We — being myself, Aaron Linde, Jim Sterling, and Tiff Chow – are back after a two-week hiatus (and one day early, no less), and this week we’re talking about videogame endings.
What works, where an ending is concerned? What doesn’t? Should long games have longer endings? Which games got it right, or wrong? These questions are skirted, if not totally answered. Caressed, if not fully violated.
As always, hit the official Podtoid page or check us out on iTunes — and don’t forget to tune in (probably) next week, for our special 50th episode.
Oh, and this week, BlackSunEmpire earned $25 for his question. Gimme your email in the comments, and we’ll get you the money.
[The intro/outro music is “Does (Breakbot Remix)” by ARROW !!!]
We do “spoil” a few games (be sure to listen to Jim’s discussion on the validity of the term), so I thought it’d be beneficial to list them all:
Fallout
Shadow of the Colossus
Half-Life 2
Bad Dudes
Earthbound
BioShock (but only the twist that starts with the letter “A” that’s been bandied about willy-nilly by everyone on the planet — not the other, bigger one)
Call of Duty 4
Devil May Cry 3
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Metal Gear Solid 2
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6 Responses to “Podtoid 49 - The end of the game as you know it”
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April 10th, 2008 at 2:46 am
I’m kinda the opposite: I prefer Cliffhangers to full-on OMGUWIN endings. The simple reason being that I don’t like a series being over. I /want/ that new Legacy of Kain ending, I /want/ that new Half-Life 2 game. Unless I’m secure in the knowledge that there’s going to be a sequel, I tend to dislike the summary total victory endings.
(SPOILERSOBEQUIET)
I have to agree though; the Call of Duty 4 ending was epic because it was thrust upon you. It also was a bit of an anti-climax; all that killing, all that murder, destruction and such was to kill /one/ man, who was not invincible, who was never difficult to kill. It was opportunity. Hell, it cost you your team, since I was so into it, I was mentally urging Price to get the fuck up, or just bloody well move his hand.
April 10th, 2008 at 4:20 am
EDITITS: Typing of the Dead: You could type the names of the makers to make zombies come out and dance to the credit music.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I gotta agree with what you guys touched on there at the end. Some stories I [i]am[/i] generally concerned to see how they end up. But too often I get, say… 70% through a game, I feel that “I get it” and the next time I have the option to fire that game up, I don’t. Most recent victims of this syndrome include Crysis and CoD4.
It’s never a decision that I consciously make, I almost never say “I am never going to play this again.” - I just lose the pull to get back into those worlds.
I think it’s more a situation of before I have entered the game’s world, there is a greater desire to discover the unknown, and once I have gotten a taste of it the craving isn’t as strong.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
*Spoilers* on Hitman: Blood Money & Bioshock
On the interactive ending topic, Hitman: Blood Money had a nice twist. Once the credits start rolling at your “funeral”, you can fiddle with the controls to wake up and kill the folks that were narrating the story and tried to take you out.
On the Bioshock side, I was one of those that was satisfied with the ending. Sure, the boss battle was kind of lame, but I found the good ending really touching and told me everything I needed to know.
-Saved the girls, had a meaningful happy life as a father figure with them.
I can fill in any other details with my imagination.
April 12th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
@gulik
I see your point on the blood money thing but it was just a fake fool, your supposed to get up and take the guys out. the true ending is just a short fmv sequence of him getting work from the triads i believe. Either way io interactive need to get a move on with the next hitman title i’m jonesing to get my new stuff 47 fix :p
As for shadow of the colossus’ ending it possibly the best one i’ve ever witnessed, cause it just goes against the norm of western/ hollywood ending where you get the joyous happy ending.
Bring on more shadow of the colossus or anzer dragoon saga endings where they dont end happily. But with a reason for them not ending happily obviously.
Suprised there wasnt anything about the assassins creeds cryptic ending, or at least your opinions on it.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Interesting talking about credits. I watch through credits all the time, too, but not because of hidden extras or the like, it’s just because if I get to the end of a game it’s usually because I really enjoyed it, and for me it’s almost a ritual to sit back and bask in the afterglow. That’s ANOTHER reason why the Bioshock ending was such a kick in the face. Short cutscene then NOTHING. Kick back to opening screen. I think, actually, people wouldn’t have hated on the ending quite as much if it had at least provided a credit sequence, weirdly.
As for my favourite endings, I really liked Monkey Island 2 (even though this ending is frequently hated), Portal of course, and I have a soft spot for Wing Commander IV.