10 Saddest Heroic Sacrifices In Video Games
3. Halo 4 - Cortana
Over the course of the sprawling Halo franchise, gamers have come to know and love an array of characters. None more so than the lead hero Master Chief, but second behind him is his artificial intelligence assistant, Cortana.
As the voice inside the character (and the player's) head, Cortana was the guiding inspiration and voice of reason and when the series returned to the soft-reboot/sequel that is Halo 4, it was troubling to catch Cortana glitching at some points in the game.
When Cortana revealed that she was nearing the end of her short lifespan, I was certain there would be some deus ex machina device that would repair and recover her.
Oh, how I was wrong.
In order to stop the Didact, Cortana fragments herself into the rogue ship and uses what good parts of her that remain to save the Spartan from the ship's destruction. It's a tender and heartfelt scene and is only bolstered more if you're aware of the affectionate connection between the two.
The moment is soured though when Cortana is revealed to still be alive. Had her character stayed dead, we might have felt the emotional weight a little more.