10 Beautiful Video Game Endings That Made Us Cry

Metal Gear Solid 3, the landmark prequel to the entire series, centers on series villain Big Boss, AKA Naked Snake, and the story of his ultimate disillusionment with the American government.

Behind its romantic, Golden Age James Bond aesthetic, MGS 3 is the most tragic story of the entire series. A story of a world where evil won decades ago, and even the best heroes find themselves serving that evil, even as they work against it with everything they have. Snake spends the entire story hunting down his traitorous mentor, The Boss, who has assembled a unit of disgraced former soldiers in a bid to turn the Cold War hot.

It all comes to a head with one of the all-time great final bosses, where Snake finally gets his one-on-one with The Boss, and proves himself her superior. In the moment, killing her feels tragic, yet triumphant, the final victory of the game.

And then the ending twists the knife. It turns out that The Boss was a deep, deep cover agent working for the US military, sent to find the Philosopher's Legacy and destroy Cobra Unit from within. Snake, meanwhile, was used as a tool to eliminate the last loose end of that plan: The Boss herself.

Snake murdered the closest thing he ever had to a mother, all to serve the machinations of American politicians, and they give him a medal and a new title for it: Big Boss.

Snake visits The Boss' grave, alone, and the game ends with the image of him solemnly saluting his mentor, the only one who will ever truly know what she gave for her country.