10 Terrible Moments From The Best Video Games
2. The Ending Of Mass Effect 2
One of the biggest crimes committed in storytelling is needless character deaths, particularly when they lack substance to the audience.
Mass Effect 2 is one of the biggest perpetrators for this.
The final mission for Shepard and his companions is slated as a suicide mission, with low odds of survival. It couldn't be made clearer that not everyone will make it out alive and this alone built up significant tension that could have offered one of the greatest moments in video games, given how much time had been spent with said companions.
The player must then choose which of their friends will accompany them, but if you were under prepared the selected characters are wiped from existence, off-screen.
While this is avoidable, the problem isn't the fact the companions can die more so that you don't get to see it happen, which then eradicates any sense of emotional weight.
Despite Mass Effect 2 being a superb title and one of Bioware's crowning achievements, this particular design choice at the end leaves something to be desired and renders this moment a terrible one, among many great ones.