Does a game's ending matter to you?

As the title suggests, I've often caught myself enjoying a game and if able to manage my way through it - disappointed by the ending. Not necessarily as shallow as the generic "Congratulations" mind you, but missing something to make the venture feel complete and worthwhile. On the other side of that coin, there are a few instances where the game's end brings out a certain sentimentality in me that I can't help but overlook it's flaws because I admire a little song and dance.

Simply curious as to other's thoughts - how important is the ending?

Its pretty important.

I beat PC Engine Salamander today, was satisfied by the ending of my ship signaling, while escaping an exploding planet. No cliff hanger, I knew the mission was a success.

So something along those lines.

Not to me, I care more about having fun with a game than just seeing the ending. If it's just the ending I'm after, chances are I'm not particularly enjoying the game. The game is to the journey as the ending is to the destination.

Depends on the game. Some an ending is just there as a signal to the end of the game before you go back in to play it again... not that they can't be awesome in their own right, but it's not a super important.

Others are very very important, and the ending being a complete let down can cast a shadow on the rest of it.

In any situation a good ending can help, but in some situations a bad one can do a lot more than just be a bit of a down note.

Depends on how story driven. If not really? Then I don't really care much for the ending.

However if it's particularly story driven or an RPG...ESPECIALLY one emphasizing "choice", I will let the hellhounds of fury loose if the ending is unsatisfactory but the game enjoyable. Fallout 3 was a particularly larger example of an ending/ending system that did nothing but disappoint and piss me off.

If the game was not enjoyable then I do not care either way. It has to be a real investment and interest on my part.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lync

how important is the ending?

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Quite important, and it's not like we'd be asking too much.

Why just a simple "CONGRATURATIONS" when you can just recycle some sprites for a funny ending?
like how Capcom had the secret endings in SFII where you'd get the entire cast performing moves while music played.
that must have taken like what.. 1 hour to code in?

Same with NeoGeo fighting games (the later ones) you'd finish the game on a certain level or without dying and
you would be rewarded with the characters doing funny stuff to each other,
like Terry Bogard throwing his cap on Tung Fu Rue's bald head, or Terry being unable to do his Power Geyser,
and then suddenly his monkey runs in and does a huge power geysa.

I don't expect a full length orchestra with animated angels singing my praise for 3 hours long after I beat a game,
But I do expect something.

That's why I love games like Earthbound where you actually get to walk back to where you came
from after you beat the game and everybody has something new to say to you.

It's not like that required them to draw new art, just some extra text.

No extra work but still gamers feel rewarded after a long difficult game.

Funny how these days games have full animated cgi endings while the gameplay itself has become so.. checkpointish/helpish.

Doesn't matter too much, I expect the worst usually. The majority of games struggle to have a decent story anyway.

The ending is the reward being given for beating the game. It's the congratulatory pat on the back, as it were.

Games that have little to no ending (Air Buster, SMS Shinobi, etc.) don't feel as satisfying as games that give you a full ending for the hard work you put into winning (Thunder Force IV, Shinobi III, etc.). Having a game go right to the credits or just say "The End" kind of cheapens the victory, making it seem as if the game makers just didn't care whether you won or not. It also comes off as lazy, as the story's conclusion is just as important as its beginning and middle. So when the conclusion gets left behind or heavily downplayed, it hurts the overall tale.

Keep in mind, "tale" can involve actual cinemas, or the gameplay itself letting the story unfold. In both cases, the story's being presented, and having it end is more than just "The End" or a credit scroll jump. Game makers who know what they're doing recognize this, and give the player a satisfying ending for the journey they took. Whether it's a simple ship flying from the planet as it blows up (ala LifeForce), or showing you what became of the characters and world after your victory (ala Phantasy Star IV), it's there to wrap things up, and give you that bit of cheese at the end of the proverbial maze.

So if Streets of Rage 2 went right to the title screen after you beat Mr. X, would it ruin the game? No, not really. The game would still be fun. That said, that you get to see the outcome, listen to an ending theme, and view the credits, does add that extra touch to make the game better and more fulfilling when you reach the end.

I used to be ALL about getting endings, but these days it's more about solid, consistent gameplay for me. I find myself more interested in the meat of the game than a finale of sorts, at least at this point in my gaming endeavors.

When I was a kid, getting to the end of a game was always very exciting. Those few frames of unique animation, coded just for the finish. A new piece of music, again written just for the ending. You feel excited, part of some exclusive club of people who've beaten a game, especially if your friends are yet to complete it.

These days, I like to aim to get the highest points and fewest deaths before the end of a game, but I guess that's the kind of thing that comes with age. Completing a game still gets you a little of that nostalgic excitement of youth though, doesn't it ;).

Not unless you can get a reward for doing so (Except watching the ending). In most games, I usually skip endings, such as Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, which you can't save after beating the game.

In my opinion, yes, a game's ending matters.

Now, I know not all game endings can be as nostalgic as Sonic 2 or Phantasy Star II, but I at least expect something other than "The End". I've played games where, once you beat them, it sends you straight back to the "start" screen. That just leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

As for the final level; I really enjoy a good, challenging, final boss. Games without bosses also feel empty. I still remember that stupid stone bird skating sequence of a final level that was Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude. It's enraging, to say the least.

It depends, but ultimately I'd say yes. If the game is a story game, like an RPG or Adventure title, it had better have a well written and tidy ending if not a good positive conclusion. Final Fantasy 7 is forever on my list of games to dump on for its non-ending. The much hated Phantasy Star III's multiple endings caused it to be the only RPG I have played through more than once.

Shinobi and Action Fighter on Master System are two games I used to love to play (grits teeth at AF's music) and when I found out the final ending was the same as the end to all of the other levels I simply lost interest.

Revenge of Shinobi won EGM's newly minted "worst ending" award, I guess for it being short? But it having two endings, a good and a bad, made me replay it to no end just to see them both and try to remember the differences. I still prefer to play Strider on Genesis for its ending over the Arcade version, though I prefer the music on Genesis too. Ghouls N Ghosts has an awesome credit scroll with gameplay and a very memorable song. So yes, I have to say I care about the ending being more than a rubber stamp or "fin" sign. At the very least the credit scroll ought to have a memorable (non-rehashed) song.

While I'd rather a great game with a crappy ending than a crappy game with a great ending, a good ending ties the whole experience into a nice bow and gives you some satisfying closure.

Really though all I ask is give me something other than a CONGRATULATIONS or GAME OVER screen. Anything.

I also can't deny that a lot of game endings have some intensely nostalgic weight to them.

It's also highly dependent on the type of game as well. It's far more important for a story driven game to have a satisfying ending than an action game which might not have had any story to speak of to begin with.

I don't expect a grand ending, but if I just committed hours of my life towards beating a game, I 'd like more than "Thanks For Playing!" or "You're a great player!".

All those say to me are "we didn't plan an ending/we ran out of time for one".