10 Video Game Deaths That Should've Hit HARD (But Didn't)
8. Cole Phelps - L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire's ending was nothing if not in the bleak tradition of the film noir genre, but it also fell far short of its upsetting potential.
At the very end of the game, protagonist Cole Phelps is suddenly killed in the final mission while helping Jack Kelso and Elsa Lichtmann escape a flooding sewer, where he's swept away to his death.
Sure, Cole technically dies a hero, but his entire character arc feels incredibly hurried in the final few hours of the game.
After Cole is demoted to the Arson unit once his extra-marital affair with Elsa comes to light, players take control of PI Jack Kelso, meaning we're not even playing as Cole in the climax.
This and the seemingly not-clear-cut nature of Cole's death left some fans expecting him to resurface at the end, but true to the genre he is indeed genuinely dead, all while those who set his death in motion appear to get away with it.
It's a death undeniably steeped in tragedy, but it's also painfully clear that the third act of L.A. Noire suffered from rushed development, making it all feel a bit messy and incomplete.