10 Terrible Video Games With Incredible Endings
6. Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness (2003)
2003's Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness is such a bad game, it's reached that point of infamy where there's a small (very small) cluster of fans that, having been burdened with it perhaps as a Christmas or birthday gift, have actually begun to like it.
Despite some strong sales on the back of an aggressive advertising campaign, Angel of Darkness was plagued by some hefty framerate drops that made players feel like they were interacting with levels in slow-motion.
But, being one of the worst-received titles of the 2000s, the narrative and storyline in Tomb Raider's sixth main entry did earn some plaudits at the time. With themes based around intrigue and black magic, the game reaches a dramatic finale as Lara discovers Karal had secretly been aiding her throughout the game. He offers her the chance to join him, but is killed once she uses Sanglyph to destroy the Cubiculum Nephili.
The game's final shot sees Lara smiling to herself as she strides into the darkness of a monster's cage. Not only does it tee up the next entry well, but Angel of Darkness' breathless ending really reflects the overall mood of this Lara better than plenty of better titles in the series.