Can a bad ending ruin a good game?

[CaptainCruch]

Well, I like if I'm actually able to FINISH a game. Take Snatcher for Sega CD for example; an excellent game. However, I can't make it pass the last shooting section no matter how much I try. So that kind of 'ending' ruins the game for me a bit.

[lynchie137]

Yes and no. No because a good game is a good game regardless of it's ending. But it is a bit of a letdown when you beat a particularly hard game and all you get is a message congratulating you for beating it followed by a line of credits saying who was involved in the developing of the game.

[MSR1701]

Yes and no; I love Golden Sun, though the ending to Golden Sun Dark Sun is technically a bad ending, in that it is a cliffhanger that is to be followed up by a game that will probably never be made.

Then there is the ending to Phantasy Star II, where... well, look it up.

[MSR1701]

On a side note, in Legend Of Heroes - Trails of Cold Steel II, I'd swear that every single major battle in the game ends with your team beating the pants off of the foes you fought, and in some cases ending with the foes very DEAD. Yet almost NO ONE DIES IN THE DANG GAME, and the heroes look like fools every time.

Kinda undercuts the fun when your efforts not only don't pay off, but you have it slapped to your face...