

end thread/

Mafia, RDR.

Cried for like ten minutes after Mafia. Goddaaaaaaamn. I really, really cared about Tommy.

"Let's go ride the Madly Rotating Buccaneer!"

See, I really like ambiguity in my endings. I love a good cryptic cutscene, and I don't necessarily want things tied up in a little bow. And Monkey Island 2 has one of the great "What the hell just happened?" endings of all time. It was the Mass Effect 3 of its day.

Metal Gear Solid 3

Nuff said, lock thread.

Definitely Persona 3 FES. The whole ending sequence, the boss, the music and the way everything comes together is amazing. I was really disappointed in Persona 4's ending because of this.

My second vote would go to Ghost Trick.

@gosukiller: What I came here to say.

Renegade Ops. "How's this for a punchline?!"

@YOUNGLINK: how does one "complete victory"? and also wheres that sequel?

@Stephen_Von_Cloud: i mostly remember the guys flying through the roof when you shot them

@Humanity: @whyareyoucrouchingspock: I really liked Mafia II's ending too. It was extremely bittersweet, very much in tone with the rest of the game, but also open enough to justify a sequel. Too bad they decided to go with those mediocre-at-best DLCs instead of continuing the story.

I've heard that Mass Effect 3 game has a really good ending.

I liked Eternal Sonata''s ending :D

@FreakAche said:

I've heard that Mass Effect 3 game has a really good ending.

Someone made that joke in the first page, though.

@JoeyRavn: I thought Mafia II's ending was awful because it didn't have one. I was actually really disappointed by that game. Mafia was such a sleeper for me - turned out to love it despite some of the small shortcomings. Mafia II while superior in engine didn't have a god story to back it up. A lot of people complained that it's an open world game with nothing to do but I had no problem with that - it's the fact that you never get anywhere as Vito. By the end of the game you're living in a shitty rundown apartment and you're barely even a second rate made man. Just too bad considering what an awesome story the first game had. If they had tied that in, and you played the son of the guy from the first game and at the very end of the game you'd find out he's infiltrated to mob to bring it all down and get revenge - that would be one hell of a game.

Mass Effect 3, after that though Call of Duty Black Ops.