What's the best ending level to a videogame you have ever seen?

As soon as I saw the thread title I thought of Mass Effect 1 and 2, but it looks like the original poster beat me to it.

I was just thinking the same thing. Although the last boss was somewhat disappointing; Mass Effect 2 has the best end level (after the warp) of any game I have ever played.
 
EDIT:
Hivemind thread!

Mass Effect? Really?
 
I liked the series but nothing really stood out in the final levels for me. Any insight into what you guys liked about the endings?

I liked the last mission is pretty much every gta game. 

Area 6 in Star Fox 64. Some may argue that Venom's the last level, but it's a sub-boss and boss battle in my opinion so yeah. Area 6.
 
 

Xenosaga 3 had a good ending. They kind of copped out on how everything tied together (like most shows do, but it wasn't nearly as bad a copout as Lost) but I found it pretty poignant as far as epilogues go.

Getting all the gear in BioShock so you could take down Atlas. That was pretty awesome.

Red Dead..... 
 

Chrono Trigger is my favorite. Not only were there fourteen endings, but i enjoyed the final dungeon, end boss, and the closure the main-line ending provided.

I think the thrill of the final ME 2 sequence comes from the fact that any of your crew members could die throughout the mission (theoretically). I was genuinely anxious during that, which is something I don't usually feel during games. Having all the crew members together for that final run and seeing them all interact and fight together was awesome.
 
I also loved Halo: CE's final mission, The Maw. Really intense.
 
There's probably some more classic examples that are escaping me at the moment, but I'll add those later.

The thrill in ME2 is you were doing the same bullshit the entire game and the ending is the only thing with any sort of variety.

Just remembered another one. The Saboteur's ending. Fuck. That was so good. All the Nazis killing themselves. Awesome.

Pac Man.

" Mass Effect? Really?  I liked the series but nothing really stood out in the final levels for me. Any insight into what you guys liked about the endings? "

I thought both Mass Effect games had great endings, the production values and direction were both fantastic and arguably the best part of the game. 
It's good when a game rewards you with a good ending.
 
Red Dead's ending impressed me to the point of blogging about it. Final Fantasy does a darn good job with endings too, everything from going to the moon on a spaceship that looks like a whale, to literally going to the center of the earth. Love uber-epic-anti-climactic stuff. 
 
Ico's ending really blew me away.
 
Oh, and Monkey Island 2. :P

" Just remembered another one. The Saboteur's ending. Fuck. That was so good. All the Nazis killing themselves. Awesome. "

Kefka's tower might not me the most particularly epic final stage ever but VI's ending is still one of the greatest.
 
I'd agree that ME2's ending level was great (though the final boss was a huge let down). I had planned on going to bed and beating it the next day, but I got waaay sucked in and it kept me up until like 430 am

there are many that come to my mind. but a recent one that made me tear up was the ending for Crisis Core.
 
 the DMW played an important part in making that last battle meaningful. But the background music (The Price of Freedom) is really appropriate for that sequence and i think its the music that made me tear up. Of course you have to know the significance of the DMW and the story.
 
Though i wouldn't call the sequence an ending level, but ending battles.

" probaly that end Ship level of MGS 4. that entire ending was just beyond words for me as a fan of the series. "

braid hands down

Bioshock.
 

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

Are we talking about endings or last levels?  I think braid had a good last level, and of course Half-life 2. I think all of mass effect 1 and 2 were good and the endings and last stages felt good.

How about when you get to Rome in Assassin's Creed 2. 
After fighting your way through hundreds of guards you shoot the Pope in the face. The Pope, though, isn't having any of that shit and he gets up to fistfight you and your shadow clones.
 
Comedy in games is something that few developers can grasp and Ubisoft Montreal makes it look easy.
 
Also: The battle against the Enclave with Liberty Prime in Fallout 3 was such a breath of fresh air for that game. His choice quotes also helped make it memorable.

Dead Space, Assassin's Creed II, Bayonetta, God of War: Chains of Olympus and The World Ends With You all had amazing ending levels.

