10 Intense Video Game Endings That Blew Us Away
9. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4 may represent peak indulgence for franchise creator Hideo Kojima, but it also delivers one of the most insanely bombastic, crowd-pleasing finales in the history of the medium.
The game's epic climax sees Snake getting barbecued to a crisp as he crawls through a corridor lined with microwave emitters in order to reach the GW AI server room.
Afterwards, he partakes in a gloriously nostalgia-laced final battle against Liquid Ocelot atop Outer Haven, concluding with Ocelot's death.
But this is all just setting the table for an ending cutscene that runs in excess of an hour, flirting with the possibility of Snake committing suicide before he's interrupted by Big Boss, who in a major bombshell is revealed to be alive.
After a lengthy chin-wag, Big Boss succumbs to the FOXDIE virus coursing through Snake's veins, and Snake decides to live out his remaining time in peace.
A fitting coda for one of gaming's most beloved action heroes, Metal Gear Solid 4's operatic ending served up an almost overwhelming barrage of action and emotion.