The Video Game Critic

Lousy endings are still irksome, but when you were a kid and mowed like 20 lawns to score that new copy of Breakthru for NES and then you plowed through the game in less time than it takes to insert the game and hit "power", well that type of pain never really goes away does it?

I have to agree with the earlier sentiments in the thread however, you shouldn't be plunking down the price of admission in anticipation of just seeing the credits roll.  If you're in the game *for* the ending "content" then you're in it for the wrong reason.

There's no ending for Maze Craze (except maybe a hearty "In your Face!" when your opponent is vanquished) but there's a cart of mine that rarely gathers dust...

[QUOTE=Space Guppy]
I have to agree with the earlier sentiments in the thread however, you shouldn't be plunking down the price of admission in anticipation of just seeing the credits roll.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I find it amusing that game companies show the credits as a "reward" for finishing the game. Hell, if anything, it's punishment to watch those thing! They should roll the credits when you lose a game, not win it!

[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]Yeah, I find it amusing that game companies show the credits as a "reward" for finishing the game. Hell, if anything, it's punishment to watch those thing![/QUOTE]

Agreed. Game Developers try to make software that entertain us. But sometimes they forget that. Nearly all games have at least one thing that is NOT entertaining, and being forced to watch boring lengthy credits is one of them.

Allow us to speed-up or skip the credits. Make the credits at game-end a reward, not a punishement. How?   Throw in a mini-game as the credits roll. Or take a page from Pixar's films and throw extra scenes into the credits -- that always makes it worthwhile.  I remember the Panzer Dragoon end credits -- you get some names, then a gorgeous full-screen shot of game dev art.  Everything in a game should be there to entertain us, or not put in there at all!

I remember the first time I saw Half-Life for the PC.  They had the credits running at the beginning of the game and I liked it.  It gave it more of a cinematic touch.  I never did beat the game though, so I don't know what the ending was like.

Dan

Half-Life has a very controversial ending. Some love it, some hate it, and most are confused by it. I was dissaponted with the ending and the last few levels. It was a terrible way to end one of the best games I've ever played.

I agree, the ending to the original Half Life was definately a confusing letdown. It's still the best FPS shooter game EVER for the PC in my opinion, and in no way diminishes my desire to go back and beat it again. I seem to remember a game called Questron for the Commodore 64 as having one of the best, most satisfying endings I'd ever seen in a game up until that point.
Sudz

Really? Questron? I'll have to find that one. It's hard to find a Commodore 64 game with quality play control that allows you to have enough control to beat it, and harder yet to beat a game and find more than credits at the end.

Thanks for the tip. I'm a Commie man.

[QUOTE=Dennis] I think the best endings should show you something you haven't seen before in the game.  For example, Metroid, which reveals the secret about Samus, or Mega Man 2, which has a different graphical style than the rest of the game.

I think the two best endings of all time are Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Toejam and Earl.  Zelda shows you a "Where Are They Now?" for every character you talk to throughout the game.  Toejam and Earl lets you walk around the aliens' home planet and talk to their neighbors and friends.

The worst endings are the text ones, or the ones that don't have any surprises at all.  I was pretty bummed by the ending of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, just because the rest of the story was so good. 

Now that I think of it, except for SMB2, all of the Mario games have had lame endings.

[/QUOTE]

I agree with you on the Super Mario Bros. 2 ending.

The two best endings I've seen are the ones for "Star Tropics" for the NES and Final Fantasy II/IV for the Super NES.