I've gotta give the number one spot to Dead Space, though.

Mass Effect 2's was really well done.  One of the few games were it actually feels like the stakes are high and if you screw up there will be consequences.
 
I also really loved the end of MGS4 (though it was the only part of the game I liked..) and the final chase level in Halo 3.  Driving warthogs at full speed off an exploding planet.

I don't know that it's a "level" per se, but the final segment of Majora's Mask was positively magical. The last thing you expected when being sucked up onto that horrifying moon was to find yourself in a serene pasture with children prancing around a beautiful tree.

God, I always have a horrible time trying to remember the beginnings of games and the ends of games I haven't played recently :(  Anyways, in recent memory - MW2:  Throwing a knife in that dude's face was great.  ME2: That was just some great shit.  Darskiders:  I loved the final boss and the other horsemen descending from the sky made it all the more awesome.  One old game I remember quite well is the ending to Star Fox 64, that was pretty awesome.   Oh, I loved the end of GTA4.
 
 Demon's Souls "ending" on the other hand was rather lame while the rest of the game was amazing.   Another ending I hated was Ninja Gaiden 2 - I mean, the final boss in the game other than the second form (which is possibly the easiest boss in the game) you have to kill with a bow and dodge some slime shit?  How boring is that...

I've gotta go with Bayonetta.  Not only was it the boss fight to end all boss fights, but the final blow is the most outrageous, crazy and fucking awesome thing I've ever seen.

Assassin's creed 2

I think Grand Theft Auto San Andreas's ending level sticks out most in my mind.  It pretty much exemplified everything I love about that series.  Come to think of it, that entire game was full of memorable missions.

Mass Effect 2 , never felt so stressed out, but FUCK ME it's awesome.

Fighting Ocelot on the tanker at the end of MGS4!

In terms of endings: RDR is an obvious stand-out.  The Assassin's Creeds both had pretty decent endings (though 2 was better than 1).  Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2.
 
However, in terms of levels, I need to give honorable mention to Painkiller.  The visuals of that final level are pretty cool.  "War is Hell"...  No shit.  Of course, the game's story was less-than-interesting, but one has to give credit where credit is due.

" I think the thrill of the final ME 2 sequence comes from the fact that any of your crew members could die throughout the mission (theoretically). I was genuinely anxious during that, which is something I don't usually feel during games. Having all the crew members together for that final run and seeing them all interact and fight together was awesome. I also loved Halo: CE's final mission, The Maw. Really intense. There's probably some more classic examples that are escaping me at the moment, but I'll add those later. "

These came to mind-
Kingdom Hearts II - The World that Never Was is hands down the best world of the entire series. This probably sets the record for the most epic boss fights in a single level.
Braid - Play it, and you'll understand. It's...crazy.
MGS4 - Uhh...nuff siad.
Bayonetta - DUDE. HOLY SHIT. I thought this game was ridiculous before I saw the final boss, and then I saw it and...dude. Bayonetta is CRAZY.
Silent Hill 1-4 - The final levels are usually the scariest and longest.
 Heavy Rain -  The final scenes of Heavy Rain are intense as hell.
Resistance 2 - The final boss is pretty sick, but what's crazy is what happens after the final boss and the rest of the level.

I would have to say the one that sticks out most for me is ME2. My gut was in absolute knots when I was going through that last mission, knowing anyone could die after investing so much time in the characters. It all came down to the characters; I had never cared about characters in a video game like I did in ME2.
 
Though I will say, The Maw from Halo was intense as hell, going against the clock with all hell breaking lose, fond memories indeed. :)

Ending levels in video games are normally terrible but there are a few good ones. 
Mass Effect 2, Braid, Assassins Creed 2 and System Shock 2 comes to mind.

Half-Life 2.

No Assassins creed?

Assassin's Creed 2. You fight the pope for fuck's sake.

I must've played Halo 3's Warthog run hundreds of times, great music, and fast pace. Since I'm basing this strictly on ending levels, I'd also include God of War 3, as it had a cool colour-palette swap moment, and the last fight was pure brutality.