10 Best Video Game Endings
2. Mass Effect 2
Now that the dust has settled, I think we can all admit that Mass Effect 3s ending wasnt as life-crushingly terrible as we all thought. It was underwhelming to be sure, but it wasnt so bad that it ruined the entire series, as some more theatrical fans have proclaimed. No vague, color-coded explosion could decimate the countless unforgettable moments that the Mass Effect trilogy provided us. And really, Mass Effect 3 was never going to top the outstanding ending of the second game. Mass Effect 2s final hour isnt just a step forward for video game storytelling, its a significant achievement in storytelling in general. And thats because it accomplishes what no game, book, movie, or TV show has done before: it remains as exciting and suspenseful the second time you experience it. And the third time. And the fourth How does the game do this, you ask? By making you constantly fear for the lives of your crew. Any decision youve made, or failed to make, can come back to bite you in the ass and kill your favorite character. Forgot to upgrade your ships armor? Goodbye, Grunt. Selected the wrong crew-mate to lead an escort team? Ta-ta, Tali. Unless youre a dirty cheater who looks up how to ensure no one dies, youre never 100% certain that everyones coming back alive. But thats not all. The entire suicide mission and the scenes that follow it are cinematically epic, and are only slightly hindered by some unsightly loading screens. Based on your decisions, the Collector base is either blown to pieces, or kept preserved. Shepard can be civil with the shady Illusive Man, or she can tell him to go to Hell. Whatever choices you make, it always ends with a breathtaking closing shot: The mythical Reapers emerge from dark space and descend upon the galaxy. As disappointing as ME3s conclusion was, it will never take away from us the excitement we felt the first time we finished ME2. Or the second time. Or the third, or fourth, or fifth